The Duke of My Heart (Regency Romance)

by Hanna Hamilton

  The Duke of My Heart

  Hanna Hamilton

  Edited by

  Maggie Berry

  Copyright © 2017 by Hanna Hamilton

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Hanna Hamilton

  Chapter 1

  "Would you look at that, Miss Iris, the sun is shining so brightly and the flowers are all in bloom. Are you really telling me that you would rather be inside, watching me make the beds than out in the gardens surrounding your home, soaking up the sun?"

  Iris glanced towards the large window in her bedroom that allowed the natural light to shine brightly across her lovely ivory bedspread, with a small sense of longing in her heart. Maybe she would like to be out there with the sun rays beaming heat down onto her slender shoulders, the idea was a lovely one, but that just was not possible. Not today.

  Today she had to stay in the room in isolation, with her fancy oak wood four poster bed, her lovely pale coloured wardrobe which contained all her fancy, barely worn, dresses, and her long decorated mirror. Her safe haven, the only place in the world where she truly felt secure.

  "You know how it is, Daisy," she sighed mournfully while fixing her gaze back on the deep blue carpet below her feet. "I am far more comfortable with you up here than I am down there. Especially when my father has so many guests visiting him." Iris folded her arms across her chest and she shuddered lightly. "They will all want to look at me, I cannot stand so many eyes on me at once."

  “Well, of course, they will want to see you." Daisy chuckled. "You are from the famous Warwick family, a home with such wealth that it attracts the attentions of all people in polite society. You are also the youngest daughter to Robert Warwick, who probably should be betrothed already since you are nineteen years old. If you were out there, in the world, you would have offers of marriage falling at your feet every single day. Especially when you take a look at yourself. What man wouldn't want to make you his wife?"

  Without even meaning to, Iris flicked her gaze to the mirror in front of her, and she examined her appearance closely. Maybe she did not look much in the simple pale blue slip dress she had on because it slipped over her slim frame comfortably, but with her fair hair tumbling down her back in slightly messy waves, her curvy hips, plus her soft, pale porcelain skin, she knew that she could look wonderful if she tried. If she wore any sort of makeup around her large blue eyes, they sparkled, but Iris did not enjoy the sensation of strangers looking into them. That was the same reason she did not paint her lips either.

  She could look lovely if she wanted to, but she didn’t.

  Ever since Iris unexpectedly lost her wonderful mother to Smallpox when she was only thirteen years of age, she hadn’t spent a lot of time outside, and certainly never away from the grounds of her home. She was extremely close to her mother, she viewed her as her very best friend, and she was also the one person she naively never thought that she would have to say goodbye to. Even when she got sick, Iris allowed herself to believe that everything would be alright.

  When the disease finally claimed her mother, it came as a massive shock to all the girls, but Iris especially. She took to her bed and found herself quite unable to move. She could not get up, even for the funeral. Her mood was so low that she actually wished for death herself, just so she could be back with her lovely mother.

  When it became obvious that Iris would not be able to shake off her depression anytime soon, her father confined her to the inside of the home where she could feel how she pleased in peace, without threatening the family’s reputation. He did not allow her to attend society functions, even her own sisters’ weddings, to ensure that the gossip was kept to a minimum. As a Warwick, appearances had always been extremely important to Robert, and Iris felt that it was even more important because he had not managed to produce any sons to continue on with the family name.

  “That is what I’m afraid of,” Iris murmured gratefully. She did not want to attend any society functions, much less get marriage proposals. She was grateful to her father that he kept her inside, even if he didn’t mean it to be a nice thing. She wasn’t ever sure of his intentions because he didn’t speak to her very often at all.

  “You are only saying that because of what happened to your sisters.” One of the negative side effects of spending so much time with the servants was that Daisy could now see right through her. She also didn’t hold the same boundaries as most serving staff did with Iris, they had become very close friends. “It will not happen to you.”

  “Olivia was widowed at only seventeen years of age. Now she is in ruins, with children to care for. No one else will marry her so she no longer has any hope.” Iris grew impassioned as she spoke. This was a subject that she felt very strongly about. “And Elizabeth is incredibly unhappy with her arrangement. She does not have any feelings for her husband, yet she is expected to produce an heir with him.”

  One of the positives of having older sisters was that Iris had been warned of what was expected from her on her wedding night... although she wasn’t sure that she liked the sound of it one bit. She imagined that it would be even worse with someone that she did not like at all. Her sympathies for Elizabeth were endless.

  “That is marriage these days,” Daisy shrugged, unperturbed. “One of the disadvantages of being a wealthy lady. You marry for political reasons, or convenience reasons. You do not wed for love.” Daisy glanced out the corner of her eye at the lady she held a lot of love for in her heart. She was well aware of Iris’s sensitive nature and fragile heart, and as the family did not seem to take the duty upon themselves, Daisy felt obliged to toughen her up a bit for the world she would eventually have to face. “I know you have fancy notions from the story books you read, but romance does not count for anything in your world.”

  “But it does in yours?” Iris asked with wide eyes. She was desperate for answers, she needed to know how the other half lived because she was so discontent with her own life.

  “Sometimes it does, sometimes not.” Daisy’s lips thinned and she returned her gaze back to the folding that she was doing. There seemed to be something behind her eyes, but Iris couldn’t tell what it was. “You seem to think that I have more freedom than you, but it simply is not the case.”

  “How so?” To Iris, the shackles of society felt like boulders resting heavily on her shoulders. She had spent a lot of nights lying up at
night imagining how her life would be if she did not have the Warwick name. Sure, she would not have the money or the dresses, or even the lovely house to live in, but she also would not have the expectations. To her, that felt like a dream come true.

  She could find the man of her dreams, just like the girls in the books that she adored so much. That was a freedom she desired more than anything else in the world. It wasn’t the concept of marriage that she abhorred, she only wanted it if it came with love. Maybe that was naïve, but Iris could not help what she felt.

  "Because, Miss Iris, much as I do not mind working in your home since I adore you so much, the work is not always easy. It is an unfortunate side effect of this world that we need money to survive. Now, again, I am not complaining because I know that I am paid well, but still, it limits what I can do." Daisy raised her eyebrows at Iris, wondering if she was getting even a word of this. "I am one and twenty years of age, if I were in your shoes then I would already be wed to some Lord, or a Duke maybe. As it is, I am still here, cleaning up after the Warwick family. Unwed, no romance, no nothing."

  This shamed Iris. She felt her cheeks flame a bright red at the slight accusation on Daisy’s tone. It hit Iris that maybe everyone wanted what they did not have. She was not the only one who wasn’t totally happy with what life had handed to her. She wondered if Daisy thought that she was spoiled, that she did not know what she had.

  She hated the idea that Daisy would think anything bad about her, she was the only friend that she had in this large, empty home.

  “You are beautiful too, Daisy. You should be married.”

  Daisy twisted her head away, totally disbelieving Iris’s comments. She had fair hair too, but she always wore it tied back so Iris wasn’t sure how long it was, and a nice figure. She wasn’t as slender, and her cheeks weren’t as lovely, but Daisy definitely had a pretty quality to her. If she was dressed up like a lady, Iris was sure that she’d pass for one with ease.

  “Now, Miss Iris, you should go for a ride on one of the horses. You need to get outside, to go for fresh air.” Daisy changed the subject rapidly to prevent any further debate on this sticky subject. Nothing good could come from it. “That is an activity that you can do alone, your land is large enough for you to remain inside. You won’t need an escort, or to face your father’s guests. It’s perfect.”

  "Maybe I should," Iris replied half-heartedly. The idea was a nice one, but she wasn't sure if she could face it. Her stomach twisted up in tight knots at the idea of leaving the bedroom that she adored too much. "After lunch."

  “Let me guess, you will be dining with me?” Daisy asked with a smirk. “Shall we take lunch in your room again? The same as we have done for the last six years?”

  Iris giggled, glad to know that Daisy wasn’t annoyed by the arrangement. Iris had questioned her on it once, she did not want to take her away from the other servants if they were her friends, but Daisy scoffed and insisted that she would much rather spend time with her, and that was the last they’d ever spoken of it.

  “Of course, that is the only way.”

  As Daisy left her alone while she scurried down the stairs to get lunch organized, Iris braved moving close enough to the window to gaze towards the outside world. She could only do this because she could hear her father and his friends below her, inside the house. If she even suspected for one moment that they might see her, she wouldn’t dare.

  She couldn't explain it, even to herself, but the more time that she spent indoors the more she feared being stared at. Six years was a very long time to close herself off from everyone else, but to Iris, she was certain that she could remain that way forever if it came to it.

  She soon lost her focus as she glanced over the luscious green of the grass and the bright reds and oranges of the flowers. The trees that lay across her family’s land even blurred into nothingness. Iris’s imagination allowed her to forget that she was in the wonderful, admired Warwick mansion, and instead a beautiful, much smaller castle took its place. Iris became a beggar girl in her mind, a young lady selling flowers. She had nothing but determination and spunk, she saw herself with a bright smile and hardened skin. She was the opposite to the person she was right now.

  Then Iris dreamed up a broad shouldered, dark haired gorgeous prince who wanted a peony. He came to her, he asked her for a flower for a beautiful girl which he immediately gave back to her after paying for it, making her feel like the most special girl on the planet.

  Her lips inadvertently puckered as she imagined the prince leaning in closer to her, allowing her to get lost in his warm, hazel coloured eyes. There was love in his gaze, the sort of love that she wanted to swim in forever. Then, he leant in closer and he kissed her, causing her heart to stop dead in her chest. She was almost breathless with it, and it wasn't even real...

  “Miss Iris?” Daisy had concern in her tone now, which instantly caused Iris to snap her eyes open as if she’d been caught doing something terrible. “Is everything alright? You look... lost.”

  Lost. That was the best word to describe Iris’s whole life. She’d been lost for far too long.

  “No, I am okay, I was just being thoughtful.” She smiled blandly, desperately hoping that this was the one façade that Daisy could not see through. “Is lunch sorted?”

  “The cook is organizing it now. It will be up soon.” Daisy sat on Iris’s bed sheets, looking terribly distracted. “I have something to discuss with you, Iris.”

  Iris's heart instantly started beating a hundred times faster. She did not need Daisy to say any more for her to understand that this was not going to be good news for her. To brace herself, she took her place on the bed next to her friend.

  “What is going on, Daisy?” Without even meaning for it to be there, Iris had a warning tone in her voice. She hated surprises, they terrified her almost as much as the rest of the world did.

  “I’m afraid that the horse ride will have to wait.” Daisy gave her an apologetic look, sadness filled her dark blue eyes. “Iris, your father would like to meet with you, once his friends are gone.”

  "How... how do you know?" Iris's head began to spin, the world felt unsteady underneath her. She grasped tighter onto the bed sheets just to prevent herself from falling. Her pulse rate thundered as she considered what her father was going to say to her. He never spoke to her unless it was important, unless it was business. Something to do with the Warwick name.

  This had to be it, the day he forced her out of her depression and her room. He wanted her to get married.

  “The butler overheard and he gave me the information to warn you.” All the staff knew about Iris’s delicate temperament. Not all of them knew her as well as Daisy did, but they all liked her well enough. “I do not know what it is about, but I thought it was best for you to be prepared.”

  “I know,” Iris whispered clutching onto her stomach. Her appetite was now long gone; she couldn’t imagine wanting to eat ever again. “He has plans for me to leave this house at long last.” She stared at Daisy with all the sheer terror that she felt deep in the pit of his chest. Her pale irises betrayed the depths of her emotions. “I am going to get married.”

  Daisy fell into silence. She didn't want to lose Iris, especially as she knew how little she wanted to leave, but this was the one area in which she couldn't have an opinion. What her master wanted to do with his own daughter was his choice, the opinion of a lowly housemaid meant nothing.

  She did the only thing that she could and she wrapped Iris up in a hug. At least some physical comfort would help this poor girl who had no real idea of what awaited her.

  Chapter 2

  Iris brushed down the green silk of her dress while running her fingers over the embroidered flowers as she moved her hands downwards. Iris did not enjoy the way that the clothing felt on her one bit. With the stays holding her waist in place, and her hair tied up so tightly it pulled on the skin of her face, Iris felt like she was playing a character. Also, a bit like she was being p
ropped up.

  It was ironic for her to feel that way on one of the only occasions when she was dressed like the lady she was always supposed to be, but Iris could only be herself in her simple dresses, locked away in her room. This was another person entirely.

  “Do I look like a lady?” she asked Daisy nervously. “My father doesn’t like me to look any other way, even if it’s only a visit to his office.” With Robert, she was always in a role. “Is my hair right? It hurts.”

  “If it hurts, then you know that it’s right,” Daisy replied wryly. “I remember when I first got Olivia dressed for a social occasion, it must have been during her season... she sure did complain.” Daisy laughed loudly. “But I’m sure you can imagine that. She moaned and screamed at me for hours. If I did not work for her, I might have slapped the hysteria right out of her.”

  “She always was a moaner,” Iris nodded with a brief ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she recalled a time when this large house was filled with voices and laughter. Before she was totally alone within its walls... well, almost alone. “And the shameful thing is now she has all the reasons in the world to complain.” It did not matter to Iris that their father undoubtedly helped Olivia to keep her financially afloat, it was the shame that upset her.

  “Right,” Daisy tactfully stood in front of her to stop Iris from brooding. When the black cloud clung to her head it was challenging to keep her upright. It did not happen very often anymore, but this would be the worst time for it to come on. Her father would not like it at all, he had little patience for these things, which was why he did not see his daughter often. “Let’s get going now. You wouldn’t want to keep your father waiting.”