A Cinderella for the Duke

by Abby Ayles

  * * *

  “And how can we ever make that possible?”

  * * *

  “Well,” Lady Louisa said slowly. “I suppose we could ask the Duke to be willing to show attention to Elisabeth for a time. In that way, your mother would think she was recommended to him. Your marriage could be as soon as a month’s time from now.”

  * * *

  “Oh, that would be so wonderful,” Miss Mary said whimsically, and Lady Louisa couldn’t help but feel some of her excitement. “However, I am not sure the Duke would ever agree to such a thing.”

  * * *

  “I think he would. After all, we can be certain the picnic was only an excuse on behalf of his friend. I think he would be willing to do so for a short period of time.”

  Chapter 30

  On the following day, the ladies all piled into the open carriage and began the short trip to Bassen for an afternoon picnic. Much to Lady Hendrickson’s relief, a cool breeze had finally begun to blow giving her some relief.

  * * *

  Perhaps it was this fact that had put her in such a pleasant mood thus far. She had not reprimanded or nitpicked a single one of her charges once that day, which was very unusual for her.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa would have rather liked to do a little nitpicking herself when Miss Elisabeth came down in the forest green dress. It was clear for all the accusations about other’s ladies desperate attempt to catch the Duke’s attention by personifying the lady in green she was doing the same.

  * * *

  However little did she know that it was also in the exact same dress that the true lady in green had worn. Lady Louisa greatly hoped that the Duke wouldn’t connect the dots but feared he might. For this reason, she was rather racked with nerves of her own as they made their way down the lane.

  * * *

  Miss Mary too was full of butterflies but for a much different reason. It would be the first time she was to set eyes on Colonel Jasper after their months apart. Her greatest fear was that perhaps his affections had cooled for her over time. Of course, Lady Louisa had done her best to reassure her that such a thing was not possible, but still, the fear persisted.

  * * *

  They arrived at Bassen park and were greeted by the whole household party. For Lady Louisa, Miss Mary and Mr. Vaughan, not much time had passed since last they saw each other. The three chatted comfortably like the good friends they had become over the summer months.

  * * *

  Soon the opportunity came for Miss Mary to speak with Colonel Jasper in relative privacy as they all walked the path to a patch of woods where the wild berries grew. “As Lady Louisa told you, Mother learned of our engagement and was very unhappy about the prospect,” Miss Mary said with Jasper on her left and Lady Louisa on her right.

  * * *

  “Lady Louisa, however, was able to change her mind. She will consent to our union but with one condition,” Miss Mary continued.

  * * *

  “What ever it is, I will gladly accept it,” Colonel Jasper said.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa couldn’t help but feel caught up in the excitement of the moment.

  * * *

  “She only finds the engagement agreeable if you were to recommend my sister to the Duke,” Miss Mary said timidly.

  * * *

  “But you know the Duke has no wish to accept her. I don’t mean to offend,” he added quickly, “he has no desire to accept anyone outside of his mysterious lady.”

  * * *

  Miss Mary and Lady Louisa exchanged knowing glances, but Miss Mary still held her tongue on the matter.

  * * *

  “I understand this. It would not be required for the Duke to court Elisabeth in earnest. If he would but merely show interest until we were wed, then mother would be satisfied.”

  * * *

  “Yes, until we were wed and the Duke removed his attentions. Then how would she feel? I understand the method, but this is also your mother we speak of. Are you sure you would be willing to upset her so?” Colonel Jasper said slightly wishing he had a mother of his own to care about his life.

  * * *

  “I promise you, Huge,” Miss Mary said in a very intimate tone that made Lady Louisa blush for being close by, “My mother is not one to ever accept us. If every aspect of life isn’t to her benefit, it will never be good enough. We will never be good enough. That should prevent our own happiness, should it?”

  * * *

  “Of course not,” he said smiling down at her affectionately. “I will bring the idea up to the Duke at my earliest chance.”

  * * *

  “And with luck, we could be married within a fortnight,” Miss Mary said with a childlike enthusiasm that she so rarely showed.

  * * *

  “Sooner if I can help it,” he responded with a teasing wink that sent Miss Mary giggling.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa held back from walking with them. She wanted to give them the privacy. They had been forced to have her mediation for the last several months by letter, and now they finally had a chance to truly speak their hearts without others listening in. She didn’t want to rob them of such joy.

  * * *

  “They look quite happy don’t they,” the Duke said startling Lady Louisa from her thoughts. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he apologies quickly.

  * * *

  “You didn’t really,” Lady Louisa said though she had clutched to her chest and gasped. “You just walk so quietly. I didn’t hear you behind me.”

  * * *

  “I shall endeavor to be much louder of step next time,” he said with a playful smile. “I am sure there will be many more times we will meet as a small party. It seems the only way that we can bring our two companions together,” he added nudging to the Colonel and Miss Mary ahead of them.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa rather considered tell the Duke the plan formed and his part to play in it, but she rather thought it would come better from Colonel Jasper, so she kept her mouth shut on the matter.

  * * *

  “It is wonderful weather today is it not?” Lady Louisa finally said.

  * * *

  “Now are we to talk about the weather?” The Duke retorted with a rise of a dark brow.

  * * *

  “I don’t mean to make shallow conversation,” Lady Louisa answered his look. “It is just finally wonderful to get some respite from the heat.”

  * * *

  He smiled relaxingly as he looked down at her.

  * * *

  “I couldn’t agree more. Worse I spent the last week cooped up in a drawing room. Lady Georgiana Fulton was quite adamant about not going in the sun. It was very stifling.”

  * * *

  “How do you feel about going out in the sun, Lady Louisa?” Rowland inquired.

  * * *

  “Well, I am here, so I would surmise that I am not too concerned with it. Though I have not yet reached the brave level of my sister-in-law, Abigail, who will spend a whole day with her sunbonnet in her hand and not care a wit for what others may think of it.”

  * * *

  “And you are not like this?” Rowland asked hoping to get a better understand of this lady.

  * * *

  “Well,” she said motioning to her hat, “I do currently have my bonnet on.”

  * * *

  “That is true, but perhaps so that I may not see a blush rise to your cheek should I say anything worthy of such an action.”

  * * *

  “And what might you say, Your Grace, to make me blush,” Lady Louisa said already blushing from his brazen words.

  * * *

  “Well,” he said calmly as if he was contemplating some options. “I might first comment on how beautiful Miss Elisabeth’s dress is today.”

  * * *

  Lady Louisa swallowed hard, “And why would you think I would blush at such a comment?”

  * * *

  Lady Lou
isa couldn’t bring herself to look up into his eyes for an answer. He didn’t give one right away, and finally, she was forced to meet his gaze.

  * * *

  He bore deep into her with those eyes, almost willing a confession out of her.

  * * *

  She half expected she might. She saw a yearning deep inside those eyes that she had felt herself ever since the ball.

  * * *

  Finally, she looked away unable to give him the answer they both wanted her to say. After a few moments with the pressure of the silence, she made an excuse to hold back and speak with Mr. Vaughan.

  * * *

  The rest of the day was a great enjoyment for Lady

  * * *

  Louisa. She kept close to her two friends, Mary and

  * * *

  Colonel Jasper, as they laid out blankets and ate a light luncheon in the warmth of the sun and the cooling breeze.

  * * *

  She did notice, however, that the Duke was giving Miss Elisabeth several scrutinizing looks over her gown. He knew for a surety that it was the right dress and he also knew for a surety that Miss Elisabeth hadn’t been the one to wear it at the masquerade.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa’s one hope was that the Duke would simple just consider that Miss Elisabeth just happened to own the same dress, in the same color, with the same lace trim. Even as she thought such thing, she knew it was a ridiculous leap to take.

  * * *

  “It is the dress is it not?” Miss Mary whispered to Lady Louisa as the two of them forged for berries after their meal.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa looked over to Miss Elisabeth who was filling a basket next to her mother and then to the Duke who had left his own foraging behind for a deep conversation with the Colonel. Lady Louisa didn’t have to guess to know what they were talking about.

  * * *

  She hoped that their focus was on enlisting the Duke’s help in the Colonel’s marriage endeavors and not the dress.

  * * *

  “It is,” Lady Louisa said as she placing another plump berry in the basket.

  * * *

  “It is easy to see the Duke knows it too. Why not tell him the truth of it? Can you not see how his health has been hurt by this search? If you will not have him, that is one thing, but at least put him out of his misery.”

  * * *

  Lady Louisa studied the Duke closer. Though he still had his normal long frame and square jaw, his smile did seem to falter before reaching the light of his emerald eyes. His cheeks did looks slightly more sunken, but Lady Louisa had just assumed it was the exhaustion of so much travel.

  * * *

  It pained her deep inside to know she had been the cause of such great suffering. If she would but tell him the truth, perhaps it would be enough to solve the mystery for him. For he could never actually desire marriage when he found his Lady in Green to be the rather plain Lady Louisa.

  * * *

  “It would be to know ones benefit for me to say such a thing, including you. Could you honestly say your mother would allow your marriage to proceed if it was made known that I was the lady in green?”

  * * *

  Miss Mary digested this fact for a few moments.

  * * *

  “I see your point,” she said. “I cannot allow my happiness to be on the heel of your unhappiness, however.”

  * * *

  “I am not unhappy,” Lady Louisa assured her.

  * * *

  Miss Mary gave her a pointed look. “Had you not told me that you were the woman from the ball, I am sure I would have made the conclusion on my own. You were a changed person after that night. It has changed both of you.”

  * * *

  “Is it true?” A male voice said from behind them.

  Chapter 31

  Both ladies quickly whipped around in their place to see a figure standing over them. For a moment Lady Louisa was all panicked and sure she was to faint. The sun stood behind the tall frame darkening his visage to nothing but an outline.

  * * *

  “Is it true?” He repeated. “Were you the Lady in Green?” he hissed out in barely an audible whisper.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa and Miss Mary stood before the man. Lady Louisa gave an audible sigh of relief to see Colonel Jasper standing before them.

  * * *

  “It is but…” Lady Louisa started.

  * * *

  “I knew it! I knew all along from the moment I first met you I knew that you would be the perfect match for Rowland. Why have you not told him? What have you to hide? He practically knows himself. He hasn’t stopped badgering me, insisting that Miss Mary is wearing the green dress.”

  * * *

  “It’s a complicated matter, Huge,” Miss Mary interceded on behalf of her cousin.

  * * *

  “You knew too?” He asked in surprise to his fiancé.

  * * *

  “But I swore her to secrecy,” Lady Louisa added quickly.

  * * *

  “But why? Why keep it a secret?”

  * * *

  “First off, look at me. I mean only to save the Duke the embarrassment of his mistake,” Lady Louisa said quickly.

  * * *

  “You have traded modesty for self-shaming Lady Louisa. I know Rowland well. Any man would be so lucky for you to accept him. He has grown in affection for you these past months. I would dare say the only thing holding him back is this elusive Lady. You are she! Why not tell him so?”

  * * *

  “I can’t; I just can’t. Not until after your engagement is announced,” Lady Louisa said full of sorrow.

  * * *

  The remainder of the day was less enjoyable for Lady Louisa as a dark cloud of deception held heavy over her. She couldn’t decide what would make her dislike herself more, if she did tell the Duke and permanently offend her aunt ruining any future relationship, or keeping the secret though she saw it clearly pained him.

  * * *

  “You seem quite sullen,” a man’s voice started Lady Louisa from her thought.

  * * *

  She looked around with a start and realized where most had moved on to collect berries elsewhere; she had stayed seated underneath the shadow of a tree feeling its darkness deep from inside her.

  * * *

  “I didn’t mean to startle you again. I forgot I must tread heavier in your presence,” the Duke said coming to sit next to her and place a berry in her half filed basket.

  * * *

  “I don’t mean to seem so. I am having a wonderful time of this today,” Lady Louisa did her best to seem bright.

  * * *

  “I believe with that statement I have come full circle in understanding you,” the Duke said with a studied air.

  * * *

  “What ever do you mean?”

  * * *

  “Well, you were so cross with my attempt at hiding my true self in the past only because it is an impossibility for you to do. I could read your face as well as any book,” he added with a chuckle.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa couldn’t help but give a little laugh too. She was an easy one to read. It was amazing she had kept her secret thus far.

  * * *

  “I just suppose I feel rather downhearted for Mary and Colonel. It is so cruel the way my aunt is treating them,” she said feeling the venom of spite also include the ways her aunt had also altered her own possible happiness.

  * * *

  “It pains me also to see things play out as they are. It is also most unnerving to see you so upset,” he said looking down at her with affection.

  * * *

  Lady Louisa let her gaze drift up to him.

  * * *

  “Well, I suspect that now Jasper and Miss Mary will receive their due happiness, despite your aunt. Would that not be something to brighten your disposition over?”