The duke swallowed hard. “I have made many mistakes—not marrying your mother, not keeping her at my home, not ever seeing you . . . not taking you in when you came to my door because I was too afraid to see you. Lord Devon did me a great service by hiring you, but I should have been the one to take care of you.” The duke’s gaze lowered to the floor. “I don’t expect forgiveness for my mistakes, and I certainly do not deserve it.”
“But you have it,” Adrian said quietly.
The duke’s brows rose, and he smiled. “In that case, I believe my belated wedding gift will be a welcome one.” He removed a folded packet of papers from his coat pocket. “Please, accept this from me as my congratulations on your marriage.”
He gave the papers to Adrian, who unfolded them. He scanned the contents and then passed the papers to Venetia without a word. Venetia read through the documents, and her mouth fell open.
“This is the deed to the Latham country estate,” she whispered. “How . . . ?” She couldn’t finish.
“Your grandmother told me how your cousin sold it for profit. She also told me that it was the house that you and she had called home and that you missed it most dearly. I had my solicitor approach the new owner and make an offer. It now belongs to you both.”
Adrian rubbed his jaw as he stared at his father. “Thank you, Your Grace,” he finally said. “This means a great deal to us.”
“I hope to do much more, but I believe this is a good start,” the duke replied. “If you won’t object to me becoming a part of your lives.”
Venetia could see that Adrian was still stunned by this visit, but she hoped he would view it positively.
“I would like that, Your Grace,” Adrian said.
“Richard, please, and perhaps someday you will call me Father. When you feel comfortable with it.”
Adrian held out his hand to the duke. “Richard.”
“Let me get us some tea.” Venetia rang the small bell for Evanston.
They spent the next half hour with Adrian’s father, and when he departed, Venetia curled her arms around her husband’s neck.
“How do you feel?” she asked him.
“Stunned,” he said. “But hopeful.”
“Hope is good.”
She pulled his head down to hers for a kiss. She squealed in delight as he scooped her up and carried her back to one of their more comfortable settees in the drawing room. They both sat, Venetia on his lap, and continued kissing. Adrian’s hand slid up her skirt, making her giggle as he tickled her with his fingertips. He always knew how to drive her mad with hunger for him.
“You meant to take me here?” Venetia pretended to ask in a scandalized gasp.
“Of course, we have only a few hours before your grandmother returns, and we mustn’t waste a moment alone.”
Venetia laughed. “You know she doesn’t mind…”
“Well I mind. I adore your grandmother, but she’s quite fierce. I always expect her to swoop in and knock me senseless with that cane.”
“She would never!” Venetia laughed. “You are her hero, you know. You did exactly what she’d hoped, you gave Patrick a good thrashing.”
Adrian’s eyes burned with wicked delight as he gazed at her mouth again with a lusty fixation.
“You really do tempt me you know” he said, chuckling between their kisses.
“Do I now?” She bit his bottom lip playfully, and he groaned before kissing her harder.
“Minx,” he growled, and Venetia laughed in delight.
“Hush and make love to me,” she commanded.
Adrian flashed her a seductive look that made her body hum with excitement. “As you wish.”
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Don’t miss the next delightful romance in the House of Devon Series, Tempted by the Windflower by Sue London. Turn the page to read the first chapter!
Tempted by the Windflower
By Sue London
Bluestocking Rosalind Flowers would rather help her father with his astronomy observations than attend endless teas with her mother. She jumps at the chance to visit her friend Lady Caroline when her father receives an invitation from the duke. Open skies, horseback riding, and the freedom to read, sleep or do anything else she might like? Heaven. The surprisingly well educated and clever groom Freddie Marshall is a pleasant surprise. Will his love be worth flaunting society’s dictates?
Chapter One
Alfred “Freddie” Marshall ran a brush over Baybridge’s glossy coat one last time and the gelding snickered his thanks. Few horses loved a rubdown and brush quite like Baybridge did. Freddie was a groom in the Duke of Devon’s stables and he tried to take satisfaction in the simple pleasures of life. A happy horse. A good day’s work.
“Fred,” the stablemaster called. “Muck out the third stall.”
And then there were the other things in life. He gave Baybridge a final rub on the nose before sighing and grabbing his pitchfork. Freddie rather missed the duke’s temporary stablemaster, Mr. Ableman. He’d been the sort who mucked and brushed as much as any groom in his employ. Mr. Frederick, whom Freddie had worked for all his life, was well enough tempered but his recent injury made him even less inclined to set his back to the difficult work of the stables, and that meant there was more than enough work to share among the grooms and stable boys.
Not that Freddie was silly enough to think that life would be, on balance, more than fair. He had work, enough to eat, and even a book of his very own that he could read from time to time when his work was done. It wasn’t the life he might have hoped for, but a good life nonetheless.
He spent the afternoon in the sort of mindless, sweaty labor that made the time fly because he could think on whatever he wanted, rather than stay attentive to the lords and ladies while following them around on horseback. That was, in fact, his least favorite duty and he was more than willing to leave it to Nash, the other groom. Freddie was particularly good at finding something else to do, or simply disappearing entirely, when a riding party was assembled. Otherwise he had to listen to them prattle on with their vapid gossip just in case one of them might need something, might ask him for something while his mind was otherwise occupied. Because if there was one thing he knew about Quality they did not like being ignored. They did not like it at all. And however much he might not enjoy every aspect of his job he did not want to give the family any reason to turn him off. He didn’t know quite what he would do in that instance. He’d been in the Hartland Abbey stables for as long as he could remember!
The duke’s family were lovely, they really were, but there was an attentiveness that a servant was expected to have that never came naturally to Freddie. The other servants teased him that he had his head in the clouds. That sometimes you had to wave a hand in his face or snap your fingers to get his attention. It was true that he was often lost to his own thoughts. He’d learned to be careful about it, however. He’d learned to be alert when the family was around. It was odd but it felt like being mindful was one of the harder things he had to do. He was glad enough to be in the stables because the horses were quite a bit easier to get along with than the rest of the household.
His past before Hartland Abbey was something of a mystery. Some said that his father had sought work as a groom then left without notice, not even taking his son. Others said the man who’d brought him hadn’t even been his father. The servants of the household had taken him in as one of their own, however, feeding him, clothing him, and preparing him for his life as a groom in the duke’s stables. And since he’d been the child of all the servants, he’d also learned more than most children in his place. It was as though everyone wanted him to like their place in the household best, even if he
wasn’t likely to serve there. He knew how to polish silver, trim hedges, polish boots, and even sew a fine enough stitch to repair a gentleman’s jacket.
Growing up the man that Freddie had loved best, however, had been the tutor Mr. Eldridge. The man owned five books of his very own, and had access to the family library as well. Mr. Eldridge’s job had been to prepare the duke’s sons for school and that had been, from what Freddie gathered, something of a challenge. Freddie, however, had taken to books and learning like a duckling set in water to swim for the first time. Mr. Eldridge had spent evenings by the fire teaching Freddie his letters, then reading, and then discussing the world of ideas and stories. Freddie had been fascinated.
Mr. Eldridge had also been the one to insist that Freddie have a real name. The man who may have been his father only went by Dorsey and the servants didn’t seem keen to consider that to be Freddie’s last name. Mr. Eldridge suggested Marshall, and insisted that the more formal Alfred was preferable to the simple Freddie. The tutor had called him Mr. Marshall after that. And when the man left because his assignment was done he’d gifted Freddie his book of Greek mythology, inscribed ‘to Mr. Alfred Marshall with fond remembrance, Mr. Oliver Eldridge’. Sometimes Freddie gently ran his finger over the inscription, as though that would make the memories of Mr. Eldridge that much stronger now that the man had been gone near ten years. The book, however, was only the physical manifestation of the greater gift that he’d been given. The gift of words, which was an entire world unto itself. The world of history. The world of ideas. Something that made his mind so much bigger, so much more expansive than anything in his environs.
He wasn’t so bold as to ask to read the books in the duke’s library, but he hoped that one day he might earn enough to be able to purchase a second book of his own. He wasn’t quite sure on what subject yet, but he undoubtedly had plenty of time to consider the question. On the one hand he thought about history, most likely about a foreign land. He wanted to learn something new. On the other hand it would be prudent to put his money toward a book about horses. His literacy was already something that made him unusual in his profession. If he could be learned as well as experienced in horse handling then it could make him irreplaceable. And however much he might not seem intent on being an excellent servant, he had the apprehension common to his class. If it weren’t for his current employment he might starve. He didn’t know that categorically to be true, but he didn’t remember ever living anywhere else and didn’t particularly relish the idea of finding other employment. He’d not even gone with the family as they traveled among their homes. He’d always been here. And really, here was where he wanted to be.
* * *
Rosalind Flowers leaned forward to peer out the window of the carriage again. Her father snored softly in the seat next to her and her elderly maid Lucia knitted quietly in the seat across. Rosalind, however, was brimming with energy. It was, she thought, the freedom that this trip gave her from the endless rounds of teas and visits her mother insisted upon. Since Rosalind wasn’t even out she didn’t know why her mother thought that she needed to attend every single thing possible. But then father had received this invitation from the duke and Rosalind had served as her father’s assistant for so long that even her mother hadn’t resisted the idea that Rosalind would accompany him.
Mother, of course, had reassured herself that Rosalind had always rubbed along well with Lady Caroline, the duke’s middle daughter, and that it would be excellent for Rosalind’s prospects to revive the friendship. Rosalind didn’t have the heart to point out to her mother that the last time she’d seen Lady Caroline they had both been significantly younger and it was unlikely that the duke’s daughter still had the same affection for playing with her small printed theater. Caroline had been entranced by Rosalind’s ability to make up story after story for them to ‘stage’ on the tiny contraption.
The two had exchanged periodic letters ever since. Caroline especially thought to write to her whenever she saw a new performance. She once even encouraged Rosalind to consider writing plays herself. That was amusing in particular. It was one thing to create tiny stories to entertain a ten year old child, quite another to write a play for performance in a duke’s house.
And besides, now her head was full of calculations instead of stories. Her father’s love of astronomy had always foundered because of the mathematics required. He’d taught all three of his daughters about astronomy, but only Rosalind had excelled. By the age of fourteen she’d been correcting his work. She’d been acting as his assistant for four years, even corresponding with his peers about calculations and observations. She wasn’t quite as entranced as her father was about the thrill of discovery, but there was a great deal of satisfaction in helping him achieve his dreams. And she loved the fact that in mathematics there were answers. Everything else in the universe seemed much more mysterious, but using numbers sometimes felt like she was finding keys to unlock all those mysteries.
The carriage came to a stop with a gentle rocking motion and Rosalind heard the coachman and grooms jumping down. Her father awoke with a snort as the steps were placed next to the door. She wasn’t sure quite how he managed things like that, but it was very much in character. He promptly fell asleep at the first sign of boredom and always awoke at the first sign in a change of activities. She wished she’d inherited the talent.
Then they were all in the swirl of arrival, with footmen and luggage and even some dogs barking and dancing about. Rosalind was still turning around getting her bearings when a young woman emerged from the chaos, her black curls bouncing and contagious smile crinkling her sparkling blue eyes.
“Lady Caroline!” The girl had certainly grown up, now having the natural grace and elegance that made her look even more like her mother than before. The duchess and her daughter shared the same coloring.
“Miss Flowers! I’m ever so glad to see you!” Lady Caroline was still young enough for enthusiasm, however, pulling Rosalind into a quick hug. “I was delighted when Mama said you were coming with your father!”
“Thank you! I can’t believe how long it has been.”
What went unsaid was that they seldom socialized because Rosalind’s family wasn’t really in the same social circles as Lady Caroline’s. Their fathers, however, had known each other at school and from time to time the duke invited her father for a visit to discuss astronomy. This particular invitation had hinted that the duke hoped his younger son, Lord William, would develop more of an interest now that he was older. Rosalind, remembering Lady Caroline’s older brother quite well, tended to doubt it.
Lady Caroline threaded her arm through Rosalind’s as though they had always been bosom companions. “You probably don’t remember how to go about this old pile of stones, so I shall be your guide.”
Rosalind looked up at the grand three story mansion and almost chuckled at her friend’s description. It was far from an old pile of stones. They entered through the front hall. She’d wondered if it would not be quite as grand as her memory made it out to be, but if anything her memory hadn’t done it justice. The marble floor seemed more pristine, the red walls more vibrant, the black velvet benches more plush. It was luxurious to the point of intimidating. The fireplaces on each wall were ornate and she knew that come autumn they would ward off any chill from the front doors.
Lady Caroline continued to chatter, sharing local and household news as though Rosalind had only been away for a handful of weeks rather than six years. Well, this would be a very pleasant visit even if Lord William had as little interest in astronomy as Rosalind suspected.
Want to know what happens next? Grab Tempted by the Windflower HERE!
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Tempting the Footman: The House of Devon Book 5 Page 13