Katie snorted. “Who are you to give the Duke another chance? He doesn’t have to be bothered with you. He doesn’t have to bow to anyone. He is the ruler of Fairbanks County and can have any woman he wants.”
“That’s why he’s dueling today!” Jillian interjected, not enjoying the view of her sisters bickering. “Because he wants to show how he truly feels about you, Elizabeth! He wouldn’t be doing so if he didn’t truly care about you. He wants to marry you! Can’t you see that?”
Elizabeth pressed her lips together. Could it be true? She shook her head. “But I do not agree with this violence. Perhaps he kills Lord Draper. That would be a tragedy! I may not want to marry the man, but I certainly do not want to see him dead.”
“You don’t get to make that decision, Lizzie. Do you?” Katherine pressed the issue, giving her a sarcastic smile.
“Oh hush, Katie! You’re just mad because he’s not dueling someone over you! Stop trying to make Lizzie feel bad! This situation is difficult enough without you two sparring in this manner!” Janelle shook her head at Katherine, putting one small arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “It’s going to be all right, Lizzie. The Duke is an honorable man. He fought for our freedom and he has returned and already brought us out of our depressed state of affairs. Papa says he is doing a marvelous job recovering from all of Lawrence’s disastrous business dealings! The Duke will make a wise choice. I just know he will!”
Elizabeth nodded, letting her sister console her. She looked down and sighed, realizing her tea was now cold. She had forgotten about it completely.
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Her heart thumped hard in her chest. What if the Duke came first? What if he had already finished the job?
She swallowed hard. What if he was not the winner?
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A HEART UNMATCHED
He could see that a small crowd had gathered at the bottom of the hill. He stopped walking and stared for a moment, gathering his courage. He removed the flask from the inside pocket of his jacket, unscrewed the top and took a quick swallow, feeling the liquid burn down his throat. He sighed, looked down at the flask with sudden distaste and tossed it to the side. He was going to quit relying on that to give him the strength and courage to move forward. He was a man with a title, distinction and wealth. He wasn’t going to squander those blessings away with the turn of a corkscrew.
Lord Draper had suggested pistols, but the Duke decided on blades. He was a good marksman and he was afraid he would kill Lord Draper. He didn’t want to do that. Nor did he want to be shot dead. That would put a mark on Lord Draper and the man would lose everything he had. Dueling with blades could easily result in a draw, which was what he was praying for.
He didn’t see Elizabeth among the onlookers. He was not sure how he felt about that. He wanted to see her. However, he didn’t want her to see him. He could not be certain that this was a course of action she would approve of. He had a feeling the Prince Regent and most of his siblings and cousins would feel the same way about his decision.
He sighed once more as he went down the hillside. There were many decisions he could recall that hadn’t sat well with his peers and family. Nevertheless, he’d never been one to follow the towline exactly. He made his own decisions and whatever they were, good or bad, he stuck with them.
He reached the small crowd and they dispersed from side to side, allowing his passage between them. He saw Lord Draper and stopped to stare at him for a moment. The man’s head was down. He looked furious and not the least bit afraid.
They came together when Shawn held out his hand for Lord Draper to shake. “Are you ready, sir?” Shawn asked, using a respectful tone of voice.
“I am, your grace.”
“Are you sure you want to follow through with this?”
“Yes, my lord.”
The Duke stood for a moment longer before stripping off his outer jacket and handing it to one of his servants. He made a quick circle, giving each onlooker a hard glare. Most of them looked at him with frightened looks. Others had looks of disapproval. He turned his attention back to his rival and lifted his blade. “Shall we begin?”
* * *
Elizabeth felt like she could hear the clinking of the blades, even though she had chosen to stay home. Her sisters had left to get an update on what was happening between the Duke and the Earl of Braxton. She paced back and forth in front of the piano, moving across the long room to the double glass doors that would lead to the back porch, standing to stare out into the darkening sky. It would rain soon. Would that make a difference to the Duke? Would he kill Lord Draper anyway?
She chided herself for not going to the duel. If it was in defense of her honor, she would not have hesitated. Nevertheless, this felt more like a property battle. They were fighting for her hand when she had not given either of them permission to it, nor had her father. The Duke had not once approached her father to ask for her hand, not that he needed permission. However, it was the way things worked and he had skipped that step. At least Lord Draper had spoken to her father. She turned away from the window and walked back through the room.
She was shocked that it had even come down to this. Two weeks ago she had ridden in the Duke’s carriage, excited to be spending time with such a handsome man of distinction. She’d fallen in love with him the night they danced together. Now she feared for the life of a man she didn’t care for and the reputation of a man she did.
If Lord Draper died simply because he wanted her to be his bride, she didn’t think she would recover. She didn’t feel her hand in marriage was worth the life of a man. She was sure Lord Draper’s family would agree with her.
She reached the other end of the room, turned around and headed back toward the window. She would soon wear a path in the carpet under her feet. Surely the duel would take no longer than an hour. If her sisters had left right after they heard what was happening, they should return soon with a result.
Her heart thumped hard in her chest. What if the Duke came first? What if he had already finished the job?
She swallowed hard. What if he was not the winner?
* * *
The sound of their blades clashing rang out through the slowly darkening sky. Shawn could feel that it was going to rain soon. He felt the moisture in the air and noticed when the sun was darkened by thick grey clouds. He could tell that the weather was distracting his opponent. From the moment they had begun dueling, Shawn detected the Earl’s lack of coordination and poor skill. On one hand, it disappointed him, as he was hoping to have a good sparring before he ended it. On the other, he knew that he was sure to be the winner and swung his blade accordingly.
He shuffled his feet around, circling Lord Draper, trying to decide how long he wanted to play with the gentleman. It had already been a good 45 minutes. Lord Draper had gotten in a few good jabs, but never made contact with the Duke’s body. Shawn decided he was done when a raindrop fell on his shoulder. He made a quick move forward, surprising the Earl and making him stumble backwards, losing his footing. He fell to the ground on his behind, slamming both palms on the ground to keep from tumbling backwards further. His eyes darted up to Shawn when the Duke pressed his blade against Lord Draper’s shirt, poking a small hole in it just where his heart was. A tiny drop of blood seeped out from the pressure on the end of the blade.
“I’m afraid this is all a farce, Lord Draper, Earl of Braxton,” Shawn said. Leaving the blade where it was, he leaned forward and held out his hand to his opponent. “Shall we call it a draw and let the lady decide?”
Lord Draper sat in the dust for another moment, staring up at the Duke. There was a mixture of relief and surprise on his thin face. He made up his mind quickly, reaching up and grasping the Duke’s hand with a nod. Shawn pulled on him to help him stand. “Yes, my lord.”
Shawn didn’t see Katherine, Janelle and Jillian, who we
re standing to the side, their faces stunned. The younger sisters turned to each other with delight, replacing the worry that had been causing a pair of twin frowns. Janelle leaned in to her sister. “We must go tell Elizabeth! She will be so pleased!”
“I do hope so! I do hope so!”
They turned and hustled back up the hillside to their waiting carriage, holding their skirts up so they could move faster. Katherine reluctantly followed behind, having been disgusted by the whole thing from the start. She was hoping the Duke would kill Lord Draper. That would have set him on the outs with Elizabeth. Her sister would never have agreed to marry a man who would take innocent blood simply because he felt like it.
Now the Duke had shown his colors; he was an honest and compassionate man. She sighed, hurrying after her sisters.
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“I…find myself thinking about you often. More often than anything…or anyone else. You have invaded my heart and I can’t stop myself. I want to defend you, your honor, your family…I would wage another war in your honor if it meant that you would be safe and happy. I want to be everything that you need in this life.”
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TOGETHER
Shawn had decided to wait out the rain and then take his horse for a ride to the Dowling home. He knew that by now, Elizabeth would have heard of the events from earlier in the day. He was glad to see the sun peeking through the clouds two hours later, giving him a few more hours of sunlight before nightfall made it completely dark.
The Dowling estate was only a twenty-minute ride from his own. He hurried his horse, wanting to see Elizabeth as soon as he could. Lord Draper would surely not have made an attempt to see the woman, as Shawn had clearly won the duel. He didn’t want to give the man time to change his mind though. He wanted to see her and confess all to her, tell her of his fears and his nightmares since returning home from war.
He found her standing in a long living room, holding a cup of tea in one hand and staring out the window. “You look very contemplative, Miss Elizabeth,” he said.
She turned slowly and blinked at him. “I do?”
“Yes.” He walked forward until he came upon the couch and stood behind it, placing both hands on the back as if to prop himself up. He smiled at her. “I have come to speak to you. And your father.”
“As Duke and ruler of this land, I don’t think you need to ask my father for anything.”
“It is proper. I always do what is proper.”
“Do you?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I certainly try to.”
“It pleases me to hear that, my lord.”
“We are alone. You may call me Shawn.”
“You are here to speak to me about marriage?”
“I am.”
“I was told about the duel earlier today. I was told what you did to end it.”
“I was conscious of the fact that someone would inevitably tell you.”
“Do you think you did what was proper in that instance?”
“Absolutely. Lord Draper, might I say, is not a very good fencer. He has no business around a blade.”
“Why did you not use pistols?”
“That is too close to ensuring the death of one of the duelers. I was not…prepared to go to those extremes for a slight such as this one.”
“Where was his slight?” She found herself a little miffed. She could find no blame for anyone but herself. She had been the one to judge the Duke harshly; she had been the one to rebuff his messages. It was her own behavior that had led up to the events of the day.
“His slight?” The Duke looked confused.
“What was the slight that caused you to duel?”
“He…he was pursuing your hand. After your father had already expressed that you were not interested.”
“So it’s because he was stubborn.”
“I suppose you could say that, yes.”
“So you took it upon yourself to defend my honor?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Why?” She was staring hard at him, surprised at herself. Her heart was thumping. He was incredibly handsome. She resisted dropping her eyes to his hands every few seconds. They were large and intimidating. She wanted to go to him and let him wrap his arms around her and keep her safe from the world around them. However, she stood her ground.
He was a little confused by her questions. He cocked his head and gave her a longing look. “I…find myself thinking about you often. More often than anything…or anyone else. You have invaded my heart and I can’t stop myself. I want to defend you, your honor, your family…I would wage another war in your honor if it meant that you would be safe and happy. I want to be everything that you need in this life.”
His words swept over her like a cool breeze on a hot day. She inhaled deeply and held it for a moment. This was reality. The Duke of Worthington was truly saying these words to her. Chills covered her arms and she shivered.
He noticed. He came around the couch and walked directly to her. Moments later, they were inches apart. He looked down at her, catching her gaze and holding it. For a moment, they were silent, staring at each other.
She hadn’t noticed how much taller he was than she. He towered over her in a way that made her feel completely safe. The look in his eyes made her weak in the knees. Before she could falter, he grabbed her elbows and pulled her even closer to him.
“You are the woman I wish to marry. Tell me you will marry me.”
“My lord, I…”
“Don’t say anything,” he breathed, lowering his head slightly. “Unless you are saying you will marry me.”
“My lord…” She could barely breathe. She wanted to scream yes, yes! However, she couldn’t get out the words. Her eyes were fixed on his lips. She knew he was going to kiss her. “Yes. I will marry you.”
His lips on hers were like fire, pressing his love like a stamp on her heart. When he pulled away, she felt cold.
“Elizabeth,” he said quietly. “I confess that I am not a perfect man. My time away has left me scarred and broken in many ways. I am sometimes not who I wish to be. I…drink too much. And I plan to stop that as your husband. You are the only woman who can drown out the memories. You are the only one who can help me battle these demons.”
“I will help you, Shawn. I will battle them alongside you for the rest of your days.”
“My darling Elizabeth. You are my greatest weapon against the nightmares that haunt me. I often dream about the war. It comes back to me so vividly. I…saw a lot of death and…horror. It haunts me in a way that I truly felt would never leave me in peace. But when I am with you…the sounds disappear, the memories recede. All I can see is you.”
“I did not seem to have that effect when we went riding, Shawn. I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you that day.”
“I might have days like that in the future as well. Will you still stand by me?”
She smiled at him, reaching up to put one small hand against his cheek. “I will always stand by you, Shawn. I will never leave you behind.”
“I love you, Miss Elizabeth.”
“And I love you, Shawn Worthington. I truly do.”
* * *
Another rainstorm was headed their way. Elizabeth peeked out the window, pulling the curtain to the side. She looked nervously at Shawn. “Do you think we will make it home in time?”
“I am certain, my love.”
Satisfied, Elizabeth sat back against the seat and smoothed out the skirts that were billowing out around her. She loved Shawn, but sometimes he could get a bit extravagant when buying her new dresses and jewelry. He loved to shower her with gifts. She was grateful for the gifts, but more grateful that he had made her his wife and that they were soon to have their first child. Though they could not be certain, she was sure it would be a handsome little boy and that their first little boy would grow up to be a big, str
ong man like his Papa.
She smiled at him. “It was lovely to see your brothers and your mother today. Lawrence certainly looks better than he did when you first returned last year.”
“Much has changed since then. Even the women that Lawrence has tended to. He is somewhat a fickle young man, isn’t he?”
“He is, I’m afraid.” She lifted one hand and giggled behind it. “I believe both Lady Boxley and Lady Higgs were doting on him this afternoon. It was lovely that your mother was given such a special birthday surprise as to have all of her sons and daughters around her.”
“It was a surprisingly large affair, wasn’t it?”
“It was. But it was lovely. I was pleased. I think she was as well.”
“I agree. She did look particularly happy today.”
“And to see so many of your cousins and other family members. My goodness, I really didn’t realize your family was as large as it is.”
“Yes.” He grinned wide. “There’s a lot of us Worthingtons alive. We just might invade.” His eyes dropped to her protruding belly. “And we’re adding to the lot!”
They both laughed.
“Our son will not invade anywhere, I’m quite sure.”
“Oh, you mustn’t say such a thing. You just don’t know what will happen in the future.”
“I like to think there will be peace for our son. That he will not need to go off to war and fight as his father did.”
Shawn sighed. He hadn’t thought about the battles he’d fought lately. The nightmares were few and far between. He was too busy caring for his new family and taking care of the citizens of Fairbanks. “I’m afraid there will always be war of some kind going on somewhere in this big world we live in.”
“That may be true. But it doesn’t mean England will be involved. We don’t have to be involved in everything that happens in the world, do we?”
Regency Romance: More For A Duke (The Fairbanks Series - The Familial Adventures) (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 6