A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Henrietta Harding

  “My Lord?” her voice remained calm, but the impatience in it could be heard.

  “Hm? Oh. Right. A message. Well, nothing of importance. Simply let her know that I called upon her and shall return on the morrow.” She would assume he spoke of Agnes, of course.

  “Your message shall be delivered, My Lord.” Then, she curtsied in dismissal, and he responded with a nod. He took one lingering look at the drawing room and decided that he had probably heard wrong and there was nothing amiss.

  “That would be most gracious of you, Louis. Well, in that case, I shall be on my way. Have a good day.”

  She curtsied again and reluctantly, he turned to leave. However, just as soon as he did, the banging sounded again, and this time, accompanied with cries. He spun, swiftly and the look of alarm on Louis’s face was all the confirmation he needed. Still, keeping a cool expression, he asked, “Did you hear that?” He raised his voice for effect. If there was anyone locked behind that door like he suspected, then he wanted them to know that he was outside and to cry louder, so that no doubt would remain, and the wicked witch would not be able to deny this.

  “What, My Lord?”

  “The banging and the cry. It sounded like ‘Louis, open up’.”

  He had to give it to the witch, for she managed to betray nothing as she responded, “I think not. I heard nothing of such, My Lord.”

  “Hmm. Yet, I am certain I did. Mayhap, you have some sort of defection in your hearing. If you would please, step aside. I shall investigate if that is the case or if I am simply the one imagining things.”

  Her composure faltered, and the façade began to drop as she shifted on her feet. Nicholas smirked. Something was certainly amiss, and he had reasons to believe that the voice he had heard had belonged to the Lady Agnes. Why would anyone have locked her in, and where were Eleanor and Isabelle?

  “I am afraid. I cannot allow that, My Lord. With all due respect, I must inform you that you have overstayed your welcome, and I would like to escort you out now. Please, My Lord. There is nothing here to trouble yourself with.”

  “I would like to remind you that you are beneath me, and as the fiancé of the second lady of this household, your superior in title; you are under my command and obliged to do my biddings. Do not let me repeat myself any longer. Louis, step aside, or I shall remove you from my path, and there shall be a great price to pay for your insubordination. Such impertinence!”

  Nicholas was not one to pull rank, but if he had to, he gladly would. Agnes must have gotten wind of the situation because she now banged louder, and her voice hitched higher; there was no denying it now. He and the maid knew. Still, she remained. That told him one thing – she was under the command of her mistress and feared her wrath more than she feared his. No one, not even he would fault her for that.

  “One last time, Louis. Step aside.” He was a gentleman, but if she did not budge after this, then, he would make good on his words. He counted to ten in his head and yet, she remained firmly rooted.

  “I suppose I have my response.”

  Not waiting for a reaction, he sidestepped her and was careful enough, that only his shoulders nudged her. Then, he broke into fast strides and with four steps, he was at the door of the drawing room. Louis was right behind him. Ignoring her, he called out, “Hold on Agnes. I will get you out.”

  “Nicholas?” came three very surprised voices. Bloody hell! All three sisters had been locked, in their own homes. He needed not to be a genius to realise that the witch held the keys.

  “Yes, it is I. Hang in there; you will be out anytime from now,” he called out again, and when their words of gratitude came, he felt a sudden power rush through him. He was a hero, rescuing not one damsel but three, from distress! Perhaps, this would further encourage Eleanor to take a stand with him, for them.

  “I know you have the keys, Louis. Give them to me.”

  “Never! You do not scare me.”

  “Well then, I suppose you will be happy to take the blame for these French doors that will be coming off their hinges in no time.”

  A look of alarm filled her eyes, and he knew he had hit the right spot. Victoria was vain. She would be frantic if she returned to see her precious French doors damaged.

  “You have until I finish my count to five before I start hitting this door with all that I’ve got. They are going to come out of here at some point, I reckon your mistress did not think this through. What happens when Lord Birmingham returns? Hand over the keys now, Louis. I will not ask one more time!”

  He knew not which had affected her more. His hardened features or his raised voice. Whichever it was, he was only grateful that she had decided to reason and act sensibly. Reluctantly, she dipped her hand into her bosom and brought out a bunch of keys. He grabbed them as soon as she stretched said hand towards him.

  Wasting no time, he searched for the keys which seemed more likely to fit and tried about three times, before the door finally snapped open on the fourth try. As the doors busted wide open, Louis stomped her feet hard on the ground and turned away in a huff. Nicholas could care less. He was already being rushed by three ladies who were intent on lavishing him with gratitude.

  “Oh! Nicholas! Thank goodness you came around. You are our hero!” Isabelle cried, and he could only smile as they stepped back one by one. Then, his eyes zeroed in on Eleanor. His heart galloped, his stomach fluttered, and he swept her into his embrace. Her hands instinctively went around his neck, and she hugged him tightly, as hard as he did her.

  They remained that way, the both of them oblivious to the fact that they had an audience. Neither said any words, but those were not needed. For Nicholas, he felt like it had been ages, and he could not believe that he was now holding her in his arms, at this moment. It felt so surreal, was all that he needed to feel like himself again. Finally, his world fell into place. For this, he would slay giants. How he had ever thought to give this up in the first instant, he could not fathom. Finally, howbeit hesitant, he let go of her. That was when he became conscious of the people who stood looking at them with huge smiles on their faces.

  Perhaps, he should have gone about this in a subtle way, he thought as his face flushed. Looking at Agnes, he attempted to explain.

  “Forgive me, I never planned for this.” He bowed his head as he spoke, unable to look her in the eye.

  “Oh, but there is nothing to be forgiven! Eleanor has already told me everything. It is just as well as that things have turned out this way.”

  Surprised, he raised his head and looked at the three sisters who shared a secret smile. Of course, Eleanor’s was more beautiful for she radiated with the love he knew she felt for him. He held her eyes as he asked “She has?”

  She nodded, but it was Isabelle who responded. “Yes. She has. There is so much you need to know, Nicholas. Thankfully, we have time. Seeing as Mother locked us in, it is too late to go to Bond Street now. We shall have to wait for their return. I reckon she must have believed that the plans to elope today were still in place. Thank goodness the message from Benjamin arrived without a hitch. Now, we must wait. All shall soon be over. In the meantime, we shall call for tea, while we fill you in on all that has been happening.”

  A lot of questions raged like a storm in Nicholas’s mind, but he followed them as they returned to the drawing room. This time, they took the keys along with them, uninterested in more touching stories. When they had all settled down, Nicholas was told it all.

  Chapter 36

  Benjamin had been right. Looking at this woman, even in her disguise and veil, it was easy to see that this was his wife. The woman to whom he had been married for the past twenty-five years of his life. Now, he knew without doubt that all that Benjamin had told him was the truth.

  “Take off your veil, Victoria. I am still alive and well. Has anyone ever told you that the colour black does not suit you?”

  He stepped further into the room as he spoke, aware of Benjamin and Lackley following silently behin
d him. She must have surmised that there was indeed, no way out of this for she did as he said. As the veil came off, he stared into the brown eyes of his wife, and reality hit. It was her indeed.

  He finally came to a stop three feet away from her, and she looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

  “What is the meaning of this madness, Victoria? Has your hunger for status and prestige placed a deep well of greed inside of you, that you no longer have limits? Engaging in criminal acts, slandering a man’s name, making your daughters miserable, all for your selfish reasons, Have you no heart? Why have you chosen to stoop so low and orchestrate such evil deeds?”

  “Williams, it is not that which you think. Shall you not listen to my side of the story? Do not be so quick to believe what Witherspoon has told you. I only want the best for our daughters!”

  “More lies? I had expected better from you. We both know that you only want to protect your name, remain at the top of society, and rule like the queen you have always wanted to be. You forget so easily, that you were only a lowly baron’s daughter when I saw you and became endeared. I married you, regardless of the tens of maidens of equal status that I could have chosen from. I married you, when your father had nothing to his name. Then you suddenly became a Duchess and forgot the roots you had sprung from. Yet, I fault only myself, for in allowing you to spread your wings wide, I have failed my daughters. I have turned a blind eye to your flaws for too long. No more. You shall go change out of those dreary dresses, and join me in Witherspoon’s carriage. There shall be no further discussions until we arrive home.”

  When she would have said something more, he gave her a stern look, and she immediately shut her mouth.

  Soon, they were all seated in Witherspoon’s carriage, the silence thick like the early morning fog in winter. She sat by his side, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see how sullen she looked. The hackney she had hired followed behind them as it carried the maids she had taken along with her, and her widow’s attire. How she had managed to change in that small space, baffled him, but this was Victoria. He thought about how he had always loved her fierce spirit, how much he adored her because she reminded him so much of his grandmother, Zeandra. Why, why did she have to give her greed such a strong hold over her?

  He felt no anger towards her, only disappointment, and one day, he shall forgive her completely. However, as from now on, he would no longer let himself be swayed by the need to keep her happy and avoid her wrath. He was her husband, and it was high time he took responsibility for his household. First, he had to apologise to Alan Sheldon and Regina. He had not only wronged them, but also Curtis, his old friend who must have been turning in his grave since he turned his back on Alan without giving him a benefit of doubt. Then, he would apologise to his daughters and see that they remained free to marry men of their choosing, no matter who that man may be, as long as he was noble at heart. He hoped one of those men would be the man sitting across from him. He had seen the way Benjamin and his daughter looked upon each other, and he knew that what lay between them was more than just an agreement to work together to bring four lovers together. Perhaps, after all of this was over, they would finally assess their feelings and act on them.

  As least, that was a match Victoria would agree with. He released a deep sigh as he looked through the window. He was too old to have to deal with this problem. Way too old. Just then, he felt a soft feminine hand on his, and he turned to see his wife looking at him with remorse. Was she truly sorry or did she simply felt dejected for she had been caught?

  “I am sorry, Williams. You must believe that. I will not deny that I was not aware of my actions. I was. However, I truly believed it was for the best.”

  She seemed genuine enough, and her words tugged at his heart, threatening to break the walls around them. No. he couldn’t forgive her so easily. No matter how strongly he felt for her.

  “You went too far, Victoria. I am sorry, but I cannot overlook that so easily. It will take me a while, provided you do not attempt any more subterfuges.”

  “I understand. You have my word. No more.”

  She was doing it again, pulling him in with those beautiful eyes of hers. Instantly, he tore his eyes away and returned his attention to the road. Nevertheless, he squeezed the hand which he held, and their fingers remained entwined for the rest of the journey.

  _

  They arrived home to Nicholas and the girls in the drawing room, laughing and conversing as old friends. As soon as they entered, the discussions stopped, and everyone looked up to behold them. Nicholas was the first to rise up, and he waited until all three of them were fully in the room.

  “Your Grace,” he greeted Williams, bowing, and the Duke nodded in response.

  “Nicholas.”

  Then he moved to the Duchess. “My Lady. I know you are quite surprised to find your daughters free from the captivity you put them in. I shall beg you not to fault Louis. She had to make a choice between disobeying your orders and the French doors. You would agree with me that she made a wise decision.”

  Williams eyes shot up, and he looked at his wife. “What are you going on about, Nicholas?”

  “Oh … I am simply observing that the Duchess seems quite taken aback to find her daughters free and dining, seeing as she had locked them in to hinder them from carrying on with their elopement plans.”

  William’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets. Just when he had thought they had reached the peak.

  “Victoria, is this true?”

  “I … I … only …”

  “Wanted the best for them, I suppose?”

  “Indeed! Imagine what would happen when the news got out that our daughter eloped with a merchant! Such scandal! I simply could not allow that!”

  Williams shook his head at her outburst. “And here, I thought you had learned your lessons. I suppose you do not know yet of the love between Eleanor and Nicholas?”

  She was dumfounded, at a loss for words. Williams felt a sudden satisfaction at her apparent shock. Alas, one thing she did not know.

  “Nicholas and Eleanor? How?”

  “I suppose whoever had eavesdropped on our conversation had not heard that part,” came Isabelle’s clipped reply as she too stood up. “Just when we think you cannot go any lower, you astonish us, yet again. You must know that after Benjamin found you at Bond Street, our plans changed. All the while you thought yourself one step ahead, you were simply behind. I hope that now, you will stop with your exploits.”

  “You shall not speak to me that manner, Isabelle. I am still your mother, no matter what.”

  “Of course, and Mother knows best; is that not so?”

  Victoria had no come back, and Isabelle turned to look at her father. “We are glad things went as planned, but I am sorry you had to find out this way, Father.”

  Williams smiled as he palmed his daughter’s face. “I was going to find out, one way or the other. Thanks to your quick thinking and selfless actions, we might have ended up with a bigger disaster otherwise.”

  “I only did what I thought was best,” she said returning his smile. Williams knew he had never been more proud of her in his entire life.

  “You did great, sweetheart.” A chuckle escaped his lips as she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him.

  “I was confident that you would understand.” She pulled away then.

  “I could not fail all of you, any longer. I had to do what I know is right.”

  She nodded at this, then moved away to go to Benjamin. He saw the young Duke reach out to stroke her cheeks affectionately as she reached him and when he would have watched the heart-warming scene a while longer, he got distracted by his other two daughters.