The Scandalous Secret 0f The Tempting Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 5

  No response, of course, and Matilda didn’t care to stick around anymore. When everyone else in the house was busy, Matilda liked to occupy herself with garden work. So, she made her way to the gardens, holding up a placating hand as the gardeners stood at attention when she approached. “Don’t mind me,” she told them. “I’m only here to watch.”

  “Is there something wrong, Miss Jones?” The head gardener asked. He was used to having her join them and Matilda felt they truly enjoyed her presence sometimes.

  She shook her head. Nothing was truly wrong right now. She was used to being sequestered to her home, away from the eyes of others and under the piercing deterioration of her mother’s state, that it wasn’t something that was wrong anymore. It just was.

  She took a seat under the gazebo, content to just watch them today. But after a while, their mundane movements were blind to her. Instead, she was remembering that stranger, the Duke who kept bumping into her, all over again.

  Every day since the night of the ball, Matilda couldn’t get him out of her head. He plagued her and though she hid it well, she couldn’t deny that she was hoping to see him again. Would he be at the next ball? If he was, would he ask her to dance this time? Or better yet, what would she do if he didn’t? Would she take the bold step to ask him?

  The thought was mad, but she put genuine thought into it. She wanted to meet him. Officially. That much she knew. Something about him rubbed her the right way and Matilda wasn’t just talking about the way he made her stomach tighten.

  Matilda stayed out for a while, watching the gardeners work. Many things raced through her mind, every bit of those thoughts pertaining some way or other to the mysterious, clumsy Duke. And by the time she was ready to head inside, Matilda had half convinced herself that when she next met him, she would make sure not to let him leave so easily.

  Chapter 6

  Matilda paid herself a little more attention this time around. For the last ball, she had made sure she looked nice, but not overshadowing her sister. Elizabeth deserved all the attention during these balls for this Season and though she didn’t overshadow her in the slightest, she did try to look a little prettier than she did last time. Elizabeth even commented on it and paid her a compliment that made Matilda feel better than her sister realized.

  She did think she did a good enough job at her appearance this time around as well. She was receiving more stares than she did last time, and Matilda decided to interpret them as stares of awe rather than criticism. She had let her hair down like before, letting the natural curls flourish under the ballroom lights, but she had decided to wear a little more lip rouge than before, and had pinkened her cheeks more. When leaving the carriage upon arrival at the ball, her father had commented on how lovely she smelled as well. He even told her how beautiful she looked in her auburn-colored muslin ballgown that nipped her waist perfectly and had gold lacings around the hem and sleeves.

  Matilda didn’t know how much time had passed since she arrived, but it felt like nearly an hour. Since then, while she had danced with two gentlemen, her sister was barely able to stand still. As soon as Elizabeth was finished with one dance, she was swept into another and, had it not been so obvious that she was enjoying herself, Matilda would have told her to take it easy.

  “Do you not want to dance, Father?” Matilda asked absent-mindedly. It would do well to make conversation so as not to make it too obvious that she was looking for someone.

  “You know I’m not one for dancing. I’m just here to see you girls have fun. Are you having fun, Matilda?”

  “As much fun as I can possibly have, yes.” She smiled reassuringly at him. Matilda knew that her status weighed heavily on him and he was sorry it had to come to this, but she didn’t want him blaming himself. There was only one gentleman to be blamed for all this. “I think we’ll have to carry Elizabeth back to the carriage. By the end of the night, her legs will be positively useless.”

  Her father chuckled. “I daresay you’re right. She’s enjoying herself, at least, and that’s really what matters.”

  “Anyone you have in mind for her?” Matilda enquired. “Based on who you’ve seen?”

  “Actually…” he stood taller, putting a finger to his chin in thought. “There is one person I think would make a good match—”

  Suddenly, someone bumped into her back. Matilda turned around, only to find herself staring into the same beautiful eyes that had haunted her thoughts since the last ball. He opened his mouth, as if about to apologize but the words didn’t pass his lips. Instead, he was only staring at her, almost as stunned as she was.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured finally. The sea of dancing couples carried him away and Matilda once again lost him in the crowd.

  When she turned back to face her father, she saw him hiding a smile. “What is it?” she asked.

  “I’m merely surprised at what a massive coincidence that was. Right after mentioning that I had someone in mind, he bumps right into you.”

  Wide eyed, Matilda shot a glance behind her onto the dance floor, but he was gone. “You think he would be a good match for Elizabeth?”

  Her father raised his brows at her. “Do you not?”

  Matilda didn’t know how to respond to that. In fact, she wasn’t sure how she was speaking when her heart was beating so rapidly. She had been searching for him since she entered the ballroom, and the moment she took her eyes off the dance floor, he bumped right into her. And then he was gone again. Like the wind.

  “Speak of the devil…”

  Heart speeding up again, Matilda followed his gaze … and her jaw nearly fell to the floor. She kept her composure however but didn’t keep her eyes off the gentleman who was making his way toward them.

  He was even more handsome up close. Those dazzling eyes shone like crystals back at her and a shadow of their previous intensity passed through them when he looked at her before he passed his attention to her father. “My Lord, it’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you as well, Your Grace,” her father greeted with a broad grin. “There’s someone very, very special I would love for you to meet.’

  “Father…” Matilda already knew where this was going. As much as she loved her father’s cheerful and playful ways, now was not the time.

  But of course, she didn’t expect him to listen. “This is my other daughter, Miss Matilda Jones. Matilda, dear, this is His Grace, the Duke of Brentminster. But I think you two already met. At the port, maybe?”’

  Matilda was suddenly happy she had decided to wear rouge on her cheeks today so as to mask her own embarrassed blush. “I doubt he even remembers…”

  “Ah, yes, Miss Jones,” His Grace cut in. “I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Viscount.”

  Matilda’s heart fell even when she crooked her brow. “Have you now?”

  “Of course.” His eyes twinkled with private humor. Matilda’s defenses shot into the air. “I had a chance to dance with your lovely sister but I didn’t get to meet the lovely lady I happened to sweep off her feet.”

  “Knocked straight to the ground, more like it.” The words were out before she could stop it. Matilda shot a glance at her father but he was so taken aback by the words that he only laughed. Had she been the one participating in this year’s Season, he would have covered up the snippy remark, hoping it didn’t offend the Duke. But seeing that there was no hope for Matilda this year, he was being much more relaxed.

  The Duke didn’t laugh. He scratched the back of his head, looking suddenly embarrassed. The sight grabbed her attention. “Ah, I can’t argue with that. I came over to see if you would like to dance with me.”

  “It would be my pleasure, Your Grace.”

  Matilda struggled to keep her pounding heart and jittery stomach under control as he led her on to the dance floor. It was odd how she had been thinking about this possibility so much for the past few days and now that she was here, she didn’t know how to act. Hi
s hand tightened around hers, pressed perfectly close to his chest. He was tall, the top of her head brushing his chin.

  “First I would like to apologize for bumping into you.”

  “For which of the three times?”

  The Duke chuckled. Matilda’s body shook along with him and a twinge of a laugh nipped at her. “For all three. I really must not have made a good impression on you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. You were chasing after robbers when you crashed into me at the port.”

  “That I was,” he agreed with a nod. Matilda smiled a little to herself at the self-importance in his tone.

  “Although, I didn’t think there were anyone in this world as foolishly chivalrous as yourself.”

  Matilda could sense the Duke’s hesitation. “I don’t know if you are trying to compliment me, Miss Jones, or admonish me.”

  “You may take it however you wish,” and she left it at that. “And of course, when you bumped into me the second time, you were dancing with my sister and she did have a lot of good things to say about you.”

  “Oh, she did, did she?”

  “Despite the fact that you stumbled over your feet while dancing.”

  “Ouch. Another one straight to the heart.”

  “Fear not, Your Grace. I’m sure the third time you bumped into me, you were wooing the lady you were dancing with. All is well.”

  “I doubt that. I think she expected me to dance with her again.”

  “So, why didn’t you?”

  “Because I didn’t think I could possibly let a third time pass without finally apologizing to you. Not good for my luck.”

  Matilda giggled without warning. “Should I count myself lucky that you did, then?”

  “That all depends on if you’re willing to risk having me fall over my feet again. I must warn you though, Miss Jones. It can be very embarrassing.’’

  “It wouldn’t be something I’m not already used to.”

  As soon as the words were out her mouth, Matilda regretted it. She sensed the exact moment they registered to the Duke but she couldn’t tell how he was reacting to it and she was afraid to lift her head to see. She didn’t make it a habit of making such callous mention to her scandal but she had dropped her defenses without realizing it.

  “As do I,” he said finally. “I cannot count on one hand how many times I’ve simply fallen for no reason whatsoever.”

  Matilda released the breath she hadn’t realize she had been holding. “Are you sure you don’t want to see the physician about that, Your Grace?”

  He laughed again, this time much more heartily than before. The sound was contagious, urging her to give in and let loose the laugh she knew wasn’t exactly ladylike. “I think it’s come in handy a few times.”

  The smile fell from her face just as her heartbeat sped up to a frightening degree. Matilda didn’t want to read more into his words. She knew that she shouldn’t. More than likely, it meant nothing more than a simple jest, nothing more than what they had been doing all this time. But she was already latching on to the possibility that perhaps it wasn’t, that maybe he meant more than he was saying, and the thought wouldn’t escape her.

  As if God heard her prayers, the song came to an end. Matilda stepped away from him as quickly as she respectfully could and gave him a kind smile. “Thank you for the dance, Your Grace. I must be getting back to my father.”

  “Would you like to dance with me again?” he asked. “I promise to step on your toes this time around.”

  Matilda smiled, unable to help it. But she took another step back. “While that sounds lovely, I think I’m better off with my toes intact. Thank you for your time, Your Grace. It was wonderful meeting you.”

  She turned away before he could say anything else. With the way she was feeling, the intense magnetism he exuded, Matilda didn’t know if she could manage another decline to his invitation to dance. If he asked again, she was sure to say yes, and Matilda needed nothing more than to put distance between her and the Duke.

  Matilda knew how easy it was for her thoughts to slip out her mouth and if she was around the Duke for any longer, she just might put into words how drawn she was to him. And then what would happen to Elizabeth? It was over for her reputation, but her sister could still suffer for her actions.

  “Did you enjoy your dance with the Duke?” The question came from behind her and Matilda turned to see her sister over her shoulder. She wasn’t surprised to find her father gone and since her mother stayed home tonight, she was happy to see Elizabeth. She didn’t want to risk him returning if he saw her standing alone.

  “Oh, Elizabeth, are you finished dancing already? Are you sure you don’t have a partner for this song?”

  “I did but I told him I needed to rest. When I saw you dancing with His Grace, I had to come over to see what that was all about.”

  “Well, he bumped into me again and used that as a way to ask me to dance.”

  “How smooth of him!” Excitement filled her eyes and she sought him out in the crowd, shaking her head in admiration. “For a gentleman who stumbles a lot, he is good with his words.”

  “That he is. We were having a marvelous conversation while we were dancing.”

  “So, why aren’t you dancing with him right now?” Elizabeth inquired.

  “Because the song is over?”

  “Oh, don’t tell me that. Didn’t he ask you for another dance? If he didn’t then he really isn’t as good as I thought he was.”

  Matilda frowned at her. “What are you trying to do here, Elizabeth? You know I’m not here to find a husband. You’re the one who should be courting, not me.”

  “Why not both?” she asked with a pout. Matilda shook her head at that. Elizabeth wouldn’t understand. It couldn’t work that way. It was over for Matilda and it was useless thinking otherwise. She needed to focus on Elizabeth, on providing the life she deserved.

  Matilda slowly sought His Grace out in the crowd, surprised by how easily she spotted him this time. The distance between them seemed larger than ever, one she could never bridge. She was a soiled lady, one without a future. One who was willing to give away whatever chance she had at happiness to make sure her sister got everything she deserved. A lady like that couldn’t possibly think of any future with the Duke of Brentminster. They had different paths in life.

  I would do well to remember that.

  Chapter 7

  “Father? Did you want to see me?” Matilda pushed the door to her father’s study slowly, wary of whoever else might be inside. It was empty, however, save for her father who was sitting behind his large desk. He peered over the spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose at her and motioned for her to come in.

  “Have a seat.” He got to his feet as she closed the door behind her and took a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs near his desk. She noted the glass of neat whiskey already sitting on his desk and frowned when she saw him reach for a bottle of wine by his bar. “Do you want a glass of wine?”

  “It’s too early for wine, Father,” Matilda told him.

  He waved his hand at that and brought the bottle over anyway. “It’s just us and one glass of wine won’t hurt you.”

  Matilda cocked her head to the side. “Sometimes, I wonder how Elizabeth and I grew up to be such upstanding young ladies when our father prefers to be such an unruly man.”

  He chuckled heartily at that. He took his glasses off and took a sip of his whiskey. “Rules were meant to be broken from time to time, Matilda.”

  “Yes, yes. As you always say, ‘Life isn’t worth living if you’re always going along with everyone else’.”

  “And you haven’t disappointed me in that aspect, so what’s one glass of wine?”

  Matilda shook her head. She was used to such conduct from her father and, with her mother’s behavior putting a damper on the household, it did a lot to brighten the place up a bit. “How about you tell me why you called for me?”

  He sighed, set
ting the bottle down in disappointment. “I suppose I can always drink with you later. There is something I would like to discuss with you. It’s about the company.”

  Matilda perked up at that. Her father had men he preferred to talk to about such things. He never brought such topics to her. “What about it?”

  “What do you think about expanding?”

  “Into?”

  “The wool industry.”

  Matilda thought about it for a moment. Her father allowed her, leaning back in his chair and finishing off the rest of his drink.

  The Viscount of Roburg had a rising shipping company. Matilda was never privy to the small details but based on what she did know, they mainly shipped spices and metals, instrumental to the growth of many other industries in England. As far as she knew, wool would be an addition to the products they would be shipping and Matilda knew exactly what he was asking her. Was it worth it?