Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington (Ladies of Deception) (10 page)

            Pierce looked at her sleepy
face and smiled, “Welcome to your future home Lady Noelle.”

Chapter 12

            Hope watched as Pierce alighted
from the carriage then turned to offer her his hand. She looked at it
momentarily, entertaining the idea of ignoring his assistance and getting out
herself but with her foot still hurting her she was afraid she’d just stumble
and make a fool of herself in front of him and all the servants who were lined
up along the drive in their maroon and gold livery. Reluctantly she took his
hand and stiffened when she felt his other hand go to her waist, pulling her
close to his side. She wasn’t sure what kind of game he was playing but she
suspected he was doing it for the servants sake, not hers.

            He led her over to the line
of servants saying, “I’d like to introduce you to lady Noelle, my fiancée. I
trust that you all will make her feel welcome, seeing as this will soon be her
home.”

            The mention of Ridgecrest Manor
being her home made her look at it with new eyes. She looked up at the grey
stone house boasting gabled windows and six chimneys. Everything was built
symmetrically, with identical wings on either side of the main house and an
even number of windows incased in white trim dotting the front of the house. Thick
green ivy crawled up the front of the brick. It had a welcoming aura about it
and Hope couldn’t wait to see if the inside was just as inviting.

            After greeting the servants,
Pierce ushered her into the large marbled foyer with high beamed ceilings.
Everywhere she looked there was intricately carved woodwork that gave the home
character. Pierce led her into the drawing room where a middle aged lady rose
from her seat and flung herself into his arms, giving Hope a chance to take in
her surroundings.

            The room was decorated
predominantly in shades of blue and ivory with gold accents throughout. It was
by far the most elegant room Hope had ever been in and she felt at once out of
place in such fancy surroundings. There was an oversized white marble fireplace
on the far wall flanked by statues dipped in gold. White hothouse roses were
stuffed into vases and scattered throughout the room, giving it a light and
airy feel. After surveying the room, Hope’s gaze went to the woman at the
duke’s side. She had dark hair like her son’s but hers was streaked liberally
with grey, but instead of making her appear older it just added to her
sophistication. She had a flawless complexion, the only thing giving away her
age were the tiny lines around her mouth and in the corners of her eyes,
indicating that she smiled often.

            Soon the lady turned from
Pierce and wrapped her arms around Hope, surprising her by the familiar
contact. “It’s so nice to finally meet the lady who will become my daughter.”

            Hope pulled back and said,
“It’s nice to meet you as well, your grace.”

            “First let’s dispense with
the formality, call me mother or Caroline if you must, but never your grace.
You’re practically family and that just won’t do.”

            Hope smiled at the lady,
liking her immediately, if only she could say the same for her son.

            “That goes for me as well,”
Pierce interjected, “from now on you may refer to me by Christian name.” Hope
nodded apprehensively, feeling discomfited by the prospect of referring to her
betters in such a casual, personal manner. She had never before referred to a
member of the aristocracy as anything other than their proper title and she
wasn’t sure she was ready to start now.

            “Let me ring for tea and we
can talk about the upcoming party, I have some fascinating news.” Caroline
gestured for Hope and Pierce to sit before giving instructions for tea and
cakes to be brought to the room.

            Pierce took Hope’s arm in
his and walked her politely to a blue damask settee and waited patiently while
she sat. Hope wanted to roll her eyes, having much preferred to sit in one of
the ivory and gold striped chairs instead, for she knew that Pierce had planned
to sit next to her on the settee and she felt her hands grow clammy at the
thought of his nearness. Sure enough, as soon as she had arranged her skirts
and made herself comfortable, he sat down next to her, suffocating her with his
presence but he didn’t seem to notice.

            Caroline went and sat
regally in the chair Hope had been longing to occupy, “I have to tell you that
I’m grateful for the opportunity your betrothal has given me to throw this
party. It’s been far too long since we have had anything to celebrate around
here.” Her eyes momentarily clouded with sadness before clearing once more. “I
don’t want either of you to worry about anything other than enjoying yourselves
and worrying about your own blossoming romance.” Hope choked on her tea and
began coughing. Pierce reached over and swatted her on the back causing her to
inhale sharply before she stopped coughing. She glared at him under thick sooty
lashes but his eyes just seemed to dance with amusement.

            “Oh Pierce, I almost forgot,
I had a lovely visit the other day from the Tolliver’s. You remember their oldest
daughter Eliza, don’t you?” Pierce visibly stiffened next to Hope but Caroline
didn’t seem to notice, “Anyhow, she’s recently been widowed and has come back to
stay with her family in London for a time. She’s barely been in mourning for
half a year but I persuaded her to attend our party.” It was Pierce’s turn to
choke on his tea. He tried to hide his coughing behind a white linen napkin as
his mother continued her prattle, “She’s much too beautiful and young to remain
unmarried forever. I do hope this will be just the thing to help pull her out
of her despair, for she did seem so very sad.”

            When Pierce couldn’t seem to
get his coughing under control, Hope reached over and gave his broad back a
hearty thwack. The shock on his face made her smile, feeling avenged for his
uncomely behavior earlier.

            Pierce didn’t know what had
shocked him more, the very unwelcome announcement by his mother, or the very
unladylike behavior of his fiancée. He figured it was just her way of paying
him back for his earlier treatment of her but he was still surprised that she’d
dare act so rashly. Who was this girl he was marrying? She wasn’t like any lady
he’d ever encountered.

He was hoping
his musings about Noelle would distract him from the irritation he felt at the
mention of Eliza’s name. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about the girl for
years and had honestly thought he would never have to face her once more. He
tried to reign in the anger he felt towards his mother for extending such a
ludicrous invitation, trying to remind himself that she had no knowledge of his
previous relationship with Eliza Tolliver.

            Seeing the odd look on her
son’s face, Caroline interjected, “Surely you don’t mind that I invited the
girl? Is there a problem with that?”

            Pierce rose, “Of course not
mother, you know that you have free reign to invite whomever you wish. Now, if
you don’t mind I’m feeling fatigued from the trip here and wish to lie down for
awhile before dinner. I’m sure Noelle feels the same so I’ll show her to her
room.”

            Hope didn’t want to
contradict the duke, but she had spent the last few hours of the trip in deep
slumber and had no desire for further rest. But seeing the tense set of his
shoulders and the firmness of his jaw, she didn’t know if she dared say a word.
Instead she set her teacup back in its saucer and rose to stand next to Pierce.

            “Some rest would be lovely.
It was an honor to meet you Caroline,” the name rolled awkwardly off her tongue.
“I look forward to furthering our acquaintance during my stay at Ridgecrest
Manor.” Hope absentmindedly dipped into a low curtsey before turning towards
Pierce. She didn’t bother looking at his face, missing the strange look he gave
her at her subservient behavior. She allowed him to take her arm and place it
in the crook of his elbow before guiding her swiftly out of the room.

            As soon as they had moved
further down the long hall leading to the staircase, Hope pulled Pierce to a
halt which was no easy feat seeing as how he was much larger than her. “What
has come over you? Surely you’re not offended by my assistance while you were
choking?”

            “Nothing has come over me, I
simply find I’m all of a sudden weary from today’s journey. Might I inquire
what came over you, curtseying before my mother—what was that all about?”

            Hope’s face paled, she
hadn’t even been aware of her actions, so ingrained into her as they were. She
desperately grasped for something to say to change the subject and place the
attention back on him instead of her wayward actions. “Seems to me it was more
than weariness that was suddenly bothering you. If I didn’t know better, I
would guess that the unexpected knowledge that your mother has invited Eliza to
the party is what has you all worked up.”

            Her statement sufficiently
worked to distract Pierce, causing him to bristle. “Don’t be preposterous, I
hardly know the girl, it’s been ages since I’ve even seen her.”

            “Let me guess, yours is a
tale of unrequited love?” Hope said snidely.

 Pierce grabbed
her arms painfully and pulled her further down the hall and into a small wooden
alcove. He didn’t release his furious grip on her arms but leaned down so that
his face was level with hers as he growled lowly, “Don’t speak of things you
have no idea about, do you understand?”

It was clear to
Hope by the level of emotion roused in Pierce that something about the lady was
indeed bothering him and she suspected she had hit the nail right on the head.
She stared at his hard mouth as he spoke, unable to look away.

Pierce was
overcome with frustration and he knew it wasn’t fair to take it out on Noelle.
He had thought that his dealings with Eliza were completely in the past and the
thought of seeing someone he had once thought he loved and who had broken his
trust completely in the emotion had him acting irrationally. He wasn’t prepared
to see her again, especially now that she was widowed. He let go of one of
Noelle’s arms long enough to reach up and rake a hand through his hair before
placing it back on her arm. She had gone silent and was staring intently at his
lips. Her clean lavender smell wafted up to him and he suddenly became aware
that they were standing so closely.

Pierce watched
as Noelle licked her lips and it almost undid him. His eyes flicked up to hers
and they stared at each other for one long moment. Suddenly Pierce’s senses
were filled with Noelle, of her soft arms under his hands, of her wide amber
eyes looking into his and he couldn’t seem to remember what he was doing, all
thoughts of Eliza fleeing. The only thing he could think about was the kiss
they had shared in her drawing room days earlier.

Hope watched as
Pierce’s face softened, the anger seeming to drain from his features being
replaced with the same look he had given her before he had kissed her before.  She
whispered shakily, “Are you going to kiss me?”

The sound of her
voice seemed to snap him back to reality and he dropped his arms and took a
step back from her, “Of course not, it’s the furthest thing from my mind,” he
lied. Though in that moment he had desperately wanted to do just that, he had
promised himself after her cool indifference to their last kiss that he
wouldn’t kiss her again until she wanted it as badly as him.

            Turning from her abruptly,
he missed the flicker of pain and confusion that passed through her eyes. She
wasn’t sure what this game was he was playing but she knew in that moment that
she ached for his kiss, for the feel of his hard mouth on hers and it scared
her to death.

            “Let me show you to your
room,” he said as he exited the cozy alcove.

            “I’m not tired and if you don’t
mind I think I’ll explore the gardens for awhile.” And without meeting his eyes
she turned and fled down the hall, leaving Pierce to gape after her retreating
form. 

Chapter 13

            Once out into the open air
Hope slowed her pace, taking deep reassuring breathes in an effort to calm
herself. She had never met someone who sparked so many conflicting emotions
within her. One moment the duke would irritate her with his arrogance, the next
he was tempting her and causing unnerving feelings to swell within her breast.
The thought of him touching her, of him kissing her caused her skin to prickle
with excitement. She had never known the touch of a man before and she tried to
convince herself that these feelings would occur with any man she kissed, that
they weren’t exclusive to Pierce.

            She kept walking further and
further from the manor, not exactly sure where she was going but knowing that
she would surely find the gardens  if she wandered around enough. She looked up
as a grey clouds rolled in front of the sun, causing the temperature to drop.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, wishing she had a shawl or pelisse
to cover her but not ready to go back to the house just yet to retrieve one.

            She soon found herself on a
stone path that wandered through a maze of trimmed shrubs that had been
manicured into different elegant patterns. She nodded briefly at one of the
gardeners that was busy trimming the bushes to perfection as she continued down
the cobbled path. The air was ripe with the smells of the season and she
inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh country air as it helped to clear her mind.
She tried to focus on the story she was writing, hoping to clear her mind
completely of thoughts of Pierce.

            She noticed a cluster of
trees off to her left and decided to go explore. Walking over to the trees she noticed
it was actually two separate rows of trees, their branches growing together to
form a canopy over a hidden trail. Feeling enchanted by the delightful
discovery she pushed a low hanging branch back and bent over to walk into the
fortress the trees had created.

            Hope looked up above her and
noticed the ceiling of branches had almost completely blocked out the sky,
leaving it shadowy but not dark. She walked over and touched one twisted tree trunk
before continuing to explore. She felt as if she had stepped into a magical
world all her own. She instantly thought that this hidden world would make a
perfect addition to her stories. There were even little white button mushrooms
dotting the path and she had visions of lovely little fairies lounging on the
mushrooms as they gossiped amongst each other. Her mind began to create a world
full of enchantment and she made a mental note to come back with some parchment
and her quill so she could be surrounded by the magic as she wrote.

            Her thoughts were
interrupted by the soft clanking on the branches above, indicating that it had
begun to rain. Occasionally a drop would slip through the thick canopy, but she
was surprisingly well sheltered in her hidden forest. She walked back over to
where she had entered and peered out and saw that the rain was coming down in
sheets. She contemplated making a dash back to the house but decided she’d be
better off waiting out the storm in the protection of the trees. She retreated
back into the clearing, looking around in the near darkness for a spot to sit.
She had hoped to find some sort of fallen branch but when there appeared to be
none, she decided to make herself comfortable on the dirt floor instead.

            She cringed as she sat down,
knowing she was ruining one of her gowns but not seeing what other option she
had. She leaned her back on the thick trunk of a tree and willed herself to
think about her stories to avoid thinking about Pierce or her new life as Lady
Noelle. It was her escape mechanism.

***

            Pierce stormed into his
bedchamber angrily tugging at his cravat until it loosened, flicking it across
the room to land on the floor in a snowy heap of white. He heard Tucker, his valet,
come up behind him and knew without turning to see the expression on his face
that it would be one of carefully masked irritation. Tucker worked hard to
ensure that everything always looked neat and proper and everything was in its
place so the disrespect of his cravat would surely irk the man enormously but
Pierce didn’t care. He shrugged out of his jacket and before he had a chance to
toss that as well, Tucker was at his side rescuing it from the same fate as his
cravat.

            “Thank you. I apologize for
my behavior, would you like me to retrieve my cravat for you and hand it to you
in a civilized manner?”

            “It would probably do you
good but you know I’d never require that of you.” Tucker said as he scurried
over and bent to retrieve the cravat himself.

            Pierce walked over and
poured himself a drink from the crystal decanter that was sitting on his
sideboard before collapsing into a forest green winged back chair. He felt his
head aching at the thought of how complicated his life had recently become. He
let his thoughts wander to Eliza and her soft auburn curls and her piercing green
eyes. Her skin was like porcelain, so pale and smooth. She had been the first
and last girl he had fallen in love with, before he decided that love was just
a fallacy.

            He closed his eyes and
imagined what she had felt like in his arms when they had danced together, of
the way she would smile up at him as if he was the only man in the room. He
felt a twang of anxiety in his chest at the thought of seeing her again—what if
those old feelings resurfaced, proving to further complicate his life? There
had been a time when he had been anxious for a future, for a family with her.
Her actions; however, had squelched those ideas completely. He never allowed
himself to think in those terms anymore, everything he did now was out of duty
and nothing more.

             Placing his half drunken
brandy back on the table he bent and yanked his boots off before turning the
bed covers down on his large bed and crawling in hoping to be able to escape
into sleep for a few hours before his mother would inevitably be calling him
for dinner. 

            Pierce lay on his back,
looking up at the ceiling as sleep eluded him. His thoughts were churning and
now instead of thinking of Eliza, he found his mind wandering to marvelous
amber eyes and an insufferable little chit that surprised him from minute to
minute with her outrageous behavior. One minute she’d act haughty, like she
couldn’t be bothered by him and couldn’t possibly tolerate another minute in
his company, other times she’d act totally out of character as a lady. He knew
her mother had died in childbirth when she was born and tried to chalk up her
sometimes unrefined behavior to the lack of proper motherly guidance but then
he’d remember a number of Lady’s that grew up motherless who were still educated
and cultured and knew that couldn’t be all to the story.

            Noelle was such a mix of
contradictions, from the way she professed his kiss was merely pleasant trying
to dismiss the whole ordeal completely after her body had reacted to his touch
as if it was starving for the passion which ignited between them. One minute
she’d be looking at him with raw desire in her startling eyes, the next she’d
be insulting him and acting as if his very presence was repulsive. She was a
mystery to him but he wasn’t sure he was ready to let his guard down around
her, never quite sure what he might encounter from the beautiful minx.

            Thinking of Noelle, he
glanced out the window and noticed the rain cascading down the panes in thick
rivulets. He pulled himself out of the warm cocoon of his bed and went to
glance through the window to see if she had by chance gotten caught out in the
storm during her stroll through the gardens. The rain obliterated his view
making it nearly impossible to make out a single thing. He desperately wanted
to get back into bed and forget about the girl but something inside of him
compelled him to go check and see that she made it safely into the dry shelter
of the house.

            Pierce tucked his shirt into
his breeches before pulling on his boots, forgetting about his jacket and
cravat before heading out into the hall and down the staircase on his way
towards the door. Before he reached the entryway, the large door was thrown
open and in walked Noelle, drenched completely from head to toe. Her thick hair
was pasted to her head as raindrops rolled from her face and down over her
collarbone. Pierce tried to ignore the way her wet dress clung provocatively to
her curves as he stared at her speechless. Even standing soaking wet in the
doorway, completely disheveled, he found her more tempting and beautiful than
the most well groomed woman he had ever seen.

            Hope looked up to see Pierce
standing a few yards away staring at her, his hands clenched in tight fists at
his side. It took everything in her to ignore the way his dark eyes bore into
her, causing her already chilled skin to break out into goose pimples. Her
attempts at ignoring him were futile, for she found it equally hard to look
away from his striking appearance. His dark hair was ruffled; his black eyes
were gleaming with a wicked glint, his jaw clenched fiercely. Her eyes widened
when she realized he wasn’t wearing his jacket or cravat and that his shirt was
partially undone, revealing a deep V of brown skin covered in a scattering of
course, dark hair. For a brief moment she fantasized about laying her head on
his chest and feeling that hair rub on her own smooth cheek before forcing
herself to look away from his distracting chest and back at his face.

            It was a mistake—the look
she saw in his eyes frightened and excited her at the same time, he looked like
he wanted to devour her. Laughing nervously she brushed some of the wet strands
from her face, “Pardon my appearance your grace.”

            “Pierce. I thought we had
dispensed with the formalities already.”

            She only nodded, “Yes, well
if you’d be so kind as to have somebody show me to my room then I can change
into something more appropriate.”

            His eyes raked her body once
more, “I don’t mind your appearance at all. Don’t worry about changing on my
account.”

            “Ha! If you hadn’t noticed,
there isn’t much I do based on your account, I simply insist on changing so I
don’t catch a chill.” She folded her arms across her chest to try to gather a
modicum of warmth into her body but Pierce mistook her actions for an attempt
at modesty.

            “Come on, I’ll show you to
your room.” He said reluctantly, not wanting to have to look away from the
fetching picture she made.

            Hope dutifully followed him,
purposely lingering a few paces behind so as to avoid further conversation. She
couldn’t help but notice from her position the way the muscles moved in his
strong legs as he walked and his broad back which tapered down to lean hips. He
was a magnificently made man and she was irked that she responded physically to
him.

            When Pierce came to a halt
in front of a door Hope almost ran into the back of him, so distracted she was
by watching his imposing figure move with a sense of grace and power.

            “Here you are, my room is
two doors down if you need anything.”

            “I’m sure anything I may need
can be provided by one of the servants.”

            He leaned close and growled,
“There are things that I, as your fiancé, can only provide. Surely you wouldn’t
go to one of the servants for this.” His voice trailed off as his large hands
flanked the sides of her face pulling her to him and placing his lips on top of
hers. He briefly had the thought that he had promised himself not to be the one
to initiate their next kiss before the feel of her cool lips on his distracted
him from further thinking, compelled only to react. He was momentarily shocked
that she didn’t pull back and slap him but after only a few seconds she began
responding to his ardent desire.

            Hope’s lips went from
chilled to deliciously warm as Pierce’s lips moved expertly over her own and
when he dropped his hands from her face to pull her into his hard body she
shivered, but not from the cold gown that was clinging to her body. She
instinctively reached her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, entwining
her hands in the thick hair at the base of his neck. Pierce’s arms circled her
waist, pulling her with him as he turned and leaned his back against the door
to her room, enjoying the soft press of her much smaller body against his.

 She surprised
him by pulling back and pressing scorching kisses along his jaw before saying
in a low gravelly voice, “You’re right, I don’t suppose I’ll be going to a
servant for this.”

            Pierce groaned and in a
husky voice replied, “You better not. I’ll always be more than happy to
accommodate your need.”

            “I’m sure you will.” Hope
didn’t know what had gotten into her and why she was complying with the duke’s
demands, all she knew was that the yearning in her own body compelled her on.
She returned her mouth to his and tried to sate her appetite for him with
another series of fervent kisses but when she pulled back she realized her
appetite for him had barely been whetted. She leaned her head on his chest as
she had fantasized about earlier and reached up to run her fingers softly over
the smattering of dark hair on his chest.