Regency Romance: A Duchess in Disguise (Historical 19th Century Victorian Romance) (Duke Fantasy Billionaire Romance) (86 page)

Chapter Two

Cynthia needn’t have worried about her impact on Alexander’s social reputation. They were barely seated when he was surrounded by several women, flirting and hinting they would like to
be seen
with him during the Grand March. He gave her a smile and stood up to move off with the women following close behind him. He knew it didn’t bother Cynthia to have the women all around him as much as it made her feel crowded. He tried to show as much respect for his friend as he could.

There were three other people at the table, chatting and drinking. One man and a woman were drinking white wine. The other gentleman’s glass looked to
be filled
with something
clear,
but Cynthia couldn’t pinpoint what it was. 

She scanned their faces while they were chatting with each other, trying to remember who they were. Slowly, she found their names in her memory banks. The
couple
that
was
obviously
talking to each other were Lady Catherine MacGregor and Sir Anthony Duke. She remembered his name suddenly because she remembered thinking it was a good thing he was an Earl and in the military rather than being a Duke.

She lowered her head and hid her grin behind a fabric hand fan, which she flipped open. She couldn’t help giggling behind it, thinking he would
be called
“Duke Duke
.”
She feared she was going to fall into a fit of
giggling
if
she
didn’t get her mind off of that phrase and quickly, so she lifted her eyes and looked directly into the gaze of the third person across from her, the hardy Duke Daniel Willingham. His direct gaze instantly halted her
giggling,
and she lost her smile. He had a strange look about his
face,
and she didn’t mind staring right back at him. He didn’t look away. Their attention
was suddenly broken
when the couple stood
up,
and Sir Anthony said to Duke Willingham, “I’m going to dance this one with Lady Catherine, old chap. You should find someone to take out on the dance floor.” He glanced over the table at Cynthia. “Perhaps Lady Vogel would care to dance?” Without waiting for a response from Cynthia, he put his hand on Lady Catherine’s waist and ushered her out
onto
the dance floor.

She decided not to say anything in response. She reached out slowly, picked up a glass of wine that had
been set
in front of her and took a long drink from it. Her nerves were on
edge,
and she couldn’t pinpoint the
reason
. It could have been the way Duke Willingham was looking at her. Or it could be that she was staring back at him with just as much determination.

What is he
looking at
?
She thought, feeling a bit of anger at his audacity to just sit there and stare at her. His face did not register the feelings of a love-smitten suitor. He was looking at her as if to analyze her without asking questions.
There’s certainly a lot more to me than just my outer appearance!
She thought and was suddenly wondering if her dress was in style this Season or if she had accidentally worn an old one. She forced herself not to look down at her gown. Perhaps she had spilled something on it somehow?

She was nervous all of a
sudden,
and that unnerved her even more.

Daniel leaned forward abruptly. “Well?”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Well, what?” she replied.

“Do you want to dance?”

“If you wish it.”

“If I wish it? Do you want to dance or not?”

“I don’t
want
to step on your toes, sir, as I am not a very graceful dancer.” She found herself speaking more openly with him than she typically did with men. The whole situation made her feel strange and confused.

“I don’t mind that.” Daniel stood up and held his hand out toward her. “I might be the one stepping on your delicate
toes,
and that would not be a good thing, would it? We’ll be clumsy together.”

Cynthia smiled at
that
though she was still feeling awkward. She took his
hand,
and he led
her
out into the throng. He put his arm around her waist, pulled her close to
him,
and they began to spin along with the rest of the dancers.

“This can’t be your first Season.” Daniel said, his warm breath whispering through her hair
to
her ear. It gave her chills. “Why have I not seen you before?”

“I have been to two previous Seasons, my lord. Before that, I was betrothed and wedded to
a fine
young man who died
suddenly
.”

“How tragic! You have my condolences. What happened, if I may be so bold?”

Cynthia was able to speak of it casually now. It had been four long years. “He was thrown from his horse, struck his head on a rock and died instantly.”

“Good Lord! I am sorry, my lady.”

His voice sounded genuinely sorry when he said it. Though she had heard genuine sympathy before, she had previously thought that would not be possible for this brash Duke. She knew who he
was,
and she knew his reputation among the ladies of the town. He
was known
as a scoundrel by some, a rake by others and a charmer by still others. She was going to have to decide for herself who he
really
was. She looked up into his dark brown eyes. “Thank you, my lord.”

“Do you have an opinion of the ladies and gentlemen of the Season?”

“The pickings are light, my lord.”

“What makes you say that?” He was curious.

“I have been to two of these, as I said. The same young men and women
are recycled
through when they do not find a match. New arrivals
are quickly absorbed
. It can sometimes be a bit
chaotic
if you ask me.”

He nodded. “I
truly
agree with you.
This has
been my thought for some time, as well.”

She looked at him. “Forgive me for speaking honestly, my lord, but you have a reputation that precedes you. There are many women here that you have courted, even for a short
period of time
. In fact, would I dare say most of them?”

He was a
little taken
aback by her frankness. He gazed into her blue eyes the way he had across the table. She interested him. She was quite a
character,
and he felt
instinctively
that he could trust her. So he decided to be perfectly honest with her, as well.

“I have, in fact, courted most of these women, yes. I can probably mention on one hand those that I haven’t courted. At least those between the ages of 18 and 30. It was what made me curious that I do not remember seeing you here before.”

“It is my instinct to stay on the sidelines, my
lord,
” she responded. Her head was becoming a bit
dizzy,
and the dance floor was hot. She longed for her fan. She wondered if he noticed how faint she was becoming.

“But you are not a quiet woman.” As soon as he said it, Daniel wished he could take it back. His surprise had gotten the better of
him,
and he blurted the words out without thinking. She was not a wallflower. She was a bright and interesting woman. He supposed being a widow could have made the difference in her approach to the Season.

She gave him an amused look. “I am not sure whether to thank you or to take offense, my
lord,
” she said with a small smile.

“I just meant…I apologize, I usually do not pay attention to the ladies who do not come out to dance. I am surprised I did not notice you before.”

“I know who
you
are.” She wanted to stick her tongue out at him playfully but did not dare push her luck.

“So you
mentioned,
” he responded. The song was finally
over,
and he was leading her back to the table. She was slightly out of breath and gestured for a new drink as soon as she reached the table. When it
was brought
to her, she drank half of it at once.

“All you all right, my lady?” Daniel asked, sitting in a chair that was closer to hers this time. He leaned in
closely
and looked at her
face;
concern openly displayed on his. She nodded and held open her fan, waving it so that
a nice
breeze blew over her.

“My, I was just so out of breath. Dancing is
fun,
but sometimes it can wear a girl out.”

“Would you like another drink?” He watched her down the second half of her wine and was on his feet to retrieve another.

“Thank you, my lord.”

Without a word, he disappeared.

Cynthia’s head was spinning. It felt like she hadn’t left the dance floor. She couldn’t decide if she had had too much wine or if the motion of the dance was just lingering in her mind. She didn’t remember having this much trouble in the past. But then, it was quite a few years ago since she was looking for a man.

And she wasn’t
really
looking for a man. She thought about Duke Willingham, who certainly didn’t seem like the bad boy all of her friends made him out to be. But then, how would he have gotten time with them all if he wasn’t a charmer?

Her mind became even more confused. Was he using that charm on her now? Was she mistaking his behavior as genuine because he was so good at playing the role?

She felt a bit angry now. She wasn’t one to be taken
advantage of
.

When he came back with her drink, she had worked herself into believing he was not genuine with his actions. She looked at him
through
narrow eyes when he sat opposite her. He looked a little surprised at her odd behavior.

“Here you go. Is everything all right?”

“I’m not
sure,
” Cynthia said. “I…You…” She made herself angrier by not being able to express herself the way she wanted to. He surprised her by leaning close to her and placing one hand very close to hers on the table. She didn’t pull her hand back. When the tips of their fingers touched, she noticed. It made her heart pound.

“Let me put your fears to rest as best as I can.” Duke Willingham’s voice was low and smooth. “You don’t know if you can trust me because of my reputation. You hope that I’m
genuine,
but you think I’m probably not because
I’m used
to charming all the ladies I can. Am I close?”

She sniffed quietly and nodded.

“I do have that reputation, Lady Cynthia. And the rumors that I am going to
be disinherited
soon are also
true
. This knowledge makes it even
more difficult for
women to trust me. But with you
…
I haven’t seen you before, my lady. I would like to ask you to take a ride with me tomorrow around the park, or go for a walk if the weather is nice. Please give me the opportunity to get to know you more and to show you that my behavior with you is genuine.”

Cynthia lowered her head, thinking hard. It wasn’t just her doubt that Daniel could be trusted. It was also the fact that, deep in her heart, she knew she never wanted to marry another man.
She
was happy alone and functioned best that way. She had always known it. She would never marry again.

Chapter Three

The sun breaking through her windows and shining its bright rays directly in her eyes
was what woke
Cynthia up the next morning. She instantly recalled the night before, pulled one of the pillows out from under head and placed it directly over her face.

“Lord, take me now!” she called out, half-jokingly. She smiled into the pillow and squeezed it against her face momentarily before throwing it off. She looked up at the wispy dark red drapes that hung over her canopy bed. “I don’t want to get married
again,
” She said out loud. “I don’t
want
to be dependent on a man or be responsible for
a man
. I don’t. But I don’t
want
to hurt the Duke’s feelings. He seems somewhat genuine. What do I do? Oh, what do I do?”

Was she now trying to convince even herself of these facts? She thought of when she and the Duke had parted ways the night before. They had spoken briefly once more when she had told him that she would agree to go on a ride with him the next day. He said he would pick her up at noon or
half after
. She did her grooming and got dressed on her own. She had let most of the servants go years before, choosing to save the money to live off of while she paid off her late husband’s debt.

As she went downstairs for some tea and biscuits, she thought about the Duke. He needed to marry within three
months,
or he would
be disinherited
. She needed to have the debts paid off so that she could keep her home and the money she had to
live on
. Perhaps they could come to some
kind of
arrangement.

The thought made her feel a little nauseous. She was taking something as sacred as marriage and making it into a business proposition. What did that say about her character?

She would find out more about him on the ride today. She would have to broach the subject at some point in
time,
but she wanted to make sure that his behavior the night before didn’t stem from having too much wine, brandy, scotch or whatever it was he had chosen to drink. Alcohol did seem to have an effect on how people behaved. She knew that with first-hand knowledge.

She ate
a nice
breakfast of eggs and biscuits and delighted that the tea was brewing just right. It was a
nice
way to start her day. She decided to eat
on the veranda
to watch as the sun finished
rising up
behind the mountain in the distance. She had kept a
hand maiden
, Jenny and the cook, Betty, so Jenny doubled as a kitchen maid, too, cleaning and serving Cynthia her meals. She’d known both ladies for
years,
and they had no problem juggling their work around so that everything
was done
and no one was overworked. Alice was the only other
servant,
and she typically cleaned the parts of the house that were rarely used, answered the door and ran errands.

There was no need for anyone else in the big mansion because now it was just her. Just the way she liked it. She had accepted her unique desire to be alone long ago and had gotten quite used to it. Loneliness only rarely came up in her mind and typically, she could ring
Alexander,
and he would be right there to keep her company.

Sooner or later, that’s going to end
, she thought.
In fact, probably sooner.
He’s got
to be getting married
soon;
I’m sure of it.

A trace of fear and hurt slid through her heart. She didn’t want to lose her
friend
though she knew that’s what happened in life. Changes
were made
whether they were wanted or not.

She watched the sun rising in the distance, casting different colors across the
early
clouds. She breathed in the crisp air and thought how beautiful it was.

It would be
nice;
I guess,
she thought,
to share this with someone.

That afternoon she was ready to go, standing at the end of her circular driveway near the gate. The long garden in between the front of the drive and the back near the house held two
benches,
but she didn’t feel like sitting down. One of the things she never mentioned when invited on a carriage ride was that her legs sometimes went numb from sitting for so long. If the Duke wanted to get out and walk through the park, she would much prefer that and planned to bring it up.

She saw the dust rising in the distance and knew he was on his way up the road to her house. She stepped through the door in the stone pillar next to the gate and stood on the other side, waiting for him to arrive.

She was a little nervous about her proposal and wondered
quietly
if she would even be able to broach the subject with him. Surely he wouldn’t want to marry someone he didn’t know just to pay her debts off for her. Then again, he didn’t
want
to be disinherited either. He probably wouldn’t know what to do with himself if they stripped him of his title, took away his duties and removed the money from his accounts.

He pulled up in front of her and stopped, smiling out at her. “Good afternoon, Lady Cynthia. How are you feeling today?”

“I feel fine, my lord. How are you?”

She stepped up into the carriage, taking his outstretched hand for assistance and settled into the seat next to him.

“I’m doing well. It is a beautiful day for a ride.”

“Yes, I agree.” She looked up at the clear blue sky, enjoying the breeze that moved past her face gracefully.

“I was thinking on the way here that we can go to Wasena Park and take a
walk,
if you prefer.”

She couldn’t help looking up at him in amusement. “I would like that. I sometimes get uncomfortable
from
taking carriage rides that last too long.”

He chuckled. “I do, too. I prefer shorter rides and walking. I like to stretch my legs so if I have the
time,
I walk.”

“It’s all a matter of leaving with enough time to get where you’re going. I know carriages and horses are so much
faster,
but I do prefer being out in the sun. Walking makes me feel good.”

He smiled. He was beginning to think this might be an opportunity he wouldn’t be able to resist. He wondered if she would consider marrying him, even if only on paper, to help him keep his fortune and his title. He wouldn’t hold her back, she could do anything she wanted
to,
and he wouldn’t say a thing. But would a woman consider marriage for nothing? Perhaps she was in need of
something,
and they could strike a deal.

“I suppose since you have been attending the Season dances, you are considering marrying again?”

Her heart thumped hard. It seemed his mind was on the same track as hers. “In reality, I decided last Season before it was over that I did not want to marry again. I usually attend the dances with my young friend, Lord Alexander, as he attempts to find a bride. I sometimes like the action of a ball because I spend a lot of my time alone in my house.”

“So…you aren’t looking to get married?”

“I had thought not before. I am reconsidering. I must say, if the right man were to propose, I suppose I would. But I have not…”

“No one
good
coming around?” He supplied.

She didn’t want to answer. “There wasn’t, no. I…came to a point where I wasn’t interested in trying anymore. I don’t think I ever really wanted to in the first place.”

“Are you still opposed to marriage?”

She looked up at him without answering.

“I informed you of my predicament. That’s why I ask.”

“I am not as opposed as I
was,
” She responded.

“That’s good to hear.” He looked out over the road and fell quiet.

“To be honest with you, my lord, I have been thinking about your situation. I was thinking about it last evening and this morning.”

“Were you?” He asked curiously.

“Yes. I am also in somewhat of a predicament myself.”

“Please inform me.”

Cynthia took in a quiet breath in an attempt to calm her pounding heart. “I…When my late husband died, he left me a fortune. It is enough to live on for many more
years,
and the
house,
and lands belong to me. However, he was in debt to several businesses to an amount that would reduce my accounts to nothing and leave me with nothing to live on.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. How long ago did your husband die?”

“It was over four years ago.”

“The debt has continued to
accumulate,
or the collectors are waiting?”

“They have been very kind.”

“To say the least.” He sounded surprised.

“You
sound
surprised,
” She remarked.

“I don’t know many businessmen who will put off the repayment of a large debt for so many years.”

“You have no family to fall back on?”

“No, unfortunately not.”

“That is
a bad
situation.” Daniel admitted, nodding. “What will you do?”

“I was wondering if…we might be able to…have an agreement between us? One that might be profitable for us both?”

Daniel looked down at her with his eyebrows raised. He was stunned that they had been thinking the same thing. “We
might,
” He responded. “I must inform you that it is not just the marriage that I must produce for my parents. They will also expect an heir. Are you…” he didn’t know how to finish the
question,
but she caught on to the implication. She and her husband had never
conceived,
but it had not been because she was incapable.

“I can still have children, my lord. I just didn’t have any with my late husband. He was gone quite a lot. He was in the military.”

“I understand. You are in need of the money to pay off the
debts,
and I am in need of a wife. Is this what you propose?”

She pulled in another deep breath, nervous with a thumping heart. When he put it that way, it certainly sounded like an affront to the sanctity of marriage. Marriage was supposed to be about love and unity and togetherness. Not signing on the dotted line so that debts would
be paid
and inheritances wouldn’t be lost.

“Yes, my lord.” She squeaked out.

He was quiet. She wondered what he was thinking, daring to take a quick glance at his profile. His face did not look unpleasant. He didn’t
look
angry or judgmental. He looked handsome and thoughtful.

“Here’s what I propose,” he
said,
and she steeled herself in case he came down on her for her apparent greed. “We will court for two months and a week. We must have time to get to know each other better and decide if this is truly something we want to do. At the end of that time, we will make a final decision on
a marriage.”

“But if it doesn’t work out, will you not be out of time? You will not be able to find someone in that amount of time.”

“This is
true,
” He admitted. “But I believe that my parents will think
differently
if I have spent these last few months taking things seriously and
truly
courting a woman to marry.”

“Will they approve of me as your prospective wife?”

He grinned, giving her an amused look. “Lady Cynthia, you are a beautiful, intelligent woman. I don’t see why they would not approve. They don’t need to know about my dealings. They only need to know what they see, which is me with a woman on my arm, attending the balls and dances and social gatherings.”

“Then I suppose we have a deal? When will you be able to pay the collectors?”

“I will pay them right away.”

“Are you sure? That would not give you much of an advantage over me.”

“I don’t need
an advantage
over you, my lady. I don’t want you to go through the next nine weeks thinking that you have to spend time with me because I won’t follow through otherwise. I would like for us both to enjoy our time together without pressures of repercussions.”

“That is very noble, my lord.”

He just smiled.