Regency Romance: A Duchess in Disguise (Historical 19th Century Victorian Romance) (Duke Fantasy Billionaire Romance) (87 page)

Chapter Four

The first month of courting went by quickly. They attended two balls a week. Daniel visited her
home,
and she visited his. They went on numerous
walks
and
short
carriage rides together. They became the talk of the town almost immediately, as no one had expected the playboy to pluck the widow out of the shadows and start parading around town with her.

“A mismatched couple, that’s what they’re saying.” Alexander settled himself into the chair he always occupied when Cynthia was sitting outside enjoying the sun. It was getting hotter as the summer moved in. She
was dressed
in a full body bathing suit with a robe and had shed the robe in the heat. There was little more she enjoyed than the feel of the sun on her bare skin. Daniel had assured her that he would not prevent her from laying out in the sun, going out to swim or doing any of the things she always enjoyed doing. He promised her that she would not be obligated to do anything that made her uncomfortable.

“I know what they’re saying, Alex.” She murmured, not opening her eyes. She could hear so much more
around
her when she kept her eyes closed and concentrated on the sounds. The birds and frogs, even the trees with their leaves blowing softly in the breeze made unique and
wonderful
sounds.

“He’s a rake, Cynthia. What do you see in him to love when you know what he is, what he’s done to so many other women in town? Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

She opened one eye and looked at him. His face showed genuine concern. The frown lines were deep in his
young
features.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and tilted her head when she spoke. “Alex, do you want to know why I’m going to marry Sir Daniel? The real reason?”

Alexander frowned. “What do you mean ‘the real
reason.’
Don’t you love the man?”

Cynthia thought about the question for a moment. She was beginning to think that Daniel was indeed a man she could love. He was the charmer the women always thought he was. He didn’t have a brutal temper and did not drink heavily. She hadn’t even seen him lose his temper, as a matter of fact. He was always polite and kind to her and never made her feel less than her value.

Still she had trouble separating the fact that he was doing a business deal with her, had never mentioned love and at
times,
she felt like he was just going through the motions so that his outward appearance would be validated and people would talk
about
him in a way that he wanted them to. He didn’t
want
to leave them guessing and making up stories, so he set the tone of any stories they told.

“I may love him in time.” She finally replied. “But there is another reason, Alex. Daniel has a great deal of money. He is set to be disinherited on his 30
th
birthday if he is not wed and in a position to supply an heir.”

“Yes, I heard about that.” Alexander nodded, a look of disapproval on his face. She didn’t know whether that frown
was caused
by the disinheritance or the fact that Daniel had not already taken care of the situation long ago. “I admit I wondered if he approached you because he’s…”

He stopped abruptly before saying the word “desperate.” It was terribly impolite to put Cynthia in the category that a desperate man would
choose from
.

Cynthia grinned. “You were wise to stop before saying that, my friend.”

They both laughed.

“He is in a desperate
situation,
but he and I came to an agreement at the outset of our courtship. As you know, John’s death left me with enormous debts to the
creditors,
and I would surely lose everything if I tried to pay them back what John owed them. I would be left destitute. They have been waiting these long years for their money. Now, they are no longer waiting for their money.”

“The Duke paid the collectors for you?”

“He did.”

Alexander blinked in surprised silence. He felt at a loss for words. He knew the Duke had much more money than Cynthia but could not fathom the
man
handing out so much money just to win the hand of a woman
…even
his good friend.

“I…I am surprised by this information.” Alexander scratched his head. “I have heard many negative things about the Duke.
This does
not seem in character for him.”

“I have heard the stories. They all came from ladies he had rejected, though, have you ever noticed that?”

“Have
there been any ladies pursuing
him
?” Alexander asked and then went on without waiting for an answer. “No, there haven’t
been,
and that’s because he garnered such a bad reputation with them. Were you ever warned off?”

Cynthia shook her head. “No. I
have
not participated very much in the social scene, even when I did attend the balls with you.”

“So what do you think of him now that you’ve spent time with him? Should I be worried about you, my dear?”

Cynthia turned her head to look out over the long green lawn, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “You’ve no need to be worried about me, Alex. Daniel has been only a gentleman since we made our deal.”

“But do you want to live in a business deal? Is that really what will make you happy,
being married
to someone you don’t
truly
care for
? I suppose you could stay on
here
if he would allow it. Then you wouldn’t have to leave the
familiar,
and you will still be yourself.”

“He has said that I will be able to retain my freedom to come and go as I please. I will continue to do that, but I will also act as Duchess when he requires it of me. I can’t imagine I would have any responsibilities, though. In the beginning, we will need to keep up the appearance of a happy couple. So I will not be able to stay here at the house. Perhaps I will come back and
stay
during holidays or when I want a vacation.”

“Won’t you miss it?”

“
Of course,
I will. But life goes on, doesn’t it? And we must ebb and flow with it.”

He nodded. “This is true, my dear.
This is
true.”

That weekend, Daniel picked her up for another dance, arriving early enough for them to leave the carriage away from the mansion in which the ball was being held and walk the remaining distance. There was no threat of rain. The weather was holding out to be a pleasant late spring, with sunshine and warmth late into the evening.

That night, however, just as they arrived at the mansion and stepped up under the deck roof, it began to sprinkle. He gave her an apologetic look as they watched it come down. “I did not know it was supposed to rain this
evening,
” He said.

“It’s quite all right. Do you think it will still be raining when we leave?”

“If so, I will get a ride from someone else to take us to the carriage.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Once inside, they mixed with the crowd, Daniel heading in one direction and her in another. She met with a few ladies she enjoyed talking to and watched him from across the room. The ladies always questioned her
sanity,
but
it amused her
. She and Alex had figured out why Daniel’s reputation had been exceptionally poor. He was an independent thinker who had been looking for a woman with a mind of her own, as well. When he rejected the ladies he courted for whatever reason, they had retaliated by spreading rumors and lies about his treatment of them while dating.

Since he felt free to do what he wanted, he was never discourteous to Cynthia, showed her respect and was kind to her on a daily basis.

She saw him from across the room, chatting with some friends. He threw his head back and laughed heartily. She liked the sound of it as it traveled across the room. He had laughed like that with her a few times. It made her want to make him laugh more.

He glanced over in her direction and their eyes locked. He smiled at
her,
and she felt her heart skip a beat. She smiled back.

Alexander had asked her if she thought she could marry without being in love. She had already decided she didn’t have to worry about that part. She was nervous still, and a bit worried that he might not
really
be who he said he was. But her doubts were decreasing steadily. She wondered if he could feel about her the way she was beginning to feel about him.

It surprised her when she saw Daniel excuse himself from his friends and make his way through the crowd to where she was standing.

“How is your evening going, my lady?” He asked, leaning close to her.

“I’m having a good time, thank you, Daniel. How about you?”

He stood up straight and looked around him. “It’s another dance.”

He
chuckled,
and she smiled up at him.

“Would you care to go for a walk
on
the grounds with me?” He asked, holding out his arm, crooked at the elbow, for her to take.

“I would love
to;
my lord but is it
not
raining out there?”

“Let’s go and see.”

She slipped her hand through his arm and walked next to him as they went through the large double doors that were left open to allow extra ventilation in the crowded room.

The night sky had
cleared,
and the two of them followed the stone pathway around the garden, avoiding the small puddles that had gathered.

“Have you given any more thought to our arrangement?” Daniel asked. She noticed his voice was
low
and smooth. It
was filled
with emotion. She wondered why.

“In what way?” She looked up at him, enjoying the way he looked in the moonlight
and in
the glow of the lamps burning around them.

“You
are not wanting
to back out of the deal, are you?”

“Not at all, my lord. Are
…are
you?”

Daniel shook his head quickly. “No. I am…quite happy with things the way they are going.”

“I feel the same way.”

He stopped and turned to face her. She scanned his handsome features, resisting the urge to reach up and touch his face. When he looked at her, she saw something different in his eyes than she had seen before. She remembered the way he had stared at her over the table when they first met.
His eyes had seemed so cold, so distant.
Now they were warm and inviting. She found herself drawing closer to him instinctively so that there were only a few inches between them.

“Lady Cynthia, I…my…my feelings for you have changed in the last month. I see the way you treat your servants as friends, how you talk to the children, how you manage your life so well. I am impressed with you. I only wish you had not held yourself back in the shadows for so long.”

“I was not expecting to…” She hesitated. “To find love again, my lord.”

“Have you?” His voice dropped even
lower,
and he breathed the question out. “Have you found love again?”

Her breath became rapid as she sensed how close he was to her. He lowered his head so that they were nose to nose and asked the question again.

“Have you found love again, Lady Cynthia?”

She felt his breath on her
lips,
and it sent shivers down her spine.

“I have, my lord. I love you.”

She saw him smile just before he moved close enough to touch his lips to hers. He pulled back after only a moment and whispered, “I have fallen in love with you, too, Cynthia.”

When he kissed her again, she knew she had made the best deal of her life and would finally be truly happy again.

*****

THE END

Chapter One

Marie Downing glanced at herself in the mirror, pushing her dark hair back and away from her forehead. She looked with disappointment at her face and sighed. She had seen no improvement with the makeup her sisters wore to hide their flaws so she chose to wear very little of it. The blush only made her washed out face look like she’d just been slapped on both sides and lipstick only brought attention to the fact that her lips were thin and her mouth
wide
.

Marie painted a picture of herself in her mind as a side show clown and felt
very heavy
in her heart. She could hear her sisters upstairs. It was time for her to get ready, as well, but she was delaying it. Her sisters took a lot longer than she did, with all of their lace and layers. They did their hair up in fancy dos and painted their faces. Marie didn’t do those things. It was a waste of time. She kept her dark hair back in a bun and only used a bit of powder to add color to her whole face and some pencil around her eyes at the insistence of her older sister, Lucinda.

Marie began to take the stairs up to the room where her sisters were talking and laughing. She wished she could get in on the fun but had felt like the odd girl out
since
the beginning. She had one younger
sister,
and her four other sisters were older than she. They were all beautiful girls, with slender bodies and
pretty
smiles. They wore the nicest clothes their father, the Earl of Weatherton, could supply. He had offered her the same
opportunities,
but she had chosen more practical wear and was less enthusiastic about the Season when it came around. She had found no
interesting
men to come courting her and would rather have played the piano and sang for the guests than dance with them.

Her father had given her permission to do just that before the Season started. It was her second time
around,
and she had spent several
miserable
weeks during the first one being forced to fill up her card every time she went to a ball and dance with some decent and some
hideous
men.

She reached out and turned
to the knob
to enter the room where her sisters were readying themselves for the ball.

“I suppose we will all have to dance with Duke Arlington and that deplorable Earl George.” She heard Angela saying.

“George Wright?” Lucinda asked, pulling on the ties to Angela’s corset to tighten them.

“Yes, that’s just who I
mean,
” Angela confirmed.

“He’s not a bad sort.” Lucinda continued. “I won’t mind dancing with him.
At least,
he doesn’t step on your toes!”

“It’s
simply
amazing how many men have no clue about dancing!” Another sister, Caroline, standing by the window looking out, said to no one in particular.

Marie took her spot in the corner, where her dress was hanging. She pulled it down from the hook and held it out in front of her to scan it. It was new, something her father had picked up for her while abroad in the Americas. He had picked up similar dresses for each of her sisters and had each of them styled slightly differently so they would have their
own
unique look.

She liked hers. It was
a deep
, rich purple that
offset
the color of her eyes, which had a slight purple tint mixed in with the blue. Her pale skin and indigo eyes were in sharp contrast
with
her almost-black hair. She felt like it made her look like a ghost.

Her younger sister, Jenny, was watching her and approached from a few feet away. “Do you like the dress papa bought for you, Marie?”

Marie looked up at her. Jenny was smiling at her, which prompted her to smile back. “I do.” Marie nodded. “I like it very much. It’s
very pretty
.”

“It is pretty.” Jenny reached out and stroked the fabric. “Papa always picks the best fabrics for us, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does.”

A voice from behind her made Marie turn. “I don’t know why he bought you
a dress
at all.” It was her second-
to-oldest
sister, Madeline. Madeline was due to
be married
off
this year. If she
weren't
soon, she would be considered a spinster, not just to the masses but in her
own
mind. Marie was aware that Madeline was unhappy about that situation and confused as to why it was happening at all. Marie wasn’t surprised. Madeline had the personality of a coiled snake about to strike. She had learned nothing in finishing school and insisted that everything
be
her way or no way. That didn’t go over well with the men that Marie had met so far.

“Why would you say that?” Jenny asked before Marie could say anything. Not that Marie would say anything. She was used to Madeline’s word jabs.

“Because all she’s going to do is sit
behind
the piano and play, making eyes at all the men around her instead of
actually
dancing with them and attracting one.”

“I don’t think you are one to talk about attracting men, Maddie.” Jenny took a step so that she was in between Madeline and Marie. “You have not been very successful at that yourself.”

Madeline huffed and put her nose in the air before turning to pull on a small waist jacket. “
At least,
I put some effort into it.”

“Marie has plenty of time. She doesn’t have to choose quickly and get it
over with
. It’s an important decision and must
be made
wisely.”

Madeline had turned her back to Jenny, fastening the small buttons on the jacket.

Jenny turned back to Marie and reached out to help her pull the gown over her head. “You don’t listen to a word Maddie says, Marie. You know what you’re worth. Don’t settle for anything less.”

Marie nodded, looking at Jenny with a soft smile. “I won’t.”

Jenny was a year younger than Marie but wiser in many ways. She had already found the man she wanted to marry but was too shy to tell her father. At just 17, she knew he wouldn’t approve of her choices and especially when he knew who it was – Jonathan Bligh, a nearby farmer who was just now trying to put his father’s farm back on its feet. Jonathan was 20, his father had died only months
before,
and Jonathan was working his fingers to the bone to save the only home he knew.

Jenny had been in love with Jonathan for as long as she could remember and they had made a pact to get married as soon as she turned 18. Now it was only a few months
away,
and she was anxious.
She
was
a wise
girl,
and Marie approved of Jonathan. She hoped their father would, as well, when the time came.

“Somebody needs to tell Duke Arlington what
he’s
worth,
” Madeline said, joining their sister, Caroline, at the window, where they both looked out over the grounds and at the bright blue sky dotted with just a few white clouds.

“Are you interested in
Duke Arlington
??” Caroline stared at her with wide eyes, a shocked expression on her face.

Madeline screwed up her face in disgust and then laughed abruptly. “No, dear sister. Not at
all
. The Duke’s problem is that he thinks he’s worth
more
than he is. Someone needs to bring him down to the ground, in my opinion. A man that ugly shouldn’t be trying to win over the hearts of pretty women.”

“That’s a cruel thing to say,
Madeline,
” Marie spoke up.

Madeline turned to stare at her. “You wouldn’t know a thing about it, little girl. You spend all of your time hiding behind your piano. If you aren’t even going to
try
, I’m not going to give you any sympathy. And you shouldn’t speak when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop it, Maddie.” Lucinda shook her head at Madeline, sitting to pull on her boots and lace them. “You
are being
very foul today. What’s wrong?”

Madeline turned her narrow eyes to Lucinda and shook her head. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with
me
. What’s wrong with
her
? She is never going to get married at this rate!”

“Madeline, why does it matter to you when Marie gets married?” Lucinda had stopped in the middle of
lacing
one boot and was staring at her older sister. “You are not yet there yourself. You should be worrying about what is going on in your
own
life instead of berating Marie for the lack of action in hers.”

“Beth was married when she was Marie’s age.” Madeline sniffed.

Lucinda raised her eyebrows at the mention of their oldest sister and gave Madeline a disgusted look. “Maddie, you are several years older than
Marie,
and
you
aren’t married. Please don’t continue. You are only making a fool of yourself.”

Madeline huffed in embarrassment and stomped out the door, one hand holding on to her skirts so she could walk quicker and the other one clutching her folded fabric fan. Before she reached the door, she had flipped it open and was fanning her
heated
face. She gave them all one more
defiant
look before flying out the door and slamming it behind her.

Jenny turned back to help Marie after watching the scene unfold. She was shaking her head. “I can’t believe that girl sometimes. It seems she is living in her
own
world most of the time.”

“And she is the queen
there,
” Marie added.

Jenny pulled Marie into a quick hug. “She’s going to be very lonely for a long time if she continues to live there. You’re going to be fine, Marie. God will provide your man in due
time
.”

Marie smiled at her. “I know. I’m not worried. I don’t feel sociable most of the time
anyway
, why would I want to share that with a man? I
really
don’t feel I
need to
. At least, not right now.”

Jenny took her sister’s
hand,
and the two of them sat on a long cushioned bench so Jenny could apply a bit of makeup to Marie’s eyes and face. “You like to be alone, don’t you, Marie?”

Marie shrugged. “I don’t mind it.”

Jenny squeezed her hand. “When you
are attracted
to a
man,
and you fall in love, you will feel more sociable, I bet. There’s nothing like love to make you glow like a firefly.”

“Is that so?” Marie smiled at her sister.

“It is.”

“That must be why you are always glowing then.”

Jenny laughed and pulled Marie into another hug. “You are a sweet, sweet sister, Marie. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Do you think you will do any dancing tonight at all?”

Marie pressed her lips together and looked down. “I…I’m not sure. Maybe with Cornelius, at least.”

“Well, if you feel like dancing and not playing the piano or singing for everybody, you let me
know,
and I will find someone for you to dance with.”

“That feels like cheating.” Marie giggled. “I should be waiting for someone to ask me who hasn’t been encouraged to do so.”

“Nonsense!” Jenny laughed. “How will they ever know about you from behind that piano? They probably all think you came with it! You have to meet them somehow and what better way than through a recommendation from me? I know everyone!”

The girls laughed. It was true that Jenny was a social butterfly. But Marie was
fairly
certain
that everyone knew she
was betrothed
to Jonathan. Everyone except their father.