Son of a Duke (21 page)

Reaching her hand over the edge of the tub, she randomly selected a bar of soap from the small table and drew it to her nose.
 
It smelled like something floral, but having never had an occasion to bath in such finery, Nora could not give the scent a name.
 
She dipped the bar into the water and began to scrub years of dirt and dust from her skin.
 
With one swipe of the soap, she felt it pull away at everything she had been carrying.
 
The loss of her parents that she had never truly known.
 
The years spent as a forgotten child in Aunt Martha's home.
 
The courageous and terrifying trip to London when she was only a young girl to find work.
 
Samuel.
 

Oh god, Samuel, she thought, and broke at the image of him as a toddler, an unexpected joy that had been brought into her life.

She kept pushing the soap along her skin, scrubbing harder as she went as if by scrubbing she could rid her body of all of it.
 
The work, the neglect, the unexpected.
 
But she would not wash away Samuel.
 
Samuel she clung to, held him against her breast and savored the knowledge that Nathan would bring him back.
 

Nora set the soap aside and reached for a vial of the oil.
 
Working her hair loose from its braid, she wet the strands before coating them in the scented oil.
 
She indulged and spent precious minutes just massaging her scalp.
 
It felt divine and ridiculous, and she hoped that no one would ever find out that she had been so hedonistic.
 

Rinsing her hair thoroughly, she wrung the excess water from the thick strands and stood, water now cool sloshing in the tub about her legs.
 
She paused as the ripples of water lapped at her knees, and for the first time in a very long time, perhaps ever, Nora looked at her naked body.
 
She was too thin, she could admit that.
 
Her knees stuck out as if her legs each had its own nose.
 
A bulbous one at that.
 
Her ribs were visible beneath her small breasts, and her arms were just elbows and skin.
 
She wondered what Nathan would think should he ever see her like this.
 
He would probably not find much to be intrigued about, and this made her sad.
 
The feeling made her pause, the water continuing to run off her skin.
 
She had never expected to feel sadness over something so trivial.
 
And it was not as if Nathan Black were ever going to see her in such a state.
 

As gooseflesh sprouted on her skin, she stepped from the tub and picked up one of the lush towels she had admired earlier.
 
Wrapping herself in it, she used another to carefully dry her hair.
 
Once she was done, she stood with one towel wrapped around her, the other hanging from her hand.
 

What was she supposed to do?
 

It was not as if she could peek into the hallway and summon the duchess and countess looking like this.
 
And to think her, Eleanora Quinton, would be summoning anyone?
 
So she did what anyone would have done to summon her.
 

She walked to the corner and tugged on the braided bell pull.

The door to the hall opened almost immediately, and a whirlwind of maids rushed into the room.
 
Nora had not been prepared for such an instantaneous response, and she backed up involuntarily, clutching the towel to her chest.
 

"Lavender is a lovely color for any young woman," Jane said as she swept into the room behind the Countess of Stryden.
 

"With her hair?
 
Surely not, Jane.
 
She needs to be put in green," Sarah returned.
 

It was several moments before Nora realized they were speaking of her.

"I beg your pardon," she said, and it was as if she had screamed it as everyone in the room stopped.
 

The maids hovered over the tub, their hands filled with unused soaps and vials and towels.
 
Sarah stood at the other side of the chamber, her hand on the frame of the dressing room door.
 
Jane had stopped in the middle of it all, one arm outstretched as if to make a grand address.

"What about red?" Nora asked, not certain where the notion had come from nor the courage to say it out loud.
 

Jane lowered her outstretched arm.
 
Sarah pursed her lips, one slender finger tapping on the door frame.
   

"Red would be divine with that chestnut hair you were mentioning," Jane said in Sarah's general direction.

Sarah straightened away from the door, brushing one hand against her forehead as if an invisible piece of her golden blonde hair had come loose from its chignon.
 

"I believe I have something that may work," she said, disappearing into the dressing room, a maid close on her heels.
 

"My lady-" Nora heard the maid say before both women disappeared.
 

Nora turned her attention back to Jane and found the older woman smiling at her.
 

"This was not what you expected when you awoke this morning, was it, Miss Quinton?"

Nora shook her head.
 

"No, it is-"

She stopped mid-sentence, jumping slightly as a maid touched her arm.
 
There were two of them, and they were pushing her in the direction of a dressing table in the opposite corner of the room from where she stood.
 
They pushed her onto the stool before the dressing table and began to work on her hair, running the locks through a dry towel.
 

Sarah suddenly emerged from the dressing room with a chattering maid behind her.
 

"Are you certain, my lady, that that particularly gown would be completely appropriate-"

Sarah stopped in front of her, her hands behind her back.
 

"How is this?" she said, her hands springing from behind her back, a gown strung between her outstretched hands.
 

Nora looked at Jane.

Jane looked at Nora.
 

"Well, at least no one will believe I am a maid," Nora said.

CHAPTER TEN

Nathan stood as his father entered the drawing room.
 
He had not altered his position from the moment someone had been sent to find the Duke of Lofton, and the sudden movement made him realize how tense he was.
 

"A kidnapping?" Richard said by way of introduction.

"Appears so," Alec said, rising from the sofa to pull the bell cord for Reynolds.
 

Reynolds appeared as Richard removed his hat and gloves.
 

"A fresh tea cart," Alec said to the butler, who nodded and left just as quickly as he had come.
 

"Have you briefed Jane?" Richard asked then.
 

Nathan shook his head.
 

"We were waiting for you.
 
And the ladies are...well..."

He looked to Alec for assistance.
 

"I believe the ladies are orchestrating a type of rouse as we speak," Alec finished.

"Ladies?"

Now Alec turned away, walking to the front of the room to stare out the window at the passing traffic.
 

Richard turned and looked at his other son.
 
Nathan only nodded.
 

"I see.
 
How is the lady countess?" Richard said, taking a seat on the sofa Alec had just vacated.
 

"Lovely as always," Alec muttered.
 

"And what sort of rouse are the ladies concocting?" Richard asked.
 

Nathan resumed his seat.
 

"One of camouflage.
 
I believe they are preparing Miss Quinton to appear as a lady and not a servant."

"Miss Quinton is with you then?" Richard raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Nathan responded automatically, not enjoying his father's questioning expression.
 
"Miss Quinton is obviously in danger.
 
I was not going to leave her unprotected."
 

"A wise decision," Richard said, "And I am certain Jane was delighted to partake in any endeavor that involved couture."
 

"It was Sarah's idea actually," Alec muttered from the window.

Richard raised the other eyebrow.
 

"Ah, Lady Strdyen then.
 
Interesting," he looked back at Nathan, "And when can we expect the other half of our party to join us."
 

"Promptly, your grace," came Jane's voice from the doorway.
 

Nathan stood automatically, turning to face the door.
 
And then he froze.

Alec's laughter filtered into his muddled mind.
 

"Well, this certainly makes me feel better about my own situation," he mumbled.

But Nathan was truly not hearing anything.
 

Nora stood outlined in the doorway from the corridor.
 
While Sarah and Jane had entered the room to join Richard and Nathan in the sitting area, Nora stayed where she was as Nathan outwardly perused her appearance.
 
Her hair was luscious and glowing, swept up in a mass of braids that he was sure would not come as easily undone as her simple maid's style had.
 
Her face was clean of any rice powder and glowed with a warmth he had not seen before.
 
The brown of her eyes was magnified by the red hues of her hair.
 

And her gown.
 

Her gown was...magnificent.
 
Whatever the fabric, it was a deep crimson with long sleeves that puffed at the shoulders, making her look regal and capable.
 
The high waist of the gown suddenly gave her a bosom that Nathan admired very much.
 
Some sort of gold ribbon framed the plunging neckline, and his eyes traveled the length of it up to her shoulders and back to her face.
 

But his eyes darted down once more to her hands.

She wore no gloves.
 

He wanted to reach out and take her hands into his own.
 
To feel her skin against his.
 

He wanted to care for her more now than ever.
 
In everyday attire, she looked like a woman most suitable to be his wife, but with this thought came another.
 
He could not care for her.
 
His gaze drifted quickly to Jane and back, memories of a time long ago stinging with an intensity that would not fade.

Nathan stepped aside and gestured for Nora to sit, unable to say anything at that moment.
 

Richard stepped forward, blocking her entrance, and the movement broke Nathan from whatever trance had enveloped him when Nora had come into the room.
 

"Miss Quinton, I believe," Richard said, as he bowed to Nora, "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.
 
People have much to say about you.
 
I am very sorry to hear about your son, but I assure you that we will do everything necessary to resolve the matter quickly."
 

"What he is trying to say is do not fret," Jane said from where she had taken a seat on the sofa behind him.
 

"Precisely," Richard affirmed, stepping aside so Nora could take the place next to Jane on the sofa.
 

With a fresh tea cart arriving promptly, the discussion quickly turned to the matter at hand, and Nathan forced himself to focus and not stare at Nora transformed.

"So what is it we know about the situation?" Richard began.
   

"Nothing.
 
Or next to nothing," Nathan said, "There were three big men and one smaller one, which I suspect was a woman with red hair.
 
He was taken from behind Gregenden House by the stables.
 
There was no carriage waiting, but that does not mean there was not one further down the alley.
 
I found this."
 
Nathan drew the four of clubs from his pocket and held it up.
 
"I am assuming Samuel dropped it as right before he was taken I was teaching him how to play poker."
 

Jane made a tsking noise in his general direction but otherwise did not comment.

"The four of clubs.
 
Like the gaming hell?" Sarah asked.
   

Alec and Nathan both looked at her.
 

"The gaming hell?" Alec nearly screeched.
 
"What do you know about a gaming hell called The Four of Clubs?"
 

"I know more than you would think, my lord," she returned, assuming a seat in the chair opposite the sofa.
 
"The gaming hell down by the wharf.
 
By Madame Hort's."
 

Nathan nodded.
 
"I know where you mean."

Alec asked, "Do you think Samuel dropped it on purpose?"

"He is smart enough to," Nathan answered automatically, and he caught Nora hiding a smile behind her hand.
 

"Why would they take him to The Four of Clubs?" Sarah asked.
 

"Why would they take him?" Alec countered.
 

Sarah looked at him, annoyed.
 

"They took him because of Nora."
 

Everyone looked at Nathan.
 

"What did I do?" Nora asked as if offended.