What a Devilish Duke Desires (17 page)

“One week,” she said. “If I’m not here at four o’clock, then you will know I won’t return.”

“I will not give up on us, and I will not lose you,” he said, his voice full of determination.

It would be better for him if she disappeared from his life. There were too many obstacles standing in their way. They could only meet at her home or the park, because they had to conceal their affaire de coeur, and that alone should have warned her off from the beginning.

There was no hope for them. His family, friends, and political allies would never accept her. She would be an embarrassment to him. Too many had seen her serving lemonade, and they knew she was paid to teach dance lessons. The kindest thing she could do for him was to quietly disappear from his life. But even the thought of a permanent separation filled her with anguish.

God help her, it would be so hard to make this break, because even though she’d sworn to keep her head out of the clouds, she’d fallen in love with him.

She’d never meant to get involved with him that first time they had met at the park, but somehow he’d managed to charm her and challenge her. She’d thought she could keep her feelings in check, but like any other smitten girl, she’d allowed her budding feelings to grow and flourish. Now she must face the pain of separation. Part of her wanted to recant, to tell him that she’d made a mistake, but that mistake had led her to this place with him where they were living in a secret fantasy, one that no one in either of their worlds would ever accept.

One week later

Lucy had not felt so wretched since the day she’d pawned her mother’s pearls.

After she took the last of the laundry to Mrs. Finkle, Lucy strode out of Vigo Street. She was heartsick and worried that Harry had found someone else in the interim. All week, she’d imagined him riding on Rotten Row with all the other nobles or calling on a lady. She’d been a fool to push him away, all because she’d gotten scared that he would hurt her again. The only person she’d hurt was herself.

The clopping of hooves drew her attention. A block away a carriage came to a halt. The door opened. Harry stood on the pavement. Then he motioned her to come to him. Lucy lifted her skirts and ran.

“Up you go,” he said, lifting her into the carriage as if she weighed nothing.

When he followed her inside, he sat beside her and caught her up in his arms. “I missed you.”

“I was miserable,” she said. “I worried you would never want to see me again.”

“No, Lucy. I will never give up on us, and I will not lose you.”

He pulled the drapes closed on either side of the carriage “May I kiss you?”

She smiled. “I thought you would never ask.”

Harry untied her cap and tossed it aside. He kissed her gently at first, and then with more intention. When he touched his tongue to her mouth, she parted her lips. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth. Soon she was swept away by his wet, hot, and bone-melting kisses. She loved being in his strong arms again. It felt like home to her.

“We’re fogging up the windows,” he said, laughing.

“Oh, dear Lord,” she said. It was so good to hear his laughter and see his beautiful blue eyes.

He framed her face with his big hands, and then he stripped off his gloves. He trailed kisses from her lips to her jaw and down to her neckline. She inhaled on a ragged breath as he drew his tongue along the inner seam of her bodice. Her nipples tightened as he cupped her breasts, and it felt sinful, but she couldn’t resist him. He kissed her again with more intention, and she dared to touch her tongue to his. He pulled her onto his lap, and she felt his hands tugging on her upper back. Then a shock of cool air hit her flesh. His breathing was faster as he lowered her puffed sleeves, trapping her arms and exposing her breasts. “Oh my God, you’re beautiful.”

She should stop him. She meant to tell him that they mustn’t. She knew it was forbidden, but when he took her nipple in his mouth, a strange high-pitched sound came out of her throat. When he switched to her other breast, she squeezed her legs together and a spurt of pleasure sizzled through her.

“Oh yes, I love that you’re so responsive to my touch.”

After he broke the kiss, they were both breathing harder.

“What are you thinking?” he said, cupping her cheek.

Her face heated.

“Lucy?”

She took a deep breath and kissed him quickly, but he caught her in his arms again. “You’re my captive now, and I will never let you go.”

“I beg to differ, sir. This captive intends to escape the moment the carriage stops.”

“Drat. Where are my manacles when I need them?”

She laughed. “You amuse me, Harry.”

“I like the sound of my name on your lips.” He angled his head and gave her another long, deep kiss. “I missed you,” he said. “I feared I might never see you again.”

She framed his face with her hands. “I swore to give you up, but I couldn’t.”

“I will never give up on us,” he said. “Never.”

“I was scared,” she said.

“I know, but don’t be afraid.”

When the carriage halted, he helped her on the steps. They walked to their bench and sat next to each other.

“Being here reminds me of that first time we met in the park,” she said. “I was determined to resist you, but you managed to charm me. When we met again, I let down my guard. Then I discovered that it wasn’t mere wealth separating us.”

“I knew you were a gentleman’s daughter the first time I heard your voice.”

Her eyes held a fierce expression. “My mother was born a lady, but my father was a younger son and owned no land. Even if he had, he would not have deserved the title of gentleman.”

“What happened to your family?”

“My mother died, and Grandmama lost her sight.” She took in a shaky breath. “I thought my father would take care of us.” Her mouth thinned. “Instead, he turned to the bottle for comfort. When the money dried up, he started selling our possessions: crockery, shoe buckles, a clock, anything he could find. It was clear to me he would sell off everything we had. I hid my mother’s pearls, because I couldn’t bear for him to sell them. He was furious when he couldn’t find them. I trembled the whole time he shouted and cursed. Two days later, he was drunk when he fell off his horse and broke his neck.”

Harry reached over and squeezed her hand. She must have been terrified.

“There was very little money. I had no choice but to leave the only home I’d ever known. I had to find employment. So I hired a man to bring us and our possessions to London.”

“I’m glad you have the pearls,” he said.

She fisted her hands in her lap. “I lost my position as a seamstress, and the dance master I formerly worked for shorted my wages. I took the pearls to a pawnshop on Petticoat Lane. I had to pay the rent.”

He winced. I’m sorry, sweet Lucy.” He drew her into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not. Those pearls kept a roof over our heads.”

“Are there no other family members besides your grandmother?”

She hesitated. “None that I’ve met.”

He frowned. “Who are they?”

She said nothing.

“Lucy, do you know who they are?”

She nodded. “My mother’s maiden name was Forbes.”

His eyes narrowed. Then it hit him. “As in the Earl of Wargrove?”

Her mouth thinned. “Yes.”

He took her by the shoulders. “My God, your grandfather is an earl, and you are working as a servant?”

“He disowned my mother.”

His eyes blazed. “Why?”

“She eloped with my father to Gretna Green when she was nineteen.”

“Have you tried to contact Wargrove?”

“No,” she said, her voice sharp. “After my mother died, I found a returned letter written in her hand. It was addressed to Wargrove. The seal was unbroken. He’d never bothered to read it.” She turned her face away because the memory still held the power to wound her.

“After so many years, you may find matters have changed with your mother’s family.”

Loathing was written all over her face. “I want nothing to do with Wargrove or any of his kin,” she said heatedly. “He was cruel to refuse my mother’s letter.”

Harry frowned. “How did your mother meet your father?”

“My father was Wargrove’s secretary. I’ve no idea how they contrived to elope. Afterward, my parents moved to Westbury, but many in the village never accepted her.”

“Why?” he asked.

“For the same reason you knew I was educated.”

“Her cultured manner of speaking,” he said.

“When I was younger, I did not understand. One day I overheard two women gossiping after church. I was twelve or thereabouts when Mrs. Rhodes said my mother put on airs. It wasn’t true. Many in the village didn’t like her because she wasn’t one of them.”

“Ignorant people,” he said in a harsh tone.

Lucy could still picture her mother’s determined smile when she confessed that she had been an earl’s daughter and left it all behind to marry Lucy’s papa. “I asked my mother about her family, but she only looked sad and said they lived far away.

“Matters changed as I got older. A new assembly hall was erected in town. My mother knew all the dances because a dance master had taught her. She offered to teach anyone wishing to learn. There were many who refused to acknowledge my mother, but the younger men and women were keen on learning the etiquette and steps. I helped teach the younger children.”

“I wondered where you’d learned to dance.”

“When we arrived in London, I found an advertisement for a dance assistant. Mr. Buckley made me do all the work and often shorted my wages, but it was a job I desperately needed. Then I found work as a seamstress and afterward a steady job at the Albany. I left the dance master weeks ago and am encouraged that I am gaining clients. You know the rest.”

“If you will let me, I can help.”

“I know you mean well,” she said, “but I’ve proven myself more than capable of making my own way in the world. It wasn’t a choice, but it has made me stronger.”

He drew her into his arms again. “Let me be strong for you.”

He didn’t understand that she mustn’t rely on anyone but herself. She’d learned that lesson well when her father had abdicated his parental duties for the bottle. “You are an aristocrat, and I am a maid. A furtive meeting in the park or your carriage is all we have.”

“It is not impossible,” he said.

“It is not advisable, either.”

“Plenty of my mother’s friends have observed your talent in dance instruction. They have also marked your refined speech and manners.”

“They also know I receive compensation for my dance instruction. I know that is unacceptable to the ton. I’m not one of them, and I never will be.”

“Your grandfather is an earl,” he said.

She inhaled sharply. “If you believe that I would welcome Wargrove after he disowned my mother, you are wrong,” she said, her voice trembling with ire. “Harry, you know this isn’t just about us. It’s also about your family. Your mother will wish to find husbands for your cousins. If you were to marry a woman beneath you, it might affect your cousins’ chances of making a good marriage.”

“I don’t believe that for an instant. Frankly, I don’t care if you’re a chimney sweep’s daughter. I care about
you
. I don’t give a damn about society. I don’t give a damn what my mother thinks, and I certainly do not give a damn about the patronesses at Almack’s.”

“Will you deny that Almack’s means a great deal to Mrs. Norcliffe? Would she not suffer embarrassment?”

“I berated my mother for her rude treatment of you. She retained you to teach a dance lesson and made rude comments. Believe me, she deserved my condemnation,” he said, his voice rising.

Quite likely his rebuke had resulted in the opposite effect he’d intended.

“If you had not known me, would you have rebuked your mother?”

“Yes, because it is in poor taste to abuse those in one’s employ.”

“The point is I will never be welcome in your world.”

“I disagree. Your manners clearly proclaim you are a lady. I knew it the first time we met.”

“Harry, if you are seeking a lady of high birth, you had better look elsewhere. Wargrove never recognized my mother’s marriage.”

“Lucy, I don’t care about rank,” he said in exasperation. “I care about you, and I will not give up on us.”

“Your peers, your cousins, your friends, and, yes, the patronesses have all seen me serving at Almack’s. I am a servant and a dance instructor. That is
all
I’ll ever be to the ton.”

“I’m a duke, and that makes a world of difference.”

A bitter laugh escaped her. “Your mother would never accept me. If we were foolish enough to get engaged, it would set off a scandal, one that would have negative consequences for your family. My mother suffered for having married beneath her station. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“You worry for nothing. My influence counts for a great deal.”

“Yes, but you must also consider your cousins. If you were to court a woman beneath you, especially a servant, it might well dampen their marriage prospects. Their beaux would question how it would affect their families. I can’t do that to you and your family, Harry. I can’t—”

“There have been plenty of ordinary people, like Brummel, who moved among society without a problem.”

“They are men, and they are the exceptions.”

“
We
can be the exceptions,” he said. “I know we can do this.”

“Your family, your friends, and society all expect you to marry a wealthy lady of noble birth,” she said, her voice rising. “No one will ever question her pedigree. You are your mother’s only son, and you have inherited a grand title and property. You need a wife who knows the intricacies of the ton. That would be someone who understands and is accepted in your world.”

“Lucy, I’m a duke. I can and, if necessary, I will defy the ton.”

“At what cost, Harry? If you were foolish enough to marry someone beneath you, it would affect every aspect of your life, including your political career and your acquaintances. Your friends would be uncomfortable, and so would you when the invitations stopped coming because you married a maid. No one in the ton would accept such a marriage. I won’t be the instrument of unhappiness for your family. I can’t do that to you.”