Page 13 of Bad Duke

It’s been nine days since I moved her into my new home and I’ve spent each one of those days avoiding her. I lie in bed at night thinking about her in the room down the hall, constantly wondering what she’s doing and what she’s thinking about. I spend the time after she gets back from work avoiding her in my office because just being in the same room as her gets me agitated. By all accounts she spends her evenings in the living room, watching television. She eats her meals at the dining room table all by herself, while I eat alone in here. And despite the fact I’m doing my best to stay out of her way, it still feels good to know I have her here. I like hearing her voice when she talks to the staff and asks them about their day. I like seeing the little signs that she’s around, like her walking boots in the boot room and her coat hanging by the door.

I’m told by Barnaby that she’s taken to walking my father's dogs before and after work, and I can’t help finding it strange that she’s so accepting of her situation.

What I’m doing here is typical of me, it’s selfish. Yet, knowing she’s close and not out there in a world that's so unsafe and cruel makes me feel less bad about it.

“He’s here, Your Grace.” Barnaby opens the door and keeps his head low out of respect for my father, and after I’ve stood up and straightened my tie I head out into the corridor. It’s a little overwhelming to see all the staff, dressed in black and lining the hall that leads to the front door. I pass them all as I make my way out to the hearse that's pulled up outside and when I get to the end of the line and see Olivia holding both dogs on their leads, I’m surprised to see her. It’s a Thursday morning, she should be at work and yet here she is ready to pay her respects to a man she didn’t even know.

She smiles at me sadly as I pass her and move out the door, then when I see my father’s coffin on full display, in the back of the hearse, I stand for a moment and take it in. The flag bearing our family crest is draped over it and the flowers have been chosen to match its mauve colours. Barnaby was, of course, the person responsible for all the finer details, I’ve spent the days since my father died, drinking too much scotch and trying to deny the fact I’m living in a house with a girl I’m too fucking scared to talk to.

Will holds the door of the family car that's parked behind the hearse open for me and I nod him my gratitude as I climb inside.

Having such a big car just for me seems pointless. Will isn’t coming to the funeral because he has work to do, and when I asked if Barnaby would ride with me he said it wouldn't be appropriate and that he should travel on the coach that had been provided for the staff. So, I make the journey to the cemetery alone.

I don’t listen to the words that are spoken over my father's coffin before they lower him into the ground, I keep my head down and my hands crossed and think about all the hurt he caused in the years he was alive. There may be hundreds of people here to bid him farewell, but none of them really knew him. If they did, they wouldn’t waste their time being here and showing him their respect, which makes it hard to understand why I’m battling to hold in my tears. I feel the touches of support from the mourners on my shoulder as one by one they leave the graveside. The rain trickles down the back of my collar and soaks my hair but I remain staring at the open grave and the roses that have been thrown on top of his coffin. I don’t know how much time passes but I don’t move. I can’t move. Today has brought with it a new fear, the fear of being just like him. Of dying alone, with no one really caring. I know the house will be full of people when I return, most of them out of some kind of duty or from curiosity. I’ve spent so much time and effort trying to get away from this man, that I lost sight of the fact I’ve been becoming him.

I turn my back on him for the last time and my feet freeze when I see her standing all alone like she’s waiting for me. Her blonde hair is weighted down from the rain and her bottom lip shivers from its chill. She looks sexy-as-sin in the tight, knee-length, black dress she’s wearing and I shake my head in confusion, wondering why she’s still here or why she’s here at all.

“I didn’t think you should be alone. The staff had to get back to prepare for the guests but I…I.” She blinks the rain out of her eyes and I shake myself out of the trance she’s got me in, quickly shrugging out of the three-quarter-length coat I’m wearing and rushing towards her so I can hold it over her head to protect her from the rain.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell her, guiding us towards the car that’s waiting for me and opening the door. She pauses before she gets in and looks unsure. “Get in.” I gesture my head towards the seat.

“I… I can get a taxi back if you want to be alone. I just didn’t want you to….”

“Olivia, get inside the car,” I tell her again, and when she nods her head and ducks to get inside I follow in after her, closing the door behind me.

“Here, wrap this around you.” I drape my coat around her shoulders when I notice that she’s still shivering.

“I’m fine, honestly.” She lies, so I narrow my eyes to let her know she won’t get away with it. It makes her give in and clutch it tighter around her shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispers, and when I notice that her mascara is smudged beneath her eye, I use my thumb to clean it up and end up making even more of a mess.

“Drive on,” I instruct the driver, settling back in my seat and wondering how I’m going to make the journey home in such a close vicinity to her without fucking up.

“A lot of people turned out to?—”

“Why?” I interrupt the small talk she’s about to make. “Why did you come here today, and why wait for me?”

“I told you, I didn’t want you to be alone.” She smiles so timidly it makes me want to grab her throat in my hand and kiss the tremble right off of her lips. Something so pure and fucking precious should not be within touching distance of me.

“Why?” I shake my head out of confusion but mostly in frustration. This girl isn’t making it easy for me to hold on to my restraint.

“Because I figured you could use a friend, right now. I know you have crazy parties, and own nightclubs and I may not be one of your celebrity hangouts, but I haven’t seen any of those people check in on you since I’ve been living at the house.” The way she bites her lip nervously stirs my cock to life. “I’m sorry if I overstepped,” she adds.

“You didn’t,” I snap, suddenly not wanting there to be that barrier of awkwardness between us. I like that she cared enough to stay behind and I don’t want her to apologise for it. Olivia says nothing, just settles back in the seat with my coat wrapped around her.

We make the rest of the journey in silence and she looks a little surprised when I instruct the driver to pull up at the back entrance to the house instead of the front. I’m not ready to face all the strangers that are in my home right now. I’d much prefer to be in her company.

“I want to show you something.” I jump out of the car and take her hand like it’s a perfectly natural thing to do. Dragging her in through the boot room entrance I open the door to the left that leads into the staff corridor and walk us towards the storage cupboard at the bottom of it. “When Will and I were kids, hide and seek was always really good fun here.” I open the cupboard door and pull the hidden lever that's in the bottom right-hand corner. Then look back over my shoulder so I can watch Olivia’s reaction when the back wall pops open and makes a gap big enough for us to squeeze through.

“What is this?” She giggles, looking intrigued as I gesture for her to go through.

“This is one of the many hidden passages that will avoid us having to face up to all those nosey house guests that are waiting for me.” I slide my body against hers as I head through the gap and take her hand to lead her through. The gap between the walls seems much tighter now that I’m a fully grown man, and when I get to the space that I need, I look at her face and prepare to wow her again. Pressing my palm against the wall I push it forward and hear the gasp she makes when it opens up into my office.

“Alexander Stanley, tell me this is not a magic bookcase.” She giggles.

“That's exactly what it is.” I wink at her as I gesture for her to step inside. She looks around the office like she can’t quite believe she’s in here and I slide the bookcase back into place, surprised that it moves so easily. I assumed it would have been some time since anyone explored the hidden walls of Ruxleigh Manor.

“Well, that was pretty awesome,” she admits with a beautiful smile on her lips that makes the temptation for me to kiss her again far too great.

I distract myself by moving to the drinks cabinet and pouring us both something strong and expensive. When I hand her the glass tumbler I notice that her hands are still shivering.

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