Page 26 of The Duchess' Replacement

His eyes refocused on the conversation in the garden. Sarah was smelling a bouquet of flowers the gardener allowed her to pick. Her smile lit up her face and she looked truly relaxed and carefree.

Charles allowed himself to ponder what it would feel like to feel that way. A small forgotten voice sounded from deep within him.

Perhaps you can have that again?

Charles shook his head to dispel the thought. No. He could not go back. He would not put his family in jeopardy again by trusting the wrong people.

If his wife wanted to make friends with the gardeners that was her prerogative. After all, the house responsibilities now fell to her. It would make sense she would know the staff by name.

But he would remain as he always was, in charge and left alone. The sooner his wife remembered that, the sooner his life could get back to normal.

Until then, he at least had the next eight days to come up with all the ways he would teach her that lesson when the final night came.

And one thing Charles was good at, was teaching people lessons they would never forget.

CHAPTER 8

Sarah raised her hands above her head for a quick stretch. After breakfast she escaped to the Duke’s library to lose herself in some books.

The books in this particular library were not something she would normally read. Mostly they were mystery or a spy novel. While they were intriguing she kept drifting off, imagining the main character, obviously male, developing feelings for the wayward girl who got in his way.

Unfortunately, that was never the case in these books, though. Yet, she kept reading them because it helped distract her from her current situation with the Duke.

She sighed further into the cushions. Just when she thought she figured out even a small portion of the man, he unleashed another side of him to deal with. Several days in and she still had no idea where she stood with the man.

One thing was for certain, though, lounging around here all day wasn’t going to help.

“Lizzie?” Sarah called out. “Have you seen Mrs. Bates? I was thinking of going into town later and I had some questions about some of the shops.”

Lizzie came in from the hallway, carrying several blankets she was taking to the guest rooms upstairs. “Last I saw she was the upstairs hallway dusting the…” Lizzie cut herself off.

Sarah looked up from the book splayed on her lap. “Is everything all right, Lizzie?”

Lizzie blushed. “Yes, Your Grace. If you want her I can go get her for you.”

Sarah waved her off. “No need. I need to stretch my legs. I think I’ll go searching for her.”

Lizzie shuffled her feet and quickly looked at the staircase behind her before returning her eyes to Sarah.

“Really, Your Grace.” She said earnestly. “If you’re going to venture into town later you might want to rest up before you go.”

Sarah laughed. “Lizzie, don’t be absurd. It’s a short walk, it’s not a voyage to a far off land. I think I’ll be all right if I don’t stay resting until I leave. Plus, I’ll no doubt take the carriage in case I decide to buy some things.”

Sarah brushed past Lizzie and made her way towards the staircase.

Mrs. Bates was approaching the top of the steps, coming from the opposite direction of Sarah’s rooms.

Sarah met the housekeeper when she reached the tops of the steps, with Lizzie just a step behind Sarah.

“Good morning, Your Grace. Is there anything I can do for you?” Mrs. Bates’s cheeks were red from her work. Damp tendrils of hair had fallen from her tight bun at the back of her head.

Sarah smiled. “Ah yes, I was just coming to see you. Lizzie said you were up here cleaning.”

It was then Sarah noticed the direction in which Mrs. Bates came from.

Sarah’s eyes narrowed as she looked down the darkened hallway. “You know, I just realized when you gave me the tour the other day, you showed me my rooms, but you didn’t show me that part of the house.” Sarah pointed to the hallway just past Mrs. Bates’s back.

Mrs. Bates’s smile didn’t move. “Oh, it’s just more rooms, Your Grace. Nothing to see there. They are used for guests and the like.”

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