Page 9 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
That is his punishment for robbing me of my book,she thought to justify her actions. However, this did not make her feel less guilty about what she had done.
What if he does not have any other money left? He is a gentleman; I suppose he is wealthy.
Yet, she did not feel better about robbing him. She decided then that she would only take the fifty shillings for the coach and return the remaining money to him if she ever saw him. Having made that decision, she could enjoy the rest of the journey.
ChapterThree
On getting home, she had no sooner alighted from the coach than she heard an angry voice.
“Jasmine!” it was William, and he was standing at the gate, livid with anger.
“Where have you been?” he asked angrily. “You were roaming Bond Street unchaperoned! Do you know what the Ton would say if—”
“If they heard that you all abandoned me in the streets of London?” she finished for him.
“Had we known you had a penchant for acting like a child, I suppose we would have stuffed you into the carriage as we did to the twins,” William responded.
“Had I known that you did not care about me, I suppose I would not have gone to Bond Street with you,” she said.
“You are no child that we should watch your every step,” William replied angrily. “Now, follow me so I can lay mother’s mind to rest.”
Instead of following him as William ordered, Jasmine stood rooted to the spot.
“You are not my guardian, and I can lead myself into the house,” Jasmine replied angrily, stamping her leg on the ground.
How dare he not notice her absence and then try to act like her guardian now?
“You are a hopeless girl who has her head in the clouds. I am sure those books that you read already confused your head. It is a miracle that you even found your way home and some beast did not steal you,” he said before leaving her at the gate.
Jasmine’s eyes caught the bleak-looking house beside their own as she followed closely behind her brother. She had never seen the house’s owner, but she had seen the maids and butler. She wondered briefly if he was a member of the Ton that she had met before.
“I suppose your lady’s maid has packed everything you need for our trip?” William asked.
“Indeed,” she replied coldly. “What is it to you?”
“We are leaving London at dawn tomorrow, and I shall not have you delay us even for a second,” he snapped.
William loved being in London therefore Jasmine was surprised he was eager to leave for a castle in the middle of nowhere up in the countryside.
Light shone in the neighbor’s house again, and Jasmine looked over, incredibly curious.
“William, I do not suppose you know who owns the house over there?” Jasmine asked, pointing at the magnificent but rather quiet house.
“Why do you want to know?” William asked in a voice that told her he did not care to tell her.
Jasmine shrugged. “I suppose, I would like to know who our neighbor of many years is,” she said.
“You do not need to know,” he said simply. “You are better off not indulging your curiosity.”
Jasmine was taken aback. “Do you know that your refusal will simply make me even more curious?” she asked.
“But you would never know,” he responded.
“I may not know who lives in the house, but I can guess. I have never heard of a child, so I would suppose the owner is either a bachelor, a childless widow, or an old spinster,” she continued.
“I still will not tell you,” he replied.
“The house looks rather bleak with no decoration of any sort,” she continued. “That can only point at one thing. The owner is not a woman as a woman would improve her house. I suppose, I have come to the right conclusion that the owner of the house is a bachelor.” Jasmine smiled proudly at herself for solving the mystery of the house’s owner. “Should you wish to tell me that I am right, I will not let it get to my head,” she taunted her brother.
