Page 20 of The Spinster and Her Rakish Duke
“Welcome home, Duchess,” the duke said quietly.
Samantha stared up at the grand facade, then at the man who was now her husband. Home. The word felt foreign on hertongue, as foreign as everything else about this new life she’d stumbled into.
“Indeed,” she said finally. “Home.”
But as they walked toward the imposing front entrance, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking into something far more dangerous than a simple marriage of convenience.
The way he’d looked at her in the carriage, the way he’d spoken to her, the way her body had responded despite all her protests… it all suggested that this arrangement might be far more complicated than either of them had bargained for.
CHAPTER 5
“Your Grace, may I present Mrs. Blackwood, the housekeeper.”
The duke’s voice cut through Samantha’s thoughts as they stood in the grand foyer of Valemont Hall. A severe-looking woman in her fifties stepped forward, her gray hair pulled back in a tight bun, her dark dress immaculate.
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Blackwood said, dropping into a respectful curtsy. “Welcome to Valemont Hall. We are honored to serve you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Blackwood.” Samantha tried for a gracious smile, though her nerves were still jangled from the carriage ride. “I look forward to learning the household routines.”
“Of course, Your Grace. I’ve taken the liberty of preparing your chambers and arranging for a lady’s maid to attend you.”
As Mrs. Blackwood continued introducing the staff: the butler, Mr. Thornby, the cook, Mrs. Faulkner, and a handful of footmen and maids, Samantha found herself nodding and smiling while her mind wandered.
The grandeur of the hall was overwhelming, with its soaring ceilings, marble columns, and portraits of stern-faced ancestors gazing down from gilded frames.
“Where is Lord Stonehall?” she asked when the introductions concluded, turning to her husband. “I had hoped to meet him properly. Perhaps, have a meal with him?” After all, now that he no longer vied for her sister’s hand, she felt he was not so bad.
The duke’s expression grew guarded. “Percy is remaining in London for the time being. He’s taken up residence in the Valemont townhouse.”
“Alone?” The question burst from her before she could stop it. Stonehall had seemed so young, so eager to please.
The thought of him rattling around a London townhouse by himself seemed rather sad.
“The Marquess of Tenwick will be keeping an eye on him,” the duke replied, his tone suggesting the matter was closed. “Tenwick is well-suited to managing Percy’s more… adventurous tendencies.”
Samantha wanted to ask more, but something in her husband’s posture warned her against it. Instead, she nodded. “I see.”
“Mrs. Blackwood will show you to your chambers,” the duke said. “I trust you’ll find them satisfactory.”
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Blackwood stepped forward again, “if you’ll follow me?”
As they climbed the sweeping staircase, Samantha couldn’t help but notice the way the servants moved with quiet efficiency, their footsteps muffled on the thick carpets, barely audible.
Everything about Valemont Hall spoke of wealth and privilege, but also of a certain cold formality that made her think of museums rather than homes.
“Here we are, Your Grace,” the housekeeper said, pushing open a set of double doors. “Your personal chambers.”
Samantha stepped inside and caught her breath. The room was magnificent: all cream silk walls, gleaming mahogany furniture, and windows that overlooked the estate’s manicured gardens. A fire crackled in the marble fireplace, casting dancing shadows across the Persian carpet.
“His Grace’s chambers are through that door,” Mrs. Blackwood continued, gesturing to a door on the far wall. “The connecting door can be locked from either side, should you require privacy.”
Heat flooded Samantha’s cheeks. Of course their chambers would be connected. She was a duchess now, not a spinster who could retreat to her own private sanctuary.
“Thank you,” she managed, even as she tried not to imagine what dastardly things her rake of a husband could get up to, having access to that door.
Perhaps, she could… block it somehow?
“Mary will attend you,” Mrs. Blackwell said, indicating a young woman with kind eyes and auburn hair. “She’s been with the household for three years and comes highly recommended.”
