Page 14 of Beneath the Beastly Duke's Mask
Jane chuckled as she placed the new bucket of water firmly on the floor. “I would not pay it any mind,” she suggested. “Mirabel is likely annoyed that the duke has said more words to you in a few weeks than he has said to her in all the months she has been here. It's just jealousy. Now,” she said, crouching in front of the bucket. “Where am I beginning?”
Arabella wasn't able to simply turn off her concerns about the maid, but work needed to be done.
“The windows and paintings,” she said. “I've already done the settees and armchairs, and now I'm busy with the main furniture.”
“Your wish is my command, milady,” said Jane, grabbing a cloth and wetting it.
They settled into companionable silence as they worked, neither privy to each other's thoughts. Arabella guessed that Jane was excited about her free day, but there was certainly no way for Jane to know that she herself was thinking about how to learn all of the secrets surrounding the duke. More than that, she wondered about the faint tingling she could still feel in her hand, and if he had felt it as well.
Chapter 5
Bolting into his study as fast as he could, Henry closed the door and leaned on it. He put a hand over his chest, feeling how rapidly his heart was beating.
“Get hold of yourself, you fool,” he chided. “She's your young employee.”
Arabella didn't look like she had reached twenty, yet Mrs. Cooper had said she was twenty-one. That made her eight years his junior, but she seemed so much younger and innocent. Henry had no business feeling like a young boy who had just noticed how lovely girls were.
It was just that it had been so long since he had been around anyone who didn't make him think about his scars. It was refreshing, and brought much relief to a mind constantly worried about what people think about him, or what they might say.
Fifty-three days and seven hours—that was how long Arabella had been at the estate. Henry had found himself taking note of her arrival and counting the days and hours since, but he had no clue why he was doing so. The first time he realized he was doing this, he immediately distanced himself by staying out of the house for most of the day.
Keeping himself busy had worked for a while, but thoughts eventually seeped into his mind, pointing out hownormalhe felt around her. Just a few minutes around Arabella was enough to loosen his tongue and get him to talk about himself—their interaction moments before was proof of that.
She had a way about her that put him at ease and made him want to reveal details about himself. It had been a while since anyone had been genuinely interested enough to ask him questions that went beyond, “How did you get those scars?” Some didn't even ask but pointed fingers at him in horror or disgust as though he wasn't even worthy of kindness.
The old duke and duchess had been his support for many years, telling him what he needed to hear. He wasn't even related to them, yet they had treated him like their own. Henry had never felt like an outsider or unwanted. The old duke and duchess had truly loved him, and he had cherished them.
The least he could do was ensure the dukedom continued to be successful so it could be passed to the nextlegitimateheir. Henry was very much aware of his privileged position, one he didn't deserve. Only two people were aware of his true identity, one of them being Mrs. Cooper.
She had been a maid in Euston Hall when the old duke married the duchess, later becoming the housekeeper when Henry inherited the dukedom. She quickly became his confidant, and eventually, he added his manservant and steward to the list. They were his eyes, ears, and mouth for the outside world, a place he didn't venture into because it considered him a monster.
Sighing, he pushed away from the door and sank into his armchair. Frankly, he didn't want to avoid Arabella because he liked feeling normal. However, he also had to be careful. Henry didn't know what her intentions were. She didn't suit being a maid, yet she was thriving and got along well with the other servants.
He had yet to hear anything bad about her, and Mrs. Cooper seemed pleased with her performance. Everything about her seemed perfect on the surface but looks could be deceiving. People tended to want things from him or took pleasure in mocking him because it satisfied their need to prove that someone was always worse off than them. Not even his wealth and title were enough to convince people to treat him better or secure him a wife.
Several years ago, Henry had foolishly attempted to find a suitable woman to marry. He asked good friends of his father to introduce him to women, which they had. Henry had courted two of the women, only to be rejected rather cruelly. The women didn't even bother telling him they wished to end the courtship.
They merely moved on, knowing he wouldn't say a word in protest. To make matters worse, people had mocked him for not being manly enough. Considering he had the strength to take down most men with ease, their taunts had nothing to do with his strength.
It was his beastly appearance, the labyrinth of scars that covered most of his body, that gave people the belief that they could say whatever they wished. Henry didn't bother to defend himself as he believed that would only make people worse.
A knock at his door disturbed his thoughts, but he was thankful. Thinking about such things put him in a melancholy state.
“Come in,” he said, grabbing papers to make it seem as though he was busy.
Mrs. Cooper entered the room, staying near the door where she curtsied. “Your Grace, Viscount Kersey has come to see you.'
"I wondered when he would show his face again," said Henry. "He's a day late. I suppose you can show him into the parlor. Only bring a tea tray, but do not make the water too hot. The quicker it grows cold, the quicker he will leave."
His housekeeper nodded. “Of course, Your Grace.”
“Please tell him I'll be with him in a moment,” Henry added.
His housekeeper dipped in response and left, leaving him to gather his patience to see his cousin. Basil wasn't aware of Henry's true identity, which was just as well as he would take the dukedom and ruin it. The man embodied every sin one could think of—gluttony, lust, avarice, pride, vainglory, anger, slothfulness...
A man like him could destroy everything the old duke and his ancestors before him had created. He wouldn't think about Euston and its residents, rather what he could take from the estate to further his lavish living. Basil might be the legitimate heir, but he was far from suitable for the title.
The man had never admitted that he had his eye on the dukedom, but Henry wasn't a fool. He firmly believed Basil would take his life if given the opportunity, which was why he had many highly-trained guards dotted about the estate.
