Page 29 of Lusting for the Duke's Kiss
Her mother looked as gobsmacked as she felt. “Oh, this is so very grand,” she whispered, almost fearfully. “It makes Hillsworth House look like a doll’s house.”
The Duke came up to them, smiling. “Welcome to my home,” he said, in a satisfied voice. “I will get the butler to show you to your rooms, where you can rest after the journey.” His eyes lingered on Hetty. “I hope you will find the accommodation to your satisfaction.”
Hetty shivered, seeing the desire in his eyes. They were almost burning with it. Hastily, she looked away, pretending to be absorbed in contemplation of the house. She tried to ignore the leap of response she felt as her mother thanked him.
She had been surprised when he had invited them to stay in his home. He had merely said that he was eager to show her Warwick Manor. He mentioned his vast collection of books in his library, and that he could show her the hidden passageways that he had talked about previously. Her parents had been eager to accept his offer on her behalf. Papa had been unable to accompany them, but her mother was here, as chaperone.
As she studied the three-tiered chandelier, falling dramatically from the ceiling, she couldn’t quite believe that if her divorce came through, and she did agree to marry him, this house might one day be her home. That she would be a duchess, living on a vast estate, in a home built centuries ago.
She hardly knew how she felt about that possibility, now. Ever since the day that he had kissed her, so passionately, beneath the apple tree. She blushed, thinking about it, the feel of his lips on her own, the way his hands had caressed the most intimate parts of her body. He had suckled one of her breasts, causing such torment within her that she had not known what to do. And then, his hand had touched her, down there. She shuddered, thinking of the sensations that had coursed through her body as he had caressed her …
The butler arrived, and the Duke excused himself. The next moment, they were following the man up the grand, winding staircase, towards their rooms. But as her eyes swept over the hallway at the top of the stairs, taking in the intricate wood panelling of the walls and the exquisite rose and white Abyssinian hall runner on the floor, she frowned. She must not get overwhelmed by all of this.
Yes, he was a duke, with an impressive home. And yes, he made her shiver with desire. He claimed that he would wait forever to make her his wife. That he was sincere in his regard for her. But there were still unanswered questions about him. His moodiness, and his haste to leave Hillsworth House in the months that he had been courting her. Things that made her uneasy to fully trust him.
As they walked down the hallway, she resolved to herself that she would confront him about it, once and for all. It would be easy, sovery easy, to get swept away by him, to forget her plan to join a convent. She had to make sure that he was worth it. Shemustmake sure that if she put her life into his hands, that he was worthy of it. She simply could not endure being wronged by another man.
Her heart lurched. Especially this man. She did not know if she would survive it at all.
***
In her room, as she rested before luncheon, she took out the letter. Frank’s letter. She had brought it with her to peruse again if she felt like it, even though she had read it a hundred times, now, and probably could recite the words verbatim if anyone asked her.
But the shock of it, the sheer rage, was still the same as the day she had first read it.
My dear Hetty,
I trust you are well. I heard that you had returned to your parents’ home.
I write to you to inform you of my current circumstances. I am in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the region of Provence, France.A truly beautiful town, a fishing village, on the edge of the sea. It is the hometown of my mistress, Mademoiselle Amelie Marchand. The lady that I have always been in love with, I am sorry to say. I know that this will hurt you, but I must be truthful with you, at long last.
We have come to Villefranche-sur-Mer as Amelie desires to be close to her family at this time. She is expecting our child and naturally wishes to have her confinement here, amongst loved ones. And it is a chance for us to start afresh without the weight of what has happened between you and I. England is too small a place for scandal, after all.
It is our intention to settle here. I will not be returning, Hetty, and there is no chance that we will be reconciled. It is Amelie, who I love, and have always loved. With her, I feel that I can truly breathe. We are as two hearts, beating as one, and always shall be.
I wish the best for you, I truly do. I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me and understand that I had no choice but to act as I did. I had to follow my heart, come what may.
Au revoir, my dear. I do not think we will have occasion to meet again in this life.
Frank
Her heart lurched, and she suddenly threw the letter on the floor asif it had burst into flames.
She didn’t know what hurt the most. The fact that Frank had a mistress, the whole time that they were engaged, or the fact that he was so casually dismissive of her. The fact that he and his mistress were starting afresh in France to escape the scandalhehad made, while she was left here, licking her wounds, her life in ruins around her.
But, there was some good in his letter. As the Duke had said, it was proof that she could bring before the court. And her father had looked triumphant, noting that Frank had revealed where he was hiding out. He claimed that it would not take much work to locate his current address now, and then, if and when the court set a date for proceedings, he could be informed.
Hetty’s eyes filled with tears of frustration. There was still no word from the court. It had been months since the Duke and her father had lodged the application. The silence was growing ominous. Would she ever be free of her husband? Would she ever be able to make him suffer for what he had done to her?
She suddenly heard footsteps walking down the hallway outside her room. There was the sound of murmuring through the wall. A child’s high laugh quickly suppressed.
She frowned. What was a child doing in this manor walking the top hallway?
Quickly, she walked to the door, opening it, and peering down the hallway. But whoever had passed by was gone, now. There wasn’t a sign that anyone had ever been there.
Her frown deepening, she closed the door. She must have imagined the sound of a child. None of the servants would be walking their children along this section of the house, or even have them in residence. Perhaps she was going just a little crazy.
***
