Page 3 of Seduced By the Beastly Duke

“And why, pray, is that?” he asked, truly curious.

He had done his research about the Earl of Galpin, of course. Along that path, he also learned a great deal about his daughters as well. They were left without a mother at a very tender age which was something that he had in common with them. Only, he was left without both his parents while they still had the Earl to provide for them.

Lady Jane was the younger one, the sweet one, the childlike one, the one that all the efforts for a good marriage were invested into. Lady Amelia was the one that suffered in this arrangement. As the result of their loss, she had taken on the role of the mother, investing all of her time into her sister instead of herself. That was whythe tonconsidered her kind but unsophisticated and pretty but without that captivating beauty that all men were interested in. To many, she was merely a pretty face in the sea of other pretty faces, unremarkable in any manner.

That was, at least, what he had expected to find upon his arrival to Galpin Estate. But what awaited him was a stunning young woman, who was anything but ordinarily pretty. The fault was in the eyes of the beholders. Her quiet demeanor did not manage to hide the storm of emotion brewing inside of her. Now that she finally spoke, he welcomed the idea of hearing some of her thoughts, a realization that startled him. He was not usually inclined to hear anyone’s opinion. He hadn’t had the patience for that in a long time. He was simply returning the favor now. All those people were not there to hear him out when he needed them to, so now, he was equally glad to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to their opinions. But there was something about Lady Amelia that made him curious. After all, she was to become his wife. That had to count for something.

“You know that we would have gotten the winery back on its feet eventually, and then, we would have much better sales than you,” she pointed out. That could have been true, but many pieces of the puzzle needed to be aligned for that to truly happen.

Arthur believed that the days of the Galpin Winery were numbered. He had no fear of them as business competitors any longer. However, being the keen businessman that he was, he saw an opportunity for something else. The Earl of Galpin was notoriously bad with money – hence, the winery being on the brink of ruin. He needed financial aid. Arthur needed a wife. The conditions were perfect.

“That is not what your father thinks,” he noted calmly as the path made them turn to the left and make a circle around the flower beds that were brimming with insects.

The sound reminded him of childhood when he was seated next to his mother on the ground, and she tended to both him and the flowers, making both of them blossom. He tried to banish the thought from his mind as this was neither the time nor the place for a trip down memory lane. He needed to remain focused on the task at hand, and that was to secure Lady Amelia’s hand in marriage. The winery was irrelevant. However, he did not wish her to know that.

“My father is… worried about our future,” she finally said, but he had the feeling that this wasn’t exactly what she was trying to say first, but rather, she changed her mind along the way. “He wishes to see us both married well and fears that the winery is something that might hold everyone back from achieving that goal.”

That statement sounded too generic. He was certain that it wasn’t what she meant to say initially, but he was far too much of a gentleman to ask her that directly.

“I am here to assure you that you need not worry about your future with me,” he replied. “Your family’s financial woes shall be taken care of.”

Her lips parted, and curiously, he turned to her, waiting for her comment. Only, none was heard. She quickly clamped her lips shut once more, looking in front of her. She hastened her step, and within a minute, they were back where they started which seemed to end their conversation. He had found out nothing about his future wife, other than one important fact. Lady Amelia was not as meek as she let on. He was absolutely certain of that. Lady Jane was the weak and modest one as she was taught to behave. Those were considered lady-like traits. Her sister, on the other hand, seemed to have an untouched brain, the kind that was allowed to flourish unburdened by the demands ofthe tonand their desires to fit into a certain mold.

“Well, that was a quick walk,” the Earl noticed.

“It was quite enough,” Lady Amelia replied, releasing his hand immediately and finding her place next to her sister again. Arthur did the same.

He finished his tea, and after having thanked everyone for their hospitality, he bid them all farewell. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be although it wasn’t as good he hoped either. Then again, he could not possibly imagine an arranged marriage to be full of thrills and immediate devotion. He doubted there would be any of that even later on.

However, respect and loyalty he could provide, and he expected the same from Lady Amelia. Those would be some conditions that he was adamant on making clear as soon as they met the next time.

CHAPTER3

“Dear Amelia, you cannot possibly marry that man!” Jane exclaimed that same evening as the two ladies sat in Jane’s chamber.

Amelia was combing her sister’s long, silky hair, gently pulling the brush through the entire length of it from the top of Jane’s head all the way down her back. It had become a habit that both of them enjoyed immensely. When they were little girls, they both loved it when their mother combed their hair before bedtime. This was when they shared the impressions of the day, their most secretive hopes and dreams. Then, when their mother sadly departed, Amelia knew that they had to prolong this wonderful tradition, even if it meant that she would change her role in it.

Amelia smiled at her sister’s reflection in the vanity mirror. She could read her sister’s face perfectly. There was worry etched in those beautiful eyes and along the usually invisible lines on her forehead which were now prominent because of her brows furrowing. It was not the way Jane usually looked, and Amelia would have done anything in her power to disperse all those concerns.

“This is nothing you need to worry your little head about,” Amelia smiled as she was doing the final brush strokes then she placed the brush on the vanity table that once belonged to their mother.

“Of course, I worry,” Jane corrected her, turning around with a few loose strands of hair falling over her face. She looked so much like their mother, and with each passing year, Jane looked even more like her. Amelia, on the other hand, was like their father. She had his high forehead, his determination, and his sheer stubbornness. Sometimes, she wasn’t certain if those traits were a gift or a curse.

“I shall take care of all this,” Amelia spoke softly and confidently because she was telling her sister the truth. “I have a plan.”

“A plan?” Jane was curious.

“Well… sort of a plan,” Amelia admitted as she dropped her hands into her lap. “In arranged marriages, people expect to fall in love, don’t they?”

Amelia waited for her sister to reply, but all Jane could do was shrug. She had no idea what was expected of a lady in an arranged marriage. To be quite honest, neither did Amelia. All she was doing now was guessing from what she had heard and what she had read in romance novels although those could hardly be considered a good starting point.

“In any case, let’s assume that this is the rule,” Amelia continued with her theory.

“You expect to fall in love with that man!?” Jane gasped at the idea, and instantly, Amelia’s eyes widened in shock.

“Goodness me! I most certainly do not expect any such thing to happen!” Amelia was quite clear on that, even a little too loud, but fortunately, their chambers were situated in the west wing while their father remained in the south wing. That meant that they were separated by endless rows of walls and corridors, and even if Amelia were to shout as loudly as she could, it was doubtful that he would hear her.

Then suddenly, she considered what it would be like to actually fall in love. Not with the Duke, but with anyone, any man. Amelia had never felt the pang of love, that flutter of a butterfly’s wings deep inside her stomach as it struggled to get out. There were certain gentlemen she did find pleasing to the eye, but none of them aroused much interest. They all seemed devoid of much depth, focusing solely on the superficial.

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