Chapter 3

A Clash of Personalities

Finchbury Estate, Cornwall

Nicholas looked into the library to find his mother reading.

"There you are, Mother. How are you feeling? How was the trip here?" he asked.

"Oh, fine, fine," Rebecca Harrington, the Dowager Duchess of Sheffield, replied. "Everyone here has treated me very well since I arrived. Is it not a wonderful estate? And have you seen the view?"

"I have," Nicholas replied, walking into the room.

He went over to the window and looked out at the pale sand and the sea beyond. It was dull and grey for now, but it was supposed to brighten later.

"Where is your brother and his betrothed?" Rebecca asked.

"They are about somewhere," Nicholas murmured. "They are inseparable now."

"It is fine to see Michael so happy," Rebecca noted.

"It is," Nicholas agreed.

He took his mother in. The sea air would do her good. She did not get out a lot, and the break was not only a chance for her to meet her youngest son's new family but also to relax. She had a weariness and strain that she often tried to hide.

"I shall go for a walk on the beach if you would like to accompany me," Nicholas offered.

"Perhaps later," she said. "For now, I am rather enjoying this book."

"As you wish." The Duke nodded once.

He left the library and then the building. A saltiness hung in the air from the seawater, and gulls squawked in the distance. Farther out were more gulls, not the ones that could be heard, and they dived down every so often to try and spear a fish for lunch.

The Duke took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh sea air, and set out along the shoreline.

He had worn his taller boots so he could walk in the sand and not have the sand get into his footwear. He was a busy man and had little time to visit the beach, so it was a pleasant respite.

Spring had only just started, and the large homes along the coast were for holidaymakers. The beach would be packed in the summer, but it was quiet now—not another soul in sight.

Nicholas ascended a sandbank and went down the other side into a thicket of bushes. He would have remained on the path, but it was much more fun to take the path less traveled. He pushed a branch to the side and stepped between two thick bushes, almost bumping into a woman.

"You must excuse me," the Duke said, taking hold of her waist so they did not collide with each other.

"You!" Bridget shouted.

"Ah, your favorite greeting," the Duke drawled.

"Take your hands off me!"

"Oh, gladly." Nicholas removed his hands from her waist and held them up in the air in surrender. He stepped back and could not help the amusement that crossed his features.

"What are you doing out here?" Bridget asked.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "Are you always this friendly and agreeable?"

"Oh, don't talk like that," Bridget huffed. "As if I don't know who you are and what you say behind people's backs."

"So, my reputation does precede me," the Duke said. "And I have no problem saying what I wish to people's faces, though they seem to have trouble with it often."

"I came out here to have some time to myself, and you have ruined that, just as you ruined my day earlier."

Nicholas sighed, and that seemed to irritate Bridget more.

"You are angry at me because you met me on the moors? I did not make you late for the meeting between our families."

Bridget placed her hands on her hips. "That is not why I am annoyed at you."

It took all the Duke's energy not to laugh or smile at the sight of the woman scorned before him. If she did not have a permanent scowl on her face, she would have cut a very beautiful figure. She was tall and athletic, with long blonde hair. Her features were small enough to be cute, and her lips were plump without being overly full.

"Then why are you annoyed at me?" the Duke asked.

"Because I overheard you talking about me in our sitting room with your brother."

Nicholas smiled. "Ah, you were eavesdropping on us?"

"I was doing nothing of the sort. You were speaking loudly enough for the entire house to hear," Bridget retorted.

"As I said, I have no qualms about talking about people to their faces. What was it you heard that was untrue? What might have upset you?"

"I'm not upset," Bridget claimed. "Don't try to boil this down to emotion. You think because I am a woman, I must have run off and cried about it. I don't care what you say about me. I only care about people speaking behind my back."

"Then we have no disagreement," the Duke pointed out.

"You hate that I have opinions of my own, don't you?" Bridget accused.

"Nothing of the sort," Nicholas replied. "I believe you can have any opinion you like."

"And I did not glare at you from across the room," Bridget stated. "I looked at you, and that was all."

"You either glared or stared romantically," Nicholas pushed.

"Oh, you wish," Bridget snapped. "And for your information, I don't sound like a squawking crow."

"Well, you are not making a very good argument against that right now," the Duke pointed out.

"If anyone will cause trouble here, it is you," Bridget stated. "My sister might not know the sort of things you get up to, but I certainly do. A rake and a rogue. Would that be an apt description?"

"Sounds like fun." Nicholas smirked.

There was something about her intense anger that intrigued him, and he wanted to remain by her side.

"I am glad your brother is nothing like you," Bridget scoffed.

"And I am glad you are nothing like your sister," the Duke returned.

"Yes, well—what? What do you mean?" Bridget asked, caught off guard.

"Your sister is perfectly pleasant and makes a fine match for my brother, but you are much more fun. I would loathe to spend a week with someone who wants to talk all about flowers and the future."

"Oh, you are insufferable," Bridget snarled.

"What is going on here?" Margaret asked, appearing through the bushes. "Bridget, are you arguing again?"

"I was… debating," Bridget assured her.

"Nicholas, I thought you were to be on your best behavior," Michael stated, appearing behind his betrothed.

"I am trying my best to be extremely pleasant." Nicholas turned back to face Bridget. "Nothing quite like being scolded by your younger siblings, no?"

Bridget huffed and shook her head. "What are the two of you doing out here alone?"

"We are not alone," Margaret clarified. "My lady's maid is on the path. We were taking a walk together and heard an almighty fuss in the bushes, and we knew who it was. We had to wade in here to ensure you did not come to blows."

"And what might the two of you be doing out here alone?" Michael asked.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Nicholas drawled.

Bridget shook her head. "We are doing nothing. I was out for a walk, and His Grace must have followed me here to irk me some more."

Michael flashed her half a smile. "He does have a tendency to do that."

"Whose side are you on, dear brother?" Nicholas asked.

"This is supposed to be a happy time for us all," Margaret interjected. She looked like she might start to cry. "I only want for everyone to get along."

"Oh, my dear," Bridget said, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We are getting along. It wasn't really an argument. It really was a debate."

"No, it wasn't," Margaret moaned. "I heard the two of you."

"No, really," Bridget assured her. "We bumped into each other and started talking. His Grace has never heard of Fanny Burney or Mary Wollstonecraft, and they are two of my favorite writers. Well, I had to explain who they were, and I might have gotten a little loud and animated. That was all."

"But I know them now," the Duke added. "Your sister is very passionate."

"Yes, she is," Margaret agreed.

"This time together will be magical," Nicholas said. "I promise there will be no arguments. Your sister and I will be on our very best behavior the entire time."

Margaret finally smiled. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I am a little stressed, what with the wedding approaching."

"You have nothing to worry about," Bridget told her.

"That makes me happy," Margaret said.

Nicholas looked over to see his younger brother shooting him a knowing look.

"Lunch will be ready soon, and I look forward to everyone showing just how polite and agreeable they can be," Michael said.