Chapter 2

Two

“C ould you take my bags to the Carleton Inn, old chap?” Thomas asked as he swung down from his horse.

“Of course, Your Grace!” his valet said, bobbing his head as he took the reins.

Your Grace. He kept forgetting he was now Thomas Casserly, Duke of Wheaton.

The journey from India to Dover had been long and exhausting, and he’d only just gotten off the boat a few hours ago. Even riding his horse to this inn had been difficult, as he still felt as if he were roiling on the sea, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He needed a bath, and sleep, badly.

Which is why he was sure he was hallucinating when he saw Lady Cherie Norton, sister of his best friend, the Duke of Vaston, standing in front of the entrance of Carleton Inn, dressed like a servant.

“Either I’m more exhausted than I thought, or you really should not be here,” Thomas said, staring down in disbelief at the lady in front of him.

Because any scenario where Lady Cherie was really here, at nine o’clock at night, in the cold and dark, and dressed like a maid, could not bode well.

However, the gasp that the lady gave, and the fear that filled her eyes at the same time, was too visceral to be a travel-weary hallucination.

“My lord!” Lady Cherie breathed. “What are you doing here?”

“ I was looking forward to eating while on stable ground for the first time in eight weeks!” Thomas repeated, astonished by the absurdity of the question. “What are you doing here? Where is Aidan?”

“I’m—you must have me mistaken for someone else,” she said, rather lamely he thought.

“You can’t be serious,” he said, tilting his head to one side. “Your brother would have an absolute fit if he knew you were here, alone and unchaperoned. Don’t even try to lie and say that you are a maid. No matter how you may have dressed yourself, you are not fooling anyone.” Lady Cherie flushed, and her hands came self-consciously to the front of her dress.

“I don’t know what you’re?—”

“Come, my lady, you are not fooling anyone in those rags. I would have recognized you anywhere.”

And it was true. Thomas had known Lady Cherie for years, and even if they had met in a more unlikely place than this—and it was hard to imagine one more unlikely than this—he would have recognized her.

Those silver eyes, which seemed to flash with whatever emotion governed them each time, had been haunting him since he left for India. Nor could he fail to recognize her dark hair, which he’d so often seen whipping around corners as she ran through the hallways of her father’s estate, or the heart-shaped face that was a softer and more feminine version of her brother’s.

And now, here she was, standing in front of him. It was shocking that she thought she could fool anyone with a plain dress, an apron, and a bonnet. No one who looked at Cherie would be able to mistake her for a servant. She was far too beautiful. And even if she wasn’t, her countenance was too regal; her air too ladylike; her posture too upright.

“But—” Lady Cherie touched the bonnet on her head, and Thomas had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. She had clearly felt certain that her disguise was foolproof.

“I’m sure you tried hard to look like a maid,” he said, “but unfortunately, you are my best friend’s sister. I know your face well. Not to mention that you are still wearing jewels.” He nodded to the pearls in her ears and the dainty gold pendant around her delicate throat. “I’m surprised that no one has robbed you yet, standing out here alone wearing more than the average person’s yearly wage. What were you thinking, Cherie?!”

To his surprise, now that his shock was dissipating, Thomas felt his anger rising.

“My lady, what are you doing here?” he demanded, fear and anger giving bite to his words. How does she not realize how much danger she is in? Ruffians plague inns such as these, ready to rob unsuspecting travelers. And she is here, alone, and unprotected. “Now that we have dispensed with your futile attempt to pretend you do not know me.”

Now it was anger that colored Lady Cherie’s cheeks and Thomas wasn’t surprised when she folded her arms and glared at him.

“It’s none of your business why I am in Margate,” she snapped.

“Margate? You’re in Dover! Over three hours away from Margate!”

Horror filled her features, shock rounding her eyes in a way that meted his heart. “That’s impossible! I was supposed to be in Margate! I was supposed to be meeting Lady Carter at Carleton Cottage!”

“Lady Helen Carter? What does she have to do with anything?”

“She was taking me in!”

“Well, your driver must have been confused, because this is Carleton Inn in Dover. And for the last time, where is Aidan?”

This broke her from her shocked trance.

“He is in Italy, and I would kindly ask that you leave me alone and let me carry on with my business.”

“Oh, of course! Please, carry on!” Thomas crossed his arms and drew himself up. “Of course, when one stumbles upon his best friend’s unwed, younger sister alone, in a strange part of England, without chaperone or protection, one must simply ignore her and move on with their day. Be serious, Lady Cherie,” he said and tried to ignore what saying her name out loud did to his chest. Cherie. Just the word seemed to inflame every part of him. “At least you brought money, I assume?”

“I—” Lady Cherie patted her skirts, and her face suddenly went pale. “In my haste to leave, I forgot to bring my reticule.”

Thomas felt his irritation grow. She had forgotten to bring money, on top of everything else!? What would she have done if he hadn’t come along? What might have happened to her? Where would she have spent the night? Who might have taken advantage of her?

Possibility after terrifying possibility suddenly filled his head, and fear seized Thomas’s chest with an iron grip. It was such an intense and all-consuming feeling that he staggered slightly. Blame it on exhaustion, if she asks .

Except, he didn’t have any right to feel afraid for Lady Cherie. Not beyond her being his friend’s sister. The horror he felt was far beyond the protective fear that a brother might feel. As if I could ever deserve someone like her as a sister, his mind sneered. Let alone as a…

Immediately, he became colder in his anger.

“That’s it,” he barked. “I’m taking you back to London. I suppose I don’t need to know the reason you’re here, but I do know that if I let you stay here alone, your brother would rightfully have my hide.”

“I think you should be less concerned about what my brother would do and more concerned about what I want!” Lady Cherie cried.

“What you want right now, matters not,” Thomas snapped. “What matters is getting you to safety as quickly as possible, before anyone finds out that you are here. Do you know what would happen if someone saw you? You would be ruined. And not to mention what would happen if you were robbed, or—” He took a deep, steadying breath. “Your brother is in Italy at the moment, so I will return you to the custody of your cousin. He must be running the estate while your brother is gone, is he not?”

“He is, but?—”

“Very well. Then I will call my carriage, and we will go back to London right away.”

Thomas looked around for his carriage, only to remember that he had come by horse. There was no carriage.

Blast. I can’t very well have the Duke of Vaston’s sister sitting in front of me on my horse as I ride through Mayfair.

“I will not be coming back to London with you!” Lady Cherie said, her voice veering dangerously close to shouting. “You have no right to tell me what to do! What are you even doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in India?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be safe on your brother’s estate?”

Lady Cherie narrowed her eyes. “You are supposed to be in India. I went to the musicale you held before you went away! That’s where my brother and Cassandra became affianced. And then you left, a week later, to help run your father’s business interests.” She pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You haven’t run away, have you?”

“I'm not the one who has run away,” Thomas pointed out. He passed a hand wearily over his brow. “But yes, I am supposed to be in India. Or I was until my father suddenly became ill. I only returned to England this morning and rode straight here from the port. I’m to get his affairs in order and sort out the estate, as well as our business interests both in England and abroad.”

“So, he is very ill?” Lady Cherie asked. Her eyes widened, lips parting in sudden concern, and all the anger and accusation in her eyes softened.

“No,” Thomas said, and he felt his chest tighten in pain. “He is dead.”

“No!” Lady Cherie’s eyes filled with tears. She took a step towards him and touched a hand tentatively to his arm. “I am so sorry for your loss, my lord. I didn’t realize—” she faltered. “Oh, forgive me, you are not my lord anymore, you are Your Grace! You are the Duke of Wheaton now!”

Thomas grimaced. The title still didn’t feel right. It was like someone was calling him by his father’s name. “I suppose I am. And as the new Duke of Wheaton, it is my duty to bring an unaccompanied lady back to the home of her guardian.”

Lady Cherie’s expression hardened once more, and she dropped her hand. “You had better be ready to carry me back to Mayfair thrown over your shoulder then” she hissed. “Because that is the only way I am going back to my cousin.”

Thomas thought, for a moment, that he just might do it: that he might seize the stubborn young lady, toss her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes, and ride back to Mayfair with her kicking and screaming. He was close enough now that he could have done so if he wanted, and she was so small and petite that he knew she would weigh nothing to carry.

For a long moment, they stared at each other, the tensions between them mounting. Cherie’s hair had come loose under her bonnet, and tendrils of dark hair were now falling in front of her gray eyes, which were sparkling with a fiery energy.

Her cheeks were flushed as well from the argument, and she looked so beautiful in her defiance that he felt his heart hammer dangerously loudly. She was so close. Close enough to scoop her into his arms and carry her to safety.

But before he could move, a shout interrupted them.

“Your Grace! I was not expecting to see you here. And with…”

Both Thomas and Lady Cherie turned at once to see Lord Breckenridge, one of the ton’s most notorious gossips, standing in front of them. And as his eyes slid to Lady Cherie, his mouth fell open.

“...with Lady Cherie Norton!”