Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I say Lord Wells," the duke said. Lord Wells turns to face the duke, red-faced. "Join us for a drink. would you?" Lord Wells silently nodded.

Lord Wells trained his face into a smile and followed the duke to where the other gentlemen waited. The young lady smiled, and the duke was lost to everything but her. He felt a joy bubble within him as she approached him.

He smiled knowing that this remarkable woman would only want to express her gratitude. To ever attempt to court her would be met with the same disgust as what Lord Wells had just received. Before he could find out, Lady Wells came to fetch the young woman. The duke wondered if she knew what her husband had been up to.

"Your tea is getting cold and if you don't come now you know Baroness Du Plessis will finish every confectionery." Lady Wells spoke from behind the vision of a women.

If only you had come to look for her sooner. I may have just saved their marriage by getting Lord Wells away from her. I'm not sure it pleases me. The duke thought as he searched for the words to address this vision before him.

"Dear?" Lady Wells said to her husband.

"I was just about to join the duke for a drink." He said choosing his words carefully.

"See that you do." Lady Wells responded and turned to join the young woman.

He watched as the beautiful woman walked away from him. Every fiber of his being wanted to leap from his chair to go after her. The moment he set eyes on her he felt everything around him stop. Her gaze went to him, and he could not breathe. Her clear green eyes were a shade of green he had not seen before.

They held him fixed in place as he took in her appearance. She was not only pleasant, she had a beauty that exceeded any other. She had moved toward him with grace, her blonde hair and petite frame had the duke believing she was absolutely magical. And she had not even spoken a word to him.

The door to the tea lounge shut, and only then did the spell break and he was free to move on. He was helped to his seat and took his glass into his hand. A man servant came closer to present the bottle to him. He took a grateful sip and held out his glass for more.

He looked to those he would call his dearest acquaintances.

They were nowhere to be seen when I needed them. Cecil and Reginald aside, the others need reward to keep my company. The moment I promise food and drink, here they all are.

Even though he had forgiven his family and even the woman who had left him, bitterness still crept in.

"And here are our next two victims of marriage now," the duke said when the two recently engaged men came closer to have a word

"I'm afraid so Your Grace." George replied. His brother nodded politely.

"Well done. I believe you have found a wonderful companion," the duke said, truly happy for him.

"Thank you, Your Grace." He replied and there was a moment where silence enveloped their conversation.

"So old boy, when will it be your turn?" Tristan said as he settled his tall frame into an antique armchair. He raked his hand through his sandy blonde hair and narrowed his blue eyes. He and the duke had known each other since they could walk. Where many parents would strive for their offspring to have friends, this was more of an early start to making heir social status known. If one could visit a duke, then you would make it known. Tristan had wanted for nothing. That is except wanting to best the duke in every way possible.

"My turn for what, old chum?" Henry asked in mock cheerfulness, not caring to hide all the venom in his voice. It was said in order to warn Tristan, who as per usual enjoyed pushing boundaries.

"Marriage of course." He answered with a smug smile.

The duke refused to show any emotion, refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten under his skin. If he were to retaliate it would seem childish in front of his guests.

He looked to his two friends that he could trust. Whom he wished he could tell the truth to. Reginald had protected him when Henry's smaller frame had attracted bullying in his youth. He was the man the duke called upon when he felt enticed to have a drink at an establishment. Cecil was born into the finance industry and had as such offered true advice as well as friendship. Tristan made it into their company by being a Lord, where as Cecil and Reginald made it there because the duke trusted them… as he did family.

"I'm way too rich. It puts women off," Henry said jokingly.

"Puts women off!" Reginald remarked almost spitting his drink onto the floor. "Please show me these women, mine are making me poorer by the day." The room erupted into laughter and the duke smiled knowing he had avoided the topic.

"Was a carriage incident wasn't it?" Tristan said loudly enough for everyone to put their focus back on him.

What the hell is he playing at! Henry thought, as his temper got the best of him.

"That did what?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"Well…" Tristan said at least having the good taste to motion toward the duke's legs and not bluntly state the obvious.

"That's quite enough Tristan," Cecil said, and stood up to walk toward him. Tristan got up from his chair and the men's bodies were now inches apart.

"Cecil, men of a lower standing shouldn't interfere when two gentlemen are having a conversation." Tristan said looking down at him.

"I see only one gentleman, and the other a fiend that will find himself going home sooner this evening," Cecil responded and put his hands into his trouser pockets.

That isn't a good sign. It looks like he's relaxed but in truth he's coiled like a snake, just waiting for the right moment to strike. What do I do if this turns into a physical altercation?

Henry worked out all manners of how it could play out in his mind and did not like any of them.

"Gentlemen calm down. Cecil, I appreciate the gesture though it's no secret. I was involved in an accident that could have taken my life. Instead it took my legs and is a far fairer price. No woman would want me. So to answer your question Tristan. I do believe the sea will dry up before I'm wed," Henry said, and gestured for more drink.

Cecil took a seat before Tristan, who saw even that as a victory and took a sip of Port before looking at the duke smugly.

I have no inclination as to why he dislikes me so. Since we were children, he has taken joy in my misery. The fact that I would be alone without a wife drives him to pure ecstasy. It's almost as though my accident is his favorite topic. One has to wonder why. The duke's busy mind tries to work out the solution.

The duke choked down the remaining contents of his glass and bid everyone a good evening. They do the same as he sent someone to let the women know the time to leave had come. The duke went to bid his sister farewell, and to perhaps catch a glimps of the beautiful woman who had gone off with Lady Wells.

"Thank you for having us." Louisa said before she made her way home.

"Not at all dear sister," Henry said to her with a smile. He gave her husband, standing beside, her a nod. The overweight, spoiled little man had never impressed the duke, who had certainly not seen the man as a proper match for his sister.

Love truly must be blind, the duke thought unkindly.

"There is one more thing," Louisa said. "We are going away for a few weeks, to Naples. I will come see you the moment we return."

"How lovely. Make sure to write to me once you arrive," the duke said happily.

"I shall. I love you." Louisa said bending down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you, too, dear sister. Goodnight." The duke replied with a smile.

Once the guests had all left, and his butler had reported as such, the duke felt safe enough to get out of his chair. He got up from his chair and stretched his aching muscles. He moved to the large open window and watched as their carriages left the gate. The large moon lit the roads ahead and made them visible from afar.

He felt the tension in his shoulders melt as they got further away.

The less I see of people the more I feel like myself. Most of them just come to see the crippled duke. Some out of pity and some out of duty—many come because of both.

He banished all self-pity from his mind as he wondered if there was a women who would take him as their husband. He strolled around the study and looked for a book to keep his mind better occupied. One book stood out. He took it from the shelf to inspect the dusty, forgotten collectible.

Ah yes! This was given to me by Lord Wentworth. A truly kind man and…Wait! All those years back he made a promise to me. Now would be the perfect time to claim it!

He moved to the nearby writing desk and searched for his ink and quill. He found it neatly packed on top of a few pieces of parchment. He brought a candle closer for better light and started penning his urgent letter. His practiced, steady handwriting was shaky as his nerves got the better of him.

Dear Lord Wentworth

I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to you concerning the matter of a promise made to me by you several years prior.

I trust that you will hold your end of our agreement and would like to arrange to see your daughter and you as soon as is possible. I look forward to seeing you soon as my guest at Devonshire estate.

Henry Morehead

Duke of Devonshire

He made his way to the door and called for the footman nearby to take the letter to the Wentworth Estate.

"Prepare a horse and leave as soon as possible. This letter is urgent and must reach its destination quickly." The man nodded before departing to complete the task.

A wild excitement took hold of the duke as the wait for Wentworth's reply began

It's as good as done.

A Lord cannot go back on his word. Pity the only women who would indeed have me, would be my wife by force. It doesn't feel right. Even though this was a solemn promise, I've never forced a woman to do anything. It feels terribly ungentlemanly.

I am going to do my best to make her feel welcome here. Perhaps in time she will grow to like me. Perhaps she will even forgive me.

The duke's's thoughts once again spun around wildly.

The thought of all those who took pity on him attending his wedding gave him great pleasure. As the daughter of a lord, the luxury she is accustomed to would be available to her still.

She will share my title and home. One I truly hope will be a happy one, he thought sadly.

The duke's parents had stayed together to avoid becoming a spectacle. They would have been frowned upon from both society and the church had they not. No, it had been unthinkable. Their childhood had as a result been filled with spite and tension. He had made a promise to himself when one of their fights had gotten particularly unpleasant.

I will never settle for anything but true happiness. True love.

He tried to sleep but his mind was frantic as realization dawned. The reality of what he had written in that letter, of what he was getting himself into, made his stomach move uneasily.

This was a foolish idea. I have to stop that man from delivering the letter!

"The footman has just left… he cannot be that far away yet," he said to an empty room. He rushed to the stables to have a horse prepared. Three men hurried to get the saddle in place. He mounted the horse and galloped toward where he had sent the man.

I know if I'm found then my secret will be found out. There's little I can do now to rectify that. I'm closer to where the man should be than home. Besides its better to take a small risk than to make the biggest mistake of my life!