Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Why did I smile at him?

Furthermore, why did she find his smile so enchanting? Lydia did not think of herself as the sort of woman to become too absorbed in a man’s looks. She did not think that she was easily swayed by physical appearances. She was not prone to chasing fancy trinkets or baubles. Before today, she had liked to think of herself as far more practical than that. Apparently, she did not know herself nearly as well as she should like to think.

But, if he was willing to listen to her with the books, then perhaps he would be willing to listen to her when it came to other things as well. It could just be the tip of the iceberg, or it could amount to nothing. For her own sake, she was going to hope that this was merely a sign of good things yet to come. That was what she needed to hope for at least.

The duke started to remove his coat to combat the warm afternoon sun, and she could hardly tear her eyes from him as he did so. Impossibly, his arms seemed even more muscular like that. How could that even be possible? What would happen if she were to see under his shirt, would he be even more impressive then?

Against her better judgment, she found herself staring at his hands as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows and repositioned himself to be more comfortable on the blanket.

Noticeably, a good deal closer to her. She could have sworn that she felt his body heat radiating toward her.

She needed to compose herself. Of course he was a handsome man, he was a known rake. He was unlikely to have seduced so many women as his reputation liked to suggest that he did, if he were not handsome. He knew what he was doing. She ought to be ashamed of herself for allowing herself to fall for such obvious tactics!

“You know, perhaps it would be best for you to stay for a while.” The duke said, picking up a cookie. “A month at least, just so that I can be sure that everything is in order? I should hate to do you a disservice by not taking all of the proper steps going forward.”

Lydia laughed. “Well of course, Your Grace. I shall be staying for the upcoming month, and then the one after that, and the one after that.” She made a circular gesture with her hand as if to say into perpetuity.

The duke held her gaze as he grinned. “Right, well. At least that shall give us sufficient time to get to know one another and for me to take over the duties that have been assigned to me.”

“Or you could save yourself the trouble.” Lydia mused playfully as she took another sip of her tea.

“I shall make you a bargain? Perhaps if you have sufficiently proven yourself to me by the end of that month, we will come to some sort of accord.” The duke said.

Something fluttered in Lydia’s chest. That ember of hope that she had thought to have been wholly snuffed out was back. Flickering small, just a little pilot light but it was more than enough for her to cling onto. Despite her insistence to the contrary, she had not actually expected to be given a single inch of leeway. He did not owe her anything, no matter how much she felt otherwise.

If only their father could see her now. As a widow, she did not need a chaperone with her. But father would have insisted that she have one as she was now unmarried in his eyes. Kitty would not count as a chaperone.

In fact, just seeing Kitty and William speaking to one another like they were would have had him desperately plotting marriage contracts. Yet another perfect reason as to why Kitty could not return to their father’s home. She deserved to marry for love, and staying here with her was going to be the only way that she could absolutely ensure such a thing.

Besides, agreeing to a month of them all being civil to one another would afford Kitty the time to get to know the duke’s friend even better.

Lydia did not think that she had ever seen her sister looking at a man in that way. Even if it was just a passing infatuation for both of them, Lydia was more than happy to facilitate such a thing. If Martha were still around, she would have been happy to see her carrying on her improper legacy.

“Are you a gambling man, Your Grace?” Lydia asked the man sitting beside her curiously.

“Only when I know that I have something to gain by my eventual victory.”

“And what makes you so sure that you will be the one to come out on top?” Lydia asked, her lip quirking upward.

“Oh, top, bottom—whatever pleases you.” The duke muttered softly, his gaze darkening as he spoke.

Lydia nearly spit out her tea.

She glanced over to see if her sister heard the words that he had just said, and mercifully she did not seem to have taken any notice of it. She did not know what she would have done if they had heard the clear insinuation. Though, glancing back at him he looked so casual that she almost felt as if she had imagined him saying such things to her.

“I would be happy to show you the collection!” Kitty said excitedly, hurrying to her feet. “Come, come quickly! It is the perfect time of day for such a thing!”

“What? What happened?” Lydia asked, moving to stand automatically. William hurried off after Lydia, chattering about something or another rather excitedly.

The duke was on his feet, holding out a hand to her, and she accepted. His hand was warm, and he had the callouses of somebody who trained extensively with swords. Though, there was perhaps something else too, the callouses that she could feel on his fingers made her think of a musician. Did he play an instrument as well?

“Where could they be off to so quickly?” The duke asked.

He had not yet let her hand go.

“Likely the arboretum. Kitty found a small bird’s nest recently and has been watching them hoping that they would hatch. She has a very proficient green thumb, so she spends a good amount of time there.”

“An unusual hobby for a lady of her station.”

“Yes, well. I am sure that it should come as no surprise to you that we do not always conform to the societal norms.” Lydia said, realizing as she looked up at him just how closely they were standing together.

“Really? I never would have guessed.” The duke chuckled.

His eyes truly seemed as if they could sparkle while she was standing this close. The quicksilver was back. How could that be possible?

Lydia caught herself, inhaling sharply and yanking her hand away from the duke. “Do not think that just because we have reached a truce that I will be any more helpful in your quest than I absolutely have to be. I worked very hard for what I have, and I… well… I thought that I would have a great deal longer to enjoy my time here.”

“I am truly sorry for the loss of your husband, my lady.”

Lydia nodded her head. She almost explained that while she and Jacob were far from a love match, that they were still very good friends.

“Thank you for your sentiments, Your Grace. I hope that when you marry, you shall have a long and prosperous future with whomever you marry. This is not a situation that I should wish upon anyone.”

The pair started to head up toward the house behind the chittering couple ahead of them, careful to give them a respectable distance so that it did not appear as if they were eavesdropping.

“I have no intentions of getting married any time soon, so perhaps I shall spare myself the pain altogether,” the duke answered.

It was a strange thing to hear. Normally, she thought that men such as him were only rakish up until a certain age. “You do not wish for an heir to your title?”

“It is expected of me, of course. But, well. Let’s just say that I have impossibly high standards.” the duke said, staring off ahead of him wistfully.

“Oh? And what sort of standards should those be?”

He laughed humorlessly. “In so much as I compare every woman that I have encountered over the last years to a woman that shall never have another measure up to her. A woman who most days seems like a ghost or a figment of my imagination. Alas, she shall only ever live in my memory.”

“Some long-lost love? What happened to her?”

Why did she feel so painfully jealous all of a sudden? What a silly thing to feel!

“I have no idea.” The duke glanced at her almost sheepishly. Was that a blush that she spotted on his cheeks? “The closest thing that I have ever felt to what I believe to be love, was at a masquerade ball a great many years ago. Of course that seems silly, as I only knew her for a single evening, but it was more than enough. No matter how many women I have been with since then, none of them would have been a suitable wife. I think I have been chasing after an unobtainable spark ever since then.”

Something in Lydia’s gut twisted painfully. It sounded so much like her own story. But it was wholly impossible—was it not?

“Regardless, I have not loved any of the women that I spent time with. Nor have they been in love with me. I just keep hoping that someday the woman from my memories will find me miraculously and we will be gifted with the chance to make up for so much lost time.” The duke sounded so forlorn; it was hard not to feel sympathy for him.

It was too similar.

Almost as if he had reached inside of her own mind and pulled out the memory to play for her. Was he the masked man? Air was getting tighter. It was an impossibility. Wholly and utterly unfathomable. Was it not?

“This woman, you truly have no idea who she might be… or where she could have gone to?” Lydia spoke, hoping to keep the tremble of nerves out of her voice.

The duke shook his head. “No, all that I have is an embroidered handkerchief that she dropped that night - like Cinderella’s shoe.” He laughed. “It is the only thing that I have to prove that I did not imagine the whole thing.”

Lydia’s skin went cold with shock. She stopped walking. It was impossible.

The Duke of Somerfield was her masked man?