Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"O h my!" Beatrice gasped, staring down at the tart she was delicately holding onto. "This is utterly divine."

"We have an excellent cook," Nancy pointed out. "He makes these special fruit tarts for dessert at least once a week."

"Can I live with you?" Anne asked seriously, clearly more in love with the tarts than Nancy had expected she would be.

"Mama would scold you for suggesting such a ridiculous notion. Nothing must bother Nancy's marriage. We promised," Beatrice stated, seemingly upset by her sister's words.

It felt unfair to Nancy that they had to rein in their urge to see her because they feared it would bother her marriage somehow.

Not for the first time, the Duchess felt as though the loss of their father had really cost them more than it seemed.

"That doesn't mean you cannot visit," Nancy told them with a gentle smile, disliking how sad they looked. "You can come and see me whenever you wish. Just let me know in advance so that I might inform the cook to make the tarts, especially for you."

"Is that all right?" Beatrice questioned, visibly reluctant.

With a reassuring nod, Nancy reached for both their hands. "It is more than all right. You are welcome anytime."

Anne's lips parted, but instead of her voice, Nancy heard a man say, "Your Grace, I have been looking everywhere for you."

She whirled around, an easy smile working its way up her lips at the sight of her husband's uncle.

"Lord Whitwood. Good evening."

The Earl bowed, raising his head with a smile afterward. "Good evening, Your Grace."

He glanced at the girls, and Nancy quickly gestured towards them. "These are my sisters, Miss Beatrice and Miss Anne Lockhart. Beatrice, Anne, meet Lord Whitwood, my husband's uncle."

"How do you do, Lord Whitwood?" Beatrice said as she and Anne curtsied.

"Very well, thanks to your wonderful older sister, Miss Lockhart. She has given me—and so many others—an excuse to step away from our duties and enjoy ourselves at this lovely ball she has thrown." Lord Whitwood grinned cheekily.

"We are well aware of our sister's talents. She is remarkable," Anne spoke earnestly.

Lord Whitwood nodded. "I agree completely, Miss Anne Lockhart. Which is why I have come to ask her to honor me with her hand for a dance."

Her sisters' eyes widened, and they immediately nodded.

"Lord Whitwood wants to dance with you!" Anne whispered; her voice still rather loud enough for those around her to hear her words clearly.

"I do not know why you are so excited." Beatrice rolled her eyes. "She is married to a duke already."

"Is he like the King?"

"Close."

"Ah…"

Nancy sighed at her sisters' antics and faced Lord Whitwood with a smile.

"I would be delighted to dance with you, My Lord." As he took her hand, she told her sisters, "Stay here. Mama will be back shortly."

Beatrice nodded, and Anne waved as she walked off, making her laugh a little.

Nancy and the Earl made it to the dance floor and customarily greeted each other, pausing for a moment to wait for the music to begin.

When the pleasant chimes of a harp filled the ballroom, they began to dance, moving rhythmically around each other and other dancing duos.

"Allow me to say, Your Grace, that you look extraordinary tonight. I am quite literally nearly rendered speechless by your beauty—I must confess it took me several minutes before I was able to come up with an extraordinary greeting after I spotted you from across the room," Lord Whitwood said.

Nancy laughed amicably. "Thank you, Lord Whitwood. I am flattered."

"I am happy to flatter you even more. There is certainly a lot that can be discussed when referring to just how remarkable you are. Take this party, for instance. You had the role tossed to you as one would toss wilting flowers away, but you nurtured the assignment into such a wonderful blooming plant again. I am very impressed."

"I am honored by your words, Lord Whitwood. I had a lot of help when it came to planning the ball. The Wexford Castle staff is truly exceptional in their field. They were resourceful, and they provided me with sufficient feedback, as I desired. I felt fortunate to receive their support from start to finish."

"Beautiful and kind. My nephew must have been greatly favored by God to have been blessed with a special woman like you for a wife."

The Earl frowned suddenly. "Although, I have to admit that it is disappointing how little attention he has shown you all evening. I know that he can be… difficult to live with, and it is no fault of his."

"Pardon?"

"My brother wasn't the best father one could ask for. But I expected that the new Duke would have let go of his past and faced his future with anticipation. If this is how he habitually treats you, I can only imagine how lonely your days must be, Your Grace."

His words caught her off-guard, but she did not falter, shaking her head gently in disagreement.

"They are not as bad as you think, Lord Whitwood. My husband allowed me to keep a stray puppy that wandered onto the estate grounds as a pet and even hired a trainer for my sweet Dash. Mr. Aldridge has been an excellent help with my puppy, and it is always a wonderful time to spend whenever Dash is trained. I am content with those moments as they nicely make up for when my husband is busy."

"Ah. I see." Lord Whitwood smiled kindly. "Having a dog trainer is an excellent choice, Your Grace. I am glad to hear you have found a way to enjoy yourself."

Nancy returned his smile politely. "As am I. Thank you, Lord Whitwood."

The song ended as did their dance, and while they walked off the dance floor, the Earl opened his mouth to speak, but then his eyes wandered off to a corner of the ballroom.

With a sigh of disappointment, he pointed in the direction he was looking at, speaking in a hushed tone, "I wish you did not have to see this, but it is perhaps for the best that you do."

Nancy followed his gaze, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of her husband standing across the room. He looked distinguished and handsome in his attire, as though there was no one better that could have been born for the role of the Duke of Wexford.

But then he smiled at someone to his left, and it was at that moment Nancy realized he was in the company of a beautiful woman. Whoever she was, she seemed happy to be in his presence, and Richard, in turn, kept barely any distance between them, speaking amicably—more so than Nancy had ever seen him do with anyone else.

"The nerve of him to do this at a party so soon after your wedding—it is shameful and disrespectful, Your Grace. No matter how beautiful she might be, he should repress his urges and remember that he has you now."

He sighed once before continuing.

"Though, I suppose old habits die hard. He has always been like this—uncontrollable, easily ensnared by the dangerous temptations of women. Being away from London doesn't seem to have taken the rake out of him. Let us hope it fades with time," Lord Whitwood whispered pitifully.

There was something about the heaviness that sat on her heart as she watched her husband converse with the woman. Shame coiled in her gut as she envied the woman who had stolen her husband's attention.

It saddened her that although she was his wife, he had barely smiled at her like that.

"Excuse me, Lord Whitwood, I must find my sisters and my mother."

"Oh, of course, Your Grace. Thank you for honoring me with a dance," Lord Whitwood said, his expression sad.

Nancy nodded and walked away quickly, failing to notice the smug smile on his face.

* * *

"You're doing better than I expected. Truly a shame."

Richard snorted and rolled his eyes, unable to hold back a grin as the woman standing by his side giggled.

"I am sorry I could not provide you with the results of my downfall as you wished. I'll keep it in mind next time, Lillian."

She smiled up at him, shaking her head gently. "William would be cross with me if he knew I had hoped for the odds to be against you. Henceforth, I shall pray for your well-being, just as he had. And perhaps occasionally wish for you to take a tumble down some stairs."

"Your generosity is overwhelming," Richard deadpanned.

His eyes widened as he caught sight of Lord Suttington perusing the refreshments table.

"Pardon me, I must?—"

"I will leave by the time you return—if you return. I just came to see you so that I could assure William that you are doing well if he ever came to ask me. In my dreams if I am ever so lucky," she said softly. "I am happy you did as he asked and married a kind lady. She seemed so lovely when I saw her earlier. Be good to her, Richard."

Richard's heart shook slightly, and he forced himself to keep his expression blank, for both their sakes, as he replied, "I'll do my best."

She grinned and shooed him away. "That's more than enough, then."

As he walked away, the pleasantness of their conversation lingered in his heart.

Richard had not expected his brother's old friend to be at his ball, but her presence had been greatly welcome. William had loved them both dearly, and it was nice to commiserate for a moment.

Shifting his attention to Lord Suttington, Richard quickened his pace to catch the man before he slipped away yet again, clearing his throat once he was standing directly behind him.

"Excuse me?—"

"Wonderful. Fetch me some more of those delightful salted cheeses, my good man," Lord Suttington instructed, not even looking at Richard as he held out a small plate on which there were already some crackers and meat.

The Duke sighed and kept his hands in his pockets, waiting for the man to face him. He didn't have to wait too long because Lord Suttington grew annoyed quickly when he discovered his plate wasn't taken from him the moment he had given the orders and whirled around to face the person behind him.

"How dare you?—"

"Good evening, Lord Suttington."

Lord Suttington paled considerably and stepped back. "Your Grace! I apologize. I thought you were?—"

"The matter is insignificant and has therefore been forgotten. I have been trying to speak with you all evening," Richard said, leading them to a quieter corner of the ballroom. "And I would much rather not waste any more time."

Lord Suttington nodded uncertainly. "All right, Your Grace. Might I ask what this is about?"

It irked Richard how the man appeared to have no clue as to why he had approached him, as though there were a myriad of reasons to seek out the greedy bastard.

"As the new Lord Suttington, you have not only inherited the properties and fortune of my wife's late father but his responsibilities as well. It seems to me that you have neglected your duty towards the late Lord Suttington's family."

"That is hardly my duty, Your Grace," Lord Suttington scoffed.

"The settlement you provided when you kicked them out of their own home without a second thought is pitiful. You are now the Marquess of Suttington. Do not waste any more of my time arguing about it, and just do what is required of you," Richard said blankly.

The man shifted uncomfortably, then sighed. "All right, Your Grace. Would a thousand pounds suffice?"

Richard couldn't help but let out an incredulous laugh. "You must be joking."

Lord Suttington blanched. "How much did you expect?"

"Nothing less than what we had agreed upon before the wedding—ten thousand!"

"With all due respect, Your Grace, that is a ridiculous sum. Far too much to ask for a widow and three unmarried women. I am willing to pay six thousand and nothing more."

"What is ridiculous, Lord Suttington, is that you're acting as though this matter concerns an object, not a person. You did not do right by her family."

Lord Suttington was silent for a moment then he said, "The best I can do is six thousand pounds, Your Grace."

Richard's patience was wearing thin rather quickly. It was grating on his nerves how Lord Suttington was acting as though they were at a vegetable market, discussing stale produce and not funds meant to be directed to the upkeep of three women.

"You were quite eager to marry her off when I came to propose, and now that is in out of your hair, you refuse to fulfill the rest of your duties towards her family. Have you no shame? Do you have no concerns over your ungentlemanly, opportunistic behavior?"

Suttington sputtered, his cheeks growing red with anger and embarrassment.

"I cannot, in my good faith, pay any more than that. Not with all the rumors I have heard surrounding the legitimacy of your marriage."

Richard's gaze darkened, and he asked quietly, "What rumors?"

"People have been saying that perhaps you have not consummated your marriage yet. That would explain why you have not been seen with your wife all night. I find it pointless to pay of my pocket for a family connected to a false marriage."

"You greedy, selfish bastard."

Anger filled Richard's veins, and he stepped closer to the Marquess, barely managing to raise a clenched fist before someone interrupted them, greeting him with a bright grin.

"Your Grace! What a splendid evening this has been!" a man called cheerfully as he approached them.

Lord Suttington slipped away quickly.

Richard turned to glare at the newcomer before grunting something random as he walked away.

He knew that his marriage would attract all sorts of chatter, but he had not thought anyone would have the audacity to bring the matters of their bedroom to their pointless rambling. He hated the vileness and lack of tact people were willing to display for the sake of gossip.

He tried to tell himself none of it would matter as long as he found his wife soon. They would manage to convince the people otherwise, somehow.

And as he sidestepped the guests and servers, he desperately hoped what he'd heard wouldn't reach the ears of his wife.