The Clarendon Rose (3 page)

She tried to ignore the tide of vitriol that threatened to rise up into her throat.

“And so, you took over to ensure that he rested and preserved his strength,” he ventured, his tone dry to the point of being curt.
 

“Indeed.”
 
Even to her own ears, the word sounded clenched.
 
This was the man who would be taking over from her.
 
How could she trust him to make wise, informed decisions when he had no idea what was involved in taking care of one estate, leave alone the myriad properties, scattered throughout England, that comprised the Duke of Clarendon’s holdings?
 

It wasn’t just a matter of tending to his own affairs—something he hadn’t done too good a job of to this point, from what she had heard—now the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of tenants and other dependents relied upon his wise decisions and proper allocation of resources.
 

The awkward silence stretched between them, while Tina fumed, wondering when he planned on taking her to task for her presumption.
 
She took advantage of the lull to steel herself for his chastisements.
 
It wouldn’t do for her to have another outburst simply because she burned at the unfairness of such criticism.
 

His next words gave her a start of surprise.
 
“My debt to you is greater than I could have suspected.
 
Please know that you have my gratitude for your conscientiousness in stepping into the breach.”
 
She glanced at him, unsure what to think of his speech, for though the words were gracious enough, they had been pronounced in a tightly controlled tone.

“There wasn’t anyone else.”
 
Then, she paused and took a breath.
 
When she next spoke, she made a concerted effort to keep her tone moderate, “But you’re welcome.
 
Though it hardly bears mentioning that I would have done that and more for Uncle Charles.
 
He had given me more over the years in the form of affection and kindness than I could ever repay.”
 
To her dismay, Tina found her voice cracking as she spoke of the old duke.
 

The silence stretched between them once again, as Clarendon struggled with his emotions.
 
Miss Merriweather had been forced to step into the gap and hold things together during his father’s illness.
 
It should have been me, dammit.
 

But, a glance at Miss Merriweather’s face prompted Clarendon to push aside his self-directed anger.

He made himself speak, his voice gentle.
 
“Nonetheless, I do thank you, Miss Merriweather.
 
We are all very fortunate to have benefited from your expert management.”
 

He lapsed back into silence, and Tina glanced over at him, wondering if he was done and she could safely excuse herself from his company.
 
He was watching her with those haunting dark eyes.
 
As their gazes met, he continued,

“And in fact, I now find myself in the position of prevailing upon your good nature once again.”

She broke away from his gaze, but her eyes only got as far as the firm sensuality of his mouth, until she forced herself to look away, directing her stare at an undistinguished portion of the wall behind his shoulder.
 
“Oh?”

“These last days, as I’ve pored over the ledgers and documents you sent me in London.
 
But, I still have a long way to go.”

Tina’s throat had gone dry as he spoke.
 
He can’t possibly be asking what I think he’s asking.
 

“And so I’m wondering if you could possibly help me in that regard.
 
For now, there are many ongoing projects and issues that must be overseen—and you know what they are.
 
You are also the only person who can easily instruct me in all the various aspects of what needs to be done to ensure the proper upkeep of the properties.”

She forced herself to swallow.
 
It was she who had been feeling upset at the idea of relinquishing all the duties she had assumed after her uncle fell ill.
 
Yet, if she agreed to what he was asking, then she would be spending most of the day, every day, in the duke’s company.
 
“I tried to be comprehensive in my notations.
 
I knew that someday you would return and take over, so I wanted to make everything as clear as possible,” she said finally, keeping her gaze fixed on the wall, without actually seeing it.

“And you have.
 
But there is still much for me to learn.
 
Having you on hand would ensure a smoother transition.”

Tina nodded slowly.
 
“I do appreciate that.”
 
She forced herself to look at him.
 
He continued to watch her, his expression intent.
 
“I’ll need to think things through before I can give you a response, sir.”

“I understand perfectly.
 
Perhaps you’d like to let me know of your decision over dinner—or would that be too soon?
 
Take whatever time you need, Miss Merriweather.”

“Dinner should be fine.”

He nodded, pulling the door open as he spoke,
 
“I will not press you to accept, for I already owe you far too much for all that you have done.
 
But do consider it.
 
And please do not hesitate to express any misgivings you might have.
 
I will do my best to address them.”

Later, while Jane battled with Tina’s unruly locks, trying to tame them into some semblance of an elegant
coiffure
for the evening meal, Tina tried to sort through her roiling thoughts.
 

The new Duke of Clarendon still had much to prove insofar as she was concerned.
 
His wild reputation as a rogue and carouser did not bode well for the Clarendon estates.
 

She mistrusted this sudden interest in his holdings and was half convinced that it was just a phase.
 
Something to amuse himself with until he got bored or found a more compelling pastime.
 

But time would tell, she reminded herself firmly.
 
And in the interim, if the man seemed willing to buckle down and assume the responsibility that was his by birth, then was it not her duty to make it as easy as possible for him?

So what if she happened to be afflicted with an inexplicable attraction for the man?
 
He was a rake, after all.
 
Weren’t they, almost by definition, supposed to be attractive?

She would just have to keep things in perspective.
 
She knew all about the double standard that prevailed in a society that politely averted its eyes from all but the most egregious indiscretions committed by men.
 
But even the smallest of missteps could lead to disgrace, poverty and ruin for a woman.
 
Tina only had to think of her own childhood—of her mother’s bitterness and ignominy—to remember a whole litany of excellent reasons to ignore this one-sided attraction for the new duke.

And one-sided it would be.
 
She gave her reflection a stern look, trying not to feel too gloomy at the sight of her unfashionably full lips and her freckled complexion.
 
What kind of appeal could a countrified ape-leader have for a man whose name has been linked to the most glittering jewels of the
demi-monde
?

That put some of her misgivings in place.
 

As Jane put the final touches on her
coiffure
, Tina nodded grimly at her reflection.
 
She would be fine.
 
She would work with the man and ensure that she had done all she could to ensure the continued prosperity of the estates.
 
And she would absolutely, positively and under no circumstances, allow herself to be distracted by her spinsterish longing for the rakish new Duke of Clarendon.

Tina’s confidence was shaken when she went downstairs to find him waiting to escort her into the dining room.
 
Even in her brief absence, she had somehow managed to forget how dashing he looked.
 
His somber evening wear only added to his air of brooding gravitas.

Propriety,
she reminded herself firmly as she curtseyed to his bow.
 
Look all you want, but never forget the fragility of a woman’s reputation.

He offered his arm.
 
She forced herself to smile and nod in acknowledgement before allowing him to lead her into the dining room.
 
Suddenly she was very glad Jane had insisted on the full formality of evening wear—though her dress was of dull, black bombazine, it was cut along more formal lines than her day clothes, and the long gloves she wore added another welcome layer of fabric between them.
 
But despite all those layers, she could feel the firm strength of his arm under her hand.

Edmund’s arm had been no less firm as he led her into dinner in the past, but she had never been conscious of his masculine strength.
 
Instead, it was this brother whose presence caught Tina’s senses and set them on a knife’s edge of awareness.

Once they were seated and the first course served, he smiled at her.
 
“So, have you given my request any further thought?”

“I have, Your Grace.”
 
She hesitated.

“Miss Merriweather, please, don’t keep me in suspense!” he quipped.
 
Her polite smile froze briefly; she had never seen him grin before.
 
The man had dimples!
 
When he grinned, he looked younger—and devastatingly, recklessly handsome.
 

Tina looked away, her smile fading.
 
She tried to ignore the unsettling heat that tightened the muscles of her abdomen, even as she strove to keep her expression blank.
 
“I have decided to offer whatever help you require, Your Grace.”

“Excellent!”
 
The duke’s tone was hearty, but Tina had not managed to tear her gaze from the demolished remains of the first course, so she had no idea what his expression might have been.
 
“Is there anything I can offer in return for your graciousness?”

Tina frowned, still staring down at her plate as she gave the question serious thought.
 
Then, steeling herself, she looked up to meet his inquiring gaze.
 
“Yes, Your Grace.
 
There is.”

“Name it.”

“I would like you to give serious consideration to the various long-term plans Uncle Charles and I laid out for the future.
 
Times are changing, and if the Clarendon estates are to remain profitable, then we must keep up.”

A frown had begun as she spoke, and by the time she finished, he was scowling at her.
 
“Miss Merriweather, I have already given them serious consideration, and though I might question the profitability of some—”

Tina jumped in before he could continue, “Profitability was not always a primary concern.”
 
She could hear the defensiveness in her tone and tried not to wince at it.

“Oh?”

Her face heated up under his cool scrutiny, but she tried to keep her tone calm.
 
“After the war, the returning soldiers placed a heavy burden on the economy, looking for jobs that were no longer always available.
 
Prices dropped, as did profits.
 
To mitigate the situation as best we could, Uncle Charles and I began developing ideas for ventures that would stimulate the local economies.”
 
A glance at the duke revealed that he was still watching her with that disconcertingly neutral expression.
 

When he did not respond, she made an impatient noise.
 
“We may not see any tangible profits in the near future—or at all—but surely you must see that a robust economy, in the regions of our holdings at the least, will ultimately be of benefit to us all.”

“Indeed, Miss Merriweather, I do recall seeing some notation to that effect among the copious papers you forwarded me.”

“And?” she prompted tensely.

He shrugged, as if the future prosperity of hundreds were not at stake.
 
“The ventures seemed worth a try—something must be done to, as you say, stimulate the local economy.”
 
He tilted his head, frowning at her.
 
“They are good ideas and I intended to follow them.
 
Why would you think I might do otherwise?”

“I had concerns that you might dismiss them when you found out they were partially formulated by a woman.”
 
She tilted her chin up.
 
“But I feel they have merit.”

 
“Which is unaltered, regardless of who conceived them,” he said.
 
“What interests me is why you think I would have been so ready alter the status quo, despite my ignorance of the nuances of the situation.”

“Your reputation, Your Grace—“ she blurted, before she could stop herself.
 
Eyes wide, she stared at him.
 

“What is my reputation, Miss Merriweather?”
 
His expression had turned glacial.

“Impetuous…” she trailed off.

“Yes?
 
Please continue.
 
I find this most interesting.”
 
His tone sparked Tina’s annoyance.
 
This was the man who had once plunged into a roiling ocean to retrieve a lost trinket, thereby winning the services of one of the most sought-after demi-reps in Italy.
 
He had, while intoxicated, scaled a cliff face on a dare.
 
Tales of his exploits on the Continent and beyond had found their way to the gentlemen’s clubs in London because of their very outrageousness.