The Wild Duchess/The Willful Duchess (The Duchess Club Book 1) (23 page)

“
T
here is
a Mr. Blackwell downstairs asking to see Lord Hayle. I asked him to wait in the library.”

Ryder was instantly on his feet. “Yes. Good. Is he…” Ryder took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Ensure that you offer him refreshments and that he is comfortable. Ask Booker to bring me my afternoon coat immediately and let Mr. Blackwell know I’ll be right down.”

Chesterton didn’t blink from his comfortable chair near the windows. “Hmm. The father comes to call. Whatever shall you do?”

“She turned me down.” Ryder paced in front of the fireplace.

“You proposed marriage?” Chesterton dropped the book he’d been reading. “To Starr Blackwell? When?”

“This morning. I told you I was going to the park to ride but I…made a stop.” Ryder raked his fingers through his hair unsettling the curls over his brow. “I asked her to marry me and she said no. Why is he here?”

“Who can say? Did you not speak to him when you called on her?”

“No. He was out and…”

Chesterton stood up. “Ah, here’s Booker with your coat!”

“Your Lordship,” Booker held up the coat to assist Ryder into it. He brushed off the lapels and shoulders quickly, the ritual giving Ryder a few extra moments to collect his thoughts. “There you are, pressed and polished.”

“Thank you, Booker.”

Elgin waited until they were alone. “Are you in love with Starr Blackwell?”

“Yes. I should have spoken to you first as well but it’s a moot point, isn’t it? So if you are going to tell me you disapprove or make some cruel jest about me going a bit too far with my efforts to make peace with her after that disaster at Sussex then—”

“I was going to say that I’m proud of you, that I think Starr is an incredibly good match for you and then express my sorrow that you didn’t carry the day.”

“Oh.” Ryder nodded, his heart in his eyes. “I doubt that’s what Blackwell is here to tell me.”

“It’s all right. He is likely come to complain that you didn’t bother to ask his permission first before making your case to Starr. It is his prerogative to abuse you somewhat, so simply stay calm, agree with whatever he has to say and reassure him that you had only the best intentions and now harbor no ill will toward his family. Can you do all of that?”

“Yes,” Ryder said. “It makes sense. I overstepped and will apologize.”

“There you have it. He is a father first and you must respect him as such. You’ll be fine.”

Ryder walked out to make his way down to the library and didn’t see his uncle shake his head as he waved him out the door.

“
M
r. Blackwell
,” Ryder greeted him as he entered the library. “I apologize for keeping you waiting but I…didn’t expect your call this afternoon. Not that you cannot call on whoever you wish to call on but…” Ryder let out a slow breath. “Would you care to sit down?”

Ashe shook his head. “No. I won’t be here long.”

“I see.” Ryder put his hands behind his back to await the worst. “What brings you out then?”

“It seems there was a bit of a stir at the house while I was out this morning. A stir that has led to my daughter locking herself in her room and my wife reassuring me that these things are entirely normal in the feminine way of things. Do not mistake me, Lord Hayle. I am quite accustomed to the drama of daily life in a house generally dominated by women. Today, however, was decidedly different.”

“I should have spoken to you first before I—made my appeal to your daughter.”

Ashe nodded. “It is generally the way it’s done but I cannot fault a man for jumping when he has the courage.”

“Pardon me?”

“I would hope that any man who sought to become my son-in-law would be courteous enough to ask me for my daughter’s hand but I have not made myself very approachable. My wife assures me that if I continue as I am, I will condemn my precious Buttons to a very lonely life.”

“Your buttons?”

“Buttons. My pet name for my twin daughters because they were matched like perfect little buttons when they were born.” Ashe sighed. “It’s not important now.”

“I’m sorry for the disruption I caused and for any upset to your daughter.” Ryder’s stance changed, the impact of the morning washing over him. “I came with a book. I asked her to marry me. She said no.”

“Yes, I couldn’t help but notice that you’d taken my advice. Books are always best. I’ve filled two libraries for the sake of love. Two. Libraries. I am not exaggerating.” Ashe took another deep breath. “Do you mind if we sit down? Standing like this across from each other I keep thinking we should be holding pistols but if we sit, I’m sure that impression will fade.”

“Of course.” Ryder led him to a long settee where they could both sit comfortably. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No. I’ll surprise us both and decline the offer.”

“Very well. What…brings you here, Mr. Blackwell?”

“I came to ascertain if you love my daughter.”

Ryder became very still. “I just asked her to marry me. Wouldn’t that be understood?”

“No.”

“No?”

Ashe shook his head. “It tells me very little of your feelings. Or of your suitability as a son-in-law.”

“Does it not? You know my position, my ability to provide for her, of my—”

“Do you love her?”

“Yes.”

Ashe’s shock at the word was a pale echo of Ryder’s.

“Yes? You’re certain?”

Ryder nodded. “This feels a little cruel, Mr. Blackwell.”

“It isn’t.” Ashe leaned forward. “Surely nothing will have changed since this morning.”

“Nothing except that your daughter turned me down so revisiting the fact that I am in love with a woman who does
not
want to marry me means this conversation is meeting my criteria for cruelty.”

Ashe gave him a look that would pierce steel. “Her mother told me that Starr had explained why she was terrified of marrying. Not necessarily terrified of marrying
you,
just of marriage. I know Starr confessed some of it to you as well.”

“She did.”

“And?”

“And I don’t know what there is to say. I want to make her happy but cannot see how if she won’t let go of—I don’t want her to let go of who she is! I like who she is! I would not have asked her to marry me if I did not accept all of her quirks and qualities.”

Ashe leaned back against the cushions. “And you said that to her?”

“I…I’m sure I did. Or…I might have…”

“I was so sure what marriage entailed
before
I married. But Caroline was nothing I imagined. She astonished me and challenged me and drove me mad. I had been master of my own world until Caroline kissed me, until I held her in my arms and she redefined who I was because I suddenly I was no one and nothing without her.”

Ryder’s breath caught in his chest, the raw honesty of the man’s words tearing at Ryder’s own wounds.

Ashe continued. “It was liberating and fantastic, Lord Hayle. I wasn’t diminished as a man, I was Legion. When I subjected myself entirely to my darling wife’s wishes, supporting her labors and encouraging her every enterprise, it was incredible. It detracted nothing of my own but augmented everything. Every happiness, every moment, every thrill was amplified by her joy. It is a simple thing but I suspect it is a wisdom that nearly every man I meet in society is lacking. Dominion over a woman is a nightmare to maintain. But my God! When you allow them to spread their wings and fly and give them dominion over you, it is Heaven itself.”

“Mr. Blackwell…”

“When I want something, I pursue it until there is no hope.”

“That—sounds very good but your daughter’s wishes were very clear and—”

Ashe stood suddenly and without warning. “Nonsense. Blackwells do not do anything in half measures. She is in love and if I have to listen to her cry for too long, I may be driven to come back here and administer a beating, Lord Hayle.”

“I hardly think you need to threaten violence.”

“Don’t I?” Ashe brushed off the lapels of his coat and prepared to leave. “If you want her, then I suggest you convince her that you are not frightened off by any dream she may have. If you reassure her that you have no intentions of clipping her wings, there is no telling how far you may go in life, your lordship. And that sir, is the last bit of advice you will receive from me. You’ll either fight for her or settle for a more biddable and lukewarm creature. After all, not every man is suited for greatness like myself.”

Ryder’s mouth fell open in shock as the man simply left as if it were perfectly normal to drop in, challenge him to get back in the game and then leave.

Not every man is suited to greatness…but oh, how easy he makes it look!

Ryder followed him on unsteady feet, not sure that the world hadn’t tipped a bit on its axis. Uncle Elgin was outside the door of the library as they came out, either to make sure that his nephew survived the interview or to be a witness to the crime if he had not.

“Mr. Blackwell. I didn’t wish to interrupt your conversation with my nephew but wanted to ensure that I saw you before you’d gone.”

“You are very kind. I came by to…give Lord Hayle some advice on courting Blackwell women.”

“Then if he’s wise, he’ll have taken note of every word, sir.”

Ashe smiled. “We shall see.”

“And may I ask how is Miss Scarlett Blackwell faring?”

“Fine. The girls have had a lovely time and I know they have enjoyed the chance to see more of what London has to offer.”

Chesterton hesitated, waiting for any sign that Mr. Blackwell knew of Scarlett’s heartache or perhaps even blamed him for introducing her to Talon Rush, but an awkward silence revealed that no word of Stafford’s misstep had reached him. Chesterton cleared his throat before continuing. “I am glad of that. They deserve all the happiness that they can withstand.”

“Everyone does,” Ashe replied. “Thank you again for your hospitality and for the kindness you’ve shown my daughters.”

“My pleasure and—if I may…I should like to call on Miss Blackwell this afternoon.”

“If you wish.” Ashe looked as if he wished to say more, but he nodded in farewell and withdrew from the great house to stride down the marble steps to his waiting carriage.

Ryder stared at his uncle in amazement. “
You
are going to call on Scarlett? Today of all days? May I ask why?”

“No. You may not.”

Chesterton headed up the stairs to change for his call without another word and Ryder was left alone in the foyer to ponder the great question of the day.

Do all men of a certain age lose their minds? And when it happens to me, will I notice?

“
M
iss Scarlett
, you have a caller downstairs. It’s the Duke of Chesterton,” Mr. Godwin announced from the doorway. “I’m afraid Mr. Blackwell is out and Mrs. Blackwell is resting and not to be disturbed. Should I tell him to call at another time?”

“No. I’ll see him. It’s not a problem, Mr. Godwin.” Scarlett quickly checked the ribbons at the shoulders of her afternoon dress and then hurried down to greet Chesterton in the ground floor drawing room where he’d been made to wait. He stood as she entered the room and Scarlett hurried to take his hands. “Your Grace, what a nice surprise to see you here.”

“Miss Blackwell.” He gestured toward the chair next to him. “Please. Sit. I wish to talk to you.”

Scarlett nervously took the seat he’d indicated. “You sound so serious. Is something wrong?”

“Your father gave me permission to call.”

“Oh! How formal of him!” Scarlett smiled. “Father doesn’t know of our friendship, Your Grace, but I will temper his expectations. Please don’t worry yourself on that account.”

“He doesn’t know about Stafford.”

“No.”

“You didn’t tell anyone did you?”

“No, and I thought I made a point of not telling you. I mean, not entirely.” Scarlett sighed. “I shouldn’t have said anything. He is your friend. The matter was between Stafford and myself and it was settled and done.” She smoothed her skirts out with trembling fingers. “Inciting my father to murder didn’t seem like a wise course of action.”

“Your parents weren’t hoping for a match? Aren’t they curious about why Talon is no longer in your favor?”

“Parents always hope for the best for their children.” Scarlett folded her hands in her lap, determined not to fidget. “But I don’t think Father ever approved of the Duke of Stafford or any suitor I may have had, so I doubt he will push in either direction—for either of his daughters.”

“He may push for Ryder. I don’t know when or how it happened, but they are colluding together. He likes him and has encouraged him to ask Starr again. He’s given him his blessing.”

Scarlett’s breath caught in her throat and her eyes filled with tears, trapped in a rush of emotion. “Thank God! Tara will be happy—at least, Tara will be happy! It makes everything worth all the heartache to know that she will be adored as she deserves and cared for. He seems to love her very much.”

“He is besotted past reason with your stubborn sister,” Elgin agreed. “But what of you?”

She shook her head, retrieving a handkerchief from her skirt pocket to dab at her eyes. “Me? I shall be selfishly and completely relieved to be out of it and… That is for the best.”

“In what way is this best?”

Scarlett let out a slow shaky breath and recovered her composure. “Your Grace, I am a Blackwell. And while I have embarrassed myself by admitting the great weaknesses of my nature to you, it does balance out. It balances out perfectly as if by design.”

“I am confused, Miss Blackwell.”

“I love my sister. If Starr is happy, then I will be happy. Our parents always worried that she would insist on spinsterhood and forfeit some of the glorious adventures that life has to offer. It was silly of them because I knew all along that Starr has an even larger heart than mine. How could she not find love? She will be a very reluctant duchess one day but a very good one! And I—I will have the honor of making sure she doesn’t wear anything with too much orange in it since Starr cannot for the life of her pay attention to such things. I will be able to support and care for my parents unhindered until I am no longer needed. I can look forward to being the most entertaining aunt that any child could ever wish for. I can live in their household if they allow it and even on my own, I will never be far from her side. Nothing is lost, Your Grace. Family trumps all.”

“You will marry as well,” he said calmly. “Do not be so quick to resign yourself.”

Scarlett shook her head. “No. No, I will not.” It was a firm statement without a trace of self-pity. “Stafford will announce his engagement to Lady Lavinia before the end of the Season, or if not by then, eventually. If not her, another well-suited titled girl will seize her prize. He will marry and even though he thinks to do his duty, I do hope he finds love in it. It isn’t resignation, Your Grace. I’m not a martyr. Despite my obsession with feathers and ribbons on bonnets, I am not a foolish person. I don’t want to fall short. I don’t want to…”

She stood, unable to sit still any longer as she spoke. “If Ryder proposes again and Starr accepts, then I have a year—a year of diversions where the attention will naturally shift to wedding plans and preparations for Starr’s new life and position. A year to think of everything and anything but Talon Rush. If I am very lucky, he’ll have married before I have time to look over my shoulder. And then I will have other matters that require my attention—or I’ll manufacture them. If I am clever enough, no one will ever know what happened or guess why I never bothered to marry.”

“No one except me, and Stafford, of course.”

Scarlett struggled not to cry, determined to prove to her friend that she was far too grown up for maudlin nonsense. “If he knew, he would simply be flattered. I think every man would love to have one heartbroken woman in the world eternally pining for him. And you—are too kind to betray my terrible shameful secret.”

“There is no shame in this for you.”

“There is a world of shame, Your Grace.” Scarlett’s voice dropped almost to a whisper. “For I am so in love with him, so blindly and deeply in love…I come a breath away from telling him yes, from begging him to make good on his offer, from being a whore. Even now.” She shook herself and turned back to pace. “He must marry. Quickly. For my sanity’s sake. I must close the door on all the wicked possibilities and try to be better.”

“Scarlett, I am so sorry.”

She stopped and returned instantly to her seat to sit by him. “It isn’t your fault! Don’t say that! I am so grateful to you for this Season. You are the best friend I have and I have no complaints! I danced with a duke! It was a dream, all of it. I could never ask for more and for all the fussing I’m doing, please don’t mistake me. There is no blame to be had. Your advice was flawless. It was my heart that wasn’t listening but my head is still aware that without your wisdom and kindness, I might still be in the Aldridge’s conservatory living on pomegranates and aloe plants.”

“How exotic and wild of you!” he exclaimed, trying to smile. “Would you be wearing animal skins?”

“I don’t think so. There didn’t seem to be any untamed beasts roaming about for me to hunt, unless Aldridge had cats and I don’t think I have the heart to bother such dear things.”

“Scarlett, you are incomparable.”

“Every woman can be compared to another and as I am an identical twin, I’m not sure the compliment would ever stand up to scrutiny.” Scarlett put her handkerchief away. “But I’ll thank you for it all the same.”

“Scarlett, you are not the only one with secrets.”

“Pardon me?”

“I came here to confess something to you.” Elgin sighed. “But I think I need a glass of brandy, first.”

“Oh, of course. May I get it for you? I can ring for Godwin and go through the proper rituals but…it seems a great bit of fuss to pour out a splash of spirits, don’t you think?”

“Yes, thank you. A healthy splash if you would, Miss Blackwell.”

Scarlett made her way to the sideboard and easily accomplished the task. She brought him the cut crystal glass and then resumed her place in the chair across from his. “Is it such a terrible secret to require a bit of false courage?” she teased gently.

He nodded, downed the liquor in one great swallow and Scarlett’s smile faded.

“Your Grace?”

“Miss Blackwell, you must let me speak. All in one ridiculous rush or I will not get through this. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“I have always been a selfish man. I liked being in the House of Lords and debating friends but only when it suited me. I can’t think of a worthy cause I ever really championed or a single soul’s struggle beyond my sphere that I bothered to notice. I liked the comforts of my houses, the pleasures my wealth afforded me and I laughed far more than I ever cried. I dallied and gambled and then gave up gambling only so that I could congratulate myself on being such a fine, superior sort of person. I did
nothing
I didn’t wish to do and was very spoiled. No one ever challenged me, Miss Blackwell—no one dared or didn’t even think to bother to cross me. Who knows?”

Scarlett nodded, doing her best not to interrupt him even though she very much wished to argue his finer qualities.

He cleared his throat and continued. “I was honest with you that night at Aldridge’s. I was hiding because once again, I was doing what I wanted to do and the idea of suffering a roomful of scheming cronies was giving me a headache.”

“Yes.”

“I was hiding because…I didn’t have the heart to pretend to enjoy any of it. And then you came in with your sister. Your dilemma was so sweet and for the first time in my selfish life, I had a bit of a cause to champion, someone to protect and assist—and I knew then that the scheme would stir up my nephew, rattle my peers and create a sensation. I knew
all
of those things and I made our bargain. I made our bargain because I wanted my last Season to be wonderful and unforgettable and I knew that you were exactly the wonderful young woman who would make it happen.” He leaned back in the chair. “I didn’t plan on Talon. But then I thought that was a delightful surprise and made the game even better. I would guide you to true love. Then Ryder stumbled into your sister and lost his heart…and I thought, this is perfection! I missed my life’s true calling as some kind of matchmaker extraordinaire, Miss Blackwell.”

“Yes, but what did you mean by
last
Season?”

“You weren’t to interrupt, remember? Here is what I wish to propose,” Elgin said. “Since the entire scheme was my idea, then it should be up to me to make it all turn out right. I agree that your sister should be happy and have no doubt that Ryder is the man to ensure that hers is a story to be envied. But I don’t agree that you deserve happiness any less than she does. So, I am amending our deal. I want you to consider marrying me.”

Scarlett wasn’t sure if all the clocks stopped in the room, if all the air vanished but suddenly it was as if she was in a bubble, isolated from the world, with Elgin York.

He went on, as calmly as a man laying out plans for a new garden. “It would be an entirely platonic arrangement; you have my word on that. I know you have a substantial trust to inherit from your parents that comes to bear when you turn twenty-four, but I would add to that. The estates and most of my holdings are entailed, naturally, to Ryder as the next Duke of Chesterton and since we will absolutely not be disrupting the line with offspring from this match, I will instead set aside everything that isn’t attached to go to you upon my death.” He stood to see about refilling his glass with another generous splash of brandy.

“I’m…” she began to speak but then failed.

“It’s perfect. You’ll be a duchess in your own right and the youngest and prettiest dowager duchess to ever grace an English lane. You’ll be oddly related to your own sister’s husband and never denied a place at their table or in their home. As you said yourself, family trumps all.”

“You cannot mean…”

“I am dying.”

“No.” It was a whisper but firm with denial all the same. “No, you are not.”

“I was hiding in that greenery because I was suddenly unsure that I wanted to waste anymore of my time with—all of it. The useless conversations about the same useless topics, avoiding debutantes and ducking out on mothers with an eye to advancing their ducklings—and all the while knowing that I was more of an endangered species than they could guess. An even richer prize, eh? One of those heartless girls would have happily endured marriage to a crusty old man with a guarantee of it being short-lived, don’t you think?”

Scarlett stood slowly from her chair. “I am not a heartless girl.”

“I know. You are all heart, Miss Blackwell. So I will be honest. This is not charity. I am not gifting you with a title as some grand benevolent gesture before my heart gives out and I pass on. I am not trying to demonstrate generosity to prove to the Maker that I’ve changed before He starts determining punishments and rewards. It is quite the opposite.”

“How so?”

His eyes took on a sheen that at last, betrayed his own heart to her. “I am proving how selfish I can be. I don’t…want to die alone, Scarlett. You are…so kind and sweet…so funny and…surprising. You are everything I would have ever wanted in a wife. You deserve a true marriage but I am going to selfishly ask you…to marry me instead. I’m going to ask you to endure…whatever comes and I am going to beg you to hold my hand when…I go.”

“Oh, my…”

“You don’t love me. It doesn’t matter. Love isn’t a gem with one facet or one color to shine out into the world, Miss Blackwell. It has depth and infinite possibilities. We can love each other as friends and put the rest of the world to shame with the purity of it. Stafford—he’s blind and young—and he will regret the proud choice that robbed him of you. My proposition doesn’t alleviate any of that hurt for you, but it does ensure that if you meet him again, it will be as an equal. As my widow…perhaps you could take some comfort in that? If not in the certain knowledge that you saved my life—you will save my life, Scarlett, by helping me to face its end with a smile on my face.”

He set down the glass. “That is what I came here to say. I’ll go now. I want you to think about it, Miss Blackwell. Please take your time.” He smiled. “Not too much time, naturally, but whatever time you need. I’ve told no one else, not Stafford, not even...Ryder or my sister. I trust you’ll keep my secrets. I trust you with my life, Miss Blackwell.”

He bowed and walked out of the room before she could summon a single word into her head. The door closed firmly behind him and still she couldn’t move.

Somewhere in the house, she could hear laughter and it was then…