Someday Her Duke Will Come Page 7

  “This is Lady Huntington,” Alexander continued, his hand sweeping to a woman with muddy, dishwater blonde hair that had been finagled into a nest on top of her head. She had harshly kohled eyes that made them look even smaller than they probably were and her wrinkled lips had far too much color on them. She had clearly been beautiful at one point in time but now tried too hard to retain her youth rather than aging gracefully. Her navy blue dress was beautiful, but more suited for a woman Tillie’s age .

  Tillie rushed through a greeting for the baroness, knowing what was next — meeting the woman she’d been brought here to face in the first place. When she felt the gentle warmth of Alexander’s hand on the small of her back, she lifted her gaze to that of Miss Eliza Masters .

  Tillie took the moment to truly take in the woman who had apparently so utterly destroyed Alexander’s heart .

  She was stunning, and Tillie could see why men flocked to her. She had sunny golden hair, which would be a perfect match for Alexander’s own. Her flawless porcelain skin had probably never seen a day of amusement outdoors without a bonnet, while her eyes were a warm honey golden brown and her nose was pert and upturned. The cupid’s bow of her lip was in a pretty pout she wore as she took in Tillie much the same way .

  Eliza had the type of beauty that all women in the upper classes tried to emulate. The men in the crowd glanced her way often, and the way she looked down that upturned nose at Tillie showed exactly what she thought of her. She was the woman all others wanted to be like, yet none really enjoyed the company of — particularly if they knew of her propensity to play games with people’s hearts, creating drama amongst the ton for her own enjoyment .

  “Lovely for you to come,” Tillie said with a slight smile. She didn’t miss the flash of anger in the woman’s eyes at the familiarity Tillie was assuming in welcoming them to Warfield. It was the game she was playing, however, and Eliza was definitely taken aback with her first few plays at power .

  “Alexander,” Eliza trilled with a smug smile, her eyes never leaving Tillie’s. “She is exquisite. You certainly found a pretty one .”

  Like she was a horse. Or a painting in a gallery .

  “She is quite exceptional, yes,” Alexander said, immediately catching the ice in Eliza’s voice. “Tillie is a very special woman, that is certain .”

  Soon enough, a butler came and called the gathered party to dinner .

  Out of some evil twist of fate, Alexander and Tillie were seated directly across from Eliza and her mother. Tillie did not recall the placings set that way earlier in the day, but perhaps she had not paid close enough attention. Eliza’s father was at the far end of the table, entangled in a rousing discussion of port and cigars .

  At the head of the table, directly on the other side of Alexander, sat the Dowager Duchess, looking bored, annoyed and beautiful all at the same time. If she was as protective and adoring of her son as she seemed to be, it must not have been easy to see the woman who had treated him so poorly seated at her table .

  Still, Leticia composed herself expertly, even while blatantly ignoring Eliza throughout the evening. Had Alexander really needed her, Tillie thought, when he had his mother to look out for him ?

  “It’s been far too long since I last saw you, Your Grace,” Eliza said between the first two courses. “It has simply been ages. How have you been keeping ?”

  The Dowager Duchess took a bite and chewed slowly before turning to her and answering .

  “Wonderful up until tonight, dear,” she said with a bland tone .

  Tillie choked back her laughter. She had a hard time knowing if this was Leticia Landon’s true personality or if she was punishing Eliza for not only what she’d done, but for showing up at all .

  “Tell me, Miss Andrews,” Eliza said after the soups were cleared away. “Who is your father? I do not know that I have heard of you before tonight .”

  Tillie had been expecting this question. Alexander wasn’t hiding the fact that her family wasn’t from the peerage, but it still pricked at Tillie that Eliza was pulling out this particular weapon from her snotty arsenal .

  “My father is Baxter Andrews, Miss Masters,” she said as politely as she could .

  “He is the shipping magnate who has imported and exported half the goods in London,” Leticia said quietly after a bite .

  “So you are one of the newly rich, then?” Eliza wouldn’t let it go .

  “My father is, I suppose,” Tillie said with a smile. “He is newly rich because he has earned all of his wealth himself. If we’re being perfectly honest, I myself have hardly a penny to my name. But I suppose the same could be said for you .”

  It had become common knowledge that Eliza’s father had no male heir and that his estate would pass to a cousin when he died. By the way her father was shoveling food in his mouth by the handful and washing it down with glasses of port, it may not be long. There was a reason Eliza was out to stay on top and it was more than just winning a game to her. She would have no fortune to speak of once her father died .

  It was sad, really, if it weren’t happening to such a snake of a woman. Had she truly cared for Alexander in the first place, he would likely have married Eliza and provided more than a comfortable life for her .

  The rest of dinner passed in relative peace and after the cakes, the men retreated to the library for cigars and the women moved to the sitting room for sherry .

  Tillie faked a headache to avoid further interrogation from the Masters women and retreated to her rooms. After having Gemma help her out of the gown and all its trappings, she allowed the maid to brush out her hair and braid it down her back before leaving .

  Tillie wiggled her poor, abused toes and stretched her back. The perfect posture, the too-tight slippers, the snakes at the table — it was all a bit much and Tillie was glad to be at the small table in her room with a few blank pieces of paper in front of her. She hadn’t sketched in days and seeing the women tonight in the same fashion from two seasons ago made her long for the hustle and bustle of London tastes .

  She worked furiously and filled the pages front and back with loose, free sketches of poses, trying different angles at which fabric could fall in certain cuts. She worked until nearly the entire candle on the table next to her was burned out, and she was drowsy when she finally washed her hands of the pencil smudges in the bowl near her bed .

  “I thought you would be sleeping .”

  She spun at the sound of Alexander’s voice, to the corner of her room where he always appeared, and smiled. She’d been thinking about him these past few moments. In fact, Tillie had spent the entire evening thinking about him. Now here he was .

  11

  “A nd yet you’re here, anyway.”

  She was smiling when she said it. Tillie wasn’t too proud to admit to herself how happy she was to see him .

  He walked through the room toward her, his eyes focused on the table where she’d just been working. Instinctively she moved to cover her work, but Alexander was quicker .

  “Sketching?”

  The question was innocent enough. Alexander knew about her secret occupation, but now she cared what he thought of her work. Did he think it a silly hobby, as did her family ?

  At her initial hesitation, he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed .

  “Relax, Mademoiselle,” he said. “Nicholas told me about how talented you and your friend Tabitha are. He said the two of you are the rave of London matrons and their daughters each season, but are incredibly underpaid and under credited .”

  She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, pleased that he respected her profession, though feeling vulnerable at the thought of seeing her work .

  “I prefer that people not know I am behind the designs,” she said quietly, her hands wringing. “If my mother knew the full extent of my work, she would probably lock me in my room forever. Or send me to an asylum .”

  Alexander had the sheets of paper in his hand and was examining them, turning them
over and looking at them from different angles .

  “These are really good, Tillie,” he said, the reverence in his voice sounding genuine. Her cheeks warmed at the praise .

  “Thank you,” she said, taking the sketches from him. “How did the rest of your evening go? Are you feeling at ease about it all? Was it hard seeing Lord Huntington and his family ?”

  She really meant Eliza, but she had no interest in saying the woman’s name in this moment. This time, this room seemed like it should belong strictly to the two of them .

  Alexander considered her question a moment before answering .

  “I was not looking forward to it, and I cannot say I fully enjoyed the evening,” he finally said. “But it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Surprisingly enough, I felt none of the grief I expected at seeing her again. All in all, it was a bit underwhelming. I believe I have you to thank for that .”

  That made her very happy to hear .

  “I am glad,” she said with a smile. “You deserve to be free of that past. It does not serve you well .”

  With one hand, he returned the sheets of paper to the desk and kept his other hand on her shoulder. The look in his eyes changed from light and unencumbered to a strange look of — regret? — but no, soon all she saw was a burning heat in his eyes as he looked at her. Something inside Alexander shifted as they stood there, looking at one another. What had it been ?

  “You looked beautiful tonight,” he said eventually. She heard his words and she felt the warmth of his hand burning through her thin nightgown and robe. She knew she should have been worried about the inappropriateness of him in her bedchamber. His appearance, however, had become a regular occurrence and now somehow seemed natural .

  “You shined brighter than any woman in England, I dare say,” he added .

  She snorted without meaning to, but the sentiment was ridiculous. She was an average-looking woman with too many opinions and not enough self-control to keep them to herself. She knew she wasn’t eclipsing every woman on the continent .

  His hand was suddenly gently grasping her chin and urging her to look at him .

  “I am not jesting,” he said, quiet and serious. “You have managed to captivate me, Matilda Andrews, from the moment I met you. No woman has ever done so in such a way before. What is it that you have done to me ?”

  She opened her mouth to say that she hadn’t done anything — that she’d stuck to their plan to play the doting fiancée. And hadn’t Eliza Masters also captivated him in the past ?

  Alexander quickly kept any words from passing her lips. In a fast, direct movement, he captured her mouth with his own and placed a scorching kiss on her .

  She’d never been touched like that by any man before and her body and mind hardly knew how to react. It felt like every inch of her skin was alight with sensation and a little moan escaped as he slid his tongue past her lips and into her mouth, moving it against hers. It nearly made her toes curl. No, her toes were curling. Very much so .

  She found herself clinging to his shirt, wanting more from him and not knowing what was next in this little dance he’d initiated. All she knew was that he’d just set her on fire with a simple kiss. Sliding his hand through her hair at the base of her neck, he angled her head just how he wanted it and continued his assault. His mouth was unyielding and invading and the harder he kissed her, the more she needed .

  He finally broke the kiss, pulling back away from her. As she opened her eyes, she didn’t mistake the stunned look on his face that matched hers. Had the intensity taken him by surprise, too ?

  “That was…” He began but couldn’t seem to finish. “That was not what I had in mind when I stopped in tonight .”

  Alexander seemed to be trying to explain himself .

  “I am not complaining,” she said and chewed her lower lip .

  He looked at her a moment longer before leaning forward and placing a gentler, more chaste kiss on her bruised lips .

  “Neither am I, Matilda,” he whispered. “Neither am I .”

  He took a long step back, though .

  “I seem to have forgotten myself as a gentleman,” he teased with a wink. “And I would hate to see what your father had in store for me if he knew I was in here stealing kisses from his half-dressed daughter .”

  She laughed at the thought .

  “He would probably assume I had somehow instigated it, actually,” she mused .

  “I truly did just want to see you before I went to bed,” he continued eventually after a good long look at her. “I wanted to tell you that you made quite the impression on all of our guests. And to tell you that my mother is quite fond of you .”

  She wasn’t certain of that, but she did hope Leticia liked her more than she did Eliza at the very least .

  Running her hand across the braid that fell over her shoulder, Tillie’s fingertips brushed the pendant that hung around her neck .

  “Do not forget your grandmother’s necklace,” she said and turned around, offering the back of her neck for Alexander to undo the clasp .

  She felt his fingertips lightly brush the base of her neck, but nowhere near the clasp of the necklace. Again, the simple intimate caress made her skin feel electric .

  “Keep it for a while,” he said and she turned back to face him. “It looks perfect on you and hopefully it will bring us good luck. We have quite a few more events to navigate in the coming weeks .”

  * * *

  T he next morning dawned bright and clear, perfect for the hunting expedition planned. The men gathered their rifles while the women dressed in warm clothing to accompany them in their blinds. The group started out on their walk through the fields, Tillie trying desperately to avoid Eliza Masters. It wasn’t long, however, before the woman inserted herself right between Tillie and Alexander .

  “Miss Andrews, I meant to remark last night on the beautiful necklace you are wearing,” she said with an insincere smile as she took in the jewelry still hanging around Tillie’s neck. “If I recall correctly, it belonged to Alexander’s grandmother, did it not ?”

  Tillie’s eyes flew to Alexander’s face. Had he previously given the necklace to Eliza to wear ?

  He cleared his throat, looking at Eliza from the corner of his eye .

  “You are correct, Eliza,” he said. “You must be recalling my grandmother wearing it before she passed, would that not be so ?”

  “Yes of course,” she said, beaming up at him. “Your grandmother was truly such a lovely woman. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have known her so well. I suppose that is the benefit of sharing a common upbringing — you learn so much about one another and your families become wonderfully intertwined .”

  Tillie rolled her eyes behind Eliza’s head, causing Alexander to grin. Eliza smiled prettily back at him, thinking he was responding to her words .

  “Miss Andrews,” said Eliza, turning towards Tillie, “Have you had the opportunity to meet Lord Merryweather ?”

  “No, I do not believe I have .”

  “Oh, but you must. He is one of Alex’s dearest friends. Come with me .”

  As Eliza pulled her away, Tillie looked back at Alexander with a pained expression. Her “protection” of him really was not going as planned. Eliza introduced her to Lord Merryweather who was, despite Tillie’s misgivings, quite handsome and charming. When they arrived at the hunting site she was laughing at his stories about one of Alexander’s childhood exploits when she looked back to see that Eliza had disappeared, as had Alexander .

  She excused herself and began to search through the couples for them .

  She found Alexander’s groom placing his rifles back into the cart. She asked him if he had seen Alexander .

  “He has returned to the house,” he said. “He was with Miss Masters when she turned her ankle and she had to be accompanied home. He asked me to tell you to continue to enjoy yerself, that he would see you when you returned. My apologies, Miss, that I did not find you soo
ner .”

  Tillie nodded her thanks to him and turned away, inwardly seething. She had been bested by the damn woman and she should have seen it coming. She resolved to enjoy the afternoon as Alexander had suggested, but she would prove to Eliza Masters that Matilda Andrews was not a woman to play games with .

  * * *

  A lexander regretted the turn of events that morning. He had never meant to actually pit Eliza against Tillie, nor allow Tillie to feel that she was unwanted. When he had set his plan into motion, he had simply seen Eliza as an excuse to have Tillie stay with him for the holidays .

  When Tillie joined them for supper that evening, he didn’t miss the glint in her eye as she looked at him, and then at Eliza. He pulled her to the side and tried to explain himself and the situation. Eliza had turned her ankle and had not been able to walk. By the time she had determined she could no longer continue, they were so far behind the group that he had seen no other option than to return with her to the house while he sent his groom ahead to inform Tillie .

  Tillie smiled at him sweetly and told him there was nothing to apologize for, but he wasn’t fooled. He had come to know her better than that. When she dismissed him by turning to her glass of champagne and the group of ladies she was conversing with, he knew there was trouble brewing .

  “Miss Masters, you poor thing,” Tillie said as Eliza joined the ladies in the corner of the room. “I was so sorry to hear your ankle did not hold up on the walk to the bluff. It seems, however, to have healed quite well over the course of the day .”

  “Why yes,” Eliza responded, suddenly favoring her left leg. “Alexander was most attentive and his ministrations seemed to have greatly helped .”

  Tillie held in her snort and resumed her conversation instead .

  When they were seated for supper, Tillie found Lord Merryweather on her right, Alexander on her left. Tillie was quite enchanted by the stories of Lord Merryweather. Alexander watched them, surprised at the intensity of the jealousy that coursed through his veins. He had certainly wanted Tillie, that was for certain, but he had not quite realized the depth of his feeling until he saw her laughing at another man .