Page 11 of Her Beastly Duke
CHAPTER 5
Briar recounted the conversation to Duncan before they both retired to bed, for in a few hours, it would be daylight. Duncan decided they should discuss it further on the journey home in the morning. Briar was far too exhausted when she lay down to think about the matter any further; she fell into a deep slumber.
As soon as she opened her eyes this morning, she could think of nothing but the beastly duke’s proposal. Briar and Duncan pretended there was a decision to make, but there was none. Not really.
The maid brought her breakfast, and Duncan ate with her. After breakfast, they departed the mansion without setting eyes on the duke. At least he allowed them to maintain some semblance of dignity by not appearing to lord it over them. Briar sat across from Duncan in the carriage as it rolled away. Unlike yesterday's journey, he was wide awake, and the worry lines creased his forehead.
Duncan let out a heavy sigh. “A fine mess. That is what I have gotten this family into. I am sorry, Briar …” His voice trailed off to a whisper.
Briar reached over and squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Look at it this way, Duncan. It could be far worse. I am sure I can do what the duke requests, and by doing so, we would be out of dire straits.”
The duke had more wealth and money than he could possibly spend in his lifetime, and he had offered them a way out of their predicament.
Duncan drummed his fingers against his knees. “I know we could be in a worse position, but that does not actually make me feel any better about it. I do not like the idea of you being there with him.”
“Mama will not like it either, but she will like the alternative even less. It will not be difficult to convince her. She is always practical, if nothing else.”
Duncan nodded. “That she is.”
“I am sure I will be fine. The duke seems to want a companion to entertain and spend time with him. I am all too familiar with the arrangement, although I have never seen it between a man and a woman. I will manage.” Briar said.
Duncan studied her before he asked. “Are you certain?”
No!Screamed in her head. She meant what she said about the duke being an attractive man, and she caught him staring at her. He was just as curious about her as she was about him. She must maintain the propriety that was expected of a lady of her station.
Briar had decided. “I will be discreet. The duke is a recluse, and it appears no one comes to visit him. Remember how hard it was for us to be admitted? Perhaps no one visits because they know they will not be welcomed.”
She knew how quickly gossip spread faster than wildfire, and people were only too eager to believe it. Her idea to go to his estate and steal was not sensible, and neither was challenginghim to fence or being alone with him in the drawing room. She realized that now, yet he never sought to take advantage of her.
The memory of Lord Fredrick resurfaced, causing Briar's heart to ache. One night, she felt restless and decided to haunt the halls of her home, where she should have been perfectly safe. She was not. Lord Fredrick was a guest, and he had apparently studied her habits because he crept up behind her on that fateful night and covered her mouth. Before Briar understood what had happened, she was propelled into an unused bedroom; then the door closed firmly. She was barricaded between Lord Fredrick and the door, pinned by his lecherous gaze and roving hands.
Lord Fredrick had swiftly replaced his hands with his mouth; his hot, fetid breath caused her to gag, and he forced his tongue inside her mouth even more. She heard her nightdress being ripped as his saliva-filled mouth strained to cover more of hers. Briar was frightened, yet furious. She summoned all the strength she could muster to kick hard at Lord Fredrick’s shin. He immediately released her then she bolted from the room and never stopped until she was safe in her bedchamber; the door bolted.
She found the episode so traumatic that she vowed she would never marry. His treatment of her made her sick to the stomach. Before that night, she never suspected that what happened between a man and a woman was revolting, and she wanted no part of it. She could not imagine having a husband, being with a man who would always want to share such intimacies. She found it repulsive and would much prefer to remain at her family home.
She did not need a home of her own, but that was not how she always felt. In the beginning, she was ready to take her place in society. It was what she was raised to do, and she had prepared for it her whole life. However, the attack she faced during her first and only season jarred her, so she withdrewfrom the season with her mother’s support, which was easily forth coming with her father’s onset illness. Then, when Briar thought things could not possibly get worse, they faced financial ruin. Knowing the family's dire circumstances, she placed little thought into making a match because she knew her prospects were dim, and they would stay that way until their fortunes were reversed. No one wants to marry into an impoverished family.
The thought of being alone with a man had trepidation crawling up her spine. Her logical mind told her she had nothing to fear from the duke for he conducted himself respectably when she had commanded him to release her though she was an interloper at his home. She would go to the duke and make it work, there was too much at stake. If it did not work out … She did not want to think that far ahead.
Briar pulled the curtain and peered outside, watching the countryside roll by. She recalled seeing the duke for the first time in the library. He was not at all what she expected. For one, he looked much younger, not that she knew his age. The way the haut ton spoke of him made him sound old and rough, but he had boyish good looks. His blue eyes held such intensity as if he could see inside her soul, and he looked at her as if he found her interesting. His hair was a little wild, and she had seen his arms and a bit of his chest. After all, he was not expecting to find a lady in his library where he had fallen asleep.
The duke’s demeanor had said he was highly annoyed and had every right to be. She was the one who invaded his privacy, yet it was not lost on her that he had given her family a way out. He was not without compassion. His eyes were icy in the library but softened when he discovered her family connections. Briar closed her eyes and leaned into the saw of the carriage. She woke up when the carriage pulled up to the house at Walcott Hall. As Briar and Duncan disembarked and walked up to the door, it was pulled open, and Victoria stood in the doorway.
“Where have you been? I was looking for you, Briar.” Victoria said with her genial mouth and sparkling smile. Her dark hair was swinging about her slender shoulders.
“I had to run an errand.” Briar patiently replied, and they entered the hallway.
“Has Mama come down to breakfast?” Duncan asked.
Victoria’s gaze switched between Briar and Duncan. “She asked for breakfast to be brought to her in her room.”
“I am going to see her,” Briar announced as she started up the stairs. Duncan followed.
“Briar, is something the matter?” Briar heard the slight tremor in Victoria’s voice.
“Do not worry, Victoria. I will speak to you once I have seen Mama.”
“Very well,” Victoria replied.
