Page 4 of Her Beastly Duke
Dearest brother,
I hope my letter finds you well. I did not receive a reply to the previous one, yet here I am writing another. Emmeline and I are concerned about you. While you have isolated yourself from the world, there is no need to hide from me. You must long for companionship and comfort. We humans have the power of choice, which makes us superior to other animals, and we need each other. You could choose to end your solitary life whenever you wish, and I suppose what I really want to ask is, do you not think it is time?
We have extended the invitation for you to visit us in Scotland countless times, and we wanted you to know the invitation remains open. Emmeline and I are pleased to announce that we are expecting another bairn, and he is due in the autumn. I have taken to saying ‘he’ to Emmeline’s irritation because she hopes for a girl after Warren, Sidney, and Patrick, but I believe it will be another boy. I feel it in my bones. It has been a long time since you have seen your nephews, and if you do not come to visit us, we will make a trip to see you. Take heart, for it would be a long and tedious journey with the children. Perhaps you could visit and save us from this trial. We miss you.
Sincerely,
Baxter
Julius smiled. Baxter had been keeping himself busy. He could hardly believe that another babe was on the way. Emmeline and Baxter were literally adding sons to their family every year. He did not need to worry about succession. If he did not wed, there would be no heir from him, but Baxter and his sons would inherit. Julius did not need to feel guilty aboutsecuring the family’s line. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
Julius placed the letter on his desk. “Come in.”
Otis, his butler, opened the door and entered the room. “Will you have dinner this evening, Your Grace?”
Otis had taken to asking because there were days when the staff prepared an elaborate meal only for Julius to ignore it and partake in some simple fare.
“I will only have soup, rolls, and a bit of pastry served here in the library, Otis. Thank you.”
“As you wish, Your Grace,” Otis replied before he spun around and left the room.
Julius opened his desk drawer and placed Baxter’s letter inside it, where it joined the rest. He slowly closed the drawer. He would eventually respond to Baxter, but not right now. Julius stood up from his desk and walked over to an easel that held a painting that his steward, Mr. Ainsley, had procured for him. As was their customary arrangement, Mr. Ainsley had left it wrapped in the packaging that it arrived in. Julius usually kept the painting in his library until he decided where it should be hung. He slowly removed the painting’s wrapping and gazed at it. Though he was not an art connoisseur, he appreciated the detail and depiction.
The knock on the door signaled the arrival of his dinner. Otis laid out his meal on the table and departed the room. Julius sat to eat, fleetingly thinking a good conversation with a dining partner would be welcome. He ruthlessly shut away the thought, loathing to admit he was lonely. Nor was it in his character to uselessly long for things that would never materialize.
After returning from France, he tried to court a lady, and it was an abject failure. A few years ago, Lady Hazel Chester had seemed interested in him. He met her on one of his visits to her father’s estate, where they were introduced. Julius never left theestate without a half mask that he wore to hide the scar. Thehaut toncould only speculate as to what his scar looked like, but they had never seen it. He did not want to be gawked at or to be treated like a specimen.
In hindsight, he should have known that Lady Hazel’s interest in him was not genuine because it went against everything he had experience of society’s fickle females. Perhaps at the time, he was optimistic, and Julius allowed himself to be drawn in by her charm. Eventually, she got around to what she really wanted. He was to remove his mask, and in the end, he had given in because he wanted to assure himself that she had a genuine liking for him and would not be repelled.
Julius had slowly removed the mask, never taking his eyes off Lady Hazel, who recoiled as if she had been struck when she finally saw what lay beneath. Her eyes could not hide her disgust and pity, and Julius wanted neither. Her stare had made him feel hollow, dark, and ugly. He could never flee the memory, as much as he wanted to, and it pained him to realize she had no genuine interest in him. He had hastily replaced the mask and never revealed himself again.
It was a high price to pay for a stupid mistake in his youth, but he had to take responsibility for the consequences. He had no choice but to live a solitary life; otherwise, disgust and pity would destroy him.
He embraced the solitude and did not form close relationships or confide in others. He was disconnected from thehaut ton’sunless it was absolutely necessary and had his own little world on his estate. Did he sometimes wish that he had a loving wife and rambunctious children like Baxter; of course. Since this was not meant to be, he could always consider the alternative. He could always have a paid companion like his Aunt Blanche.
Julius did not need a guardian for his reputation, like Aunt Blanche, but perhaps someone to ease his regret when he thought about what could have been. A woman who was well-educated, reputable, had good manners and would spend time with him and entertain him. The thought was unheard of, for no respectable lady would do such a thing due to the speculations it would bring. Though a male companion would be better, it was still unusual, and that was not what he wanted.
The thought of finding such a woman was daunting so Julius pushed it from his mind. Especially given he had no intention of pursuing that until possibly later in life.
Briar and Duncanhad left their home under the cover of fog-shrouded darkness. Duncan managed to procure a carriage because they could no longer maintain one. The horses had been sold after the selected pieces of furniture. A carriage now seemed like a rare luxury.
It was spring, but even though all the snow had melted, the nights were still quite cold. Although she wore warm clothing, the wind seemed to chill her to the bone. Briar shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Perhaps she trembled not only from the cold but from the rising fear thumping in her chest as the carriage pulled closer to Berkley Estate. She looked at Duncan, whose eyes were closed as his head rested against the squab as the carriage rolled along. He appeared so peaceful in his sleep. Earlier this evening, Duncan was the one who was a bit anxious, and Briar felt adventurous, but now their roles were reversed.
Briar felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach at the very thought of meeting the beastly duke. She willed herself toremain calm. Briar silently prayed that their ruse would go off as planned and they would not be discovered. Finally, the carriage came to a halt, and Duncan jerked awake. She pulled the curtain back and gazed out into the pitch-black night. Her brother lit a lantern, and they exited the carriage. Duncan turned to the driver and gave him instructions.
When he was finished, he turned around to face her. “Are you ready, Miss Blanche?”
“Certainly, Douglas.” They had decided to use at least names that started with the same letter just in case they slipped up. They set off down the long driveway in silence, bracing against a strong wind until they reached the large gilded front doors to the majestic mansion. Briar was so cold that her fingers felt stiff despite wearing gloves. Duncan knocked, and they stood on the steps waiting, but there was no answer. She wondered if the servants would not come to the door. Duncan knocked louder, and the butler finally appeared.
Her brother spoke up. “Good evening. My name is Lord Morecliff, and this is my sister, Miss Blanche.”
The butler eyed them wearily and bowed. “Good evening, my lord, Miss Blanche. How may I assist you?”
“We are on our way to Morecliff Estate in Worcester, but sadly, our carriage has broken down. It was rather foolish of me to persist in driving through the night. There are no inns nearby, and this was the only house we saw, so we are asking your lord to extend his hospitality for the evening, and we will be on our way at first light tomorrow,” Duncan explained.
The butler stiffened his spine, his expression growing remote. “I am afraid that is not possible, Lord Morecliff. The duke does not entertain guests on the estate.”
“I beg your pardon. Are you saying the duke would not consider our plight and offer us lodging for one night?” Briarensured she sounded like a shocked, spoiled aristocrat who did not appreciate being toldno.
