Page 69 of The Lady Who Said No to the Duke
It wasn’t tall, three stories except for the occasional tower, but it was wide, and it took Thea’s breath away.How was she ever going to find her way about this place?And how could it ever become her home?
She was jolted out of her panic by the carriage stopping and the door opening.Her view out was blocked by Papa, who descended first, then turned to give his hand to Mama, and then it was her turn.
No going back now.
Thea put out her hand, expecting it to be taken by a footman, but there was Hal.
‘Welcome home, my lady,’ he said as she stepped out and down onto the gravel.Onto solid earth, although Thea was certain it was shifting under her feet.
‘Thank you,’ she said and smiled, then let herself be led towards the front entrance.The sight of the staff ranged on either side forming a guard of honour almost took her remaining breath away.There seemed to be hundreds of them, with the outdoor staff first—gardeners, boys, clutching their caps, grooms, three stately coachmen, their long whips at attention, then the humblest of the indoor staff, tweenies and scullery maids, the boot boys…
Thea smiled and tried to catch the eye of everyone as she passed, but it was impossible.Up the steps now, past housemaids who looked as though they had been starched along with their aprons, footmen, the butler, housekeeper, chef—and finally an imposing man in black, his bald head polished to a shine as bright as his shoes.The steward, she guessed, controller of all of this.
‘Graves, my lady,’ he said with a bow.‘Welcome to Leaming Castle.’
Thea had herself under control now and training took over.‘Thank you, Mr Graves.And please give my thanks to everyone for such a welcome.’
Beside her she felt Hal relax and realised he had been holding his breath too, concerned about how she might cope with this.He laid his free hand over hers, resting on his arm, and together they stepped into the hall.
TheGreat Hall, surely, because this was where the old Tudor house seemed almost untouched.
‘How magnificent,’ she breathed.‘I half expect to seeQueen Elizabeth herself descend that staircase between all those carved beasts.’
Hal laughed.‘It is the devil to heat, even with two fireplaces, and the carving keeps the housemaids constantly employed, but it does have a certain something.And you, my lady, look perfect here.’
The fluttering butterflies settled down again, leaving her strangely calm.And happy.
‘I may have to stay here,’ she said, smiling up at him.‘I am never going to find my way about this vast building.’
‘I will give you a ball of string as Ariadne did Theseus so you can lay a trail through the labyrinth.It is not as bad as it looks, I promise, because it is not very deep.Now, here is Mrs Abel to show you and your parents to your rooms.I thought you would wish to be with them until the wedding.’
‘That is thoughtful, thank you,’ Thea said.She was not so concerned about being close to Mama, simply relieved that she was not to be installed in the Duchess’s Suite yet.With the Duke next door andThe Bed.
But now there was the next member of the household to get to know, and she turned to the housekeeper, who was curtseying.‘Good afternoon, Mrs Abel.I am relying upon you to help me navigate this wonderful house that you keep so beautifully.’
Beaming, the housekeeper led her and her parents away, and Thea felt a sense of relief that one of the most important people in her new life seemed amiable and efficient.Managing this castle was going to be considerably easier than learning to live with its duke, she suspected.
The two days before the wedding seemed to Thea to pass in a blur, with something of the mad logic of a dream.
She was the future duchess, but she was a guest as well, and that was unsettling.Then Mama’s nerves were woundas tight as a clock spring and she was anything but restful company.Thea escaped as often as she could to Mrs Abel’s comfortable sitting room, where the housekeeper began the long process of familiarising Thea with her new world.
Jennie—Eames, as she was now comfortable styling herself—was fiercely territorial, and Thea had to intervene in a pitched battle with Maunday before hairbrushes and scent bottles were thrown.When they were alone Jennie, broke down in tears, confessing that she was terrified that she would not be good enough for a duchess, especially on her wedding day, and she had to be soothed and encouraged and then Maunday warned to concentrate on her own mistress and leave Eames alone.
‘I know better than to tell a lady that she looks tired,’ Hal said when they found themselves alone in the library—the Old Library as opposed to the New Library—on the afternoon before the wedding.
‘But I look tired?’Thea flopped down on a window seat.‘Look, more guests are arriving.’
‘I will go down in a moment.You most definitely do not need to.Go and rest,’ Hal said.
He stood beside her, the back of his hand against her cheek, moving slightly as though enjoying the texture of her skin.Then he dropped to one knee, leaned in and murmured, ‘I have seen less of you in my own home than I did when we were in London.’
The kiss was gentle, but strangely intense and Thea could feel the tension in Hal’s body.He was holding himself in check, she realised and found to her shock that they were kissing open-mouthed, tongues tangling, caressing.If this was Hal being restrained, then what would it be like when—
Thea lost track of time, of place.All that was real wasthe hard masculinity pressed against her, wanting her, the taste of him, the sense that Hal was holding himself back for one reason, to take care of her.
When he stood up abruptly, stepped back once, twice, she had difficulty stopping herself jumping up and taking hold to drag him back.
‘Hal,’ she managed, clutching at a curtain with one hand.
