Page 35 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
Rachel glanced up at the Duke and then looked away again. “Thank you for agreeing to walk with me. I thought that, shouldwe talk at my townhouse, my mother, sister and father would, no doubt, be quite determined to linger in the house and listen.”
The Duke’s eyebrows lifted though he said nothing. Instead, he simply offered her his arm which she took after a moment.
“I spoke to my father yesterday,” Rachel continued, still not quite able to look at the Duke, still feeling tension ringing up her spine and sending a tremor into her heart. “Neither he nor my mother were aware of your request as regards courtship so I explained that to them. I – ”
“You told them about everything?”
The Duke suddenly spun her around, staring down into her eyes as Rachel blinked in surprise, then shook her head.
“No, Your Grace,” she said, softly. “No, of course I did not. You can trust me. I spoke to them only about your request for courtship. I would not dare to tell them a single thing about the difficulties and the dangers which have come upon you of late. That is not my place and I certainly would never dream of speaking them to anyone.”
After a moment of searching her expression, the Duke of Longford seemed to relax. He nodded, closed his eyes and then offered her a small, wry smile.
“Forgive me,” he said, quietly. “I ought not to have assumed that you would have done anything like that. That was my mistake.”
“We are still learning about one another,” Rachel replied, still speaking quietly and with as much gentle understanding as she could. “But I should like to assure you that youcantrust me, Your Grace. I am not the sort of person who would ever dream of betraying a confidence. I would not whisper anything about you and your private matters to anyone, I can assure you of that.”
“I see.” The Duke smiled again and this time, it made the darkness in his expression lift. “Thank you, Miss Grifford, for that reassurance. I must apologise to you for my hasty response.It is not as though I have many people in my life whom I can trust. The darkness as regards my late father’s passing and the heaviness which comes with that has made me something of a hermit these last few years. I trust Lord Wrexham entirely, of course.” His head tilted and his gaze swept over her again, making her blush, her cheeks warming. “I think I can learn to trust you too.”
“I hope you can.” Rachel looked away from him, afraid that somehow, he would see the warmth in her face and realize what such a look was doing to her heart. “As I was saying, Your Grace, I spoke to my father about such matters because I had come to a decision.”
The Duke offered her his arm again and they resumed their walk. “Might I ask what that decision is?”
With a deep breath, Rachel set her shoulders and, lifting her chin, told him the truth. “I have decided to accept your offer, Your Grace. I will accept your courtship.”
The breath of relief which came from him made Rachel’s heart jump with surprise. She had not expected him to appear so and yet he seemed to be more than a little delighted with her response.
“You cannot know of my gratitude in this, Miss Grifford. I believe I will need all the aid you can offer,” he told her, his words coming quick and fast, tumbling over each other as he spoke. “You will not be aware of this as yet, but I was poisoned again only a few days ago. Thankfully, I did not eat enough to kill me but the opportunity was there for it.”
Stunned, Rachel stumbled just a little but the Duke caught her, his eyes filled with a new concern.
“I am quite all right,” she said quickly, looking up at him. “But you were almost poisoned? In what way? Was it the whiskey?”
The Duke shook his head. “No. A footman brought a tray of Queen’s Currant Cakes to myself and Lord Wrexham and I will confess a weakness for those particular cakes. I took one and began to eat it at once, not noticing that the footman had stepped away from us both without offering Lord Wrexham something from the tray. Lord Wrexham, seeing this, thought that there might be something awry and knocked the cake from my hand… and from my mouth!”
“Good gracious!”
The Duke offered her a small smile. “I then fainted.”
Rachel found herself clutching at his arm, her eyes going wide as the Duke nodded.
“But Lord Wrexham and my cousin took me to rest in the parlour and I quickly recovered. The doctor was sent for but then dismissed given how quickly I was able to recover myself. Whatever was in the cakes was not enough for me to be overcome by it given how little I had eaten.”
“I see.” Rachel’s hand slowly uncurled from the Duke’s arm, a little embarrassed at how fervently she had reacted. “That is a relief, at least.”
“Yes, a very great relief!” the Duke chuckled, surprising her at the lightness in his voice. “But I must admit, I am rather concerned still that this person is so determined in their attempts to injure me.”
Rachel considered this for a moment. “It must have been someone who was present last evening,” she said, slowly, thinking hard. “Might I ask if there were any gentlemen present who were known both to your father and to yourself?”
“Plenty,” came the heavy reply. “I could not tell you all of their names, though I did write down who I remembered once I returned home.”
“That is something, at least.” Rachel looked up at him again. “So, if we are to court, then thetonwill be aware of it and willnot think twice about seeing us in company together. It will give me opportunity to be watchful also and I fully intend to devote myself to that purpose at the next social gathering we enjoy.”
The Duke reached across and pressed her hand as it sat on his arm, a long breath escaping him. “You are truly wonderful, Miss Grifford. I cannot imagine who it might be, I cannot even think as to who this person is and yet knowing that Lord Wrexham and you are seeking to aid me does bring me comfort. I do not feel as alone.”
Rachel smiled back at him. “You are not alone,” she promised, quietly. “We will discover the truth, Your Grace. I am quite certain of it.”
As she spoke, a sudden thought entered her mind, making her smile fix in place as she caught her breath. It was a sudden, sharp imagining and Rachel did not know what to make of it.
