Page 8 of The Duke's Gamble
The young lady blinked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “Those are questions that we all wish to ask him, sir. But it does not answer the question I have askedyou.”
I do not want to be guilted into doing what I have no desire to do. I won this house in a game of cards and though Lord Haddington could have left the game whenever he pleased, he did not,he reminded himself, staring fixedly at the young lady as though his severe gaze might affect her consideration of him and the questions she was directing towards him. The young lady, however, simply looked back without any hesitation. She did not say a single word, refusing to be drawn into submission by Samuel’s severe gaze.
Samuel rebelled against it all. “No. I shall not give it up.”
Immediately, the young lady sucked in a breath, swaying slightly where she stood with one hand pressed lightly to her stomach.
Ignoring this, Samuel pulled his shoulders back. “I shall, of course, be generous in giving you all some time to vacate the premises, but Ishallkeep this manor house as my own, simply because it is quite reasonable for me to take my winnings. I am afraid that I have every intention of removing myself here, regardless of your feelings on the matter.” This last part was quite untrue, for Samuel had never once thought about living in this manor house for a prolonged period of time but the lady’s attempts to coerce him appeared to have jolted some new determination into his heart. Now, he would not give up this house for any reason.
With a nod, Samuel folded his arms across his chest. “Now, I shall not take the master bedchamber, as I presume it still contains all of Lord Haddington’s effects, but might you showme to the finest guest bedchamber in the house? And thereafter, might you show my friend to another?”
The young lady did not move. Her gaze remained steady and, after a few moments of silence, she finally found her voice. “I am not a servant here, sir,” she stated, her lips trembling and her cheeks unnaturally pale. “I am Lady Florentina, sister to Lord Haddington and I shall not be showing you anything within this house. Should you require a bedchamber for yourself and your friend, then might I suggest you ring the bell and ask a maid to do such a thing? You have already caused enough injury by your refusal to evenconsidermy request. Pray do not insult me further by expecting me to behave in a manner below my station.”
She did not wait for our response but turned on her heel and marched back up the staircase. Mightily offended, Samuel immediately began to stutter and stammer but Lord Crawley merely looked after her, a look of growing admiration in his expression; and that frustrated Samuel all the more.
“What an ill-mannered creature!” he declared, caring nothing for the fact that his voice rang down the hallway, no doubt reaching the lady’s ears. “One might think that aDukewould be given all manner of consideration but it appears it is not so!”
“I think you were the one who was inconsiderate,” Lord Crawley said, mildly. “Despite all that she faced, her demeanor did not change for even a moment. She remained strong in her stance but quite proper throughout your conversation.”
“You sound as though you admire her.”
Lord Crawley chuckled and Samuel’s heart burned. “In your heart of hearts, you must know that everything she said was quite fair. You must also know that I agree that you ought to be considering matters with a good deal more seriousness, now that you know there are so many ladies residing within these walls.”
Samuel shook his head. “I saw none of that. I think she was naught but impertinent!” His lip curled. “I asked her to do me the smallest favour and she responded to me inthatmanner? Most impolite!”
Lord Crawley looked away, evidently choosing to stay silent and Samuel’s anger grew stronger. “You think I ought not to have asked her such a thing, do you not?” he stated, his eyes narrowing a little.
“I am not one to lecture others on how they ought to conduct themselves, Dartmoor.” Lord Crawley shrugged his shoulders and began to wander away, perhaps going in search of a maid. “You have done as you see fit. I am not here to judge.”
“But you judge me silently,” Samuel snapped, his anger boiling over towards Lord Crawley himself. “Bear in mind that I have donenothingto encourage this situation. On the evening in question, I made quite certain Lord Haddington truly wished to make such a bet. What else was I to do? Should I have thrown down my cards and refused to accept such an offering?”
“Recall that I was not present that evening,” his friend answered calmly, the quietness of his voice attempting to steal some of the anger away from his Samuel. “This is your situation. I shall attempt to support you in whichever course of action you decide to take though I will make it clear when I do not agree with you. Ah, you there!” Lord Crawley put out one hand, startling a maid who had clearly been attempting to make her way to whichever room she had duties in next without being seen. “Send the butler to us at once.”
The maid stared at him for a moment, then seemed to realise what she was doing, dropped her head and scurried away without making a single sound.
“A great many changes shall have to be made, mark my words,” Samuel exclaimed, shaking one finger in Lord Crawley’s direction as though he were somehow responsible for theproblems that were now foisted upon him. “I had thought this house would have been emptied of everything pertaining to Lord Haddington’s family by now—his mother and sisters included! Now, it seems, I am faced with large and unwelcome burden, which Lord Haddington is solely responsible for. His mother and his sisters are not my responsibility and he shall have to make arrangements for them just as soon as he can. This house shall be emptied of all that the Haddington family possess and I shall lay claim to it, as is my right. I shall not be swayed with words nor emotion. Lord Haddington is the one at fault here, not I.”
Samuel, his emotions rattling through him, set his jaw and stood as tall as he could. This was his house now, a house that he had won in a game and was not about to give up simply because it was asked of him. He wanted to be seen in the very best light in all of society, wanted to be known as the richest gentleman in all of England andthiswas one way to go about it. To have more property meant to earn more respect and consideration from thetonafter the disgraceful way his father had behaved in his later years. That admiration and respect was all Samuel required.
The Haddington house was his.
Chapter Three
“And are you going to introduce us to your friend?” Both unable and unwilling to hide the ice from her voice, Florentina looked first at Lord Crawley and then at the gentleman who sat next to him in the lavish, dimly lit drawing room of Haddington Manor. She was well aware that this was the Duke of Dartmoor, yet, given that he had not extended the courtesy of introducing himself earlier that day, she had no desire to offer him any sort of respect. That, she considered, had to be earned and he had given her no reason to give it.
“To my friend?” Lord Crawley glanced to the Duke and then back to Florentina. “Ah, yes, of course.”
She had time to consider him now as Lord Crawley introduced the Duke of Dartmoor to them all. The fellow was broad shouldered, with dark hair falling across one side of his forehead and a heavy gaze that shifted about the room, unwilling, it seemed, to rest on any of them for more than a single moment. He had a rather long face with a square jaw and yet there was something distinguished about him. Disliking that awareness, she bristled when their gazes caught for a moment, feeling the same coil of anger in her stomach still lingering from their previous conversation.
Mayhap Lord Crawley will be able to convince his friend to reconsider the situation. Mayhap he has a milder, kinder character than the Duke of Dartmoor.She closed her eyes for a moment, tears behind them.Or mayhap we are all ruined.
Having made the introduction, Lord Crawley snapped his mouth shut and then lifted his shoulders in a half shrug, glancing toward the Duke. The Duke of Dartmoor, however, remained silent, his gaze still wandering, his shoulders slightly hunched as he swallowed.
Florentina too, said nothing. Keeping her lips tight together, she gazed back steadily at the Duke, wondering if he would have anything to say. When he did not, her gaze went to her mother. Lady Haddington was sitting quietly in her chair, looking more dignified than Florentina had ever seen her. She sat with her shoulders back and her head held high, her hands settled gently in her lap but with a fixed, unrelenting gaze that did not leave the Duke for even a moment. Her face was white, her cheeks almost bloodless, but she did not let a single tear fall to her cheek despite the moisture Florentina could see in her eyes.
“I had very little idea that any of you were present here.” Eventually, the Duke’s deep voice broke this silence as he took a seat opposite Lady Haddington, his friend following suit. “I can assure you of that, at the very least.”
“That will make very little difference toyou, however.” At last, Lady Haddington spoke although her posture and expression remained absolute, save for one eyebrow that lifted just a little. “You fully intend to take ownership of this house, do you not? Despite the fact that my daughters and I still reside here?”
