Page 10 of The Duke's Tempting Widow
She had a point.
The duke spun; his light brown eyes locked on hers as if daring her to look away first. She could already tell this was to be a battle of wills. He would soon come to find out that she did not tolerate being spoken to in such condescending terms, and she was far more stubborn than he could ever hope to be.
The duke’s brow arched, his lips twisting upward in a smirk because he knew that she had no choice but to give in.
“Very well,” Lydia conceded. “We have had a long journey, Your Grace, and we had only just started to re-acclimate ourselves after the journey. Perhaps we could discuss the upcoming days over dinner this evening?”
“I hope that you have a good cook here, I have elevated taste,” the duke said.
“You ought to go upstairs and get some rest, Kitty. I will follow shortly.”
Kitty squeezed her hand softly, and then bowed to the duke who still seemed not able to see her.
The moment that Kitty was out of the room, she rounded on the duke. “You know, I have always heard that all men eventually let their titles run away with them. A case of overly inflated ego is almost inevitable.”
“Excuse me?” The duke said, his smirk falling right off of his face. “I shall forgive your impertinence only once, young lady, I suggest that you march right up those stairs.”
“I will not be spoken to like a child in my own home, Your Grace. Nor do I think that our business can wait for dinner.”
The man laughed bitterly. “I do not think that there is anything that a woman could possibly have to say on the matters of business?”
“When they concern my home and my children’s futures? I have a great deal to say.” Lydia countered.
The duke all but rolled his eyes at her, snapping his fingers in the direction of the small drink cart positioned near the wall.
Lydia saw red. She was not to be commanded around like a dog, nor was she a servant in this household.
But then something caught her eye—just there on the second tier of the card was a small blue bottle with Jacob’s laudanum in it. Perhaps there was something that she was able to do about her future.
Her hands moved without fear of consequence. Behind her, she could hear the duke snort with pleasure that she was doing as she was told. She brought him a fresh whiskey, strong enough to mask the subtle scent of the tonic. Licking his lips wetly, he opened his mouth to speak again—but no words came out.
Within moments, the man collapsed to the floor with a thud. Unconscious.
Lydia had never been so tempted to kick a man in her life.
Now she just needed to figure out what the hell to do with him. More than that, she needed to ensure that nobody was going to see anything suspicious.
Then the heavy front doors opened down the hall, and she heard her butler greeting at least two men, ushering them into the house. She needed to do something quickly.Think, Lydia, think.Only her now panicked mind was drawing a complete and utter blank.
Lydia swore. “Double damn.”
Chapter 5
“It’s charming!” William gushed as he walked into the home as if it were his own. He started touching things right away. Something that Weston knew he likely should discourage, but he could not bring himself to do so.
He was merely happy to stretch his legs properly after such a long ride. He had yet to find a proper carriage that was built for a man of his height and size. He had almost been tempted to ride his personal horse the whole way. But it would have taken far longer to get anything accomplished.
Though, William did have a point. From the long-shaded drive and massive oak trees blocking the majority of the property from view, Weston could easily see the appeal. It was abundantly obvious as to why his cousin was so fond of this property.
The house was a good size, and he was fairly certain he saw an adequate stable right on the main property. With the woods so close, there would be plenty of space to have a hunting cabin installed if there was not one already.
“I beg your pardon, sir, what did you say your business here was?”
“Look, Your Grace, come and see this painting! I have never seen anything quite like it!” William said, inviting himself further down the hall.
Weston ignored him, and turned to face the butler with a polite smile. “I see that my letter did not reach you in time for preparations to be made, I do apologize for that. I am Weston Howard, Duke of Somerfield.”
He inclined his head politely, showing respect to the butler for the important position that he held. Weston had taken great care in choosing the staff for his own estate as he needed to be able to completely trust every single member If he were to spend an extended amount of time here, then he was going to have to make sure that he did not rub them the wrong way. He needed them far too much for that.
