Page 8 of The Duke's Tempting Widow
“I shall no-”
“I will not take no for an answer.” William said, suddenly in a hurry to leave so that he would be afforded the last word in their conversation. “I will summon you at times of my choosing and I shall be most cross with you if you deny me. You know that I do not ask you for much, and so you must come!”
Weston knew that he would have to. If William had truly decided to rejoin thetonthis season, there had to be a goodreason. Despite the way that he seemed rather outgoing and forward spoken in private, Weston knew the truth. In crowds of any size, William had trouble getting even the shortest of sentences out.
It was not that his mind could not produce worthy conversation, as Weston found the man to be very intelligent and charming. It was simply the fact that he became impossibly shy around those that he was not comfortable with. The balls in question that Weston was going to be ‘forced’ to, were no doubt going to be the only way that William would find the courage to attend.
Perhaps he had decided that it was time for himself to take a wife. It would make sense that he wished Weston to finally do the same so that they could embark on that journey together.
But Weston knew in his heart that his attentions always drifted back to that one woman from so many years ago.
Over the years that have passed, he has had many lovers that furthered the reputation that he had of being a bit of a rake. It was not something that he was going to deny, and he certainly was not ashamed of it.
But there was a large difference between finding a woman to pass the time with and finding one whom he wished to spend the daytime hours with. It was not as if he and the masked woman had even exchanged anything revolutionary in the short hours they spent together, but there was something about herthat sparked something inside of him. Something that he had not felt before or since.
He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out the handkerchief that his mystery brunette had dropped all of those years ago. The two letters embroidered at the bottom corner in pale pink were the only hint that he had ever had about her true identity. For years he had wished that he had a chance to redo that night in a way that would not have had her called away so abruptly. Women were never so forward with him, least of all the women of theton. She had been... refreshing. Weston did not have many regrets in his life, but not having more time with that fiery woman? That was one of the biggest.
“William?” Weston called out, knowing that his friend had not gotten too far.
Sure enough, the man popped his head around the corner. “Yes?”
“How about we strike up a deal? Accompany me to the north, and I shall agree to accompany you on your outings.”
William beamed. “You have yourself a deal!”
Chapter 4
Coming home was supposed to have been a comfort.
The carriage ride had been cramped and uncomfortable. They had been stopped by every delay known to man as well as had to endure annoying questions about not traveling with a man by the innkeeper that they had been forced to stop at halfway in their journey. As if it were not obvious by the three girls wearing black as to just why they might not be traveling with a man.
Lydia was sick and tired of hearing all the things that she needed a man to do.
She did not need a man. She was going to prove it.
She had no ideahowshe was going to prove it, but she was wholly determined. Every hour of the drive, the girls complained softly of their hunger or how uncomfortable the carriage ride was or how tired they were or how much they missed their father. Lydia needed space to breathe for herself, but there was still so much to do.
She practically had to carry Juliet out of the carriage and into the house when she arrived. It was so early in the morningthat the sky was still dark all around them. The staff was in the middle of preparations and not standing outside to greet them as they had arrived earlier than planned.
When the housekeeper rushed outside to assist her with the girls and to help them back into bed or a warm bath, Lydia was happy to let them go. At least they would be able to be surrounded by familiar comforts during this transitional period. They would get to sleep in their own beds in their own rooms. They had all of their toys and books so at least that should bring some comfort. At least until the duke arrived.
Even Kitty seemed to be more at ease here as she stumbled from the carriage. She gave her sister a brief hug before Kitty staggered, yawning, into the house. But Lydia lingered in the foyer, absorbing the house that she had worked so hard to make her home.
She had put forth so much time and effort into making this feel not so cold and drafty as it had seemed when she moved in. Now there were bright flowers everywhere and colorful paintings on the walls. The tapestries and rugs were warm and inviting and soft to the touch.
Would the duke, whoever he truly was, get rid of all of those touches? Would he make the place barren once more?
Those were problems for another time. For now, Lydia allowed herself to breathe in the familiar scents of her home as she wound her way up the stairs slowly toward her room. Shepaused before her door, and turned her focus down the hall to where Jacob’s bedroom and office were.
The door to his office was still ajar, no doubt from the cat that he refused to admit he adored coming in and out of the space. The gray tabby loved nothing more than to sit in the middle of his paperwork when he was home. Though, Lydia had not seen the feline since Jacob’s passing. She did not often come into the office when Lydia was working in there.
His bedroom, however, was a place that she very infrequently visited. It was the only room that had not been changed since she moved in after their wedding. It was the most ‘Jacob’ room in the house in that it only housed functional items.
Even in his office there was but one short bookcase that held reference texts and the extensive journals that he kept to document his travels. Despite bringing back gifts for the girls from all over the world, Jacob was not a collector of trinkets or anything other than experiences.
When he was around, he could always be counted on for a good story.
That was the true warmth that he brought to the home.
