Page 2 of The Odd Riddle of the Lost Duchess
The children saw an adolescent boy walking towards them. Emmeline recognized her brother, George.
“It is late, what are you doing…?” George’s voice trailed.
Her brother scrutinized the stranger before him. Remembering her manners, Emmeline hastily made introductions.
George’s eyes widened at Noah’s name. He greeted the boy curtly and then pulled his sister’s hand strongly. “Come, Emmeline, Mother will be angry.”
Dragged most of the way to the mansion, Emmeline finally managed to yank her arm from George’s painful grasp. “George, whatever is the matter with you?”
George halted before the gates of the Grant country home.
“Emmeline,” his face was flushed with anger. “Do not ever speak to that boy again. He is a Fitzroy!”
Emmeline was aghast at her brother’s tone. “What?”
“The Fitzroys have been our enemies for generations! Do you not listen to Grandfather’s stories?” George scowled.
Her grandfather was prone to tell old-winded stories and it was the truth that she found them quite boring, so most of what he said passed over her head. Yawning, Emmeline shrugged. “Sometimes.”
However, she was a tad disturbed. She really had liked Noah.
Chapter 1
An Encounter in the Library
Scents of sweet jasmine, roses, and damp earth wafted in the surrounding air of Croxton House in London. The gardens were a masterpiece. Small fountains were situated centrally in circular clearings, while elaborately-trimmed hedges flanked various concealed benches and beds of exotic flowers. One could aimlessly wander in its confines for a breath of fresh air, or meet in a hidden corner for a tryst
Lady Emmeline Grant, sister of George, The Duke of Leverton, was certain that a couple was indulged in the latter activity, as soft murmurs and light giggles erupted in the bushes behind her. Shaking her head, she reasoned that it had to be a brave lady–or an incredibly foolish one–to carry out an affair under the keen scrutiny of theton.
Emmeline merely had to wear an unpopular hue of a gown to cause them to shake their heads with ill-concealed disdain, making her subject to their barbs of how she constantly dismissed the rules of current fashion.
She, however, was personally satisfied, even though her current gown of gold was not at all fashionable for young debutantes. She had tired of the pale pastels that were deemed appropriate for her age. Despite the raised eyebrows and thinly-veiled comments, her dance card had been full.
Light giggles, deep male laughter, melodious music, and idle chatter echoed from the doors leading into the ballroom.
She walked to a bench near a fountain, closing her eyes as she leaned against the cool tree trunk behind her. Her feet ached from dancing with all the eligible bachelors her aunt had managed to introduce to her. She slipped the satin gold gloves off her arms and flexed her numb fingers.
It had been quite difficult escaping from her chaperone, her aunt, Lady Alford. It was not considered appropriate to be wandering alone in the gardens, but Emmeline had planned to meet her friend Ann there and was extremely tired of tolerating the nonsensical social chatter in the ballroom beyond.
“One would expect to find a male companion with you in the gardens, My Lady.”
The voice was a pleasant deep baritone, causing her tired senses to jar awake–as she knew that voice, but despised it.
Emmeline opened her eyes to pinpoint the carrier. The voice belonged to a tall man, who was leaning against a tree to her right. His form was barely visible in the faint moonlight, but the fiery point of a lit cigar waving in the air anchored him to the spot.
She wondered whether she should walk to another area of the garden, for she craved solitude and was not in for another bout of jousting with this particular man–Noah, theDukeof Newberry. “One would expect to find some relief from social chatter in the confines of a garden,” Emmeline said huffily.
The boy she had met twelve years ago on her estate had grown to a man, with hair that seemed to be ever windswept, and dark gray eyes that had taken on a mocking light whenever the two met.
When she was younger, Emmeline had not known or cared about the feud between her family and Newberry’s. In fact, she still didn’t care much for it–it wasNoahthat aggravated her nerves.
The man was much too…smug for her liking. Having been educated at Oxford, and a professed bibliophile, the Duke had become the bane to her existence whenever they met in London, even as she did her best to ignore him.
He, however, made sure to notice and aggravate her. The two had met at an assembly in London, three months after a prior meet. He had snidely quoted from Shakespeare’sMuch Ado About Nothing,pushing Emmeline into the position of playing Beatrice to his Benedick by his recitation, “What, my dear Lady Disdain, are you yet living?”
Bristling with anger, Emmeline had replied, quoting from the same play, “Is it possible Disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signor Fitzroy? Courtesy itself must convert to Didain if you come in her presence.”
Emmeline never quite understood her standing with this man as, truly, she didn’t know much of men. She did know, however, that when she was within ten feet of him her insides would start to flutter.
