Page 7 of The Wolf and the Wildflower
The duchess continued, “After much pleading, the duke conceded to take a few baths in milk then rosewater to soften his skin. I daresay it did not help. His teeth have been cleaned with lime pulps, salt, and then dental powder. The doctors reported his teeth were all miraculously well intact with none missing and gave the appearance that the duke had somehow tended to them in that icy wilderness. Though my son has allowed his hair to be groomed and untangled, he will not permit it to be trimmed. It flows past his shoulders, though he thankfully ties it in a queue.”
“Why try and force him to cut it?”
The duchess appeared astonished that Jules had even asked.
The duchess’s lips thinned. “I am certain you understand it is terribly inconvenient for the duke to appear so in society. His appearance will fuel the gossipmongering, but he is immune to those reasonings from myself, his grandmother, his sister…well, fromeveryone.”
“Is the duke amused by your suggestions?” Jules asked, trying to craft an initial impression of the duke’s character.
“No, further from it. He is…at best indifferent.”
“May I have more of his description?”
A fond smile crossed her lips. “His eyes are a perfect replica of his father’s…an arctic color of such unusual beauty, more gray than blue. They no longer gleam with laughter or gentleness. They are unfathomable except for those moments where I see the savagery behind the veil. He spends most of his time outdoors deep inside the forest of his land, but I cannot imagine what he does out there. Ilovemy son, but I find his manners barbaric and unacceptable.”
Savagery. Jules didn’t understand the odd manner in which her heart jerked or the shakiness of her fingers. The picture drawn by the duchess…it did not repel her senses; in truth she was compelled…fascinated. And an odd part of her wasn’t sure if it was the budding scientist inside her or the hidden woman.
She recoiled from the thought, lurching to stand, almost stumbling to the mantle and the decanter of brandy.Why would I even dare to think such a ridiculous thing?Any sort of relationship for Jules was unthinkable. Her entire life was an elaborate deception with unimaginable consequences should it ever be uncovered.
A few years ago, she had thought about finding a way to reveal to society the truth of her existence. She had spent months pondering the benefits of living a life as a lady, of knowing about wooing, about kissing a gentleman, of falling in love, of having children, and of needlepoint, playing the pianoforte and all the other delicate arts her sister attended to with such keen joy.
Then Jules had thought about the life she enjoyed, the freedom to enter a tavern to drink a pint of ale, to walk without being watched by a chaperone, to ride astride, to be…free—and she had decided to take her ruse to an even greater level and attend university.
All desire for those fleeting feminine yearnings had been buried and had never once resurfaced. Not even when her schoolmates had tried to convince her of the wonders of kissing and tupping. They had thought her a man, but the woman in her had not been curious.
Why now, and for a figure that was so ephemeral?
It is ridiculous, and I am giving it too much importance.
The duchess’s gaze swept the room. “Will you take this case, Dr. Southby?”
Her father hesitated slightly.
“I am willing to compensate you quite handsomely,” the duchess said, lifting her chin. “And the Queen herself mentioned you in conversation, of course.”
Jules’s heart pounded and she understood her father’s pondering. The entire situation was unusual and of high significance. It was her father’s head and his family on the executioner’s block should his expertise yield no result.
Her father fiddled with the pen clutched between his fingers. “Does your son understand he is the duke, your hopeful expectations of him, and his duty to his title and to this realm?”
“I cannot tell,” the duchess said, her eyes growing teary, “and it is a question the entirety of society, the queen, and his family need to know the answer to. In short, Dr. Southby, it is a question which must be answered without any doubt. ”
Her father stood and bowed. “It will be our pleasure to offer assistance in any way we can, Your Grace.”
An odd and unknown sensation jolted through Jules. It felt almost like fear. The notion was laughable, but Jules suddenly felt should she travel to Hertfordshire with her father, something about her life might be forever altered.
Chapter Two
“A marriage is a necessity at this critical juncture. Surely you see that, Uncle Hubert!” Cousin Eugenia said in a dramatic whisper.
“Can we really not convince him to cut his hair? He has been home for a month now. It is quite unfashionable, and I declare he is as close to a savage as possible! Everyone will be speaking about this, whatever are we to do?” Aunt Margaret replied in a tone laced with despair.
“Surely a dance tutor,”said Cousin Eloise. “Nothing says everything is well as dancing.Should he stand up with a few ladies, I am certain society would see all is well, indeed.”
James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton, had never heard anything so ludicrous. Yet he did not turn from his position by the balustrade, as he overlooked the night, ignoring the facile chatter echoing in the drawing room of his country manor. A small part of him wondered if his family did not perceive his presence or if the stillness that he’d learned to cloak himself with to survive made them pretend he was not there.
No, not them, my family.
Still little to no feelings wafted through James at the thought of the dozen or so people crowded in the drawing room. News of his arrival in Hertfordshire had somehow preceded his presence. James had only been home for a few days before they had descended on the stately country home, all cackling over themselves to “help” him find the essence of himself. They flocked to his home to study him, to dissect his every thought and action.
