Page 12 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
“Yes, and I would appreciate a reprieve so I shall do whatever it takes to get one,” James said, then realising exactly what he had suggested, he furrowed his brow and added, “Within reason.”
The elation on his aunt's face suggested he had won her over. When she jumped up and said, “It looks as though my work here is done,” James could only feel so much relief. He knew it would not be too long before she came knocking upon his door again, still unsatisfied with his attempts at courtship, no doubt insisting that he choose a woman and be done with it.
Yet when there were so many out there like Lady Florence, how could he find himself a true diamond?
Chapter 5
The library had become a refuge for Melody long ago, just as the branches of the willow tree in the garden had. And she often liked to sit in the window seat to read.
Sitting with the window open, she liked to listen to the birds twittering and out of the corner of her eye she would watch the bees buzzing over the flowerheads in the window bed just beyond her.
The warm smells of summer mixed with a good romance novel were always enough to raise her spirits. At least, they were usually. But today, she felt as though nothing would be able to cheer her up no matter what she tried.
Already, she had been out to the willow tree, even sitting in the rose garden to watch the wild pheasants that liked to wander through, watching a mating pair as they went about their business, the male sticking close to its mate as though it were always on the lookout for danger, always ready to protect.
And Melody wished that she might one day be able to find such a partner, a man who was willing to always be on alert, always protective, always at her side. She had read about it enough in her novels and more so than ever she was beginning to wish that she weren’t quite so untouchable.
With a deep sigh, she closed her book upon her thumb and leaned her head back against the cool wood of the panelled wall. Closing her eyes, she imagined what it might be like to finally have a romance of her own. She could almost imagine someone throwing a stone at the open window, to get her attention, or maybe even whispering to her under their breath.
And then she would look down and find him standing there, dark-haired and handsome and all hers, willing to offer her his heart for the same in return, expectant of nothing else.
As she imagined it, as she had imagined similar situations before, she realised that for the first time her handsome suitor had a face. Usually, in her dreams and her daydreams she would see her man, she would know him, and her soul would recognise him, but she would never actually be able toseehis face.
But today she pictured him as clearly as if he were a real man standing before her, preparing to bestow upon her love’s most treasured words. And her heart raced to realise that she recognised his face all too well.
The duke!
No, that couldn’t be possible. Of course, she had danced with him several days earlier but that was the most interaction she had ever shared with him. Until that day she had only ever been able to admire him from afar just as many other women were forced to do.
She was just trying to push all thoughts of the man from her mind when the sound of someone knocking upon the library door caused her to jump. She was so startled that she almost dropped her book.
Hurrying into an upright position, she grabbed her bookmark and slipped it into the book, hiding it behind her back just moments before her mother opened the door. Though her mother would never judge her for whatever she was reading, Melody had long since learned not to let her mother know that she so often dreamt of love and romance, two things that were entirely off limits to her as the daughter of a scandal.
It was already clear to her that both of her parents felt some remorse for their relationship, if only for what they had put her through in what they considered to be her short life.
“There you are,” her mother said, stepping into the library almost cautiously. “I have been looking for you all over. I do hope I am not disturbing you.”
“Oh, of course not, mama,” Melody responded, shaking her head. Dropping her legs down over the side of the window seat, she slipped her feet back into her shoes and stood, adjusting her gown where she had ruffled it while she had been sitting. “Was there something you wanted me to help you with?”
Her mother smiled at her warmly and shook her head before replying, “You have been quite…subdued the last few days and I just wondered whether there might be something you might wish to talk about?”
She looked at Melody inquisitively with the same storm-grey eyes that Melody had inherited. Though her hair was also going silver-grey it still had the same red hue as Melody’s, leaving people even more unwilling to forget where Melody had come from.
With one so strikingly beautiful as her mother, Melody had often wondered whether many of the noblewomen were simply jealous of her mother and the fact that she had managed to get herself married off to the second son of an earl.
She only wished that her own fair looks had a weightier influence upon how people treated her. Maybe then they would be able to look past the situation of her birth and simply see her for her.
Stop it,she snapped at herself deciding it was better not to think on such things. To her mother, she said, “I am fine.”
Her mother raised one red brow and looked a little more closely at her. Stepping closer, she asked, “Are you certain there is nothing that you wish to talk about?”
Melody shook her head though it was clear that her mother was still not entirely convinced.
“You have been sulking about for days now and you have barely been speaking at mealtimes,” her mother insisted. She came closer still and Melody struggled to meet her mother’s gaze when she reached up and stroked her cheek. “Your father and I are worried.”
Melody hated it when her mother said such things. She didn’t like worrying either of her parents. And she couldn’t look her in the eye now knowing that she was lying.
Melody reached for her mother’s hand and pulled it away from her face. Holding it in both of hers, she squeezed gently and said, “There is nothing for either of you to worry about.”
