Duke 0f Chance (Regency Stories Book 2) Page 15

  “Hannah,” he said as a sigh escaped his lips. “I apologize for keeping you. Your father tends to go on and does not allow one to leave.”

  Hannah giggled. “He is known for that,” she said. Looking into his eyes, she wanted to tell him at that very moment how she felt for him, but with so many people around, she had to bite her tongue to keep the words from spouting forth.

  He, however, gazed down at her without worry of those around them. “Without a doubt, there is no woman in all the world who is as beautiful as you.”

  Oh, how she wished he would pick her up and carry her outside where she could proclaim her undying love for him. “There is something…” Breathing had become difficult and her heart beat a steady drum against her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I have been needing to tell you something.”

  “Of course,” he said, and Hannah felt herself lost in his eyes, the need to share with him so great, she thought she might cry.

  “Might we slip away to somewhere more private?” she asked.

  He seemed surprised by the request but smiled and replied, “yes, of course. The veranda?”

  She nodded and they made their way past the small groups of people. As they passed Lord Whitely, the man put his hand on Joseph’s arm to stop him.

  He raised his glass, his stance unsteady, and said, “A fine party, don’t you think?” His grin went from ear to ear. “Can you believe it has been three months since our bet?”

  Hannah, confused by the words the man spoke, stared at him.

  Joseph, however, easily found words. “Whitely, you speak out of turn,” he hissed with narrowed eyes for the man. Hannah feared the two would begin to fight, Joseph was that angry.

  “My apologies, Your Grace,” the man said with an unsteady—and quite mocking!—bow. “Perhaps we should talk alone as gentleman do so we might settle our wager?”

  Hannah turned to look at Joseph, questions plaguing her mind. Three months since their bet? It was also three months this night that she had made a wager with him, as well. A toss of a coin, in fact.

  “Forgive me,” Joseph said as he kissed her hand. “I must speak to Lord Whitely alone. I shall return soon and we can resume our discussion.”

  Hannah nodded as the two men walked away and exited the room. Could it be simple coincidence that two bets had been made at the same time? Yet, did Miss Treesing not say that it was commonplace for Joseph to wager with anyone at any time? Perhaps Hannah was simply concerned for no reason.

  She spotted Miss Treesing off in the corner beside a large fern, her back to the party. That was strange. Hannah went over to see if something was bothering the woman and was surprised when Miss Treesing turned to show wetness on her cheeks.

  “What is wrong?” Hannah asked, glad that no one else was near enough to hear. “What has upset you so?”

  “It is that horrid Whitely and Joseph,” she said as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I thought I knew them better.”

  “What do you mean? What has happened?”

  She sighed. “Apparently they made a bet several months ago…”

  “Yes, I know. They are going to settle it now.”

  “Do you not realize what the bet was?” Her eyes pierced Hannah’s, forcing Hannah to take as step back.

  “I do not.” Why would she know the conditions of a wager made by two men she had not known at that time? It made no sense why this woman should expect her to know.

  “The wager was you,” she said simply. “They made a wager over you.”

  The room began to spin around Hannah, and she had to grab a nearby table to keep herself from falling to the floor.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to have to share that with you.” The expected sympathy was lacking, but Hannah took little notice.

  “No,” Hannah whispered. “That cannot be true.” Then she turned on the woman she had thought of as a friend. “You lie!” She was not sure why she was taking her anger out on a woman who had befriended her, but she was the only person there. She would have to make her apologies later, but her anger was too much to stem at the moment.

  “I do not,” Miss Treesing said defensively. “The coin he used when he made his wager with you? It is a double-sided coin. It has the same image on both sides—that of a skull. He uses a sleight-of-hand to switch out the original coin for the fake before he throws it in the air.”

  “But why?” Hannah asked as tears filled her eyes. “What could they wager about me?”

  “To get people of the ton to accept you as one of their own.”

  “That makes no sense,” she said absently. “He knows I care nothing for what the ton thinks of me.”

  Miss Treesing shrugged. “All I know is that you were a pawn in their little game, and I’m ashamed to have defended either of them.”

  Hannah turned and looked at all the guests who had come and she realized she need not have worried that any of them were listening, for none even gave her a curious glance. Although the words Miss Treesing spoke hurt her, Hannah could not accept them as truth. She would find out what the real truth was herself.

  Without saying anything more to Miss Treesing, she hurried across the room and out into the hallway. Light leaked from beneath the closed doors of the room her father used as an office, and she tiptoed to the door. She did not have to press her ear to the door, for she could hear Lord Whitely and Joseph as clearly as if she were in the room with them.

  “I don’t care what you say,” Lord Whitely said in icy tones, “the ton has not accepted her as one of their own, just as I predicted.”

  Hannah fought back tears. What Miss Treesing had said was true. They had made a bet, a silly wager, and she was the object of that wager.

  “You may have fooled her with that coin of yours, but it had nothing to do with our wager. The Duke of Chance has lost; it’s about time you paid what’s owed.”

  “I will have the deed delivered to you tomorrow,” Joseph said. The sadness in his voice was strong. “Not a word of this to anyone. Do you understand?”

  Shaking, Hannah walked away as hot tears gushed forth. Her legs felt heavy, but somehow she managed to make it to the foyer where her mother rushed to her side.

  “Hannah?” she asked. “What is it?”

  “I’m not feeling well, Mother,” she said. Not an untruth, for her stomach was in knots and she felt as if she could vomit her dinner. “I need to rest and be left alone.”

  “Do you want me to help you to bed?” the woman asked, concern etched in her tone and on her face.

  Hannah shook her head and made her way to her room where she threw herself on the bed and wept into her pillow until the tears would no longer come. How could the Duke be so cruel? And how could she have fallen for his kind words?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Joseph clenched his fist in anger as Albert continued to talk. They were in Mr. Newmont’s office, and Joseph had already scolded Albert for his choice of words in front of Hannah.

  “It will not happen again,” Albert said with a sigh, though for some reason, Joseph did not believe him. “But I don’t care what you say, the ton does not accept her as one of their own, just as I predicted. The man smiled, but Joseph did not return it. “You may have fooled her with that coin of yours, but it had nothing to do with our wager. The Duke of Chance has lost; it’s about time you paid what’s owed.”

  Joseph nodded. At this point, all he wished to do was end this fiasco. “I will have the deed delivered tomorrow,” he said. “Not a word of this to anyone. Do you understand?”

  Albert lifted his hand. “Not a word.”

  “No one. Is that clear? And especially not Hannah.”

  Albert narrowed his eyes. “You have fallen for her!” he asked in disgust. Then he laughed, even though Joseph had made no comment. “Miss Hannah Newmont? Oh, that is rich!”

  Joseph took a step closer to the man who had been his friend since childhood. “I have devel
oped feelings for Hannah, yes, and I will not tolerate even the smallest of hints about what transpired between us being revealed to her.” When Albert showed no signs that the laughter would stop, he took another step forward, his nose almost touching Albert’s. “I mean what I say. We are friends, and I value that, but Hannah is much more important to me.”

  Albert stopped laughing and sighed. “I will never tell another living soul,” he said with great reluctance. “Though I have to ask. What is it in the woman you see? She dresses only slightly better than a woman of the lower class, and although I admit she is beautiful, she is not from a titled family.” Then the corners of his lips rose a fraction and his eyes narrowed. “I understand now,” he said, waving an admonishing finger at Joseph. “She has allowed you to take her virtue! Perhaps all women are all the same.”

  Anger like nothing Joseph had ever experienced in his life came crashing down on him, and he grabbed Albert by the shirt and pulled him close enough to feel the man’s breath on his face. “That is the woman I love you speak of,” he said through clenched teeth. “I dare you to repeat such words again.”

  The man’s face reddened and he reached up and pulled Joseph’s hand away. “What is wrong with you, man? You are a duke! You have grown weak over that woman.”

  “No,” Joseph stated with a firmness that came from deep in his soul. “I have grown wiser. The coin flips, the way I have conducted business with blatant disrespect for those who have struggled, it is all going to end as of now.”

  “That is up to you,” Albert said as he headed to the doors. “Her father is failing in his pathetic attempts to please the ton here tonight. I have already begun the paperwork to secure his estate when he sells.”

  “You seek his estate to settle a debt?” Joseph asked with surprise that he should not have felt.

  The smile his friend wore had a wickedness Joseph had never seen on him before. Yet, as he considered this, he realized that that was not the truth. Had he not done the same in the past? The thought that he had made him feel ill.

  Albert, however, had no reservations about what he had done. “The man owes m, and I’m not the only one. There’s no time for him to pay off his debt to me, and I will not wait forever. Neither will anyone else.”

  Joseph thought for a few moments and then said, “Then extend some mercy. The man is at least making attempts, for God’s sake.”

  “No. I will not become the pathetic fool you have become.”

  “Then I believe we have nothing more to say to one another,” Joseph said as he straightened his stance. “At least in terms of business.”

  “It goes further than that,” Albert said with a sneer. “I do not wish to socialize with that woman if she is by your side. You are welcome to allow her to embarrass you, but I will not agree to allow it to happen to me.” With that, the man turned and left the room, leaving Joseph to stare after him, shaking his head. A sting of sadness came over him, for the two had been friends for so many years, he regretted the loss. However, a true friend did not walk away from someone for the reasons the man stated.

  Letting out a frustrated breath, he went to find Hannah. She had been waiting to tell him something, and he wanted the chance to tell her something, as well.

  ***

  Joseph stood at the end of the hallway. Jenny, a helper from the kitchen, had gone in search of Hannah, who he learned at retired to her room due to illness. Her mother had assured him it was nothing with which to concern himself; however, he could not help but worry. That worry increased as Hannah came walking toward him, her eyes puffy as if she had been crying, and her dress disheveled.

  “Hannah?” he asked as he looked her over. “What is wrong?”

  “I am not feeling well,” she whispered. “Perhaps I drank too much wine. Regardless, I need to rest.”

  “Of course,” he said, glancing over to see the servant who had gone in search of Hannah standing with her hands on her hips, clearly unhappy that he was detaining her mistress. “Are you certain everything is fine? You wanted to tell me something earlier.”

  She nodded. “I just wanted to remind you that the three months for our agreement are over.”

  “Yes,” he said with a laugh. “Though we are not…”

  “That means the end of this courtship,” she snapped as if she had a sudden burst of energy. “It has been an experience from which I would like to move on.”

  The abruptness of her words made him take a step back. “I don’t understand. We spoke about continuing with the courtship even after the three months were completed. I thought something had grown between us.”

  She shook her head, though her eyes filled with tears. “No. There was never anything between us,” she said,. “You should return to the party. Take care, Joseph.” Then she turned to walk away.

  He reached out and placed his hand on her arm. “Tell me, what have I done wrong? I can change it for you. Whatever it is, I will make it right.”

  His heart sank even further when she replied, “There are some things that cannot be made right. Please, never speak to me again.”

  And with that, she walked away, the maid on her heels.

  Joseph stood in that spot for several minutes trying to comprehend what had happened. Feeling sick, he turned and headed back to the party. Perhaps if he gave her time, she would be willing to tell him what had happened. Yet, somehow, doubt plagued him that such a thing would happen.

  ***

  With heavy feet, Joseph walked down the steps from the veranda that led to the small garden. When he reached the bottom, a voice called out to him. He turned to see Margaret rushing up to him.

  “Oh, Joseph,” she said, throwing herself into his arms. “Albert has left and he told me I had to choose between him and you. What has happened?”

  He lightly pushed her away. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at tears in her eyes. “He came back to me after you two left the room. He said that he was no longer your friend and that I needed to choose between you two.”

  “What did you tell him?” Joseph asked, knowing his words were sharper than they should have been but he cared not at this point. He did not want to lose yet another important person in his life, but without Hannah, what did any of it matter?

  “I told him that your arguments are between you two,” she replied. “And that I will remain your friend.” She looked down at the ground. “That was when he told me I had betrayed him and that my family and I are no longer welcome around him.” She burst out into tears, and Joseph pulled her into his arms.

  “I must admit that my night has not gone much better,” he said into her hair.

  She pulled away. “Why is that?”

  “Hannah has ended our courtship.”

  “No!” she said with a gasp. “That cannot be! Let me speak to her, for I can speak wisdom and stop this madness.” She went to walk away, but Joseph stepped in front of her.

  “It’s too late,” he said. “She does not wish to see me ever again.” He snorted. “The same thing Albert told me. Oh, the irony.”

  “We are in much the same predicament,” she said with a weak smile. “We have lost everyone that is important to us.”

  He nodded. Her words could not have been any truer.

  “Yet,” she said, “our friendship still lasts.” Then she sighed. “If you do not mind, I shall wait here, alone, until you are ready to leave. I feel too much pain to go back in there.” She nodded toward the ballroom.

  Joseph glanced toward the sound of the happy music. “I don’t want to return to the party any more than you,” he said. “Come. I would much rather return home than stay here. Why not come with me.”

  Margaret smiled. “Yes, that would be lovely.”

  They returned to the ballroom, told Mr. Newmont that they would be leaving, and then went out front to wait for the carriage to be brought around. In all reality, Joseph would rather have stayed and waited for Hannah to com
e around, but Margaret was as upset as he. Perhaps spending time with an old friend who understood him would be what he needed. Hannah would come around. Or so he hoped.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The next morning, Hannah found herself in the office of her father writing a letter. Her eyes felt gritty after only a few hours’ sleep, tears came when she thought they had already been cried out as the pen moved across the parchment. Where had it all gone wrong? Not only was she devastated by what Joseph had done, but the continuous lies he had to have told in order to keep the courtship going hurt even more. Falling for such foolishness was not something to which she was accustomed, and yet she had. Her mother had warned her about men and their words, and Hannah had thought the woman referred to her virtue. Now she realized it pertained to the need for her to guard her heart.

  Shaking her head, she dabbed at her eyes to keep the tears from dripping onto the letter. Her message was simple, and in it she informed the Duke that she knew about the trick of his coin, the wager he had made with his friend Lord Whitely, and the words she had overheard between the two men. Some things, such as land or money, could be won with the toss of a coin—a witless way to gain such things, but sometimes men could be witless—but her heart could not be won in such a demeaning manner. No, love could never be won by chance.

  Letting out a sigh, she read over the letter and then signed her name. She returned the pen to its holder and turned to find Jenny standing in the doorway.

  “Oh, no, Miss,” she said, rushing up to pull Hannah into her arms. “You’re still crying. There now, I know it hurts now, but in time, that hurt will lift.”

  “I know,” Hannah said as she pulled away. “I had planned to tell him of the love I have for him, and now all that is over.” She sighed. “How can anyone be so cruel?”

  “Men are capable of so many things that I don’t understand,” the woman said. “But you mustn’t let his actions ruin what is good in your life.”