Duke 0f Chance (Regency Stories Book 2) Page 8

  “The other night, you swore you would never grovel, as you put it, at my feet.”

  Hannah nodded as she tried to search her recent memory to assure herself she had not done just that—grovel, that is.

  “From what I have gathered, you do not care how the ton views you, nor do you care what others think of you.”

  “That is true, Your Grace,” she replied. His gaze was so severe, she became worried. “Have I angered you in some way?”

  “No,” came his reply. “Far from it. I am intrigued by you, Miss Newmont. I realize the circumstances that brought us together were not as…conventional…as might be expected. I find it interesting that you have not broken our agreement.”

  “I have not,” Hannah said with firmness. “And I will not.”

  “Why?”

  Hannah studied him for a moment. Why, indeed? “Because whatever I may have in this life, be it great or small, none of it matters if I am not true to my word. The idea is not foreign to women. I will uphold my part of our agreement.”

  He said nothing for several moments and then gave a nod, as if a decision had been made. “I must leave,” he said, removing his arm from hers. “I shall call on you tomorrow at noon.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked away.

  “Oh, Hannah!” Tabitha said while clearly attempting to not jump up and down like a child. “The looks of admiration!” Her eyes went wide. “The jealousy! You have drawn every eye to you!”

  Hannah nodded absently. Something played at the edges of her mind. She cared not for the people around them and whether or not they noticed her on the arm of the Duke. However, she had somehow drawn the eye of the man, but for what reason, she did not understand. He was hiding something, perhaps many things, and it would be an adventure trying to figure out what those things were. If he could get her to share his thoughts before the three months came to an end and he had moved on to a woman more fit to marry him.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Chapter Eleven

  Hannah found it difficult to control her excitement as she walked through her family’s garden, her arm looped through that of the Duke. He had kept his promise and had arrived precisely at noon, and they had spent the first hour conversing with her parents. Now, with Tabitha strolling behind them at a respectable distance, Hannah felt as if she were gliding rather than strolling.

  “In a fortnight, Lord Bartholomew Windsor is hosting a party for a few of his closest friends,” the Duke was saying. “I would be honored if you would allow me to escort you.”

  Hannah needed no time to consider her reply. “Yes, I would like that.”

  They came to a stop in front of a bench, and the Duke removed his arm. “Shall we sit?” he asked.

  She sat on the bench and he took a seat beside her. The day was pleasant with the songs of birds and a cool breeze that kept away the heat.

  “Is my hair out of place?” he asked.

  Hannah laughed. “Not at all. Why do you ask?”

  “Your cousin keeps staring at me.”

  Hannah giggled and glanced at her cousin, who stood staring at a hedge pretending to be intrigued by a leaf; however, Hannah knew the woman all too well; she was listening in without trying to appear to be doing so. The grin she had worn the day before was back.

  “No, she is simply happy for me…us.”

  “Oh? And why is that?”

  “Well, she does not know the circumstances of how we began courting, but she, like everyone else, believes it to be real.” Although she knew she should somehow laugh, she found she could not. Saying those words hurt her more than she expected, and although the duke wore a stern look, she saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes for a brief moment, which surprised her.

  “Yes…well,” he said, turning to look straight ahead. “Our wager. The game of chance that you wanted to play.”

  Hannah gave a derisive sniff. “I had no choice,” she said in her defense. How dare he put that on her? “After you stole that kiss from me, what choice did I have?”

  The Duke turned toward her, the breeze moving his blond hair across his forehead. If there was such a thing as a man so handsome he could make a woman swoon, he would be that man, for he was doing an excellent job of making her mind feel as if it were floating inside her head.

  “Perhaps I was a bit forward,” he conceded, “but I must admit such actions are met with a great reward.” A smile played on his lips, and Hannah could not help but nibble at the bait he had placed on the hook. She was not foolish enough to not recognize a trap when she heard one.

  “And the reward?” she asked.

  “Quite simply the most beautiful of kisses about which one could possibly dream.”

  Hannah gripped the edge of the bench, he body feeling such a flush that she was reminded of an illness from which she had suffered two years prior. Her throat had gone dry, making it difficult to swallow, and it took some time to bring moisture back to her mouth in order to speak.

  “It was forward and rude,” she said with a sniff she had to force, for now that it had happened, she could not help but hope it would again. Yet another silly thought. What was this man doing to her sensibility? She glanced around and lowered her voice. “I hope you understand that you may never get another.”

  “May never?” he said with a raise of an eyebrow. “It sounds as if you are unsure.”

  She had no idea how to respond. Could she swear that it would never happen again? She doubted rather highly she could.

  The Duke sat back on the bench. “Your father has secured business with a friend of mine,” he said as if in passing and that the previous conversation had not taken place. “That alone should put him in a better financial position.”

  Hannah turned toward him. “He has? Father has not said a word to me about this.” She felt a blush come to her cheeks. “Not that he speaks to me about his business dealings, of course, but mother usually does.”

  “It is the truth,” he replied. “Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and it will take time, but he will find the probability of success greater than he had before.”

  Hannah smiled, though a tear ran down her cheek. She had tried to keep it from falling, but a feeling of relief so great had pushed it from her eye. Silly, silly girl!

  “Do not cry,” he said, sitting up straighter on the bench.

  “I apologize,” she said as she wiped away the tear. “The stress my father’s financial situation has troubled me so. Now, not even two weeks into our agreement, you have helped as you said you would. You are a good man, Your Grace.”

  He leaned back once again on the bench. “I am not a good man,” he said flatly. He crinkled his brow and added, “And in private, you must call me Joseph. This formal address feels much too…well, formal. Plus, it might make the next months a bit easier to endure.”

  She smiled. “Thank you for that. Joseph is a wonderful name.”

  He said nothing, and Hannah thought of asking him about something that had been bothering her. For the first time since she had met the man, she felt comfortable in his presence and she did not want to upset the tranquility that had befallen them. Regardless, she had to know the truth.

  “When you asked to court me,” she said, trying to keep her tone even, “might I ask why you wished to do so? I am certainly not the type of woman one would expect you to show an interest.”

  “I told you; you are a beautiful woman.”

  Somehow, his answer did not seem complete. “Thank you again for your kindness, but are you certain there is nothing else?”

  He sat up on the edge of the bench and rubbed the palms of his hands on his breeches. Was he nervous? “Is beauty not enough?”

  “I do not believe so, not in a world such as ours,” she replied. “Passion, mystery, so many other things can lead to…love.” She worried her teeth on her bottom lip. “Not that we are in love or ever will be,” she added quickly. “But we do not live in a romance novel.”

  He laughed, causing her heart to
sink in despair. Had she sent their glorious day into upheaval?

  “No, this is not love, and no this is not a romantic novel,” came his reply. “Whatever it is, however, let us enjoy it while we can. For our three months will come to an end soon enough.”

  “True,” she said. Somehow, she needed to put the day back to its previous tranquility. “May I ask about your childhood?” People enjoyed speaking of such things.

  However, rather than be excited to share his past, he snorted. “I attended school and went to University. It is a tale of great boredom.”

  “I do not care for what lessons you had,” she replied with a quiet chuckle. “What about friends? Family? On what outings did you go that were memorable?”

  He rubbed his chin as he thought, which she found to be strangely adorable. “Well, when I was thirteen, I went with my father to a country pub he owned. The man there had been late on his rents by six months. I remember the man shaking in his apron when my father arrived, but my father showed him mercy by allowing him a chance to catch up on his payments.” He sighed and shook his head.

  “That was very generous of him,” Hannah replied.

  “Before you begin to praise his clemency, you must know that my father explained to me that it was the first and only time he allowed such a thing.”

  “Why was that?” Hannah asked, finding the story intriguing. “What happened?”

  He pursed his lips. “The following month the man did not pay again and he was thrown out onto the streets without so much as a simple goodbye.”

  Hannah gasped. “And why did your father do that?”

  “To teach me a lesson, or so he said.”

  “A lesson? And what was that lesson?”

  “That you may give one chance to someone, but any more than that can cause you ruin.”

  Hannah scrunched her brows. What a strange story for a man to find memorable. What she had expected was stories of holidays or great outings to splendid estates, not one so unsettling as this one.

  “Your father must have been a very stringent man, indeed.”

  Joseph nodded. “Financially speaking, he was fine without the man’s upfront payment. However, he asked me after we left what would happen if that business had been our only source of income. You see, by extending this man one chance, he was sending the man a simple nudge. Yet, if he had allowed more on top of that, my father—my family—could have lost everything and possibly would have starved. If it was our only source of income, that is.” He extended his hand to hers. “Much like what your father has come close to experiencing. What I learned from that situation was to extend no more than one chance, and even then, it is a rarity. There are times when it must be done.”

  “Why did you extend a chance to my father?” she asked. “You did not know him, he did not owe you any money, and yet, you took it upon yourself to be kind to him.”

  The Duke went to speak and then snapped his mouth closed. And before he could reply, she answered for him.

  “I know why,” she whispered, “for it is what I told you before. You are a good man, a man who has a kindness about him, even if he does not demonstrate it on the surface. I see it below your exterior; a good person resides there, and at times you should allow him to come out and be seen.”

  “Your words are kind,” he said as he removed his hand from hers, “and once again I tell you, I am not a good man.”

  The tenacity of his words would have made her take a step back had she been standing. Behind that statement was a sadness that he quickly attempted to hide, but Hannah had seen it. Again, she could see that he held secrets, and she was determined to find out what those secrets were. For she meant what she had said. He might be arrogance walking at times, but in his core lived something good.

  ***

  Hannah lay in bed, Tabitha at her side and they whispered secrets at one another as they had done since they were children. The room lay in darkness, but the moonlight streamed through the open window enough to see each other’s faces. As much as she tried to keep thoughts of Joseph from plaguing her mind, Hannah found she could not do so.

  “I do not understand,” Tabitha whispered. “You look at him as one in love, and yet you have no desire to marry him?”

  “It is difficult to explain,” Hannah replied in as quiet a voice as her cousin lest someone overhear. “It’s a complicated matter.”

  “But do you love him?”

  Hannah sighed. Although she had feelings for the man, it could not possibly be love. She hardly knew him, and there was the issue of his aggravating behavior at times. “No, it is definitely not love.”

  “Then I am more confused than ever.”

  Hannah rolled over onto her side. “If I share a secret with you, do you promise to never tell another living soul?”

  “Of course!” her cousin said, clearly unable to keep her excitement inside. “I promise!”

  “It is a story that begins with a kiss.”

  Tabitha gasped. “He kissed you?”

  Hannah’s heart froze and her ears strained to listen for any sign that someone had heard the girl’s outburst.

  Her cousin covered her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But he kissed you?” This time the question came as a muted whisper.

  “He did, and though it came unwelcomed, I must admit that it was a wonderful experience.” She gave her cousin a grand smile. “And the coin you mentioned?”

  “Yes?” Then she gasped again. Hannah waited for another outburst, but Tabitha controlled herself this time. “He used it?”

  “He did. Let me explain what happened.”

  Tabitha listened with what appeared to be unbridled excitement, asking questions when necessary, and gasping otherwise. By the time Hannah finished her story, Tabitha was sitting up in bed with her mouth gaping open.

  “It is love,” she said, still maintaining a decent whisper despite her enthusiasm for what had happened. “What else could it be?”

  Hannah lay back and rested her head on the pillow. Her cousin’s question was simple enough, and yet Hannah had no answer. Whatever feelings she had for the Duke, she found them pleasant. In truth, she found them quite agreeable.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Chapter Twelve

  The following weeks, Joseph called over to Hannah three times, and each time he found her more enthralling, beautiful, and a person to whom he could easily speak. Although he was reluctant to talk much of his past, when he did, she listened with interest and would ask questions to encourage him to share even more. In this, he found he wanted to learn more about her, for he was finding her much more interesting than he would ever find himself.

  How a woman could care nothing for the admiration of the ton was a struggle to comprehend, and he found himself unable to do the same. Oh, he could parade himself as a man who believed that what they said about him mattered not, even if in reality it always had; However, the truth was that since he began spending time with Hannah, he realized he was changing. Perhaps he was growing weaker—that was the only way he could explain how he opened up to her and revealed the secrets he had hidden away from everyone, including himself. Her beauty, her heart, everything about her made him want to be as she put it “a good man”. The title did not sit well with him, for he knew he was not. The way he conducted business—and wreaked havoc if the truth be told—using his coin to get his way was not the mannerisms of a strong and honest man.

  Letting out a sigh, he looked around the ballroom in the home of Lord Bartholomew Windsor. The guests who had been invited to the party plied themselves with drinks and spoke to one another with smiles on their faces. His eyes fell on Hannah and his heart swelled as watched her speaking to her mother. Her father was away on business but the man had been ecstatic when Joseph offered to escort the women in the man’s place. Hannah looked astonishing in her lilac gown, one he had insisted she purchase as new, the swooping neckline just low enough to tantalize but high enough to be considered modest, which fit her personali
ty exactly.

  Then his gaze turned to Miss Margaret Treesing. The red-haired friend from years ago came from title and wealth, and she represented everything he needed for the future. Yet, despite their obvious compatibility, he felt nothing for her beyond a close friendship, the love he had once had for her now only a distant memory. Of course he cared for her and would never wish to see harm come her way, but beyond that, there was nothing. The season of his heart that had been with her had passed and a new one had begun.

  As he sipped at his wine, Albert walked up to him. “You stand alone like a beggar in London,” the man said, a smug smile on his face. “Is there some trouble that even the Duke of Chance cannot face?”

  Joseph laughed. “No,” he replied. “Sometimes I enjoy simply watching our peers as they enjoy themselves with eating and drinking the labors of others.”

  “Lord Windsor has spared no expense once again,” Albert said with a raise of his glass to the man in question who stood across the room. Lord Windsor responded in the same manner and a wide smile. “His need for attention by the ton makes him open his purse wide, leaving him with no limits on his spending.”

  “Do you believe he should continue?” Joseph said as he turned to his friend.

  “Continue with what?”

  “Seeking the approval of the ton, of course,” Joseph replied. “Will you continue to do the same? To carry on to such lengths for their admiration?”

  “Of course I will,” Albert replied without hesitation. “It is not the smiles of the guests that are the reward but rather their boasting of my wealth.”

  Joseph raised an eyebrow at the man but said nothing.

  “Of course, I want their admiration. Do not deny that you want the same as everyone else. After all, our stake with Miss Newmont is proof of that.”

  Joseph gave a reluctant nod of agreement. “That is truth,” he replied with a sigh. “Yet, once our wager is complete, will it change anything?” He took a sip of his wine to allow himself to look once again at Hannah. “She cares not for their approval, that has been made disturbingly clear.”