A Duke To Steal Her Heart Read online

  A Duke To Steal Her Heart

  Rebecca Dash

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2018

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

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  Chapter 1

  Furniture in the drawing room had been pushed against the walls to clear enough space in the center for a ceremony to take place. Diana’s younger sisters decorated the door frames with ornately spun garlands made of vines and red roses. They also placed rose filled vases on every side of the room. She couldn’t have asked for anything more than they gave her by decorating with such zeal. It was beautiful.

  The immediate family and several close friends had gathered around them. The bride stood there in a white dress with sea shells embroidered along the hem. It had been made just for the occasion and would be worn only once. Her mother had insisted on nothing but the most extravagant attire.

  Diana looked up at the Duke of Rothford. He had high cheekbones and a square jaw. The man would have been good looking in whatever he wore, but was especially dashing dressed in a black tailcoat and matching knee breeches that fit him snugly enough to show off his form.

  They had gotten a special license. The details of the event were every girl’s dream. She didn’t love him though. She couldn’t even begin to love him. How was it possible for anyone to feel that way toward a person they barely knew?

  The two had courted for an acceptable amount of time. Her parents decided how long that would be and pushed her in the direction they imagined was most beneficial. Diana consented to everything and stood there with him. The man seemed nice enough when they had gone around together or when he would call for her at the manor and she entertained everyone by playing intricate melodies on the pianoforte. But who was really to know what was in a person’s heart until everyone else went away? The courtship was too short for her liking, but her parents were most eager for their daughter to become a duchess. It was more than they had ever dreamed.

  The Duke of Rothford gazed at her. She was a pretty girl who became stunning when she smiled. Her blond hair was elegantly put up, with long strands that fell to frame her face. But it seemed as if she thought too deeply about life. There was a lost expression that came over Diana whenever she forgot herself as if there was some question about whether she wanted this. He was quite sure about what he desired. Being there with her was the only way for him to move forward. It was what he had to do for the good of his estate and line. The dowry involved was sufficient, indeed.

  He needed her, and she needed him back. It was all clear in the arrangement that was made with her father.

  The vicar seemed very serious as he spoke to them. “If either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, ye do now confess it.”

  Diana’s mind raced. Love! She wanted to shout it. To call it to the heavens. Wasn’t that an impediment? Wasn’t it required? She was silent though.

  “Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded Wife?”

  There was more to it, but Diana could hardly make out the words.

  “I will,” said Rothford.

  She was frozen by what was going on around her. It felt hot in that room though it was fine just moments ago. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The vicar was speaking to her.

  “Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health?”

  That sounded like a lot to agree to right then.

  “Forsaking all others,” the stern vicar went on. “Keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

  Her eyes got wide. What was the answer? Her family was standing there, bearing witness to it all. So was his. There was nothing else she could say but…

  “I will.”

  Diana felt faint. It was hard to breathe. The ceremony was going by in a blur. They held hands and the Duke of Rothford spoke to her as sincerely as he ever had. Then she spoke to him, repeating the vicar’s words. The ones that meant so much. It felt like she was a spectator, just listening to them. She could hardly recognize her own voice.

  “I take thee to be my wedded Husband...”

  To have and to hold.

  For better, for worse.

  Richer. Poorer.

  Love.

  Cherish.

  Obey.

  Till death us do part.

  Rothford was putting something on her left hand.

  “With this ring I thee wed,” he said.

  It happened. It truly did. Then they were both kneeling as the vicar prayed. The words that Diana would hear most clearly, the ones she would always remember from that day forth were a simple declaration.

  “I pronounce that they be Man and Wife together.”

  The prayers went on.

  Was she happy? Were brides really meant to be? The entire event wasn’t what she expected at all, but maybe none of the big things in life ever were. It was just a group you belonged to after certain happenings occurred. You became one more person who knew the difference between what living was like before and after that day. It was a whole new world. When they were finally directed to rise, Diana stood up as a woman who was a bit wiser, if nothing else.

  As they left the house, people in a row on either side of them threw rose petals. It was raining red. The bride forced herself to smile. All the well wishers seemed merrier than she was. That could not continue. For her parents’ sake, it couldn’t. It was a lonely feeling to leave the only home she ever knew with a man she felt she hardly knew.

  Till death us do part.

  There was a frightening concept. It was eternal. Hopefully, her mother and father knew best. Hopefully, they were right in their decision about this most important time.

  Diana got into the town coach with the Duke of Rothford. Six horses pulled them off as she waved through the window. Any of her family’s carriages had every part polished to a glow, and interior seats that overflowed with padding and fine luxury. They were far grander than the run down thing she was in.

  She didn’t feel any different. Not one scintilla. It ought to be exhilarating to become a duchess. The title was supposed to turn her into something more important. Something grand.

  Rothford bounced his knee as he stole glances at her. He wasn’t accustomed to being nervous.

  “The vicar was too serious,” he finally said.

  “It is a serious event in one’s life. I enjoyed the ceremony.”

  “It was about what I expected it to be.”

  “There was nothing I could expect. I have never attended a wedding before.”

  “This one was pleasant. Being married is pleasant as well.”

  “My parents have always seemed contented enough with their own marriage.”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. It was the first time they were alone. Conversation flowed more easily with other people around, but it was uncomfortable to not talk.

  He searched for more words. “This will be advantageous for both of our families.”

  “It will.” She nodded
too. “The arrangement makes sense.”

  “It is a fine arrangement.”

  Rothford turned away and looked out the window of his town coach as the countryside went by. Diana stared through the opposite window. They didn’t speak again. It was easier to stop trying even if they both felt the air thicken. The rolling hills were pretty as a painting. She was newly married. Somewhere deep inside her, there was a sadness, as if mourning the death of her old life. She never thought that would be a part of her wedding day. Diana refused to tell her new husband of it. The man didn’t deserve to feel bad. He had always been pleasant. But it was very odd that he was suddenly the closest member of her family, and a stranger too.

  Chapter 2

  Their carriage arrived at Sanhope Hall. The lawn leading up to it was a massive expanse, but the grass had turned brown from neglect and the shrubbery grew wild. The manor showed its age with tan stones beaten by the elements enough to turn them dark. Bare vines reached across its walls like shriveled veins on a structure that had seen its final days of glory long ago. The servants stood outside the house in a row by order of their rank.

  “It is a small staff for such a big place.” Rothford wouldn’t look at his wife even though it was the first thing he found to say in hours. “They really have been a wonderful bunch.”

  “Then I will be pleased to meet them all.”

  He smiled, but didn’t take his eyes off the carriage floor.

  “You can hire more help, if you think it is best,” said Diana.

  “I am sure some extra people might make you feel more at home.”

  “How could I feel otherwise? This is my home now. And the place looks well appointed.” She’d always gotten anxious when she had to lie.

  He never answered that.

  “We mustn’t keep everyone waiting,” she said.

  ***

  Diana walked with the Duke of Rothford around his family home. Sanhope Hall had more twists and turns than she expected. It wasn’t as big as her father’s manor, but was more mysterious.

  “This is the music room,” he said.

  “Does no one play?”

  There were tattered, white, bed linens draped over the furniture inside. The duke’s family crest was embroidered on some of them.

  “The room was not worth keeping open. I will, of course, make sure it is suitable for use again. I know what an accomplished musician you are when there is a pianoforte at the ready.”

  She smiled to put him at ease. “I have only just arrived. We have a lifetime to fix everything.”

  “But there is so much that needs fixing.”

  They continued on. Half the rooms in the manor were closed off in a similar fashion. Some due to lack of use, and others because they had fallen into tragic disrepair. Though she was well aware of the reasons for their marriage, Diana was shocked to see firsthand how the place had been neglected.

  Even rooms that were still in use showed signs of being untended to. The furniture was not polished, the carpets hadn’t been beaten in some time, and dust was allowed to settle in full view. But what could such a small staff do when faced with a mansion to take care of?

  ***

  The duke seemed uncomfortable as they arrived at his bed chamber. It looked pleasant enough with paintings and tapestries adding color to its walls. The bed had four posts with thick curtains hanging around it. A fireplace was dark and lifeless.

  “This is our room,” said Rothford.

  “It is lovely, Your Grace.”

  He laughed. “You do not have to call me that now.”

  “It is what I have grown used to. I would not dream of changing so abruptly.”

  “But we are married, duchess. Using my given name is perfectly acceptable. Or at least addressing me by my title. This relationship has grown beyond formalities.”

  “You may not feel that way in a few moments.”

  The smile dropped from him. “What could change?”

  Diana’s heart beat faster. “I would prefer my own room.”

  “Of course. I realize I am old fashioned in believing a man should not be separated from his wife. It has always seemed unnatural.” He gestured to a private passageway. “That is the way to the dressing rooms, a sitting room, and your own bed chamber.”

  “I am sure I would be delighted with it, but would still rather sleep in one of the guest quarters.”

  His mouth was agape. “But why?”

  “Because there is only a passageway to separate us here.”

  “You understand that we are married now? You certainly look like the woman standing right beside me as the vicar spoke. It is a straight forward arrangement.”

  “That is just it. Our marriage is an arrangement. You needed my dowry and my father fell in love with the idea of having a duchess in the family.”

  “You never seemed to mind the thought before.” His tone grew cold. “It is no easy thing to become a duchess.”

  “I do not want to quarrel with you at the beginning of our life together. This marriage is the best course for us both. I am not suggesting otherwise. But it will always be what it is. I am fully prepared to perform as a dutiful wife and give you an heir to your title. But I am not comfortable sharing a bedroom or even a connection via private passage.”

  “That will make it rather difficult to give me an heir, unless you know of some secret way to make that happen.”

  “Having a son and sleeping beside you are two different matters.”

  “Some would say these things are very much intertwined.”

  “I will give myself to you when you require it. I promise to fulfill all obligations. But not for sport. If you try to force that upon me...”

  He recoiled as if she’d struck him. “Do not be ridiculous. Why would I force you to do anything?”

  “Some men would.”

  “Well you are not married to one of them.”

  “How am I to know?”

  “Whatever you do here will be because you choose it,” said Rothford.

  “Then I choose to keep my privacy.”

  “I shall have one of the guest rooms prepared for your use immediately.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  “Will you not stop calling me that?”

  “I am not comfortable referring to you in any other way.”

  “Even if I invite you to? I would enjoy saying your name very much. Diana is a sonnet on my lips.”

  “Do not act like we are in love,” she said.

  “I am only acting as if we could be. It is not an absurd notion, is it?”

  “How would I know what sort of notion it is? What might love be? I have never experienced it, and do not understand how you fall in or out.”

  “Then perhaps we are there. What if this is all you ever get?”

  She looked away from him. The idea that there was nothing more in the entire world than a privileged but passionless life made her sad. “Do you really think that?”

  “I think it is worth giving this a chance.”

  “We are here together. That is our chance. What else would you have me do?”

  He smiled. “We can begin by working on giving me that heir. It tends to bring people closer together.”

  “Is that the path to love for men?”

  “It is a good start, and also quite the pleasant stroll, as paths go.”

  “I will do as you wish whenever you like.”

  “Right now then?”

  She walked over to the bed. “If that is what you desire, Your Grace.”

  He grimaced when she called him that again. “Perhaps another time. We have had quite the day already. There is no need to complicate it with love. I will have your room prepared.”

  Rothford left her there. It felt strange for Diana to be in a gentleman’s private space. Whether or not he was present, even if they were married, it felt strange. Like a secret place she wasn’t supposed to see. She left soon after he did.

  Chapter 3

  Diana
asked for a separate room and Rothford gave her the entire third floor. It was all the privacy anyone could ever require. Dressed in a night shift, she walked around her new bed chamber, examining everything from the ornately carved chest of drawers to the gold framed painting that hung over the fireplace. It was of fishermen whose boat was being tossed by a violent sea. The moon broke through a clearing in dark clouds that loomed over them. The idea of being trapped in such a situation was terrifying and she turned away. Outside her own window, the moon seemed just as pale and foreboding.

  The room would definitely need to be redecorated to make it her own. It wouldn’t take long. That was a matter of placing a few special items in view. The ones that sparked memories of home. She realized that she might always think of somewhere else as home. It was a wretched feeling as if nowhere in the world was meant for her. As if she too were being tossed around incessantly on that boat. Maybe that’s what really scared her about the scene depicted. Diana had agreed to everything. Her eyes were wide open when she gave consent to be married, but she missed her old life, just the same.

  “I shall have to make the best of things,” she said to herself as she pushed on the top mattress of her bed. “Even this.”

  It was filled with feathers. She had always slept on a top mattress made of down. Feathers would be a challenge to endure. She sighed.

  “At least it isn’t flock. That would be insulting, even for an estate in such dire straits.”

  After the longest day in memory, she would fall asleep as soon as she laid down.

  ***

  The duchess awoke late the next morning. She had forgotten where she was for a moment. It was odd, expecting to see the normal trappings of her room at home and finding something different. Diana sat up in bed and stretched before rising. Light surrounded the window curtains. She opened them and looked out. No one tended to the lawn in even the most minuscule way.

  There was a commotion coming from just outside the door. She threw on a dressing gown, tossed her night cap on the bed, then glanced in the mirror. The presence of her lady’s maid was terribly missed. Unity stayed behind to make sure all the essentials were packed and sent over, and wouldn’t arrive until later in the week. Everything about the transition into wedded bliss had been a hurried, brutal exercise.