A Duke To Steal Her Heart Read online

  “It will not be long now,” he said. “The fairy folk are close.”

  Diana told herself that none of it was real. But being there, in the middle of whatever adventure her husband had planned, made it very hard to dismiss everything. It was like he dragged her into a story she couldn’t control. Her stomach tingled with nervous energy as the narrative developed.

  The path through the woods opened into a clearing. Dozens of butterflies flew around them, coloring the air with blue and orange swirling together then drifting apart. A table and two chairs were set up there. The sun’s rays fell on the tablecloth and glinted over fine silverware. Footmen stood behind it, at the ready.

  “At last, we have arrived,” said Rothford.

  “And what have we gone into?”

  “It looks very much like the start of a delightful meal. But you never can be certain in the land of dreams.”

  “I did not know there was an entire land for that.”

  “It is where all fairies live. In that veiled place between light and dark, where anything can happen. We see it sometimes, when waking from a deep sleep. If you open your eyes quickly enough, you get a glimpse of the other world that exists. This world.”

  “The only thing I have ever seen is the same room I went to bed in.”

  “Then you have not really been looking.”

  Mr. Humphries pulled out a chair for the duchess as she sat.

  “I knew you would be roped into this eventually,” said Diana.

  “My service at Sanhope Hall would not feel complete if I were left out.”

  Footmen sprang into action the moment the duke sat across from her. They brought out trays of food from somewhere obscured by the forest.

  “Do not tell me you have a kitchen set up out there too?” she said.

  “That would be extravagant.”

  “Is it so, or will you lead me to believe the food has been conjured by magic as well?”

  “Certainly not. I would refuse to eat anything created by a fairy even if I lost a bet. They are famous for their tricks. In fact, it must be the other way around to visit here safely at all. I had to arrange for food to be left to placate them in advance just to reduce the chances that one may try to lead us astray. If we ventured off the path, we could get stuck here for quite some time.”

  “I did not believe you on the boat and I surely am not going to start now that we are on an island,” said Diana. “No matter how beautiful this is.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the idea is ludicrous.”

  “You are dining al fresco on an enchanted island and you still do not accept it?”

  “I accept that you have a vivid imagination, and servants who adore you. This definitely goes beyond the normal parameters of the job.”

  They enjoyed a sumptuous meal of roasted boar and vegetables.

  “How so?” said Rothford.

  “I have never forced my own servants to wear shrouds or go along with fantastic ideas.”

  “No one is being forced to do anything. We are all free people here who do as we wish.”

  The sudden noise of smashing leaves and branches cracking startled Diana, compelling her to glance around. It was as if something was running through the forest, circling their table.

  “Is that a wild animal?” she said.

  “I do not know. There could be anything on an enchanted isle.”

  She began to get up but Rothford took hold of her hand on the table, squeezing it gently, and stroking the back with his thumb. Diana found comfort in the act and sat down.

  “Nothing will harm you here,” he said.

  “Tell that to the wolves.”

  “There are none around us.”

  “Not even of the enchanted variety?”

  “Now you sound as if you are starting to believe.”

  “Only in dangerous beasts,” said Diana.

  “There is no danger here.”

  “Except from the company.”

  He was still rubbing her hand. “That depends entirely on what you are afraid of.”

  Fast footfalls in the woods got closer until Diana saw a person there. A small woman darted around, zigzagging between trees. Her white dress flowed behind her. Thin, blue wings flapped on her back. Then she was gone.

  “And there you have it,” said Rothford. “You have seen it with your own two eyes.”

  “Seen what, exactly?”

  “An especially inquisitive fairy who just had to get a closer look.”

  Diana dropped her head into her hand, massaging her temples. “You have obviously fastened wings to the back of one of the chamber maids and ordered her to run around.”

  “I have done nothing of the sort. That was a supernatural creature sprinting through the woods. You said you had to see things to believe them. Well, there you are.”

  “All I have seen today is a servant who has been coerced into doing something very far out of the ordinary. It is no wonder you are short of help if this is what you do to them. I am beginning to think money has never been the problem at Sanhope Hall.”

  Rothford sighed. “I can only show you the way to a world filled with wonder. I can not make you step into it.”

  “A world of fairies, Your Grace?”

  “A place where love still exists, and playful sprites take flight around us.”

  “Fine machinations of your own design.”

  “You give me too much credit. All I have ever done is told you what I see.”

  “And I see things differently.”

  “That does not make me wrong.”

  They continued with their meal. Several courses had been prepared. The food was wonderful. Every so often, Diana noticed a blur in the distance and then the blue wings.

  Chapter 6

  Sanhope Hall seemed different after their trip to the island, like any room might contain something mysterious or magical. Diana knew she was being silly to think so, but it couldn’t be helped. There was a yearning within her to believe everything her husband had said. She wondered what was underneath the sheets in the rooms that had been closed. Were they the everyday pieces of furniture she would expect to find, or items as unique as the duke’s tales?

  The music room held her interest most of all. Diana found herself drawn to it, wanting to explore. She traced the covered instruments with her fingers, playing with the idea of exposing everything herself.

  “Is there something you need help with?”

  Rothford spoke from the doorway and she jumped at the sound.

  “I thought I was alone in this part of the house,” said Diana.

  “You are never completely by yourself in old homes. There are always spirits waiting to make themselves known.”

  “All friendly, I hope.”

  “Passably so.”

  “When are you going to open this room again? You promised you would.”

  Rothford lingered on the thought. “I had intended for it to be done already. But this is a very dangerous part of Sanhope.”

  “How could instruments be dangerous?”

  “One of them is of the cursed variety, but I can not remember which. If a single note is played, the person who plays it will be hopelessly drawn to their true love in short order.”

  “That does not sound like much of a curse. It can only be a good thing to find your true love.”

  “But what if you are the one to play it and your true love is not me? Then I would have my life destroyed.”

  “I have married you and would never leave your side,” said Diana.

  “But that is not what I want. I have never wanted an obedient wife as much as I want a loving one.”

  “My heart belongs to only you.”

  “Then would you care to show me how you have improved the decor in your part of the house yet?”

  “I have told you from the start that it is your choice when to visit me.”

  “My choice is that you must have a desire for me to be there,” said Rothford.
“Not out of duty, but because of a true yearning for my touch.”

  “Why do you make things difficult?”

  “Is it so wrong to want truth in emotion?”

  “It is strange to hear you speak of truth.”

  “Why would it be?”

  Diana shook her head. “You have been very kind and have gone through such trouble to orchestrate all these grand gestures.”

  “It is no trouble to show you another life. A different way it can be lived. There are still unexplainable things left in the world, if only you will look. And there is still love.”

  “That is unexplainable too.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. It is a part of my everyday life.”

  “Like fictional creatures?”

  “Like the wind. I do have one confession though.”

  “I already know you make things up.”

  Rothford laughed. “How dare you, madam. The confession is not that I have made anything up. But I have just lied to you about this room. I am very aware of the exact nature of the cursed instrument here. It is the pianoforte. I only tell you this because I realize that I must trust your judgment about whether to play it. And trust you not to break my heart.”

  “I could not do that if I tried.”

  “If you play a note and another suitor appears, I will not force you to stay. I have never wanted you to feel obligated.”

  “That is what marriage vows are. They obligate you to keep them by their very nature. Otherwise, what good are they?”

  “Vows are a commitment to the pursuit of a happy life together. But only to its pursuit. We can never have complete control over happiness. That is left, in part, to fate. These promises are not meant to shackle you to misery. All you can ask of anyone is to go on a journey down a path with you. That is it. How many married people take secret lovers just to end their suffering?”

  Diana’s nostrils flared, and she held her chin high. “Are you suggesting that I would ever be untrue to you?”

  “I am suggesting that I would not care if you were. By then, the journey is already lost.”

  “That is a fine thing to say. My family is beyond reproach. I have been raised very well.”

  “Have your parents told you to keep vows?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have they instilled the notion in you so deeply that the idea of breaking one offends you this much?” said Rothford. “Enough so that your body tenses?”

  “Of course it offends me! As it should any decent woman.”

  “Then I am telling you that I decided long ago that I have no use for decency. And no wish for that sort of life. I want to be everything to you. Beyond vows, beyond words. I want to be the man who you would like to have beside you. Not the loggerhead you’re stuck with because we stood with the vicar one day.”

  “Our arrangement to marry makes no mention of all this, Your Grace.”

  “Our arrangement was what it had to be. You now have a title and I have the money required to restore Sanhope to what it once was. Your father made sure you would always be well taken care of under any foreseeable circumstances. What we are discussing falls outside that arrangement. It is a matter of the heart.”

  “I do not understand you. Not anything you do.”

  Rothford looked down at the old, mottled boards of the floor. “What is there to understand? I am after an emotion. Either it is there, or it is not. Play the pianoforte if you are confident enough to.”

  “Confident in what?”

  “In your vows, duchess. It is your right to know.”

  Those boards creaked as he left. It was something else that needed to be fixed. The pianoforte was in the center of the room. It was easy to see its shape, even under the dusty sheet. Diana stepped closer to it. Hesitantly, she ran her hand over the cloth covering, feeling the keys underneath. The urge to push her fingers down came over her, but she pulled them away instead.

  “Preposterous,” she said to herself.

  Diana walked out of the room.

  Chapter 7

  It was the middle of the night and she had been asleep for hours. There was a gentle rapping on her bedroom door. Diana opened her eyes and the dim room seemed misty for a moment. She caught a flash of something white then blue hovering outside the window, but blinked several times, and everything was gone. It took her a moment to get out of bed.

  When Diana pulled the door open, Rothford was in the hall, carrying a bronze candelabra.

  “What is wrong?” she said.

  “I have not come because anything is wrong.”

  “It is late at night, and if this is another attempt at seduction, I am not in the mood.”

  “It is nothing of the sort. And what I have to show you can only be seen late at night, I’m afraid.”

  “Once again, this sounds like seduction.”

  “Perhaps that is because you are a cad.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “It is well past an acceptable hour for jibes.”

  “I am serious. You need to let your mind wander somewhere else. It is as if a husband can not knock on his wife’s door for any other reason.”

  “Is there another reason right now?”

  “You must follow me to the music room for the answer.”

  Diana sighed.

  ***

  They walked through Sanhope’s dark corridors. It was eerie to be there in the dead of night when nothing stirred. The only sound was of their footsteps echoing down the great hall. Diana tried to move quietly. It seemed like the respectful thing to do, if only to the spirits.

  The glow from Rothford’s candelabra did little against the shadows in the music room. She followed him to a window at the side of the house that overlooked the dark forest. Deep within, amidst the trees, was a single, flickering light.

  Diana squinted, trying to decipher what it was. “It is odd for someone to be out there at this hour.”

  “That is because it’s not a person. It’s a fallen star.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “I wouldn’t have known what it was either had I not been at the window when the event took place. I was looking out over distant tree tops as the star wobbled in the sky, then tilted until it toppled over, and hurtled for the ground.”

  The duchess sighed again.

  “It arced in a path that brought it disturbingly close to Sanhope Hall itself,” continued Rothford. “I was afraid it might burst through our walls like a celestial cannonball. It is impossible to know for certain where a fallen star may strike until it does. I was very relieved when it barreled through the trees, instead. The creatures of the forest will take care of it now.”

  “What is there to take care of?”

  “A soul that has fallen to Earth.”

  “Is this really what you woke me up to show me?”

  “You may only see something as special as a soul once in a lifetime. It is a momentous event. Especially as it still shines in the distance. Perhaps we should go out there ourselves and make sure it is properly mended so it can complete the journey.”

  “And what would I find if I followed you into mystery this time around?” said Diana.

  “I do not know. I have never taken a trip to rescue a star. It does not happen often that you see one. But if we must go, we shall have to be quick about it. Everyone knows stars can only survive until morning.”

  “It is late. And it will be cold and dark out there. I am not following you into the night.”

  “Even to come to the aid of something so precious?”

  “Not for anything. Not for a star. Not for a soul. Not for an angel or gnome. But most of all, I won’t do it because I know full well that is poor, Mr. Humphries standing alone in the forest with a lantern! I also know it is dreadful to make him do such a thing. There could be wild animals out there.”

  “Wolves again?” said Rothford. “I think you have a phobia.”

  “I am extremely afraid of anything that may kill me. This is only good sense. And our wonderfully loyal b
utler could experience something as simple as a fall in the dark which might break his neck. It is not safe to walk around a forest at night.”

  “It is a star, I tell you. Not an old man.”

  Diana threw her hands in the air as she turned away from the window. “I refuse to listen to this any longer.”

  “What is the matter? I thought you would enjoy seeing something so grand.”

  “But it isn’t grand at all. These are things you have made up for whatever reason. First enchanted chocolates that steal laughter, then fairies, and now souls in stars.”

  “And what is the problem with trying to inject a little magic into someone’s life? What is so wrong about finding a woman who does not believe in love or anything she can not hold in her hands and giving her the idea that beautiful things exist in the world if only you will see them?”

  “It is wrong because it is not the truth. These fanciful tales you have come up with are products of your own imagination.” Diana paced around the room as she went on, not trying to be quiet anymore.

  “It is real if you let it be.”

  “There are no such things as fairies! And this blasted pianoforte holds no curse inside it either!” She slammed her hand against the sheet covering the instrument and a tuneless clamor of notes erupted.

  Rothford stared at her with his mouth agape. “Now you have done it.”

  Diana’s eyes were wide as she looked down at her palm pressed against the covered keys. It took her a moment to remember how ridiculous the whole thing was. And then to repeat it in her head to be sure.

  “Do not start that again,” she said. “There is no enchantment left in the world.”

  Diana spun away from him and walked toward the great hall, stopping at the entrance. She stood there in the dark, considering what she wanted to say to her husband. The duke watched candlelight dance and flicker on her back. He could see only a hint of her delicate curves under the loose bed shift, but it made him want her even more. She turned around and was surprised to catch the man in such a captivated state.

  She blushed. “Is something wrong?”

  “It is just the opposite. You are a vision.”

  “And you flatter me to no end. But none of it is necessary. Everything you have done to impress me. All these grand gestures. They aren’t even truly your own. The servants were tasked with doing the work, laboring over one ridiculous scenario after another. You have dressed them up in silly costumes, made them gather flowers through the night, and now you have Mr. Humphries out there, standing around like a fatwit with a lantern in the woods.”