The Reluctant Duke (A Seabrook Family Saga) Page 3

  ***

  Standing at the deck railing, Thomas got his first glimpse of America, and the view suspended his breathing. The coastline, full of beige sand, went on for miles and miles. The captain had informed them the storm they had struggled through had pushed them a bit south of their destination, and they were presently off the coast of Plymouth. With a spyglass he was able to glimpse large, stately homes in the distance as the ship tacked north. The large houses were set a good distance from the water’s edge along beautiful desolate beaches.

  Sometime later Myles joined Thomas deck side and requested the use of the spyglass. Soon they would be docking at Boston Harbor, scene of the infamous Boston Tea Party.

  “It does not look quite as savage as some have depicted,” Myles commented. “Rather, it looks quite like any other bustling port in England. Do you think we will encounter Native Americans while we’re here? It will be to the disappointment of everyone back home if we don’t.” Myles passed the glass back to Thomas. “How many days are we staying in Boston?”

  “Three. I’m anxious to travel to New Bedford and glimpse my holdings and meet with Mr. Hamilton’s solicitors.”

  Myles frowned and grabbed the rail just as the ship nudged the dock. He looked around at the bustling waterfront. “Do you see what I see? I want to spend more than three days here. Visit a brothel or two and see if American ladybirds have different skills than our courtesans.”

  Myles could not be serious. Thomas hadn’t traveled numerous weeks, through a violent storm no less, just to visit a brothel. He’d come to find out about his newly acquired fortune, not to mention the situation with Miss Hamilton. Leave it to his friend to think of his body’s pleasure needs first.

  “Why am I not surprised you have nothing on your mind but arranging an assignation with a courtesan?” Thomas complained. “Actually, it might not be a bad idea. We have been long on the ship. A little drink and taste of exotic flesh might be just what we need.” Myles slapped him on the back.

  Thomas continued. “But first we’ll make inquiries for lodging and then hire a team so we can visit Miss Hamilton.” He had no intentions of visiting a brothel, but if it made Myles more agreeable to his suggestions, he would pretend to go along with it.

  The sound of Myles’s growling, deep in his throat, did not surprise him. “You want to see the chit now, before we’ve slaked our thirst for drink and occupied a woman?”

  “Exactly what I had in mind.” Thomas had never shared his friends’ taste for brothels. He preferred widows and unhappily married ladies of the ton. He liked to think he did them a favor by servicing them, rather than the other way around. Thomas took great pains to be an attentive and thorough lover. No female left his bed without experiencing multiple pleasures. And he took his pleasure in return.

  Besides, he was extremely particular about the women he bedded, for he did not want to contract any diseases. Hence he rarely visited establishments centered on the pleasures of men. His father had taken him to a brothel when he was ten-and-five. He paid a young ladybird, not much older than Thomas, to take his innocence. After that experience he was half in love with the gel. She had not, however, appreciated his penned poems and the serenades in the dark. The owner of the brothel finally sent word to his father. Thomas remembered the thrashing. He’d been unable to sit a horse for a fortnight, and thus had ended his love of ladybirds and their favors.

  Ahhh, jaded by the tender age of ten-and-five.

  “Wentworth, are you even listening to me?” Myles interrupted his reverie.

  Thomas turned to his friend. “What were you saying?”

  Laughter sprang forth. “I was saying that our luggage has been off-loaded, and we need to disembark.”

  “Oh, sorry…lost in thought.”

  “If only I could be privy to the thoughts going around in your head.” Myles paused and shook his head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know your twisted and sadistic mind. I might have to beg off our friendship if I did. What say we find our lodgings and stretch our legs for a bit before we venture forth to meet Miss Hamilton? I, for one, need to be rested and in good form so as not to miss your reaction when you meet your new ward.”

  “I’m so glad you find my situation humorous. Just you wait until you inherit the earldom. If I recall, you have three, no, four…Make that five younger sisters to marry off if your father does not manage that before you inherit.”

  “Yes, well…” Myles winced. “My father is still considered somewhat young and in fine health. I have complete faith that he will foist my sisters off on suitable young bucks long before I inherit.”

  Thomas laughed and stepped inside the hackney Giles hailed to take them to the Concord Colonial Inn. Once settled on the seat, he faced his longtime friend.

  “Why don’t you mention to your father that Lord Amesbury would be an excellent choice for Marissa?” Thomas suggested. “She is coming out this season, is she not?”

  The scowl Myles gave him had Thomas laughing again.

  “Why the face? What is wrong with our dear friend?”

  “Amesbury would never suit my regal sister. She maybe only be ten-and-seven, but she is mature beyond her years. I can’t see them together. Nor would I wish my sister upon him. I know her too well, and poor Amesbury would never have another moment’s peace if he wed her. Marissa is the most opinionated and stubborn chit.” Myles snorted.

  “She actually made a list of husband-to-be qualities. I found it tucked inside a book in the library. You would not believe the long list of qualifications Marissa expects. There is not a gentleman alive who could possibly live up to them.” Thomas smiled in amusement. “It will be my undue pleasure watching all the gentlemen chase after her only to be sent packing with their pride stuffed up their arses.

  “All right then, Marissa is wrong for Amesbury. Maybe he would be interested in my sister Amelia. She is of marriageable age now. I’m not looking forward to every single man in all of England sniffing around her skirts. I hate thinking about having to entertain all those suitors who will surely have the audacity to call upon her at my residence. Most are not worthy of an introduction, never mind the privilege of courting Amelia.” Myles burst out laughing. “We might never marry off our sisters and wards if we don’t lower our expectations.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Emma ran her hands down her black dress to smooth out the creases. Her hair was tied back with a matching silk ribbon, leaving her wavy strawberry-blond tresses cascading down her back. She’d been curled up in a chair in the library reading when she received her summons from the headmistress to come to the receiving room posthaste.

  And with haste was how she arrived. Emma ran most of the way, but, right before anyone in the receiving room could get a glimpse of her, she halted. Her lungs dragged in much-needed air, and she tried to slow the heart pounding wildly inside her rib cage. That was not so much from physical exertion but rather because she was nervous to meet her visitor. She knew this unnamed visitor could be none other than the duke.

  Miss Beauregard had received a missive just that morning clarifying the duke’s arrival in Boston. And Emma had planned several proper receiving speeches in her head, because according to Miss Beauregard, Emma often spoke without thinking. Something proper ladies did not do.

  Papa had not seen anything wrong with her voicing her opinions.

  Suddenly her body trembled, and she could not remember any of her practiced speeches. Would the duke find fault with her running or any other less-than-ladylike behavior? She huffed. Would she ever be free again to live life as she pleased?

  Would the duke take her back to England now, or would she get to finish out her final year here? She needed the year because how could she just up and leave Amy to the spoiled, mean girls attending here? Penelope, Emma’s friend, could only do so much to protect Amy. Amy still needed Emma.

  During Emma’s final year, she planned to right all the evil done to Amy. Help Amy build up her self-esteem and boost her confidence and help her learn to stick up for herself. Even if she traveled to England, Emma planned to come back for Amy as soon as she could. Amy was like her little sister. They needed each other.

  “There you are, child.” Miss Beauregard’s annoying voice traveled out into the foyer. “Stop fidgeting and come forward to meet His Grace.”

  Stop fidgeting. Would the woman ever stop insulting her at every opportunity? Emma swallowed her anger and lowered her head in feigned obedience.

  “Yes, Headmistress.” With that being mumbled, she passed through the open double doors and lifted her face in expectation.

  Her jaw dropped. Thank God she had the good sense to close it quickly.

  The well turned out man standing in front of her with a devilish grin plastered on his face and sparkling emerald-green eyes was not repulsive, wrinkled, or old. For some odd reason her pulse sped up as she demurely eyed his slightly long auburn hair hitting his jacket collar. And then he bowed a perfect flourish of gentlemanly charm.

  “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Hamilton. I am Lord Norwich, and the gentleman across the room is His Grace, the Duke of Wentworth.”

  Every speck of air left her lungs. Of course this gentleman was not the duke. He was . . . he was . . . handsome and young. Emma swallowed past the lump in her throat, afraid to look in the direction of the other gentleman in the room. The one she had not even known was present.

  “Please forgive my manners.” Miss Beauregard came forward, her voice pitched slightly higher than the norm. “Your Grace, may I present Miss Hamilton, your ward?”

  Then the headmistress added, “Emma, this is your guardian, the Duke of Wentworth.”

  The scalding hot vibration started in Emma’s toes and spread until it encompassed her br
ain. She nearly stumbled forward during her curtsy. “It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace.”

  He bowed at the waist, never taking his sparkling blue eyes from hers, and if Emma wasn’t mistaken, he found some amusement with her situation.

  “The pleasure is all mine. I do hope this visit finds you well,” said the duke.

  If Emma had stared open-mouthed at Lord Norwich, then she gaped at the duke. Surely there was some mistake. The duke standing in front of her did not match any of the pictures she had envisioned. This would not do. Where was the old, wrinkled man? The duke who had visited her dreams? She did not want this way-too-dashing young gentleman to be her guardian. Emma needed a father figure. Not a gentleman who would plague her innocent dreams at night, causing her to have unladylike thoughts.

  This duke seemed way too tall, possessing wide shoulders, narrow hips, and long, muscled legs. It was hard to tell where his black pantaloons ended and his polished Hessians began. His long, wheat-colored hair was pulled back in a queue. His face could have been chiseled by some sculptor during ancient times. The duke’s features were perfect in every way. And his eyes—her pulse leaped when they looked directly at her. Emma had never seen such dark, cobalt-blue eyes. No mere mortal man could be this beautiful to look at and have a good heart as well. So, on the spot, to guard her from romanticizing him further, she decided his angelic perfect looks hid the devil inside.

  “I am well, Your Grace. And may I add,” Emma smiled at him, hoping he would believe her motives genuine, “welcome to Boston.”

  “Thank you. I look forward to exploring the area during the next few days.” The duke glanced at his friend, standing at his side. “It would be an honor if you would consider accompanying Lord Norwich and me on an outing while we are here.”

  Could he be serious? Emma could not go out with two young gentlemen without a proper chaperone. Her hesitation was noticed and the silence broken.

  “As your guardian, I would like to become further acquainted with you so I may make arrangements for your comfort when we arrive in England. Do you have a lady’s maid that can accompany us? If not, I am quite convinced Miss Beauregard can supply us with a suitable chaperone.” The duke gave her a warm smile.

  The transformation that came with the smile astounded her. Frissons of tingles traveled up her arms, causing goose bumps to break out. Emma had thought him perfect before, but when he smiled his face warmed, causing little lines to crinkle at the corners of his eyes and two dimples to appear in the middle of his cheeks. She attributed her sudden fixation on the handsome duke to the fact she’d led a sheltered life where, according to society’s dictates, males were not involved.

  She had much to learn about the gentlemen of the world, she decided, if she planned to be on her own one day. Not that she really and truly wanted to live alone. She just didn’t believe anything else existed out there in the vast world for her. She wondered if all young ladies thought like that when facing an unplanned and traumatic change to their normal lives.

  Emma pushed her wandering thoughts aside and listened to the duke’s deep voice resonate throughout the small room. “Also, my two dear sisters, my mother, and my brother are anxious to receive word of you.”

  She lowered her head. “It would be an honor to accompany Your Grace and Lord Norwich on an outing.”

  “Splendid. We shall call on you tomorrow at ten.” His Grace bowed. “I beg your leave.”

  Emma curtsied with all the elegance and grace she could muster, regardless of the fluttering inside her stomach. “Until tomorrow, Your Grace.”

  ***

  “Well,” Myles announced as they descended the front steps, “I think that went well, all things considered.” He stole a glance at Thomas. “Don’t you?”

  Well? Had his friend taken leave of his wits? Miss Emma Hamilton was not the sort of ward Thomas needed in his life right now. Thomas already had two beautiful sisters to guard and protect from fortune hunters and unsavory rogues, until he could marry them off––God willing, without a hint of scandal. Now he had Miss Hamilton. His heart jumped when he thought of her tall, slender, and graceful figure. The plain black mourning dress had done little to hide the young lady’s attributes. As willowy as she appeared, she possessed womanly curves in all the right places. Places men like him dreamed about caressing. Never mind that she looked like an angel from the neck up.

  And Miss Hamilton was more than attractive. Warm heat surged inside Thomas’s body as he pictured her oval face, high cheekbones, generous pink lips, and small pert nose, all accentuated by milk-white, flawless skin. Her eyes were a soft pale blue, and her strawberry-blond hair, carelessly pulled back with a ribbon, had done little to tame the wild tresses clinging to her face and shoulders. The feature he noticed most about her, and he’d had trouble not staring at during their brief meeting, was the dimple in the center of her stubborn chin. And call it gentleman’s intuition, but he knew her stubbornness would be difficult to curb. Hadn’t her letter to him hinted at determination and stubbornness? He should not find himself surprised by this attribute.

  Thomas refused to acknowledge his body’s reaction to Miss Hamilton. Any healthy gentleman would experience the same when looking at an exceedingly beautiful member of the fairer sex. And he’d been on a ship for six weeks. It had nothing to do with any attraction or awakening of desire he felt toward Emma—Miss Hamilton. She was now another sister to take care of, and nothing more.

  So, added to his two sisters, he now had a goddess to protect and deliver into a suitable match. If Thomas’s good name didn’t plummet from scandal when the three of them made their entrance into London Society, he’d consider himself a lucky man. And if Thomas were to find three gentlemen of good social standing and family to marry them, he would consider himself the luckiest man in all of England.

  Of course, scandal was nothing new to the Wentworth Duchy. His father had seen to that. Thomas still struggled with that to this day. Trying to forgive his father for his recklessness and selfishness was an ongoing problem for Thomas. Oh, he believed he finally had forgiven his father, but the memories haunted him, and someday soon he would have to put them to rest. But he had to admit he would hate for scandal to be attached to his family name again.

  Not so much for him, but for his family. His sisters deserved better than their father had given them, and it was not their fault their father had lacked scruples. Thomas was determined to keep respectability attached to their family name.

  Thomas’s fingers rubbed the fine hairs on the back of his neck. Miss Emma Hamilton, he had the feeling, would turn out to be the bane of his existence. Could become the reason to numb his mind with strong spirits, rip the hair out of his head, and seek to slake his manly needs with his widow friends. If he survived with his wits intact until he had her safely married off, a celebration with a holiday on the Continent would be his reward.

  Thomas forced his mind back to answering his friend’s question. “One could say the meeting was satisfactory. Miss Hamilton should not be too difficult to marry off. Not with her comely looks and her generous inheritance.”

  Myles burst out laughing from the coach seat opposite. “Comely? She is much more than comely. When I first spied her out in the foyer, I could no longer breathe. I have never seen such a vision before. For a time I was convinced she was not real, something my imagination created.” Myles paused, his brows drawn in seriousness. “I might consider marriage to her myself.”

  “What?” Thomas barked as his chest constricted painfully. “You can’t be serious.”

  Myles’s lecherous grin was unnerving. Thomas did not like the look in his eyes, as if Myles envisioned Miss Hamilton in a rather unladylike way.

  “Why ever not? She will need a husband, and why not me? I would be doing you a favor taking her off your hands. You need not spend your coin on her wardrobe and such frivolous things a lady needs before she is introduced properly and fashionably into society. I should marry her right off.”

  Thomas breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, trying to calm the unfamiliar rage throbbing deep within his body, threatening to escape. If he didn’t control it, he would find himself diving across the seat and beating his closest friend to a bloody pulp.