Page 3 of A Duchess to Reclaim (The Devil’s Masquerade #2)

CHAPTER THREE

“N o,” Amelia blurted out, then blushed. A tiny sense of guilt flitted through her.

Dominic, of all people, had saved her and had already assured her that no force of inappropriate relations would be put upon her. Still, she balked at the idea.

Dominic’s dark brows flew up at her response and his jaw tightened at her response.

“You think it is something I wish for?” He asked. “When I thought of taking a wife I did not think I would be purchasing her.”

“Why not?” She replied haughtily, her fear slowly draining from her body. “Is that not what parents of daughters do? Offer a dowry to noble men to marry them? It is really all the same. Just in a different environment.”

Dominic’s silver eyes darkened as he stared at her, and Amelia immediately cooled her temper. When he then spoke his tone was low. Calm. And yet- there was a lethal edge to it.

“I understand you have had a rather awful evening. But you will speak to me with respect, Amelia. I am attempting to offer solution to this issue, even at my own inconvenience.”

Amelia cast her eyes away from his, took a steadying breath, and mentally went through the last two hours and wild series of events. I have not been sold to a stranger. I have been sold to a friend that wants to help me. I am angry. But I do not need to be angry at him. I will listen.

“I apologize,” she said as calmly as she could, looking back up at him. “Please tell me your plan.”

Dominic’s pinning, cold stare made her want to squirm in her seat, but she clasped her hands and held herself tightly. A moment later the carriage stopped, and the driver tapped on the roof.

“We are here, Your Grace,” he announced.

Still keeping his piercing gaze on Amelia, Dominic said loudly, “Walk twenty paces away from us. Keep watch to make sure we are not interrupted. I shall call you back when we are ready to leave.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” the driver announced, and silence then stretched as they felt the carriage sway slightly as the man climbed down, then listened as his crunching footsteps faded away.

“What do you know of my reputation, Amelia?” Dominic asked at last.

The question took her off guard. It was not at all what she thought he was going to ask.

“I- well, I have heard occasionally of your successes in your Dukedom from Theo and Seraphina. I have heard your witty comments between our friend group,” she explained.

A single dark brow of his rose.

“You’ve not heard any other gossip about me?” He asked.

Amelia let out a dry, mirthless laugh.

“People talk about me, Your Grace. Not to me. The only ones who have deigned to truly converse are the women in my close circle of friends.”

She paused, suddenly curious as to why he would ask and added, “Why?”

Dominic glanced away from her as he stretched his large body from a casual sitting position to one more refined.

“I am known to be quite ruthless in business,” he answered, reaching for his silver cuff link on his black shirt sleeve.

She watched as he twisted it with his fingers, as if adjusting it back into place even though it was properly seated.

“I am successful at everything I do and I am known to work with favors,” he went on. “I am knowledgeable in many things and I know the when, where, and why before most do.”

It was Amelia’s turn to raise a brow. Certainly quite confident in himself, too, she thought, growing frustrated.

“Congratulations?” She said, giving him a questioning look. “What does this have to do with my predicament?”

To her surprise, Dominic let out what sounded like an amused huff as his lips twitched.

“What it means is that I am powerful, Amelia. Powerful enough that everyone of importance wants to be an ally. Therefore if I take you on as my wife, even if some of the men back there did know who you were, they would not dare speak a word of it to anyone.”

Amelia’s brows flew up.

“You are that well liked?” She asked.

He chuckled, and shook his head.

“It is not about being liked. I am formidable. Being on my bad side can tend to get dangerous. For multiple reasons.”

Though curious, Amelia did not ask for further information. Something in the calm, unbothered way he stated these things told her that it was nothing but the truth.

“Very well,” she said quietly, then drew in a breath.

“If I marry you I shall have a certain protection. That certainly is appreciated. But what else?”

Again those sculpted lips of his twitched.

“What else?” He echoed calmly.

“That is what you are willing to do for me,” she replied. “I am assuming this is a deal. What is it that you want me to do for you?”

That small ghost of a smile faded quickly from Dominic’s lips and it made Amelia grow rigid.

“As I said earlier, I have no proclivity for an unwilling paramour. This deal will not brokered by forced sexual favors.” He replied with a bitter note in his voice.

Amelia felt her cheeks flush at the provocative word, not expecting the bluntness of it. Suddenly she wondered if the very thought of participating in such acts with her were off-putting to her, and she felt a bitter shot of disappointment.

Yes, she had put off finding a husband because of her bruised feelings toward men and her ever-floundering reputation, but some small part of her had hoped that if she could marry, it would be with a man that would show her not just love, but passion. The kind she read of so often in her books.

“Excluding that,” she said slowly, dismissing her feelings, “There must be something you want from me.”

“If we were to be married you would be a duchess,” he clarified, “Therefore it would stand to reason that you step in and fill the roles as such.”

Amelia nodded. That was a fair and rational request. After all if he was willing to act as her husband, she should be willing in some capacity to act as his wife. And she had been trained extensively by her mother to undertake such duties; though there would be a learning curve when it came to the esteemed status of a duchess. More hosting, more delegating. But she could handle it. For the life he’d just spared her. She could do this.

“Very well,” she said at last, clasping her hands tightly together.

“And you stay out of London,” he dictated. “Out of sight and out of mind from the ton. You will accept your new life at Ellsworth.”

“Why would I want to return here anyway?” She scoffed.

Dominic gave a simple nod.

“I remember a vague conversation you and I had at Seraphina’s baby shower,” he went on. “You stated that you wanted to be a woman that could do whatever she wanted. There will be rules to our unorthodox marriage. You cannot damage my reputation, and I will not damage yours. That being said, however, given the agreement we just settled on, if you use discretion you may go after a bit of the freedom you spoke of.”

Amelia’s brows flew to her forehead as her lips parted in shock.

“Truly?” She asked.

Dominic shrugged his powerful shoulders.

“If you respect my privacy and my freedoms, I shall respect yours. Can you agree on that?”

Perhaps this is a better bargain than I thought, she mused silently as she nodded.

“Very good,” Dominic stated, then reached for the door.

She stared at him in strange wonder as he called the driver back to them, and gave him Theo’s address.

“What are we going there for?” She asked as they started to move again.

“You are certainly not going back to your father’s house,” Dominic said with a rueful chuckle, “And you cannot yet come back to mine. A private residence, I suspect, would be too isolating for you after the night you had. Theo is your dear friend and her parents are very tolerant to overnight guests. Therefore you will stay with Theo until we are married.”

“And when will that be?” Amelia asked.

“I have certain connections,” Dominic replied. “We can have the license and ceremony in three days.”

* * *

“Sarah! Lydia!” Amelia gasped.

The wedding ceremony had come and gone in a blur, her mind so addled that she hadn’t noticed who was and was not among the small crowd of guests. She still hadn’t mentally recovered from the night of the auction; her fear often taking hold of her at random moments and stealing her away for bouts of time. When she would come out of it, she often had to take a moment to prove to herself that it was over, she was safe, and would have to re-familiarize herself with wherever she was and whatever she was doing.

Unfortunately, such a thing had happened just as she’d stepped onto the altar to marry Dominic.

She smiled widely, heart pouring with relief as she saw her sisters running toward her, and she opened her arms to embrace them. As she did so, she looked up, and a chill ran down her spine as she saw her father watching from afar.

She had not expected that they would be able to come; and she hated that her father had. Dominic, she suspected, must have paid a visit to him. She knew he had, for one of the wagons outside the church was loaded with her belongings.

Amelia suppressed a shudder as she thought of what that conversation would have been like. What their two fierce personalities clashing meeting had come about.

“Amelia, we cannot believe it!” Fourteen-year-old Sarah giggled, holding her tight. “When we last saw you we were so worried, but now here you are, getting married to a Duke! Why did you not tell us?”

Because I had no idea that was going to happen, she thought. But she refused to share the frightening details of that horrid night her father took her to auction.

“Oh, well, I wanted it to be surprise,” Amelia laughed instead, pulling away so she could take a good look at them. It had only been three days since she’d last seen them, but she’d missed and worried for them so much.

“Your wedding dress is beautiful,” Lydia gushed, her small hands delicately running over the lace. “Can I have one like this when I get married?”

Amelia smiled at her ten-year-old sister warmly.

“I am sure when that day comes you will have the dress of your dreams, my darling,” she replied.

Though Dominic did not know it yet, Amelia had decided that in the future she would ask him to help her take her sisters under their care so that they would never go through what she had. There was still much she did not know about her husband, but seeing as how he had commanded the auction room, how quickly he acquired their marriage license, and how he’d managed to get her sisters to come to the ceremony, she was starting to realize that he had indeed been truthful when he told her he was a powerful man.

“When will you come home?” Lydia asked.

“When can we come visit you?” Sarah asked before Amelia could reply.

“Why does Father seem so angry?” Lydia piped up.

“Now that you are a duchess, will you get to wear a crown?” Sarah added.

Her sisters peppered her with one question after another, and as Amelia kept looking back and forth between them, she felt her heartbeat start to spike again; her breathing become more difficult. Heat spiked in her face as her limbs went cold and numb, and suddenly her dress felt far too tight. The room began to spin as Amelia’s knees wobbled, and the edges of her vision began to fade to black.

“Good day.”

A strong, deep voice rang clear through the chorus of the two, smaller, more feminine ones, silencing them at once. A hand, firm yet gentle slid around Amelia’s back and made purchase on her hip; holding her up just as she thought she was about to go down. Startled, she looked to the man pressing to her side, and saw Dominic’s silver gaze and calm expression.

Easy, his eyes seemed to say, You can breathe.

Amelia drew a sudden breath in, her lungs quivering, and she began to make her way back from her terror.

“You must be Sarah and Lydia,” Dominic said, turning his attention to the little ones.

He bowed his head toward them and held out a hand.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both.”

Feeling more herself now, Amelia smiled assuringly down at her little sisters, who seemed slightly intimidated by the large man standing beside their big sister.

“Young ladies, this is your new brother-in-law, Dominic Astorfield, Duke of Ellsworth. Do be polite and return his warm greeting,” she urged them gently.

Though still appearing shy, each little girl took a brief hold of Dominic’s hand as they curtseyed; his much larger hand swallowing their tiny fingers up.

“Will we be allowed to visit our sister, Your Grace?” Sarah asked, still sounding a bit frightened.

Amelia looked to him and saw that though he did not smile, there was a kind expression on his face.

“Of course you may. Whenever you wish,” he replied. “I will even send a carriage for you if you so need it.”

“May we go with you now?” Lydia asked, and to Amelia’s surprise, a chuckle left Dominic’s lips.

“Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow your big sister to settle in first,” he replied. “What about next week?”

“What are you talking about with my children?” Felton demanded, appearing behind the two young girls.

He glared at both Amelia and Dominic aggressively.

Yes, Amelia decided quietly, their conversation must have been quite intense. I wonder if he has any regret for what he did at all?

Amelia immediately bristled again as her heart began to hammer, but Dominic only looked at him with a cold calm.

“We are discussing a visit, Lord Hollowcroft,” he replied smoothly.

Felton bared his teeth as he said, “I will not-”

“You will not lose your temper at our wedding, Felton ,” Dominic finished for him.

Amelia was startled as her new husband used her father's first name.

“Nor will you keep sisters apart.”

Tension filled the air as the two men glared at one another. One roiling with apparent, fiery anger. The other as cool and hard as ice. Then, as if deciding to be done with him, Dominic turned his back to Felton and focused on the three sisters.

“I am afraid we must be going now,” Dominic said to Lydia and Sarah. “Your papa appears tired and needs to go home for some rest, and we have a journey to take. But we will see you next week.”

“You will not speak to my children about me in that-”

Felton’s words were cut off as Dominic whirled and clutched his hand in what appeared to be a cordial handshake, and held him closer.

“You will not assume control anymore,” Dominic whispered, barely loud enough for Amelia to hear and surely not enough for the younger girls to hear. “You lost that when you sold your daughter. Do not forget who I am and what I am capable of, Felton. Now regain control of yourself. Congratulate your daughter on her marriage, and leave.”

Stunned, Amelia slowly reached down and took her sisters’ hands as Dominic released their father’s hand and took a step back. When he did so, Amelia could see that her father’s face had turned bright red, but there was no anger left in his expression.

“Congratulations, daughter,” Felton stated, his voice clipped, “On your marriage. I wish you all happiness.”

“Good,” Dominic breathed.

“Girls, come along,” Felton said then, “It is time to go home. You shall see your sister next week.”

Both girls turned in toward Amelia, and she bent down once more to embrace them tightly.

“See you soon,” she promised them.

As she watched them leave Amelia turned to Dominic with a questioning gaze.

“Who are you, Dominic?” She whispered.

Dominic took a long breath in through his nostrils as he crooked his arm and once more fiddled with his silver cuff- just as he had the night he’d bought her.

“I am the Duke of Ellsworth,” he replied calmly, “And your husband. Now come. It is time for us to go home.”

Amelia blinked in surprise as the footman opened the door and she found Theo, Rosamund, and Ophelia already in the carriage.

“Gorgeous darling!” Theo chirped warmly.

“Come right in,” Rosamund insisted, motioning for her to do so.

“Such a beautiful wedding,” Ophelia praised.

“What is this?” She asked of them, then turned to Dominic.

“I have my own business to attend to when we reach Ellsworth, so I arranged for your friends to keep you company while you get to know your way around the staff and house,” he replied smoothly.

Amelia smiled at her friends, then reached for Dominic’s arm to pull him to the side.

“Dominic, I have questions,” she insisted in a whisper. “I was hoping we would at least have the carriage ride to discuss them.”

“You will have your life to lead, and I will have my own,” he replied. “As I indicated before. There will be no need for pretense in our home, so why bother starting off that way?”

The cold way he said it made her flinch, and her hand slipped from his arm.

“You are safe now, Amelia,” he stated pragmatically, steepling his fingers together. “That is all that matters. Now your friends are waiting.”

With that, he turned from her and walked to the carriage behind hers; only leaving her with more questions.

“Well, wasn’t that a whirlwind!” Rosamund said with awe when Amelia eventually got into the carriage.

“Do finally explain how this all came about,” Ophelia urged. “I know you and the Duke flirted once at Seraphina’s baby shower, but I assumed it was a just a simple act of brazen defiance.”

She forced a smile as her eyes darted to Theo, who gave her a comforting, subtle nod. They had not shared the truth with the other friends.

“Yes, well, when there is a spark, sometimes it grows into a flame,” Amelia replied forcing a laugh.

“How delicious,” Rosamund giggled.

“The Duke and I simply understand what each other wants,” she lied, “and we came to an agreement that would suit us both. He shall have his life. I shall have mine. And we will work together whenever necessary.”

“Well,” Ophelia chortled, “That is slightly less delicious.”

“What I find delicious is that His Grace has invited us all to be with you as you settle in,” Theo piped up. “It is obvious he is a busy man and I think it is most gracious that he allowed us to aid you in taking on your new responsibilities.”

“Yes,” Amelia said readily, hoping to change the topic, “That is indeed most welcome. My mother prepared me extensively for taking on the responsibility of a house, but I hear my husband’s estate is far more vast than most. Come, give me any advice you can.”

As the carriage rolled toward Ellsworth, Amelia pushed her mind to not wander toward her new husband, but her friends’ suggestions; thankfully eating up the time it took to get there. When they arrived, she noted that Dominic’s carriage was already heading toward the stables, with him nowhere to be found on the large expanse of marble steps that led to the main entrance.