Page 11 of A Duke to Restore her Memory

“Sebastian.” Lady Lydia’s voice was filled with surprise and disapproval as she addressed her brother, but her eyes flickered beyond his shoulder to where Christina stood. They were filled with coldness. “I see you have been out on an excursion.”

Christina flushed hard, feeling awkward and embarrassed. It wasn’t just the contempt in Lady Lydia’s eyes as she beheld her.

It was also the fact that a tall gentleman was standing next to the duke’s sister and Lady Frances on the front steps of Newquay Hall, who was a complete stranger to her. She had never seen him before, and he was gazing at her intently, clearly very curious about her.

What a pity we ran into the ladies and this gentleman on the house steps after returning from our outing to the village. It is rather awkward, and I am not sure what to do at all. I do not think the duke knows what to do, either.

“Yes,” said the duke, in a loud, uncomfortable voice, addressing his sister. “I took Georgina for an outing in the village. We had luncheon at the Thistledown Inn and wandered around a bit. I thought it might jog Georgina’s memory.”

“Really,” said Lady Lydia, in a patronizing voice, staring at Christina rudely. “And did it? Did you recognize anything?”

“No, I did not, unfortunately,” replied Christina, shifting on her feet, feeling uncomfortable with the blatant, rude scrutiny of the lady. “I did not recognize anything at all, My Lady.”

There was another awkward silence, with Lady Frances smiling at her kindly. The gentleman, a stranger to her, looked at the duke expectantly. The duke started, looking embarrassed.

“Oh, I do apologize,” he said quickly. “Daniel, this is Georgina, who suffered the fall at the mine and is staying with us until she recovers her memory.” He looked down at Christina. “This is Lord Falmouth.”

“My Lord,” murmured Christina, dropping into a low curtsey.

“What a terrible thing to have happened to you,” said Lord Falmouth, staring at her with sympathy and curiosity when she straightened. “You truly have no idea who you are or where you were going that day?”

Christina shook her head. “None at all, My Lord. It is a complete blank.” She drew a deep breath. “I wish I could remember. I feel terrible about inconveniencing his grace like this.”

“It is no trouble, as I said,” said the duke quickly, with a small smile. “You should not feel that way at all.”

“Indeed,” said Lord Falmouth, smiling at Christina. “The ladies and I were just about to take a turn around the gardens. Would you both care to join us?”

Christina glanced at the duke, not knowing how to respond. Lady Lydia had a sour look on her face. She was sure the lady would not be happy if she accepted the gentleman’s kind invitation.

“Actually, I would like to speak to my brother privately,” said Lady Lydia, her voice filled with acid. “You and Frances should still go on the stroll though, Daniel … and perhaps Georgina should rest after her excursion. She looks rather tired.”

Georgina blushed hard. “Of course,” she said quickly. “It is true. I am rather tired.” She turned to the duke, her heart skipping a beat. “Thank you for the outing. I had a wonderful time … even if I could not remember anything.”

“You are welcome,” he replied quietly, his eyes lingering on her. “I hope you rest well.”

Georgina smiled at them, curtseying again, before walking quickly away, towards the back of the house and the servants’ entrance.

She knew better than to march into the house via the front door. She was sure that sour-faced Lady Lydia would have a conniption if she did anything of the sort.

Her face burnt deeper as she thought about the lady and how she had just dismissed her so contemptuously.

She does not like me at all. And she does not want me associating with any of them. She will never trust me.

She sighed deeply. She couldn’t help if Lady Lydia disliked and distrusted her. She could do nothing about it – she just had to endure it. Hopefully, she would recover her memory sooner rather than later and not have to endure it for too long.

But then, her heart shifted a bit at the thought of leaving Newquay Hall … and the duke. Hastily, she pushed the thought aside.

He was a duke, and she … she was no one at all. It wouldn’t ever be possible to keep in contact with him or be friends with him beyond this time – never mind anything else.

Dukes do not consider strange waifs they have temporarily adopted as candidates to court. And I have no idea who I am or my social standing in this world.

No wonder Lady Lydia is wary of me and doesn’t want her brother getting close to me. I hardly blame her.

Her heart filled with an odd, almost tender regret, which she pushed down, as well, as she entered the house. She didn’t belong here, and the sooner she recovered her memory and moved on, the better.

***

Sebastian followed Lydia into the parlour, feeling a bit irritated with his sister.

He had been wanting to talk to Georgina a bit more before they separated, and he would have liked to have caught up with Daniel, as well, but his sister had insisted on talking with him privately as if he were a recalcitrant child she must reprimand.

He understood why Lydia was the way she was toward him, being his older sister and protective.

But it is starting to wear a bit thin.

Sebastian wished she would start courting and find her own home soon.

He didn’t like the way she had dismissed Georgina, as well. It was done in a rude, patronizing manner. Clearly, his sister didn’t like their unexpected house guest at all, which mystified him. Lydia wasn’t even giving Georgina a chance.

“What do you want to say to me?” he said abruptly, sitting on a chaise longue and throwing an arm across the back. “I rather think you had better spit it out, Lydia.”

His sister stood in front of the fire, glaring at him. “You are growing too close to that woman,” she said curtly, raising her chin. “She is a complete stranger to us, Sebastian. You have no idea who she is or her place in the world. More than likely, she is a commoner. You cannot afford to get close to her.”

Sebastian frowned, his irritation with his sister increasing. “I rather think I can make up my own mind about who I become close with, Lydia! You are being far too presumptuous … and overreaching your position.” He frowned. “I am the Duke of Newquay, you know. Not you.”

Lydia flushed hard. “Actually, I do realize that, thank you very much,” she said in a clipped tone. “Perhaps you should start acting like the Duke of Newquay then, brother.

The duke should not grow close with waifs like Georgina. The duke has a sacred duty to keep to his lofty position … and not indulge his personal feelings.”

Sebastian’s cheeks coloured with embarrassment. “I took her into the village to see if it would help jog her memory. That is all.”

“I know it is more than that,” retorted Lydia. “Do you think I was born yesterday? I can see the way you look at her. She is a beautiful young woman, so I do not blame you for looking … but you must see that she is completely unsuitable and you must focus on pursuing ladies of a certain calibre … like Frances.”

Sebastian’s flush deepened. He hadn’t realized that his deep attraction towards Georgina was so obvious to all and sundry … or, at the very least, to his sister. And while he still didn’t like Lydia scolding him like this and addressing him in this high-handed manner, he had to admit his sister did have a point.

He took a deep, ragged breath. Georgina was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, and she was charming, elegant, and spoke in a refined manner, but he had no idea who she was at all.

She couldn’t be considered a suitable candidate for serious courtship. The next Duchess of Newquay had to be a lady of exceptional breeding and class. A lady who was a cut above all others.

“You should spend more time with Frances while she is here, brother,” continued Lydia, frowning. “Her many attributes are so obvious that I find it difficult to believe you cannot see them for yourself. She is beautiful, charming, and clever … and she is also the daughter of a viscount. Her breeding is impeccable.”

“I am well aware of Lady Frances’s obvious attributes,” he said in a tart voice. “I am also well aware that she is your closest friend, and you are a bit biased, Lydia.” He hesitated. “To tell the truth, I would feel rather awkward courting her. I have always seen her as a younger sister, like you … probably because you have always been as thick as thieves with one another.”

“Frances is five years younger than me,” said Lydia, raising her eyebrows. “She is still young enough to produce the heir the duchy desperately needs, Sebastian. And you are thirty now. It is time that you took that duty seriously. Do you want to be an old man before you start a family?”

“Of course not,” retorted Sebastian, feeling mortified. “I just have not met a lady who has inspired me to propose to her yet. That is all.”

“Frances is a prime candidate for the position of duchess,” said Lydia, her jaw setting in a stubborn line. “You should try to forget that she is my closest friend and simply focus on her attributes. And you should do it sooner rather than later, Sebastian. Time is ticking. There is no time to lose.”

“I am hardly at death’s door,” snapped Sebastian, a bit stung by his sister’s vehemence and dogged persistence on the subject. “I am a gentleman in the prime of my life. There is still time to find a lady who pleases me in all aspects and has the necessary attributes, Lydia. It does not have to be your closest friend.”

He stood up. “Is that all? I think I will try to find Daniel and Lady Frances in the gardens … if that is acceptable with you, of course.” He couldn’t keep the slight thread of sarcasm out of his voice. “Sister?”

“Oh, there is no need to be a fool about it all, Sebastian,” said Lydia, rolling her eyes. “I have said my piece and need say no more for the moment. Just promise me that you will contemplate what I said. You need to focus on all your duties and not be distracted. That is all.”

Sebastian nodded curtly, sweeping out of the room. His sister really did overstep her position with him. But she spoke the truth – a truth he might not like to hear at the moment, but which was necessary he did hear.

His heart somersaulted in his chest. He must try to stay away from Georgina, and he should definitely stop confiding in her about his business problems. It wasn’t appropriate at all. She wasn’t appropriate at all. No matter what his feelings were towards her, that fact was obvious.

A strange sadness entered his heart. A beautiful, mysterious young woman who had no idea who she was and couldn’t remember a single detail about her life was not a candidate to become a duchess. And that really was the end of that.