Page 8 of Bound to the Heartless Duke (Regency Beasts #4)

I t didn’t take Magnus very long to grow tired of living with only one servant around.

He had been staying at Medlin Manor for a little over a week now, and he had had enough of doing some things himself.

He needed a butler to oversee the general running of the house and ensuring his important correspondence found their way to him on time a cook to do all the cooking, footmen and servants at his beck and call—just the way he liked it.

He didn’t like having to traipse up and down the stairs several times a day to see if any correspondence had arrived for him, neither did he enjoy the odd selections of wine presented with dinner.

It wasn’t as though he was spoiled, it just wasted valuable time he could use to face more profitable ventures.

And if he were being honest, he didn’t enjoy watching Lily do some of the housework.

He wanted to change that, too. She cooked and cleaned, and still managed to find time to embroider and read a book, all whilst searching for a husband.

A gently bred lady should not have to do all of that. Magnus could only imagine how much stress she was under, doing all of that just to help pay off her reckless brother’s debts.

Therefore, he sent a letter to Blackmore Manor, requesting servants to come over to Medlin Manor to attend to him for the rest of the month. He kept this from Nathan, of course (as he seemed to be avoiding him), and Lily.

After all, the likelihood of him seizing the manor at the end of the month was high—and only kept getting higher.

On the day his servants arrived, he waited around to see Lily’s reaction. She was confused and looked like she needed an explanation to understand what was happening. She had been away from the manor when the servants arrived, and was very surprised to be welcomed by his butler into her own home.

“Welcome home, My Lady,” Hastings said respectfully, as if he hadn’t refused her entry into Blackmore Manor only a week ago.

Magnus was standing by the drawing room, where he was able to observe her reaction. She looked around, her lips parted in surprise, not knowing what to say or who to question.

Was she feeling like she was in the wrong house, perhaps? Or was she just worried that he was slowly taking over the manor before the month was over?

Eventually, her eyes landed on Magnus and held for a second. Then, she hiked up her skirt and walked up to him.

“Your Grace,” she greeted, bobbing a curtsy.

“You have returned,” Magnus said. “I could not live with only one servant, so I brought mine here to attend to me.”

And to you, so you wouldn’t have to do anything from now on.

Lily blushed with shame and lowered her head. “Oh, I apologize for the earlier discomfort, Your Grace. We could not afford to keep our servants, so we had to let them go.”

Magnus noticed how she clenced her fists showing her shame and waved her off, turning away to give her some modicum of privacy to collect herself. “At least this would make things faster and much easier, while you can simply focus on trying to find a husband.”

He saw herglance up at him from the corner of his eye. “Oh… Right. Thank you, Your Grace.”

The new changes visbly came as a shock to her, so Magnus took it upon himself to watch her closely for the next few days.

Every morning, she stayed in rather than break her fast with them, and he took it to mean she couldn’t stand the fact that other people were preparing breakfast or she was mortified by him taking such liberties in her home without consulting her.

Even during meals, he noted how she would mostly keep her head down, and afterwards, go out for a walk in the garden.

She never spent too much time outside before she was back in the house, quietly walking up and down the halls, as if she was looking for something to do that the servants hadn’t touched yet.

She seemed lost, wandering without purpose.

Magnus wanted to speak with her, to know what she was thinking when she was roaming the house. But he didn’t know how to start that conversation. She seemed crestfallen, almost bereaved.

She hardly ever noticed him as he watched her; he was always a couple of meters away from her. Deep down, Magnus didn’t want to get caught watching her so… intently.

He followed her out one day, very quietly, curious to see what she was doing when she wasn’t reading or embroidering. He found her in the garden, standing by the fountain and staring at the water. She looked so still, so peaceful, that he thought to turn around and go back to the house.

He couldn’t see her face, as it was turned away from him, but he heard her sigh. He took another step forward, and his boot crunched on the stone, announcing his presence.

Lily spun around, her eyes wide.

He had wanted to avoid that.

“Y-Your Grace,” she sputtered, bobbing a little curtsy.

Magnus waved a hand, indicating that she shouldn’t bother.

“What are you doing out here, My Lady?” he asked, stepping closer to her until they were only a few steps apart.

Lily’s eyes darted away, as if she did not want him to read her thoughts. “I just… needed to clear my mind, I suppose. I-I had nothing to do, so…”

He studied her for a moment.

“You have something on your mind,” he said matter-of-factly.

She glanced at him briefly, before nodding reluctantly. “Yes, Your Grace. I do have something on my mind.”

He took a deep breath and lifted his chin, affecting an authoritative tone. “Would you care to tell me what it is about?”

She hesitated, as if wondering where she should start. “Everything, Your Grace. Mostly about… finding a suitable husband and… paying off our debts. It has me worried.”

Magnus looked around and found that they were alone. “I see. What are your worries exactly?”

Lily looked up at him, her eyes flashing with unshakable determination. “They do not matter, Your Grace. I will find a husband, and I will pay off our debt, no matter the circumstances. You can be sure of it.”

Magnus held back a smile of amusement.

She was so fixated on this issue, and he knew well enough that no hint of skepticism could shake her.

But he could imagine how hard it must be for her. Seeing her age and beauty, men would be more prone to seek something other than marriage. They would expect to gain power or influence, if not money, by marrying her. However, her family’s reputation wasn’t stellar, courtesy of her brother.

Magnus highly doubted she would find a suitable husband easily and on time. But he couldn’t tell her that. If there was anyone he wanted to keep taunting, it was the Earl himself. His sister was going through such hardship all because of him, and Magnus wished he could help her.

He cleared his throat. “Perhaps,” he suggested, looking away from her, “you could attend some social gatherings. I do not know how much it could do, but you never know who you might meet there.”

Her face lit up with interest, much to his satisfaction.

“Do you think so, Your Grace?” she asked.

He nodded slowly, feeling proud. “Yes. The Worthingtons are hosting a ball at their estate this weekend. I would be… glad to accompany you there, if you’d like.”

She seemed to debate the idea in her head and his face fell wondering if she would let her bruised pride keep her from entertaining such a good idea.

She gave a small smile that warmed his heart instantly, then lowered her head. “That would be most kind of you, Your Grace. Thank you.”

He let a smile curve his lips, but only for a fleeting second before he cleared his throat. “It’s nothing.”

Why does seeing her happy make me happy? And why do I want more of that?

He watched as the sunlight hit her hair, highlighting its warm tones. Standing right before him, she looked like a goddess—if gods and goddesses existed. He wanted to touch her, but under the circumstances, it would seem inappropriate.

He took a deep breath and turned his gaze to the fountain.

For a while, there was only the soft splashing of the water and the cool breeze blowing through the tall trees around them. But then he noticed she was wringing her hands and shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

He immediately guessed she was tired of standing and needed to sit down. She must want to go back to the house.

“We should return,” he suggested.

If it wasn’t what she wanted, she could decline anyway.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

She stepped aside, waiting for him to go ahead so she could follow right behind.

“Please.” He motioned for her to walk next to him, though she still fell one step behind.

As they walked back to the house, Magnus couldn’t help but feel responsible for her. She was working so hard, and that got to him. He wanted to help her, and he would, even if it meant accompanying her to a few events he didn’t want to attend.

She rushed forward to open the door when they neared the house and instantly he was hit by the sweet scent of her perfume.

The scent had begun to linger in his mind and even now, he had to hold back from stopping to look at her.

He couldn’t deny his attraction towards her at that moment, but he knew it was best to push it down.

It wasn’t right for him to entertain such thoughts about her when he was only trying to help her. .

He gulped and walked into the house, going straight up to his study.

He reminded himself that his attraction toward her didn’t matter and that what was important was helping Lily find a husband, so he could leave Medlin Manor.

With a whole new team of servants in the house, Lily found it hard to keep herself occupied. Everything she once enjoyed doing with Summer had now been taken over by them. She had tried different new things, but other than embroidering and reading, nothing seemed to entertain her.