Page 13 of Claiming His Lost Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #8)

Graham barely managed to retain his senses long enough to arrive at his study.

The first thing he did was pour himself a glass of scotch and downed the entire thing the next moment. He poured another immediately and emptied half of the glass before he paused to calm himself.

He had done it. He had not only found the woman he had sought after for years, but he also managed to marry her.

Now that she had his, he thought that he would have regained some control of his senses, but it seemed his hunger only grew with their close proximity to each other.

Graham felt as though he wished to spend endless hours worshipping her body, preferring the taste of her lips to any spirit. But he knew he couldn’t rush things, couldn’t demand so much from her so soon.

Still, the wait was bound to kill him, if his greed did not make its mark first.

“My faither used tae say guid things would come tae those who wait. I wonder if he'd think me a fool or a puir soul for pittin' maself through these mad circumstances.” he mused quietly.

Only time would tell, he supposed. All he could do now was properly prepare himself to meet the needs of his family, a prospect that filled his heart with anticipation.

And for the first time in a very long time, Graham felt eager to see what the future had in store for him.

The very next morning, Joan was awake and out exploring the estate.

She had not gotten a chance to do so, seeing as only days ago, Sophia had been ill and needed to be looked after closely, followed by the preparations to be wed. With how much her life had changed in the span of a week, she felt quite displaced and out of her depth.

Still, she had no intention to be swept up in the storm that had overturned her situation — for better or worse, it was still too soon to say.

Joan did not want to appear as a liability to her husband, or a leech that sought only the benefits of their marriage.

She never imagined she would have a title, much less one ranked so highly, but she was determined to do right by the opportunity that had been presented to her.

“Oh, certainly, Your Grace! I would be honored to give you a tour of the estate.” The housekeeper beamed when Joan made her request.

“These grounds have seen several generations of Rutledge heirs, and I have been fortunate to have witnessed the ascension of two dukes to the dukedom. His Grace might seem… rough around the edges, but he is remarkably unlike what most assume,” Mrs. Wintersdown told Joan, and she led the duchess through the corridors of the house.

“Is that so?” Joan questioned lightly, trying not to sound too intrigued.

The older woman nodded, smiling a little

“Because he is Scottish, many believed that he would result in the downfall of the honor of the Rutledge name, but His Grace has done nothing but work hard to make his legacy even greater than when he arrived.”

Penelope turned around a corner then, followed closely by another maid, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the duchess.

“Good morning, Your Grace! How are you this fine morning? I thought you would be resting a little more, savoring the bliss of your marriage!” she said with a grin.

Joan blushed and shook her head.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean, but I merely intended to familiarize myself with my duties…

as a duchess. I do not want to be a hindrance to anyone, especially the duke— my husband.

It is best if I begin early, so that I can make myself useful to the household,” she explained gently, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

Penelope gasped and clapped her hands with glee.

“Oh, how fortunate we are to have such a hard-working duke and duchess looking after us. We were often concerned about His Grace, as he seemed quite lonely most of the time. I am very glad he had someone who was gentle and as determined as he is, just waiting for his proposal,” the maid sighed dreamily.

Joan laughed incredulously.

“He was lonely? That cannot be. A man as… charming as he would surely have his choice of interested women practically throwing themselves at him.” She paused before letting her curiosity get the best of her.

“Perhaps some he might’ve brought to the estate in a bid to show off his wealth and prestige? ”

The other women exchanged glances, and then the housekeeper spoke up on their behalf.

“Never, Your Grace. The Duke has never expressed any interest in any other woman before you. He mostly kept to himself, seeing as the ton did not look upon him kindly. They did not trust him, and they regarded him as unworthy of his honor. We have all heard the tales, but I can assure you that the Duke is nothing like that. We are all fortunate to be employed by someone as gracious as His Grace. He treats us all with respect and care — qualities not many would believe servants deserve. And it has made us so immensely happy to find that he did indeed have someone to entrust his heart to. He deserves all the happiness in the world.”

Penelope nodded along, moving closer to defend her master. “His Grace might be a tad stiff and something of a recluse, but he is as reliable as they come. And I do not believe I have ever seen him as thrilled about anything as he is about yours and Lady Sophia’s presence.”

Joan was surprised to hear his servants speak so highly of him. While she had done all that she could to ignore the rumors she had heard about him, it was quite difficult to dismiss them completely.

She wondered if they held any potential, wondering why he was viewed so harshly, enough that he was seen as nothing more than vile and cruel.

But hearing his staff share how much they valued him and their thoughts of his personality, it reminded her of the reasons that had led her to give herself to him that first night they spent together.

He had made her feel strangely safe in a way Joan had never experienced before, coaxing her to lower her guard and seek his embrace.

It was the same air she had felt between them the night before when he listened to her refusal and stepped away.

Joan couldn’t understand why a man with so much wealth and power would want someone as useless as she was.

“I want to do my best to ensure that he is viewed in a kinder light. He has been nothing but generous to me and my – our child. I am not sure if… I am as worthy as he deemed to be his duchess. But I know that I want to make sure he doesn’t regret his choice,” Joan said, holding her head high.

Mrs. Wintersdown nodded, looking rather proud.

“He will not,” she nodded with a smile. “You have nothing to worry about, Your Grace. We are more than happy to teach you all you need to know about being a duchess and more.”

Joan inhaled deeply, wondering if she had what it took to do the needful in order to remain at her husband’s side without looking or feeling inferior.

There was only one way to find out.

Exhaling, Joan pointed down a hallway, her shoulders squared in preparation for what was to come as she prompted.

“Lead the way.”