Page 5 of Claiming His Lost Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #8)

CHAPTER FOUR

“ T he estate has been running smoothly for a while. Your business partners have expressed interest in drafting more contracts with you, but they have expressed … concerns about how you relate to the public. And as such, I think it is important that you interact more with your tenants. You do not have to go about, asking them questions about their well-being, but when there are any events, gracing them with your presence might cause them to look upon you more favorably.”

Graham Lennox sighed tiredly, casting his gaze aside to take in the view of the brightly colored flowers that added to the beauty of the park.

As he recalled, his younger sister loved such colorful flowers. Perhaps he ought to send her a basket soon, with another done specially for his mother, along with those sweets she liked?—

“— You listening, Your Grace?”

Graham groaned and glared at his solicitor, trying not to scoff when the man flinched and stepped aside to put some distance between them.

“Is all of that necessary, Andrew? I am holding my end of the bargain and keeping their lands protected and caring for them. There is no need for us to fraternize,” he huffed irritably.

“It is beyond that, Your Grace. They need to see you and know that you are as reliable and as responsible as you have proven to be. As far as they know, you are merely buttering them up to put them in difficult situations later on. I know that is not the case, Your Grace – believe me, I know what your motivations are and how you work, so I know better than anyone that –”

“Spit it out, Andrew.”

“Yes, sir! I mean – Your Grace. My apologies… but you must understand that the tenants do have a reason to be wary… given the circumstances behind your assumption of this role.” Andrew Clarke explained patiently.

Five years ago, a letter had summoned Graham to London to what he had believed to be a business proposal. It was only after he had met with Andrew that the solicitor had explained that one of Graham's distant relatives had passed away, and he was next in line to take on the title he had once held.

Graham had not expected much because he felt he would have heard beforehand somehow, if it was something high-ranking. He was in for a shock when a dukedom was bestowed upon him.

Firstly, Graham had to handle whatever affairs his father had left unfinished as a result of his passing, then he shifted his attention to assuming his role as the Duke of Rutledge.

However, it appeared that despite the effort he had put in the last few years, he had yet to win over the ton — not that he cared to do so.

“It had been long enough. They would do well to get used to the idea of a man such as myself holding such a title. I see no one else contending for it, despite their complaints,” Graham said as they continued to walk.

“Do not say such a thing, Your Grace. It would be utterly foolish to try such a thing when the law and rights have already stated that you are the sole heir to the dukedom of Rutledge. However, having a more favorable appeal to the ton would work nicely on your behalf. Despite all your contributions to businesses and the economics of the city, they still view you as an outsider. High society is quite fond of gossip, and a Scottish Duke does get tongues wagging from curiosity. Perhaps —”

“I do not care at all. I have never been concerned with the opinions of others, and I will not start now. As long as my family is all right, I do not need to care about anyone else. My family is living comfortably — two of my sisters are happily married, and I am quite content with the state of things,” Graham stated with an air of finality.

Andrew perked up at the mention of marriage, moving closer once more to broach the new subject matter.

“Perhaps you should take a wife for yourself, Your Grace. This will help your image in the eyes of the ton! There is nothing better than a man who has built a family of his own. You'll need a respectable woman, of course, and I have plenty to recommend — all from good families,” he said eagerly.

But the idea only reminded Graham of an issue that had weighed on his mind for a few years now.

Graham hadn't had any room in his life or his mind for any woman lately because it had already been occupied by a woman he met five years ago. Despite the time that had passed since then, he had been unable to forget her, and no matter how hard he had tried, he had been unable to find her.

“What about the woman I had tasked you to find? Do you have anything to report on that?” Graham enquired, stopping again as a dark look of disappointment took over his face.

Fear struck Andrew deeply at the sight of his employer’s expression, forcing his voice to be as steady as it could be, although it started to quite at the end of his report.

“U-Unfortunately, the search is not going too well due to the lack of information on the woman. All we have is her first name and well… you wouldn’t believe how many women bearing the name ‘Joan’ live in London, Your Grace.

I think – I only want the best for you, Your Grace and that is why I feel inclined to make this suggestion…

perhaps it is time we cease the search.”

“Absolutely not. Keep looking for her. I do not care how much must be spent to give me what I seek. Ask whoever you must, but do everything you need to do to find that woman,” Graham insisted sternly.

Andrew knew better than to argue with the Duke, so he sighed and nodded, “Yes, Your Grace.”

Graham knew the other man thought him mentally ill for searching for a woman whom he couldn't prove was without a doubt a figment of his imagination. But he didn't have any other choice.

She had ingrained herself into his mind and skin that night they had met. He had made attempts — feeble and reluctant, but attempts nonetheless — to erase her from his mind, but that was when she took to appearing in his dreams, not just haunting his thoughts.

Try as he might, he was unable to forget her, forget the feel of her skin against his, the sweet taste of her lips, the warmth of her breath as she clung to him, her body quivering with pleasure.

Graham had woken up after their night of shared passion to an empty bed and a missing coin purse. He had later deduced that she had likely told some untruths during their conversation, but he did not wish to believe that she had told him a fake name. He needed at least one thing to be true.

If he was able to find her… then perhaps he might be able to fill the hole in his life that had become apparent when he let her slip out of his grasp. But that was a mistake he wasn’t willing to make twice.

Graham tried to step forward, already bored of the conversations that centered around work and his estate — he managed them all splendidly, and he didn't wish to spend his free time speaking about them.

But then he noticed that something was clinging to his leg, and when he looked down, he found a child clutching at the bottom of his trousers.

The first thing he noticed was her auburn hair, a striking color that shone as brightly as his own. Then he noticed an insect buzzing around her face, and she screamed, hiding her face against him in panic.

“H-Help,” she whimpered, still hiding behind him.

Slowly, he lowered himself to speak to her gently.

“Hush, dear. It’s all right. You are perfectly fine,” he told her, ushering the bee away carefully with a wave of his hand.

She shook her head, her eyes still squeezed shut as she trembled in his hands.

“The bee won’t go away,” she wailed, refusing to reveal herself to the nefarious creature. “It stung my friend Gracie and Graice said it really hurt!”

It was probably silly, and likely mean, how he found he found her so absolutely precious in that moment, even in her distress. Graham couldn’t help but feel relived that a bee was her only problem, because if she desired his inheritance, that look might have pushed him to sign it over.

Graham continued to swat the air around it and the bee finally realized it was not welcome and flew away, and Graham continued, gently rubbing his hands over her arms.

“There. It is gone now, you may open your eyes.”

She cracked one eye open and, after a peek, told her that the coast was clear. She heaved a sigh of relief, opening her eyes carefully.

“Thank you, sir,” she said quietly.

Graham was struck by how utterly precious she was, something in him longing to continue to speak with her.

“You are quite welcome. It was an honor to protect a lovely maiden such as yourself,” he stated, bowing with a flourish.

She giggled, clutching his trousers again with one hand and the other pointing at him as she said,

“You sound funny. Why do you sound like that?”

Graham felt his lips pull into a smile — a genuine one — far too endeared by this little creature than he was willing to admit.

He couldn’t tell if it was because he missed his younger sister or if it was because of something else, but he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to protect this little child.

Still smiling, he reached down to pay her hair as he replied,

“Well, that is because —”

A sudden commotion caused him to pause, as a woman walked around and called out a name. At first, he thought nothing of it, but the voice drew nearer, and at a particularly loud and desperate cry, he felt his instincts tell him to look up.

“Sophia!” she called out, emerging from a crowd.

A single look at her was enough to cause him to go still where he stood.

Graham couldn’t believe his eyes… after so much time, years of searching for her… here she was. He was so stunned, he could not speak, even as the girl who was standing next to him held her hand up and waved, calling out,

“Mama!”

The woman turned in the direction of the girl's voice, her face flooding with relief when she spotted who Graham had deduced was likely a child. Without hesitation, she ran forward and lifted the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly with her eyes shut as tension bled off her shoulders.

It took a moment for her to realize he was there, and then she looked up, cheeks flushed, and she said,

“I apologize if she bothered you at all, sir. Thank you for looking after her for a-a moment.”

Her eyes met his, and he could have sworn he saw a flash of recognition in them. But it was gone rather quickly, as was the warmth and openness that had been on her face a mere handful of seconds ago.

“Mama, he chased a bee away!” the little girl — Sophia — mentioned, craning her neck to look back at Graham, whose heart tugged painfully at the precious action.

But her mother wouldn’t let her look at him, gently placing her hand over the child’s head to keep her facing the same direction as her mother’s back.

“Thank you again for caring for her. I appreciate it, sir,” she said, her tone void of any inflection or edge that might suggest that she knew him.

She bowed slightly and turned to leave, but Graham’s body moved before he even realized that he wanted it to. His hand wrapped around her wrist to hold her back, as he wondered why she would look at him with such an empty gaze.

What piqued his curiosity even more was how she stiffened in his grasp, her body tense she stared at him in mild confusion.

Was he truly wrong? Did he really mistake her for the woman of his dreams? Or was she pretending? If so, why?

Her eyes turned colder, and she pulled at his grip.

“You are being quite rude, sir. Let me go this instant.”

Graham did what she asked, feeling sad about offending her, noting how she let out a sigh of relief.

“My apologies. I thought — might I ask your name? Where are you from?” he asked.

She lowered her gaze and put a little bit of distance between them as she responded carefully.

“I do not believe I am obligated to answer your questions, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return home so my daughter can have her lunch —”

“Wait,” Graham stepped in her path quickly, horrified by the idea of letting this woman go before he knew for certain she was who he believed her to be. “I was only curious because I haven't seen you or your daughter in this park before.”

The woman was intent on avoiding his gaze at all cost, but she couldn’t hide the flush spreading across her cheeks and up the tips of her ears.

He wanted to hold her again, wanted to ask her more questions, filled with a strange desperation he had never experienced.

He was drawn to her, inexplicably so and his instincts told him that relenting would only lead to regret.

She kept her tone empty and her face blank as she questioned, “Do you make it a habit of studying mothers and their children in the neighboring area, sir?”

Graham tried not to groan in frustration. He was getting nowhere with his questions, and she was being difficult on purpose.

He almost tried to reach for her again, his desperation to keep her close growing more and more by the moment. He considered letting things be, but his instincts wouldn't back down, inspiring him to ask one more question.

“Where is your husband, madam? Surely he should’ve been close by, looking after your daughter in a park surrounded by flowers when she is deathly afraid of bees.”

Her eyes widened in what he surmised was panic, and she retorted bluntly,

“He is dead. Goodbye, sir.”

And then she scurried away.

Perhaps he should have been a tad disappointed at their quick parting, but all he felt was relief in his veins.

“Finally. I’ve found you,” he murmured under his breath, watching them go.