Page 36 of Her Rogue of a Duke
“Francesca?” he called out. “Are you in there? Please, open the door.”
Only silence greeted him, not even the faintest rustle of movement from within. Could she have retired to bed already? The late hour, approaching two in the morning, lent credenceto the thought, but it seemed unlikely she would have settled so soon after the night she’d just had.
With a furrowed brow, Joshua gently pushed open the door and stepped into the chamber. His gaze swept the space, but he found no trace of Francesca. Her bed lay untouched, and a quick glance into the bath chamber confirmed she had not been there either.
A flicker of unease sparked within him. It was uncharacteristically late. Where could she be?
Leaving her chamber, Joshua's next thought led him to the library down the hall, a sanctuary Francesca often frequented now that its crooked door had been fixed.
Yet, upon arrival, the eerie quiet of the room offered no solace—Francesca had not been here either. His concern began to rapidly grow.
He hurried through the manor, now searching room by room, but she was nowhere to be found.
Again and again, he was met with a distressing stillness. Shemustbe somewhere on the property. For a moment, he even contemplated waking Mrs. Clarke and some of the staff so they could help him search for her, but then he had the thought that she might have left and returned to her own home. He did not know why on God’s green earth she would dare traverse such a journey in the dead of night, but she could easily walk to her family’s estate from his if she so desired.
With this thought in mind, he exited the manor and headed towards the back garden, intending to cross the open field and adjoining gate to her property. However, as he navigated through the expansive garden, a flicker of light in his peripheral vision halted him. Whirling, he discerned the source right away. It was emanating from a quaint little structure, something akin to a wooden Orangery nestled at the garden's edge, once a cherished retreat for his mother. Upon her passing, Francesca…hisFrancesca, would occasionally use the space for herself to birdwatch. A glimmer of hope surged through him, and he redirected his steps towards the small abode.
Pushing open the door, Joshua stepped into the warm embrace of the main room. The space was cozy and small, adorned with mostly plush chairs and lounges, a fireplace, and shelves of books. In trying to erase the memories of his ex-betrothed from this place, Joshua had transformed it into a sort of second library. He had spent many hours of his first lonely months here, but ever since, it had largely remained untouched.
Surveying the room, he spotted Francesca right away and a surge of relief cascaded over him. The sound of the closing door caused her to start slightly but she did not regard him. There she stood, by one of the bookshelves, delicately sifting through the titles, with not a care in the world. Dressed in her dressing gown, a fleeting curiosity crossed Joshua's mind about the fate of the ballgown she had donned earlier, but he quickly dismissed it.
Suddenly whirling to face him with a faint smile, she filled the room with her dainty voice, “Joshua! I did not know you had even more books out here!”
Joshua blinked, taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor since last he saw her. She did not seem surprised in the least to see him, and she appeared far… giddier than he would have expected her to be.
“…Francesca, are you all right?” he asked, his lips pressed in a thin line.
She nodded before redirecting her focus to the bookshelf. Soon, her finger hooked on a particular volume, which she smoothly extracted from the shelf and began leafing through. “This… it is all so enchanting.”
“What is?”
She returned the book to its shelf and, with a graceful spin, playfully swept her arms through the air. “This! This place. I have never seen anything like it. A small retreat tucked away in the garden. It is like a little magical oasis. I have lived next door to Elmcroft for all these years and had no idea such a place existed. Oh, you must let me visit when I return to Oakvale!”
Joshua was completely and utterly perplexed by the words leaving her lips. Why was she so focused on the garden house? Or more specifically, why was she avoiding discussing the evening’s events? He stood there, watching her, the questions in his mind left unspoken. Her fascination with this simple sanctuary seemed to offer her a respite from the evening's turmoil, and he did not have it in his heart to make her face reality.
Before he could say anything in response, Francesca's words flowed once more, now tinged with a wistful melancholy. “I must thank you, Your Grace. Tonight, you have given me a glimpse into a life beyond my wildest imaginings. Though my father holds a title, I grew up too poor for any of this. I could never have dreamed of donning a gown as resplendent as the one I wore tonight, nor of being a part of such an extravagant ball. And I have only been able to experience any of this because of your kindness. For that, I am eternally grateful. But… I have also come to realize something important. This world,yourworld, as beautiful as it is from the outside—it is not a place I can truly belong. For so many years, I had tried to understand why you viewed me as so odd, so… different, but I could never have fathomed just how many worlds apart we were. Perhaps it is time I return to my own world now.”
Before Francesca could utter another word, Joshua bridged the gap between them in a few swift strides and took hold of her shoulders. Drawing her into his chest, he lowered his head and claimed her lips with an intense, fervent kiss. As she had been speaking, he had grown more and more agitated. He couldn’t bear to hear her speak so disparagingly about herself. The subtle glimmer of despair in her eyes, which she attempted to mask, was unbearable to him.
He wanted to erase that sadness from her eyes. Wanted to dispel all thoughts that she did not belong from out of her head. She thought she did not belong in his world, but he knew she deserved so much more than even he could offer her.
He wanted to show her that.Neededto show her that. And the only way he knew how was through the language of pleasure.He sought to envelop her in a world where she could forget her uncertainties, to undeniably manifest the depth of his yearning and the fervor of his desire.
Francesca, rather than resisting, melted into his embrace. Her arms wound around his neck, drawing him closer as she returned his kiss with such earnestness, it made his heart twist. Her actions betrayed a hint of desperation and longing as she drew herself ever closer to him, as if to feel something… anything.
But he would not have her feel that way anymore.
Joshua's hands glided from her shoulders, claiming her inch by inch down to her hips, holding her firmly as he pressed his arousal against her. He could not help himself. Whenever he was with her, he felt a youthful vigor, reminiscent of being in the throes of his first passion, so intense that he feared losing control before they could fully indulge in their desires.
He was not going to let that happen.
In one fluid moment, Joshua’s hands slipped to her rear, lifting her effortlessly and Francesca instinctively encircled his waist with her legs. Carrying her to the lounge, he gently set her among the cushions. After savoring a few more moments of their fiery kiss, he pulled away, breathless, and lowered his body until he was kneeling before her. Francesca looked down at him, her brows creased in a blend of curiosity and breathless wonder.
“What… what are you doing?” she asked, panting.
With a mischievous grin, Joshua gently coaxed her knees apart with his hands.
“I intend on giving you an experience that transcends all else,” he declared softly. “Let your world narrow to just us, to just this moment. Focus solely on me, Francesca, nothing else. All right?”