Page 5 of The Beast’s Duchess (Duchesses of Inconvenience #1)
Chapter Four
“ A nd let me just say once more, how honored I am to officially welcome to your new home, Your Grace! To show the new mistress around! How wondrous!” the Housekeeper of the estate, Mrs. Beatrice Carter, rambled on, nearly vibrating with excitement as she took her on a tour of the castle.
“Our butler wanted to do so himself, but I reminded him that you would likely wish for a woman to show you around! You must have been so startled when His Grace stopped the wedding, you simply must share the details once you are settled! Oh and this is the ballroom! Isn’t it a wonder!”
“It’s beautiful!”
Tall and wide windows took over one side, overlooking the balcony and the gardens it led to. Though the signs of abandonment and lack of use were clear. She traced a finger over one of the many silver mirrors, now so tarnished they looked charred.
“The house is not in the condition I would have liked for this tour. You see, Your Grace, we did not know you would be joining us! Well, we suspected when His Grace left, but we did not know if he would indeed return with a Duchess! An how very glad we are that he did! Why, our cook even prepared a pie, do you like venison pie?”
“I do!”
“Oh how lovely! You must also try her custard pie, she is known for it!”
The second she had stepped out of the carriage, less than an hour ago, a short, middle aged woman with grey hair under a small cap stepped forward. Face wreathed in smiles, she introduced herself as Mrs. Beatrice Carter, the housekeeper, and offered to show her around.
Seeing as the duke had all but stormed into the castle as soon as they arrived, a tour of the castle she was supposed to be in charge of sounded like a good idea.
At least, it had sounded good over an hour ago...
“I am looking forward to trying all her pies!”
“Oh don’t let her hear you say that, Your Grace! You will be eating nothing but pies till next summer! Anything for an excuse to entertain again!”
“I take it that you don’t have visitors.”
“Oh certainly not! His Grace would surely not allow that.”
This was not news to Veronica; after all, no one had seen the duke in years. But no one truly knew why, just that he disappeared from society.
She stopped in the middle of the hallway they were retracing on their way to the unexplored wings of the castle. Her husband had been too much of a mystery for far too long.
“What happened to him?”
“I- I- I beg your pardon?”
“I may not have known him well—in fact, we have shared no more than two conversations. Yet, it is so clear to me that he is so unlike the young man I once talked with. So what happened? What made him like this.”
“I do not know,” Mrs. Carter said, though her eyes betrayed she knew a bit more than nothing. Veronica’s brows drew together and the older woman continued: “I am after all just a housekeeper. He does not exactly have heart to hearts with me over tea and crumpets.”
That she could believe, though she did not think she was getting the whole truth.
“But you know more than you let on. If I am to be the lady of this house, I would like to know I can trust my housekeeper to tell me what I need to know to be successful. Please, Mrs. Carter, if you know something I must know.”
The housekeeper took a deep breath, and pulled her into one of the drawing rooms they had previously visited.
“All I know is that he changed after the fire. He spent months rehabilitating from all the burns_”
“Burns?”
The memories flooded her mind. The sudden heat, the light that blinded her and the smoke that made it hard to breathe. The flaming beam he lifted off of her...
“I never knew...”
She absentmindedly rubbed her collarbone, where her own scar from that night marked the flesh.
“He hides them well, besides the worst of the scarring was avoided.”
“He got them trying to save me didn’t he?” Veronica’s eyes were wide, her heartbeat escalating as she formed a final conclusion. “That is why he has been avoiding me. He got hurt saving me.”
“Oh Your Grace, I am sure that is not why_”
The housekeeper went on, though Veronica knew that was the reason. She could see it in how he regarded her. Like it hurt to look at her.
Eventually the housekeeper managed to get distracted and started talking about potential improvements the house needed as they moved further into the eternally winding castle.
“Errr, Your Grace? Did you hear me?”
“I am sorry, I got lost in thought, could you please repeat yourself?”
“I merely said that this concludes our tour.”
Veronica knew she was lost in thought, but surely she would not forget whole sections of the castle!
“We still have not seen the West wing, or even where that corridor leads.”
“Ah well... you see Your Grace, there are some parts of the castle very few are allowed in and so we have not had the chance to make everything presentable for a whole tour of the castle...”
“We don’t have anything else to do, might as well carry on!”
She made several confident strides towards the door.
“Please, Your Grace. I believe there are some structural issues with that part of the castle too, it is forbidden to go there! Surely you would not endanger yourself!”
“I am sure I will be fine!”
Veronica was so close to the door when the butler appeared through a doorway. “Ah, Your Grace, Mrs. Carter. His Grace requests your presence at dinner.”
“Oh! Oh my! You are not dressed for dinner! I was so taken with the history of the place I completely dismissed the time!” The housekeeper rushed her towards what she knew was the direction towards her private quarters.
But not before she caught the stocky woman shooting a quick, grateful smile at the butler.
I must find out what he is hiding behind those doors.
Once she was dressed, her curiosity got the best of her. Veronica got to her feet and slipped from the room, creeping her way down the hall and straight to the forbidden east wing.
As soon as she crossed the threshold into that part of the house, Veronica found herself starting to understand why Mrs Carter had said it might be best to wait on the tour.
Veronica didn’t think she’d ever seen a place so dark or gloomy. The rooms were cleaned, but even from the doorway, it was easy to see that it had fallen into disrepair.
Stones beside the doorway were beginning to crumble. Inside the maze of a wing, there were hardly enough candles and the windows didn’t provide nearly enough light. And a staircase had crumbled in some spots, making it hard for her to climb to the second floor.
Never the less, she couldn’t stop now. Then she turned a corner and found herself in a room that seemed far cleaner and better looked after than the ones leading up to it.
It was a large study she could only assume belonged to Christopher.
Veronica hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t be here. This was his space. She doubted he would be happy to find her here, but this could be her best chance to get to know him.
So she took a deep breath and pushed the door further.
What she found inside made her frown. She wasn’t quite sure what she had expected, but it wasn’t this. Perhaps more signs of the coldly enraged stranger who had met her at the altar, but this room seemed to paint a different tale.
Everywhere she looked were sentimental objects. The walls had balls from childhood games and books from days spent at school. Drawing clearly made by someone who had just learned to paint.
Old letters sat in a box on the desk, paper creased from being folded and unfolded, and ink smudged away where someone had held them as they were read over and over again.
One of the letters caught her eye. Its surface was disturbed, as if someone had crinkled it up and then carefully smoothed it.
Veronica hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t. It was bad enough that she was in his study in the first place.
So why was she moving towards it?
It took her a second to recognize it, but there it was. Her signature at the very end of a brief letter, where her very own handwriting announced her wedding.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing in here?” a voice thundered from the doorway.
She whirled around to see Christopher glaring at her, his eyes hard.