Page 1 of The Duke’s Reluctant Muse (The Untamed Nobles #3)
Swinging her foot idly, Miss Elizabeth Jeffries looked down at her reflection but the pond was marred by ripples blown across it by the spring wind which was not particularly warm as yet. She shivered but did not move from her seat, finding the solitude a good deal more satisfying than the thought of returning to the house.
Sighing heavily, she shivered once more but continued to watch the way the water shifted this way and that, blown by whatever way the wind wished it to go. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth felt tears prick at her eyes but refused to let them fall. She had cried a good deal these last eighteen months and did not want to do so again. Besides which, if she returned to the house with red-rimmed eyes, her brother would, no doubt, know she had been upset and would demand to know what was wrong. He had a good deal to manage already since he now bore the title and Elizabeth did not want to burden him any further. On top of that, what was she to say to him? She was still grieving over the loss of their father some eighteen months ago, having already lost her mother during her early years , and that was something that both she and her brother knew as a continual source of pain. It was not something Elizabeth could remove, for it had fastened itself to her heart and would not, Elizabeth thought, ever release from her again.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth drew in a deep breath, sniffing as she tried to bottle up her feelings of pain and sorrow and set them aside again. Now was not the time for melancholy. She needed to be by her brother’s side as he continued to navigate these new waters he found himself in. Having taken on the title of the Viscount of Dennington, he had a good many responsibilities and she, for her part, had to aid him in whatever way she could. Her brother had been away from home for many years, having gone to the continent and thereafter, to his own smaller residence a little outside London. He had been trained well in estate matters but still needed Elizabeth’s assistance on some occasion. She continued to look after the house as she had always done since the passing of their mother many years ago and, thus far, both Elizabeth and her brother had managed to live in as near contentment as anyone can hope to reach on this earth.
Will we go to London for the summer Season? she wondered silently, uncrossing her legs and rising to her feet, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm. Will he want me to marry soon? Another thought struck her and her eyes flared wide. Will he himself wish to marry?
That would be the expected circumstance, of course, for a gentleman who bore the title had to ensure there was an heir in place for fear that, if he did not produce an heir, the title would pass to someone else. Her brother would need to make certain of his own future and that such a security was in place just as soon as he could. Elizabeth swallowed hard, her brow furrowing as she felt the safety and contentment she had known these last few months beginning already to be pulled away from her. When her brother married, his wife would become mistress of this house, just as she ought – but then where would Elizabeth be? What would she do? She could not linger on here, not when her brother would want to start a family of his own. Would he encourage her to marry also?
“I suppose I must consider it,” she murmured to herself softly, seeing her blurred reflection looking back at her as she gazed down at the pond. “I cannot live here for the rest of my days.” Matrimony was not something Elizabeth had given much consideration to, given that, in these last years, she had been content to take on the role of mistress of the house for her father and, thereafter, forced to endure her mourning and her grief once he had gone. Her stomach turned over on itself as she thought of removing to another house entirely, of starting her life anew alongside another.
“My lady?”
She started violently and stepped back quickly from the bank of the pond, turning as she did so.
A footman looked back at her, his eyes low but his lips pulled tightly across his face.
“The master requires your assistance, my lady. Forgive me for interrupting you but –”
“But of course.” Elizabeth did not wait for the footman to complete his sentence but began to hurry back across towards the house at once, knowing the reason for the footman’s evident concern. Her brother had begun to be plagued with severe headaches that forced him to abandon all that he had been doing the very first moment they began. He would then go to a darkened room and lie down, although Elizabeth knew that even doing that did not always encourage the pains to dissipate. Having already consulted a physician, Elizabeth knew to bring cold compresses to him regularly and, should the pains become unbearable, to offer him laudanum. Thereafter, it became her responsibility to make certain that the rest of the estate ran just as well as it ought. Making her way inside, she thrust her cloak at one of the waiting footmen and hurried up the staircase, her boots still wet and causing her to slip now and again. She paid that no heed, making her way into her brother’s bedchamber just as quickly as she could and praying silently that the pains would not be too severe.
As she entered the room, the maid was already pulling the curtains closed, covering the room with a shroud of darkness. Waiting until her eyes had adjusted, Elizabeth moved slowly towards the bed, now making certain that she was as quiet as possible so as not to pain her brother further.
“Dennington?” Her voice was a fraction louder than a whisper and the answering groan that came to her told her that her brother was suffering a great deal. Sinking down beside him, Elizabeth put one hand on his shoulder, wishing that there was something more she could do. “I will bring you a compress, and the laudanum if you wish it.”
“Both.”
He spoke only one word and Elizabeth closed her eyes, her prayers for leniency going unanswered. If he was asking for laudanum already, then the pains had to be severe. Pressing his shoulder gently, she rose.
“Of course.” Making her way to the door, Elizabeth felt the heavy weight of responsibility now falling onto her shoulders once more. It could be days before her brother was recovered enough to return to his duties and, in his absence, she would have to ensure that all the matters were duly settled, the steward was spoken to and the servants and tenants were all quite contented. Any concerns or issues that required Lord Dennington’s intervention would now fall to her. On top of which, she would have to contend with her own duties also, as well as caring for her brother as best she could. Closing her eyes for a moment, her hand on the door handle, Elizabeth drew in a long and steadying breath. Somehow, she would find the strength to do all that was required of her until her brother was recovered. She had to. There was no-one else.