Page 13 of The Forgotten Duchess (The Dukes of Sin #4)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“ I did not think you would take my advice to heart so seriously and go on such a long break from society. I was worried you’d fallen to your demise somewhere,” Sampson said, still clearly very glad to see his friend after such a long time.

Frederick barely recalled the so-called 'advice' the man was referring to, but he was able to remember enough about the man who told him he was in the company of a trusted ally.

And Lord knew he needed more of those.

“You cannot get rid of me that easily,” Frederick stated, earning a chuckle from the other man. “And thankfully I wouldn’t leave this world without seeing your ridiculous face one last time.”

“I am quite touched,” Sampson snorted, picking up a glass of wine and offering it to Frederick. “I had gotten the feeling that perhaps you simply wished to spend some time with your wife, seeing as you had left her so abruptly after your wedding. At least my guess had not been completely off.”

It was truly incriminating that Frederick’s eyes had chosen that moment to wander off to see if Eleanor was doing all right. He sighed a little in relief when he found her standing by herself, sipping on a glass of lemonade.

"I cannot say that you are completely wrong, but I needed to return home. Some matters needed my attention – matters I needed some extra help to solve completely." Frederick stated.

Sampson nodded. “Tell me, then. Whatever I can do to assist you, I shall.”

“I need to find someone. It is quite frustrating that I have no idea how to go about locating such a person. I do not have much to go on other than a particular time they had approached me. It is quite tricky and I have been searching for a while already, but I keep falling short when I come really close to figuring it out.”

“That does sound quite tricky. People are naturally quite crafty and can hide efficiently when they are being sought out for more reasons than one. Without much to go on in terms of hints to finding this person, it would be rather tricky to yield helpful results,” Sampson pointed out.

“I agree; however, I must find that bastard. Wherever he might be –" Frederick suddenly trailed off, distracted by the approach of a gentleman to his wife.

Eleanor seemed startled at first, but soon after she warmed up to the gentleman, smiling slightly as she spoke to him. The possessive edge Frederick had felt earlier reared its head and it was all he could do to keep himself from marching over to them.

“Is it not time that I am introduced to your infamous wife? Seeing as she is so unique as to have you so incredibly smitten –”

“I am no such thing,” Frederick glared at his friend.

“That is what you claim, but you have been facing her direction ever since you approached me. It is as though you cannot bear to take your eyes off of her for even a moment.” Sampson teased.

"That is merely because she has a knack for attracting unwanted trouble, wherever she goes," Frederick grumbled in irritation.

Eleanor’s smile brightened ever so slightly and something in Frederick dimmed at the sight of her smiling so much at a random man in public and he felt as though it would not be wrong of him to threaten to break the man’s kneecaps.

“Will you help me or not?” he asked, feeling tired of the evening’s affairs already.

“You know I will, friend. You have my word; we shall get to the bottom of this matter somehow.” Sampson promised.

Frederick sighed in relief, thankful to have acquired some much-needed assistance for his issue.

“Thank you, friend.” He said earnestly, glad the instincts that had nudged him to talk to Sampson had not been false.

"Think nothing of it, Montague. I only hope that we can solve your problems."

Frederick shifted his attention to his wife, disliking the abhorrent pull in his stomach the moment he settled his gaze on her.

It was important he rid himself of this problem and then put some long overdue distance between himself and Eleanor.

For his own sake.

“And I as well.”

“I do not know why you insisted on making me do this.”

Eleanor sighed, not fond of needing to answer the same question yet again.

"Do you realize that you spend all your days at home, wandering the hallways? You are so ghostly pale; the maids think you are some sort of otherworldly entity whenever they stumble upon you. Some sunlight would greatly help you. And being active outside might help relax your mind. I know that you have likely been overthinking about your situation, but worrying over our problems has never been proven to be a viable solution."

“And you believe a much better idea would be for me to see the sun?”

She did not particularly care for the sarcasm in his tone, so she paid it no mind as she tugged him in the direction of the stable where the stable boy was standing with the reins of two horses standing on either of his sides.

“The sun, some fresh air, a change of scenery completely unrelated to the inside of your home. After this moment, I promise you'll be a changed man.”

“Those are pretty bold words, Duchess. What shall we do if your claims prove to me false and I do not feel better?” Frederick questioned, staring down at her.

“We'll try something else then. Not everything has to be about give and take, You Grace.” She sighed, gesturing him towards the animal.

He grunted and beckoned her closer instead, wordlessly offering to help her mount her horse first. She was surprised by his actions but accepted, letting him lift her to put her feet in the stirrup as she hoisted herself onto the saddle.

Once she was properly seated, he moved to mount his horse.

“Where to?” He asked, adjusting his grip on the reins.

“I thought we could take the long way around to the lake. I used to ride along those parts whenever I needed to be away from the estate for a bit.” She told him, guiding her horse into a light trot forward.

“Did that happen often?” He enquired.

“At first,” she admitted. “Being alone in that house was really difficult for me at first. Especially when it seemed like I was intruding. The staff were cordial and kind, but they didn't trust me because they believed I was some spoiled child who merely wanted to become a duchess, no matter what it cost. And I was scared that I would ruin everything you had given me. Regardless of how angry I was; I didn't want to disappoint anyone. That wasn't how my parents had raised me. They always told me to go beyond what was expected of me, and then a little further after that. And that was what I tried to do constantly.”

Eleanor paused, taking in the scenery, marveling at how the change in seasons had begun to affect the leaves in the trees around them. Even the air felt different, the wind much stronger than the occasional gentle breeze that was always a refreshing occurrence.

“But you found it difficult. At my estate.” Frederick stated.

“Quite so,” she agreed. “But I didn't want to give up, no matter how hard it was. No matter how tired or scared I was. I wanted to be worthy of my title, regardless of how heavy the responsibilities were. So, I kept going. I kept doing my best to learn what I could, to make sure that I was making the right decisions and keeping myself from making costly mistakes. And then once a week, I would ride out here and cry my heart out.”

Frederick nodded, and then he seemed to really hear what she had said and he turned to face her, worry etched onto his face.

Eleanor stared at him blankly for a moment, then a grin climbed her lips.

“I jest. I did not cry every week. It was barely even every month. I just usually rode out here to clear my head. And it helped me put a lot of things in perspective. I hope it can help you too.”

Frederick kept his eyes forward and they rode silently for a while before he spoke up.

“You do not know anything of my struggles.”

Eleanor agreed easily. “I do not intend to pretend that I do. That would be rather presumptuous. Your struggles are unique to you. I can only understand and sympathize, but I cannot do more than that if you won't let me.”

“I am handling it. We are searching for possible leads among my businesses and acquaintances. This bastard won't be able to hide forever.” Frederick claimed, getting a little distracted when the lake came into view.

She could tell he was a little awestruck by the way the water shimmered beneath the early evening sun, the warm rays dancing upon the lake in a way that made the entire thing look magical.

Eleanor always felt that way during these rides. No matter how many times she had seen it, it always managed to steal her breath away.

"I do not doubt that you will be able to put an end to this once and for all. Even before I met you, I was aware of your tenacity and I believe that nothing will stand between you and your goals. But perhaps it is time that you think about what comes after, for your sake. Whoever it is, he has taken quite a bit from you already. If you give everything you have to find him, what would be left for yourself to live off afterward?"

Eleanor did not know why, but she had begun to think of him more and more lately. She worried for his well-being, her initial hatred for him waning away gradually with every meal they shared and time they spent together.

“I did not realize that you cared so much for my well-being.” He stated with an odd tone.

To be honest, Eleanor was also intrigued by how invested she was in his affairs.

“I have no interest in being widowed so young.”

“Ah. Is that all?”

“That's all.”

Frederick nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards slightly.

Eleanor too fought back a smile as she said,

“I understand that you want to see this through on your own. I respect your decision. But if you ever need any assistance of any sort, you know where to find me.”

“In your garden, most likely,” Frederick teased.

“Likely so.” She nodded sagely.

Frederick stared at the water for a moment longer, and then he turned his horse around, mumbling loud enough for her to hear,

“I feel a headache coming on. Let us return.”

With a soft smile, Eleanor nodded.

“All right. Let us go.”

“You have found nothing?”

Christopher glanced at Sampson before he shook his head.

"I am not surprised," Sampson commented with a slight frown. "Despite what one might expect, you are a good businessman. All the deals we have handled together have been legitimate and honest in every way. So I sincerely doubt we might have angered someone from this angle. Unless they are upset at your refusal to work with them."

“If that were the case, trying to kill me would be pointless. They could simply work harder or merely try to find other business partners with whom they can work alongside to rival me.” Frederick sighed, rubbing tiredly at his temple.

"You would expect that, but people who are wronged do not often tend to forgo logic in favor of enacting their revenge. Perhaps we should keep all possible options open for now." Sampson suggested.

Frederick was getting frustrated. Despite his messy lifestyle, it was taking longer than he expected to find the source of his problem. He had expected that his assailant would've made numerous attempts to end him by now and it was irritating waiting for a potential attack.

Especially when his time was then filled up with moments he spent with Eleanor. It was getting harder and harder to resist her, and he did not want anything that would connect him to a life he had sworn off.

Getting to know her should not have changed anything. Neither should have the intimate moments they had spent together. But he found himself struggling not to think of her. He wanted more and ached greatly to possess every bit of her.

And he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold himself back.

“What should we do now, Your Grace?” Christopher questioned.

Frederick paused thoughtfully for a moment, and then he instructed,

“Keep looking. Search every single document or ledger that I might've touched at some point in the last few years. Even if this pest did not originate from my mistakes, the sins of the father are often visited upon the son. Search that far back if you have to. I want answers.”

Christopher bowed.

“Yes, Your Grace.”