Page 42 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)
CHAPTER 1
“ T his one is from the Hymn to the Moon by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu,” Georgiana whispered to the sleeping child in her lap.
“ By thy pale beams I solitary rove, to thee my tender grief confide; serenely sweet you gild the silent grove, my friend, my goddess, and my guide ,” she smiled, glad that the child was too deeply asleep to hear her. “Your mother would likely not approve if she could hear what I am reciting to you.”
The stagecoach bounced causing its occupants to sway violently back and forth. The little girl’s mother looked up from where she sat breastfeeding her second child, to confirm that the one she had placed in Georgiana’s lap was still fine.
Georgiana smiled reassuringly before peering outside to see how close they might be to the inn.
I wonder what the young missus would say if she knew I was a duchess.
Georgiana bit her bottom lip hard to stop herself from laughing.
Just then, the conductor called out, “Five minutes to the inn!” and Georgiana breathed a sigh of relief.
She could not wait to stretch her legs.
She peered out the window as they approached the inn and came to a stop. Handing the sleeping girl back to her mother, she stepped out of the stagecoach and walked about, stretching her back.
With a sigh, she walked into the inn. She had left London abruptly, without so much as a change of clothes, half out of her mind, frantic to catch up with her sister before it was too late.
She entered the taproom and took a seat on a nearby bench. The mother walked in with her two children, the little girl clutching her mother’s hand and crying sulkily. Georgiana felt a frisson of guilt for having abandoned them but pushed the feeling away.
She had done what she could to help.
“Good evenin’, ma’am. Can I bring you something to eat? We have hot beef stew and freshly baked bread, as well as freshly brewed ale,” a young serving girl with a thick northern accent stood over her, hands tucked into her apron, and smiled down at her.
Georgiana heard her stomach growl. “Yes, all three please.”
The serving girl’s smile widened. “What brings you by here? We do not get much fancy folk stopping by.”
Georgiana’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She had not thought she would stand out from the other travelers. Sure, her gown was fine cotton, and her long brunette hair was shiny and well-coiffed, her hands unblemished and without calluses…
Well, now that she thought about it, she could see why she stood out.
“I am in search of my sister. Perhaps she also stopped by here? She would have been traveling with a gentleman. A dandy.”
The girl laughed. “Oh, did she run off to Gretna Green? Good luck to you then. I am afraid I have not seen her.”
Georgiana sighed in disappointment, her shoulders slumping.
“ Now fades the glimm’ring landscape on the sight… And all the air a solemn stillness holds ,” she murmured miserably to herself, wondering what in the world she would do if she was too late.
“Beg pardon, ma’am?” the serving girl asked.
She blew out a loud breath. “It is just a poem I read recently.”
“Oh?” the serving girl looked uncertain, “Well, I do not know much about poems…canna read either.”
Georgiana smiled. “Perhaps I will teach you one, if you like? What is your name?”
The serving girl looked back uncertainly towards the kitchens. “Well, my name is Caroline. But I dinna have time ta…”
“That is all right Caroline. Perhaps another time.”
She nodded. “Aye,” and hurried off to the kitchens.
There you go, scaring the publicans again.
On the next bench, she could hear the toddler she had been carrying complaining to her mother that she was hungry. Georgiana wondered if she should buy them something. She peered into her reticule, seeing that she had a few silver coins.
A fortune to some.
She looked around the inn with a cautious eye. Having grown up in a household where she needed to be careful of expenditure and be as discreet about it as possible, she was familiar with want and hunger. If she could help the young mother feed her children, she would be glad to but not at the expense of her safety.
Caroline soon returned with her ale. “Your food will be ready shortly.”
Georgiana beckoned to her to come closer and saw Caroline frown as if worried that Georgiana would insist on teaching her a poem, but she obediently bent closer.
“Could you make sure the young mother and her children have something to eat? Put it on my bill.”
Caroline beamed. “That is truly kind of you, ma’am. Do not worry, I will not say a word, and nobody will know it is you that is paying,” she whispered with a small giggle.
“Thank you,” she replied, blushing a bit with embarrassment.
It was all so unnecessarily dramatic. Caroline practically crept towards the young mother and Georgiana rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her ale. It was quite sweet and much to her surprise, she found that she liked it a lot.
She could not recall having drank ale before.
Who knew it was this good?
She took another sip and relaxed, feeling quite at home in the establishment. Shortly, she received a tray laden with a bowl of steaming stew and a whole loaf of bread, together with a pat of butter. She swallowed hungrily, immediately cutting a piece of bread and spreading it liberally with butter before taking a bite.
“Mmm,” she said appreciatively.
Caroline beamed. “You like it?”
She nodded.
“Good. I have ordered the same for Missus Beamer and Sue. The other babe is too young for solid food. Still breastfeedin’.”
Georgiana acknowledged the serving girl’s update with a raise of her brow. She had been sitting next to the woman for five hours and had not gotten half the information Caroline had obtained in mere minutes.
“That is good.”
Caroline gave a clumsy curtsy and skipped off.
If she thinks she is being discreet, she is sadly mistaken.
She ate quickly, realizing how hungry she was. There was a pleasant buzz around the room as people conversed around her. She felt no need to speak with anyone aside from Caroline, who came up to her from time to time to check if she needed anything else.
Even as she kept her head down, she made sure to keep her ears open for any mention of a young lady with straw-colored hair and brown eyes or a tall slim gentleman who was loud, demanding, and entitled.
Surely someone would remember him.
“Still worried about your sister?” Caroline asked, putting down a second tankard of ale unasked.
Georgiana sighed. “Yes. She is quite young and easily led.”
Caroline sat down opposite Georgiana. “And the dandy? He is a bit of a cad, is he not?”
Georgiana laughed bitterly. “A little more than a bit,” she said.
“Does he want to despoil her and then abandon her, hopeless and alone?” she asked breathlessly, her wide eyes shining with interest.
Georgiana closed her eyes. “God, I hope not.”
She was beginning to realize that Caroline possessed a flare for drama that could rival Daisy’s.
She made a note to tell her sister, should she ever find her, about the serving girl; though she was quite sure Daisy would not take kindly to being compared to a maid. Her sister possessed a very romanticized view of her life, and it made her easy to mislead.
If Georgiana had known just how close Daisy had gotten to Lord Newston, she would have packed her off to Emberford Hall as fast as possible.
No use crying after spilled milk, is there?
Talking with Caroline helped her clarify in her own mind what she was going to do. Panic was useless if Daisy had already reached the point of no return. If she was now married to Lord Newston, or they had already consummated the marriage, there would be nothing further to be done but to make the best of it.
Still, her heart could not help breaking for Daisy. There was no doubt in her mind that Lord Newston would break her spirit with his rakish ways. He would be careless with Daisy’s feelings and take her for granted.
It had only been one year since Georgiana’s own wedding; a much less whimsical affair than her sister’s proposed nuptials. The entire thing had been arranged between the duke and her parents; Georgiana only had to show up at the altar.
Not really understanding—as nobody had bothered to explain—what was required of her after the ceremony, she had reacted in a manner that suggested the duke had tried to attack her. As a result, he had stormed off, declaring that he was not an animal, and would not agree to be treated like one.
She had barely seen him since.
She did not know if that filled her with regret or relief. She teetered between the two emotions depending on the day. She told herself that her parents were quite happy with the money they had received, which meant she no longer had to worry about her family’s welfare.
Georgiana told herself repeatedly that one positive outcome should be enough.
However, she wanted more for Daisy. Her sister longed for a life of sunshine and happiness, being loved and cherished forever by the man of her dreams. She deserved a man who would give her that.
Feeling suddenly suffocated, she rose from the bench and wandered outside in search of fresh air.
She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, paying no attention to the ambient noise of grooms shouting to each other, horses neighing, the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the inn’s roof, and the murmured conversations that surrounded her.
She did not realize that one of the voices was speaking directly to her until someone touched her shoulder.
Georgiana’s eyes flew open, and she looked up with a gasp, unaccustomed to being touched without permission.
Three men towered over her, leering as their eyes raked her frame. “What ye doin’ out here, princess? Do ye no’ like the smell o’ th’ inn?” a tall, broad-shouldered man with blackened teeth grinned at her.
“She prolly dinna like the smell.” A second man said and laughed. His menacing eyes were small and set too close together on his face, giving him a piggish appearance.
A third man hung back, hands folded, giggling inanely at everything the other two said.
Georgiana realized she might be in danger. She raised her chin and looked the two men in the eye.
“How dare you touch me?” she said coldly.
The large man threw back his head and laughed lustily, “Oh yer a real princess, eh? Ye think we are yer subjects?” He reached out and flicked her bosom. “We’ll show ye who’s yer master!”
She stumbled back in fear, her breath caught in her throat. “Leave me alone,” she said breathlessly, angry that she could not keep the fear from her voice.
The men laughed again taking a step closer to her, reaching for her with their grubby hands.
She looked around frantically, wondering who could come to her rescue. She uttered a small scream, lifting her hands to cover her face, realizing what a mistake it had been to travel alone.
“Step back. Now.” A man’s deep voice cut through the darkness.
Suddenly, she heard a thud and a groan of pain but did not dare uncover her eyes to see what was going on. She took another step back, leaning against the wall because her knees were too weak to support her.
The thuds and groans continued, and she realized it sounded as if somebody was striking flesh. She opened one eye and peered at her would-be attackers.
The large man with the black teeth was bent over double, clutching his stomach and groaning. The one with the small mean eyes was leaning against the wall, panting like a dog, a thin stream of blood seeping from his mouth.
The third man was nowhere to be seen.
She frowned, looking around in puzzlement, and spotted a familiar tall, bearded gentleman with dark hair and extremely broad shoulders.
“Wife? Is that you?”