Callie Hutton (8 page)

She felt the heat rise from her middle and shoot up to her face. Scanning the room for something else to comment on to calm herself, she c
aught His Grace staring at her, his look so intent she thought perhaps she’d forgotten to put on her gown. Her face grew hotter.

“Excuse me. There is something I must discuss with Her Grace.” She hurried away from
Lord Brandon
, the sound of his chuckle in her ear. Before she reach
ed
Kitty
, speaking
animatedly with a middle aged man unknown to her, one of the footmen announced dinner.

“Here she is now, Lord Morland.” Kitty took the arm of the man and joined Merry. “
Lord Moreland, I would like to introduce you to my companion,
Miss Chambers.
His lordship
is one of our neighbors who occasionally grants us the pleasure of his company.”

“Delighted,” the man said, bowing slightly.

Merry curtsied
.
“
A
pleasure, my lord.”

He extended his other arm to her, and she placed her hand there, and the three
sauntered
into
the dining room
. Miss Jennnings had a firm grasp on His Grace’s arm, and
Lord Brandon
viewed the
m
over the rim of his glass
as they quit the room
. He winked at her as she moved past.

Once they’d settled into their places, f
ootmen began pouring wine and serving the
soup
.

“Miss Chambers, a
m I to assume from your accent
you are American?” Lord Morland smiled at her as he raised his glass to take a sip of wine.

“Yes, my lord. I am from Boston.”

“Lord Morland, I must commend you on your astuteness,” Miss Jennings said. “I believe Miss Chambers has tried,
although
unsuccessfully, to adopt proper English speech. ‘Tis a shame my young charges have picked up some of her American vernacular.”

Oblivious to the stunned silence following her words, she cast a smile at the
duke
, who frowned, then glanced at Merry.

Is he frowning because the girls are worse off than he thought?

She swallowed her annoyance as
Lord Brandon
leaned toward her. “Don’t let her get away with that.”

Merry shook her head and
spooned the
delicious pheasant soup
into her mouth
.
She would not involve herself in a
war of words
with the governess.
At least n
ot in front of the
duke
. He already held Miss Jennings in high regard, and Merry would only come
across
looking churlish.
 

After the
second
course had been served, and the footmen stationed at their places against the wall should anyone require their assistance, Lord Morland turned his attention to Merry. “Tell us about Boston, Miss Chambers.”

Merry beamed.
“Boston is a wonderful city, my lord.
It has a long history, being one of the first
cities
settled after
the colonists arrived. But now it is a bustling
place,
comparable to London.”

“Certainly nothing in the C
olonies can compare to London?” Miss Jennings’ whiny voice grated on her ears.

Merry smiled at the governess. “Miss Jennings, you do
remember we are no longer the C
olonies? We defeated your countrymen
−
for the second time
−
a few years ago
.”

The
duke
affected
a choking sound, and
Lord Brandon
once again leaned toward her. “Bravo
, my girl
.”

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. This was not the place nor time to indulge in petty bickering.

Lord Morland saved the day. “What were
some of your favorite
places
in Boston?”

Relieved, s
he happily returned her attention to him.
“I loved every part of it, my lord. I
enjoyed
walk
ing
to Dorchester Heights and
gazing
out over the sea. We also have a
new Science museum, and a
wonderful library
for the public where I spent a great deal of time.”

“You are interested in books?”

“Oh
,
yes. My father was a professor at
Harvard
.”

He frowned.
“
What
encouraged
you
to
travel to England?”

“Lord and Lady Bedford had just lost their dear nurse. She contracted a fever while traveling in Boston
and died
. My father had recently passed, and I thought a change of scenery w
ould be beneficial, so I agreed to accompany them to England as their governess.”
             
“And how do you find England
, my dear
?”

“I’ve been here five years and grow to love it more each day.” Merry’s natural enthusiasm took over. “
Everything is so green and lovely. I even enjoy the fog
gy
and rain
y days
.
When Lord and Lady Bedford were in London for the Season,
I was permitted to visit the theater, museums and symphony.”

“I wonder why i
t is
that a woman as
lovely as
yourself has not been snatched up by some young buck?”

Merry raised her chin. “I prefer to marry for love, my lord.”

Miss Jennings snickered. “Miss Chambers, certainly you don’t believe marriage requires love?”

“
Marriage p
erhaps doesn’t require
love
, but certainly makes
the
union
more pleasant.”

With a wave of her hand, Miss Jennings dismissed her. “Such an American viewpoint. Marriages are to form alliances, strengthen the bloodlines, create heirs.” She smiled at her as if Merry were an unsophisticated child, attempting to discuss adult matters.

“I’m afraid I must agree with Miss Chambers.” The
duke
spoke to Miss Jennings, but his eyes never left Merry. “If one must spend the rest of one’s life with a woman, why not have it be someone you care deeply for?”

“Surely you j
est
, Your Grace?” Miss Jennings asked
, her hand at her throat
.

A few seconds passed, and then the
duke
directed his attention to Miss Jennings. “Of course. Every peer knows what marriage is all about.”

Miss Jennings threw a smug look at Merry.

The rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation. The few times Merry glanced at the
duke
, his eyes were on her, assessing, causing her to
want to
squirm in her seat.

After the final course had been removed, Kitty stood.
“I believe the ladies will retire to the drawing room and leave you gentlemen to your port. Ladies?”
The dowager
moved to the doorway, Miss Jennings and Merry in her wake.

*

Penrose studied the women as they left the room. His gaze drifted to Miss Chamber’s slender back, then slid down to her lovely derrière
and
the gentle sway of her hips. He felt a tightening in his groin at the sight.

Miss Jennings m
ight
hold her counterpart in disdain, but Miss Chambers had shown more character and intelligence than three of Miss Jennings. He still thought the woman was the better governess for his wards, but his mind and body knew who he’d prefer to have next to him in his bed.

Merry Chambers had passion. When she baited him, and when she spoke of her Boston, it was there in her eyes. To unleash that passion would be a
man’s pleasure. But with her notions of marriage with love, it would be best to stay far away from her.

He hadn’t loved Lady Eleanor all those years ago when he
’d
lost to Bedford. He’
d
merely
decided she would be an excellent duchess. Her family was an old
,
respected one. She was graceful, charming and beautiful. He’d have
had
no problem bedding her, but in no way did she stir his blood. The only woman who had ever done that
had
just left the room.

Drat his mother for employing
Miss Chambers
. As delightful as she was to look at and daydream about, she still possessed those
odd
ideas about her station in life. She certainly had no regard for the difference in classes. Or perhaps her reaction
to
him came from
the same fire that burned
in
him.
He smiled. They certainly did seem to rile each other.

Suddenly he looked forward to having Miss Chambers about for a while. Life had become too dull
and predictable
.

****

Merry tossed in her bed, attempting to get comfortable enough to sleep. Finally realizing that comfort wasn’t the problem, she threw off the quilt and swung her legs over the
edge
. Feeling around with her toes, she slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed the
wrapper
at the foot of her bed.

Perhaps if she had a book
she could read until she felt sleepy.
Every time she closed her eyes, a vision of Penrose, with his deep brown eyes and wicked smile
,
tortured her. How
could
a man be so comely and have such arrogance at the same time
?
She didn’t want to be aware of his presence, his scent. Nor to think on how his large hands would feel touching her skin, or his lips closing over hers. The man was a
duke
for heaven’s sake, and even she, an American, knew he was well beyond her.

Goodness, now
I’m
beginning to sound like Miss Jennings.

Merry quietly slipped out of her room and descended the stairs. The door to the library
stood
partially opened, but no candlelig
ht glowed. She entered the room
and inhaled deeply of the comforting smell
.
How she loved being surrounded by
books, and the inevitable scent of brandy.
The
air in her father’s library
had
always carried the same mixture.

She found a small candelabra with a flint alongside it on a table near the door.
With the lighting in front of her, she
headed
to the bookshelves and began to peruse the titles, looking for something uninteresting enough to lull her to sleep.
Her gaze wandered over volumes of history and science.

“Ah, another night
time
wanderer.”

Merry yelped and jumped as that deep voice rolled over her. She spun around, the movement causing the candles to snuff out. “Your Grace, you scared me to death!”

“I apologize, Miss Chambers.” He must have moved in her direction because she could sense his presence. “Here, allow me to re-light
your
candles
.”

A flash of light, and his face appeared above the flint he held. With the shadows cast upon his
countenance
, he looked almost sinister. He smiled, and the picture of the devil himself was complete. 

Merry
’s mouth dried up,
and she
eased back
, hit
ting
the bookcase behind her.
“I’m…I hoped...I was looking for a book.” She ran her tongue over her lips. What sounded like a growl
emanated
from
deep within
Penrose
’s chest
.

“Do not let me keep you from your search.” He touched the flint to a candle he held in his hand and moved away.
Penrose made his way to the sideboard.
“I merely came for a bit of brandy to aid my sleep.”
T
hough she couldn’t
easily
see him in the dark, the sound of the liquid hitting the glass played over her ears.