Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington (Ladies of Deception) (20 page)

Chapter 24

            Despite Elliot having called
him a fool, Pierce didn’t feel like one at all. He may be foolish at times but
he wasn’t consumed with stupidity like most men of his sex. At least that’s
what he kept telling himself as feelings of foolishness washed over him in
waves. The loss he felt was akin to losing a limb, only worse. At least when
one lost a limb, one could eventually adapt to the loss but Pierce knew that he
would never be able to adapt to the loss of Hope.

            When thinking of his future
only brought more misery and visions of endless years of loneliness and
heartache he decided that he had to do something. He couldn’t bear the thought
of never seeing Hope again, if nothing he at least had some questions that he needed
answered. He quickly instructed Tucker to pack his bags as he made arrangements
to go after Hope.

            His first stop was at the
Brattondale’s residence. He pulled his watch fob out and glanced at his timepiece
noting it was rather late in the evening. Most likely the Brattondale’s would
be at some society function but he silently prayed that that wouldn’t be the
case. When their butler let him in he handed him his card and was relieved when
he was told that Noelle was in. He was shown to the drawing room to await her
presence.

            When Noelle finally arrived,
Pierce rose, not even bothering with formalities, “Where did Hope go, how can I
find her?”

            “You’re going to go to her?”
Noelle asked, surprisingly pleased by this.

            “Just tell me where I can
find her, there are some things I need to say to her.”

            “She told me she was going
back to Shepard’s Bush to stay with her mother.”

            “Do you recall her mother’s
name?”

            Noelle tapped one finger
against her chin, “Let me see if I can recall…Martha? No…Marianne? That doesn’t
sound right…ah ha! It’s Matilde!” She was pleased that she could recall the
name and hoped with everything in her that the duke would be able to find her,
if only to keep her from marrying him and spending her life locked in a
miserable marriage with a man that despised her.

            Without any further
conversation, not even a thank you, Pierce was off practically jogging to his
carriage so he could be on his way. He was grateful beyond relief to know that
he wouldn’t have to journey far to find her. He still wasn’t completely sure
what he was going to do or say once he found her—he desperately wanted to
believe that she hadn’t been like Eliza and was only after him for his title
and wealth. He thought back to her actions and their conversations and he had to
admit that that description didn’t fit the girl he had come to know and love.
Hadn’t she been appalled when he told her of Eliza’s reasons for wanting to
marry him? He remembered Noelle’s conviction that she hadn’t really wanted to
participate in the charade but that Noelle had practically had to force her to
do it. Maybe he could scratch that concern off of his list.

            That still left him with a
few other concerns, like the fact that he was engaged to Noelle Parrish and
that the banns had already been read, or the fact that Hope was merely a
servant girl, not someone who he could acceptably marry. He laid his head back
against the plush seats of his carriage and closed his eyes and groaned. The
situation seemed impossible and the more he thought about it the more it
frustrated him. He must’ve dozed off for a bit because the next thing he
remembered was waking slowly as he realized the carriage was slowing as they
entered Shepard’s Bush. He looked around at the sparse houses and figured it
shouldn’t be too hard to find the Hillburn’s residence. He reached up and
tapped on the ceiling indicating his driver to stop.

            Pierce jumped out of the
carriage at the first house they came to, knowing he probably appeared crazy
calling on strangers at such a late hour in the evening but now that he was so
close to her nothing was going to stop him. He knocked on the door and cringed
as he felt the first drops of rainfall pour down from the ominous looking sky.
He reached up and pounded once more on the door, impatient to get out of the
rain.

            When the door finally opened
a burly man appeared with a leery look on his face, “Can I help you sir?”

            “Yes, at least I hope so.
I’m looking for Matilde Hillburn, can you direct me to her house?”

            The man’s face instantly
turned sorrowful, “I’m afraid you’re too late.”

            “Too late? Has she moved?”

            “Alas she has, right up to
heaven to be with the angels. She passed on a fortnight ago.”

            Pierce’s heart ached for
Hope and her loss. “Do you know what has happened to her daughter Hope?”

            The man shook his thick
head, causing his double chin to wobble back and forth, “I haven’t seen the
lass for years in all honestly, last I had heard she had gotten a post with
some fancy lady, daughter of an earl I believe.”

            “Does she have any other
family around these parts or anywhere else that you are aware of?”

            “Why are you asking? Is she
in some kind of trouble?” The man was beginning to get suspicious.

            “No, no, she’s just—an old
friend of mine and I was hoping to catch up with her on my way through.”

            “Oh, in that case nay, she
had no family besides her mother, God rest her soul.”

            Pierce tried not to let his
frustration show, “Well thank you sir for your help.”

            By the time Pierce was back
inside his carriage he was soaked through almost to the skin. His dark hair was
dripping rain onto his face and down his nose. He didn’t even bother reaching
up to wipe it away, instead he instructed his driver to continue on. He wasn’t
sure what his next move would be, the only lead he had had gone cold and he was
at a loss for where she could’ve gone with no family to turn to.

            A few miles down the road
Pierce spotted an inn and quickly tapped on the ceiling. The thought of a warm
fire and a mug of ale was too tempting to pass up. He was freezing cold in his
wet clothes and figured a drink in front of a fire was just what he needed as
he planned his next move in his search for Hope. 

            The warmth of the inn
enveloped him the minute he walked through its doors. He was greeted by a
slender middle aged man with little hair remaining on his pointy head. “Can I
help you? Would you like a room?”

            “Thanks but no, I’m just
passing through and was hoping to get a mug of ale and warm myself by the fire
for a time.”

            “Maggie will take care of
you.” Just then a plump red-headed serving girl sidled up to Pierce, her
unwashed body pressed too close for comfort. He gave her an unsure smile before
indicating he’d like the table closest to the hearth and a mug of ale.

            The girl, Maggie, leaned in
close, “Are you sure that’s all I can get you milord?” she asked flirtatiously.

            “Quite, thank you.” He
turned and stalked off to his table missing completely the pout that overcame
her face at his dismissal.

            It was a rare thing for Maggie
to be dismissed so easily. The gentlemen that came through didn’t always take
her up on her offer of sharing their bed but they at least had the courtesy to
flirt with and compliment her. This man had done neither and it irked her. She
huffed back into the kitchen and turned to the new girl that had been hired to
clean and clear tables in between cleaning the rooms they let out as well as
scrubbing the chamber pots, “Take this mug out to the man by the fire, I want
nothing to do with the likes of him.”

            The girl turned and gingerly
grabbed the mug, struggling not to roll her eyes at Maggie’s tantrum. In the
short time she had known her she knew she could be moody and temperamental
especially where men were concerned.  Turning, she used her shoulder to open
the door and began walking towards the fireplace. She saw the man sitting, his
back to her as he warmed his hands before the fire. His shoulders were broad
and his dark hair appeared wet, as well as his clothes that were plastered to
his well sculpted body. As she drew nearer she exhaled the breath she hadn’t
realized she had been holding. She moved silently across the floor, balancing
the mug in her small hand but somehow the man still sensed her presence. He
turned when she was just a few steps away from him and she gasped, almost
letting the mug of ale drop to the floor.

            Pierce inhaled sharply as he
looked into familiar amber eyes that haunted his dreams. “Noelle?” he managed
to squeak out. He watched as she quickly slammed the mug of ale down on the
table causing the frothy liquid to splash down the sides of the mug and onto
the table then turned and practically started running back towards the kitchen.

            He watched her retreating
form in shock, goodness she was so beautiful. He stood and in a few long paces
he was directly behind her, realizing he had called her the wrong name he tried
again, “Hope?”

            He watched as her shoulders
stiffened, but at least she had stopped running from him. Hope closed her eyes,
she had thought she’d never see Pierce again but here he was in the flesh, even
more handsome than she remembered. She longed to turn around and throw herself
into his arms and beg him to take her away, to still love her but she knew she
couldn’t do that. He was engaged to Noelle, possibly even married to her by
now. The thought made her heart break in pieces all over again.

She had thought
that her heart couldn’t break any further when she had been forced to flee
London after Noelle’s return, but upon her arrival in Shepard’s Bush she had
learned that her mother had passed away and her grief felt insurmountable. She
had been forced to find work quickly to provide food and shelter for herself
and the inn had proved a perfect fit. She had thought to provide a new life for
herself where she could work long, dreary hours and put her past completely behind
her. She never for a minute thought that the past would find her there.

            She couldn’t bring herself
to turn and look into Pierce’s face. She knew if she did, she’d be lost so
instead she kept her back turned to him, her eyes averted. “Why are you here?”

            “I came to find you, I have
so many questions. Will you please at least look at me?”

            When it became clear that
she wasn’t going to turn, Pierce walked in front of her and gently cupped her
chin in his hand and raised her face to meet his, “I know who you really are.”

            “So you know that I’m merely
a low class servant?” She desperately wanted him to tell her that it didn’t
matter, that he had come to marry her anyway but the look on his face told her
that he wouldn’t. Instead he merely nodded. Adopting a business like tone to
mask the crushing pain she said, “You said you had so many questions and you’ve
yet to ask a single one. I must get back to work so please be brief.”

            Pierce cleared his throat,
“Why did you do it?”

            “I had to, I had no other
option. Well I suppose I did but that would’ve left Lord Brattondale and his
family in disgrace and I felt that burden rested solely on my shoulders. I
begged Noelle to stay but she’s impetuous and wouldn’t listen. I’m so sorry for
the shame I must’ve caused you.”

            Pierce was astounded; he couldn’t
believe she was apologizing to him, if anything Noelle was the one who should
be apologizing for putting them both in this impossible position. He heard the
tremble of emotion in her voice though she tried to remain strong and he ached
to reach out and pull her into his chest, to stroke her hair and to tell her he
would make everything alright, the problem was he couldn’t make that promise,
he had yet to figure out a solution and couldn’t guarantee he could fix the dilemma.
He had never felt so helpless.

Despite the fact
that he couldn’t offer her anything he was just about to pull her into his arms
anyway when they were both startled by loud pair of footsteps echoing off of the
wood floor. They both turned in unison to see who had interrupted their
solitude when the man in question came to a sudden halt. He was weary and pale
and the sight of them seemed to put him into a shock, his mouth falling open
and his eyes widening.

Without saying a
word, the man rushed forward and pulled Hope into his arms just as Pierce was
about to do. He stood back and watched in horrified shock as the man began
patting her face and exclaiming, “My love, oh my love, I never thought I’d see
you again.” The man then leaned forward and placed his lips on Hope’s in an
intimate kiss full of longing. Pierce felt his gut wrench and thought he might
be ill at the sight. He stormed over to the table where his mug of ale was
sitting and slammed down a coin before grabbing his coat and racing out of the
door.

Hope reeled back
when the stranger finally released her, feeling violated and confused. When her
eyes regained focus she took in his appearance and gasped, “Soren?”