The Duke's Revenge (13 page)

Lisa nodded her head and they continued with
their ride.

The fresh air gave Ivy a sense of freedom.
She felt just like a bird, flying up high in the air. Now and
again, she looked up at the sky and laughed aloud when she saw a
hawk or seagulls flapping their wings across the vas expansion.

Lisa smiled when she saw her mistress
laughing. She convinced herself that the happiness she saw from her
mistress was worth disobeying the duke’s order.

“
How much longer until we
get to the town?”

“
Not long now,” Lisa
replied. “I’ve been there a couple of times, it’s a very nice
place, m’ lady.”

Ivy nodded, and they rode on in
quietness.

Staffordshire was a small town that sat not
far from the lake to the north. This provided the town folks with
important resource such as fish and fresh water. Scattered around
the town square were small and large cottages and along the main
street were stores set in two straight lines which ended at the
entrance of the church.

They stopped in the town square and tied
their horses near a water fountain. They greeted the town folks who
passed them by as they explored the various shops.

Ivy was fascinated with the bakery store
where colorful sweetmeats were on display inside the windows. She
couldn’t help herself and rushed into the shop, admiring every
delicate detail of the cakes. The owner gave them sweetmeats to
sample, and Ivy liked them so much that she promised to come by
again. When they left they visited Mrs. Millers’, a dressmaker and
milliners shop where, after Ivy had given the owner her old garment
as charity for the poor, she was having a fine time enjoying simply
looking and admiring at the beautiful fabrics and dresses on
display.

Paul, a sixteen year old lad of Mrs.
Millers’ son, found Ivy too beautiful to leave her alone and
followed her around the store gawking at her for a full fifteen
minutes. When his mother snapped for him to leave her costumer
alone, he reluctantly obeyed and went to the back of the store to
arrange the newly arrived fabrics.

“
I do apology for my son,”
the woman said.

“
That’s all right,” Ivy
said and smiled.

The shop owner could only stare at Ivy who
radiant smile had taken her breath away.

“
Anyone that you like?”
she asked.

Ivy glanced up and blushed prettily. “I am
merely looking. I do not think I’ve brought enough money to buy
such beautiful ribbons.”

“
That’s fine. Oh, this one
here,” Mrs. Millers said and picked up a creamy color ribbon in her
hands.

“
It’s beautiful,” Ivy
said, giving a quick glance at Lisa. The maid nodded in
agreement.

“
Here,” the shopkeeper
handed it to Ivy. “A beautiful woman with a beautiful heart
deserves a beautiful ribbon to tie her hair.”

Ivy raised her brows in surprise. “But I
couldn’t affor—”

“
It’s from me to you. Your
hair, it’s such a beautiful black that it deserve this white
ribbon,” she said and moved around the bench to come over to where
Ivy was standing. “May I?”

“
Oh, hmm.” Ivy nodded her
head.

The woman lifted her thick, dark hair up and
tied the ribbon around it at the nape of her neck.

“
Thank you,” she said
shyly once the woman was finished.

“
You’re so beautiful. Your
husband is a very lucky man.”

“
Nay, I have no husband,”
Ivy said quickly.

“
Ah, then you will have
trouble choosing. I am sure men swarm at your feet for your
affection,” the woman said and chuckled, her eyes
winkling.

Ivy thought that that was unlikely. She
thanked Mrs. Millers for the ribbon and promised to come by again
next time she came into the town. She and Lisa left and they went
on further to visit the church, public school, and simply admiring
the town folks’ daily lives. When they got too tired they visited
the small pastrycook’s shop. They were offered an assortment of
treats from the shopkeeper. Ivy couldn’t decide weather to have
buns, cakes, or tart with their tea. In the end, she decided to
have a cake.

They enjoyed their leisure and it was half
an hour later that Lisa suggested they return to the castle before
dinner. Ivy reluctantly agreed.

They were guiding their horse out of the
busy street when a child ran out of nowhere and straight toward
Ivy’s mare. The boy halted midway and cried out a hell of a scream
that frightened the mare. Ivy tried to control her horse. She
panicked when it wouldn’t listen to her soothing words. It kicked
its hind legs, causing her to fly off her seat. She lost her
gripping on the reins, fell, and landed with a thud on the hard
earth.

The frightened horse was still shrilling and
trying to run away, its two front hooves were inches away from
hitting her.

“
Hold girl!”

Ivy saw the hazy figure of a man and beast
struggling before her. Somebody was touching her shoulders, but she
was oblivious to her surrounding except for the man trying to
control her mare.

“
Calm down, girl!” the
stranger yelled.

The mare calmed down and shook its head. The
man patted the horse’s nose with a smile, and finally, he turned
his attention to her.

“
Are you all right?” he
asked as he kneeled beside her.

Nodding her head, she tried to find her
voice. Good Lord, to think that she had just experience near death
was beyond belief. Her body was shaking all over.

“
Lord, ‘tis all my fault,
I’m sorry.”

Ivy turned to see a woman beside her. She
shook her head so that the woman wouldn’t blame herself.

“
No, no, ‘tis my fault,”
the woman insisted. “Come here Dan, Mary!” she ordered.

Two children appear before Ivy’s eyes. One
was a boy with bright red hair and bright blue eyes. The other was
a girl with blonde hair and metallic grey eyes. They were neatly
dressed. The boy wore a grey coat, dark blue breeches, and black
buckled shoes and the girl wore a pretty pink day dress.

“
Apologize to this lady
right now,” the woman commanded gently as she nudged them both
forward.

The girl clamped her lips together. She
curtsied and said very quietly, “I’m very sorry for what I
did.”

“
Dan?” the woman said
firmly.

The boy licked his lower lip and said a bit
louder than the girl did, “Sorry, Miss.”

The woman turned to Ivy, her look of apology
burnt in Ivy’s heart. “I’m truly sorry. They were playing catch,
and I guessed they didn’t look at where they were going.”

“
It’s all right,” Ivy said
again, getting up.

Her knees buckled.

“
What’s the matter?” the
man who had taken controlled of her mare asked as he caught her
before she fell to the ground again.

“
My leg,” she gasped out
tightly in pain.

“
Have you broken your
leg?” He touched her limp.

Ivy blushed and shook her head. “I don’t
think so.”

“
You should have a look at
her leg. Your clinic isn’t far from here is it, Mr. Oliver?” the
woman asked.

“
Nay,” he said, and
without Ivy’s consent, he picked her up in his arms and carried her
across the street--with the woman and her children and Lisa
trailing behind him.

“
Really, ‘tis not done,
sir, I can walk,” Ivy protested.

“
Can’t take any chances,”
he replied with a smile.

He rushed through the door and straight into
his surgery. There, he laid her on the table and started to examine
her legs to see if there was any bone broken. His hands moved down
to her ankle and he applied pressure there. She gasped out at the
sharp pain.

“
You’ve sprain your
ankle,” he said.

“
Do you think she can ride
the mare?” Lisa asked.

“
I’m not sure if that
would be a good idea. Stress would only worsen the pain and won’t
heal it any faster too,” the surgeon said, looking at
Ivy.

Ivy frowned and said confidently, “Do not
worry, Lisa. I can ride the mare.”

“
But ‘tis not a good idea
at all,” Mr. Oliver said.

“
Dear me, I suggest you
listen to Mr. Oliver,” the woman said from behind them.

“
But we must return home,”
Ivy persisted.

“
Lady Hartland, I’m sure
you have enough room in your carriage for, err...” Mr. Oliver
turned to Ivy.

“
Ivy, please, Ivy
Michaels.”

“
Why, of course, plenty of
space,” Lady Hartland said. “You will go home in my carriage, dear.
After all, it’s the least I can do after my children have given you
such a fright and almost sending you to your grave. Goodness, where
did that come from? Please pardon my speech.” She looked
apologetically at Ivy.

Ivy smile and shook her head. “Do not worry
about it.”

“
Now, let me just bind up
your ankle and then you can go,” Mr. Oliver said.

“
Thank you,” Ivy replied,
thankful that his hands were gentle as he was binding her
ankle.

“
Do come and visit again,”
he said some ten minutes later as he helped her into the
carriage.

“
Yes, I will,” Ivy
replied. “When I get the chance,” she said more quietly.

“
Where do you live, dear?”
Lady Hartland asked from behind.

“
Westwood
Castle.”

“
Westwood
Castle?”

Ivy glanced at Lisa. “Aye, Westwood Castle,
just for a short time,” she said, hoping with all her heart that
this would be true.

“
Visiting, are you? I’m
visiting, too, an old friend at Mornington Hall.”

The carriage started moving away from the
town, and Lisa followed them on her mare.

In the carriage, some ten minutes later,
Lady Hartland suddenly asked, “What is your relationship to the
duke?”

Ivy’s heart did a startle kick. Did the
woman know that she was the duke’s mistress?

“
I’ve never met the duke
himself before and I would really love too. Do you think it’s all
right if I visit Westwood Castle? Do you mind?” Lady Hartland smile
at her innocently.

“
But ‘tis not my castle, I
cannot—”

“
Oh dear and here I
thought you have some kind of influence over the duke, what with
you being so pretty and all. And being his close relative—” The
woman raised her brows. “Oh dear, you are his cousin, are you
not?”

“
Err...”

“
A distant cousin
then?”

“
Well, I hardly knew him
at all, my lady,” Ivy said truthfully.

“
Ah yes, a distant
relation then. I think I shall ask Caroline to call upon you, my
dear.” The woman smiled and changed the topic abruptly to the
upcoming season.

At Westwood Castle, Ivy went straight to her
room with Lisa’s help. She had dinner in her room to avoid any
questions she suspected would be fired from Donald who seemed to be
keeping a constantly sharp eye on her. She was changing into her
nightshirt when Lisa came in and told her that the duke won’t be
returning until the next two to three weeks or even later.

“
Thank goodness,” she said
with relief. “Lisa, that’s the best news I’ve heard in these past
months. Do you think he won’t return for a long time?”

“
Well, I’m not so sure now
that you’re here.” Lisa hesitated and stared at the beautiful woman
before her.

The duke surely wouldn’t stay away that long
when he had this beauty in his house waiting for him, even though
it was not of her own free will.

“
Do you think he would
come back soon? Well, I hoped he won’t for a long time and it would
be even better if he won’t return for a few months.” She smiled to
herself.

In your
dream
—Lisa wanted to say as she smiled
fondly.

“
Mayhap,” Ivy said,
nodding her head. Aye, just mayhap, she thought and climbed into
bed.

CHAPTER 12

Max stared darkly at the fire before him. He
stretched out his long legs and gulped more whisky down his
throat.

Damn Parliament!
Could not he be done with it in a few days and
return to Westwood Castle? The past ten days in London for him had
been nothing more than laborious meetings at Parliament debating
about the Regency bill. When it was finally passed on the
5
^th
of
February, the idle, over indulgence, over weighted Prince of Wale,
who had been impatiently dreaming about gaining such power, happily
signed the document that made him Regent for his father, King
George III.

How he was tired of Parliament affair.

He flicked his gaze to the table beside him.
There were numerous letters that he had not yet read--letters that
needed to be answered. Such bother, he thought. His secretary, Mr.
Mallows, had taken care most of his business affair and those were
things he considered not so personal. These pile of junk, he
thought, was supposed to be personal and there was a heck too many
of them.

He grabbed the lot, piled them on his lap,
and shuffled them through one by one without interest. Most were
invitations to prestigious parties and balls for the up coming
season. One was from the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire inviting
him to their private house party at Devonshire House for the
weekend. There was also one from the ambitious Lady Melbourne
herself inviting him to dine at Melbourne House. No doubt the Whigs
would be there, discussing about nothing else but Napoleon and the
peninsula war, and more passionately, the Regent’s affair such as
whether he would choose to change government, which no doubt would
happen, and whether he would waste more money on his extravagant
parties this season. There was already gossip that he would give a
grand ball up at Carlton House. Considering his taste for all
things splendidly grand, more money would be waste, no doubt.