Falling for the forbidde.., p.6
Falling for the Forbidden Duke, page 6
‘And what about you, Miss Daglish?’
Georgina’s stomach clenched as if she had taken a physical blow. ‘I don’t want to be a duchess and I would not be an ideal wife.’
He smiled. ‘I meant, are you also sweet-natured, honest and open?’
Shame rushed over her and heat flushed her cheeks. Georgina could not remember a time when she had ever blushed, but she was blushing now at her absurd and humiliating mistake. ‘I’m not... I mean, no, probably not. Well, I hope I’m honest and open but I think it would be stretching things a bit to say I’m sweet-natured.’
His smile grew wider and Georgina found herself smiling back at him. He was not mocking her, but seemingly amused by her honesty. ‘I’m definitely not duchess material for so many reasons.’
They looked at each other and the unspoken words hung in the air. A woman from Georgina’s background might become a duke’s mistress, but she would never become his wife.
‘I believe Lady Dallington will have finished playing cards by now and I am safe to return to the house.’ Whether that was true or not Georgina did not know, but what she did know was it would be unwise to spend any more time in the Duke’s company than was entirely necessary.
‘I suspect you will never truly be safe from Lady Dallington.’
‘I will one day, but not this weekend, I’m afraid. But we should return. We’ve satisfied Olivia’s insistence that we take some air, and I do want to see for myself that she is not unwell.’
‘Of course.’
He turned and led her back across the bridge and up towards the house. They paused at the entranceway. He made a formal bow and she curtseyed. Then they remained standing in the entranceway, as if both were reluctant to leave.
Think of Olivia, she reminded herself, made another quick curtsey, turned abruptly and rushed up the stairs, away from the Duke and towards her sister’s bed chamber.
Chapter Five
Olivia was sitting up in bed drinking a cup of tea when Georgina entered.
‘How was your walk?’ Olivia asked. ‘What did you and the Duke talk about? Tell me all about it.’ Her voice was slightly croaky, but she otherwise looked quite healthy.
‘That can wait. How are you feeling now? Are you better? Worse?’ Georgina placed her hand on Olivia’s forehead. ‘You’re a bit warm.’
‘I’m all right. It’s probably being in this stuffy room and drinking hot tea. But Molly seemed to think I should rest and far be it for me to argue with my lady’s maid,’ she said with a laugh as she placed her cup on the bedside table. ‘So, what do you think of the Duke?’
‘I think he’s very nice and will make you a wonderful husband, but you need to get better so you can spend time with him and he can see what an ideal wife and duchess you will make.’
‘What did you two talk about?’
‘You.’
Olivia’s lips turned downwards. ‘That must have been a boring conversation.’
Georgina laughed. ‘On the contrary. Are you sure you’re well? Your face is rather flushed.’
‘I’m fine—there’s no need to fuss. So, where did you and the Duke walk to?’
Before she could answer the door opened and Lady Dallington walked in without knocking. ‘What’s this I hear about you cutting your walk with the Duke short because you were feeling unwell?’
‘I had a bit of a cough, that’s all, Mama.’
Lady Dallington edged Georgina out of the way, sat on the bed and put her hand on her daughter’s forehead. ‘You seem all right now. Do you think you will be well enough to come down for dinner? We’re only staying one more day. It would be such a shame if you spent it shut away up here.’
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. It was just a bit of a cough and I feel much better now.’
‘Excellent. Wear that pink gown tonight. It shows off your lovely complexion and we want the Duke to see you at your best.’
‘Yes, Mama,’ Olivia said, followed by several coughs that did not sound at all good to Georgina.
‘This is all your fault, you know,’ Lady Dallington said, turning to face Georgina. ‘If you hadn’t insisted that the two of you go for a walk before we left home, then my daughter would not be in bed now.’ Her eyes narrowed and she cocked her head to the side. ‘I’d almost suspect that you did this deliberately to ruin my daughter’s chances of a successful marriage.’
Georgina drew in a deep breath through flared nostrils and stared at Lady Dallington. The woman was being ridiculous and Georgina fought not to respond to her baiting.
Lady Dallington blinked repeatedly, as if suddenly aware that she was pushing Georgina too far.
‘The walk was my idea, Mama. Georgina was actually opposed to us going out in such weather.’
Lady Dallington turned back to her daughter and smiled. ‘You’re always so loyal, even if your loyalty is undeserved.’ She looked at Georgina, then quickly back at her daughter. ‘You really will make a gracious duchess. Just make sure you get better as soon as possible so the Duke can see that for himself.’
A knock at the door drew the attention of all three. Georgina opened the door to a man dressed in a dark grey suit and carrying a black leather bag that showed him to be a doctor.
‘Good afternoon, ladies. I’m Dr Campbell,’ he said with a gentle Scottish burr. ‘The Duke summoned me and said there was a young lady who needed to be attended to.’
‘No need,’ Lady Dallington said, waving towards the door. ‘You’ve had a wasted journey. My daughter is not really ill, she’s just a little over-excited about all that has happened. She should be up and about in no time.’
‘I believe, madam, I will be the judge of that.’
He approached the bed and raised his eyebrows at Lady Dallington. With a huff of annoyance she lifted herself off the bed and stood beside it, glaring at the doctor.
‘It’s Lady Olivia, isn’t it?’ he asked. Olivia nodded and smiled at him. ‘I’m Dr Campbell and have been treating the Rosemont family for many years. So how are you?’
‘I’m well, thank you. As my mother said, I’m probably just over-excited.’
‘Well, let’s have a look at you. Open your mouth, please.’
Olivia did as requested. The doctor peered down her throat and made the familiar, non-committal ‘Hmm’ noise that all doctors seemed to make. Then he removed a stethoscope from his leather bag and placed it on Olivia’s chest, which caused some disapproving rustling from Lady Dallington. He then asked Olivia to lean forward and placed the stethoscope on her back.
‘You have a bit of a chest infection but nothing too serious. Stay in bed for a day or two. I’ll call in again tomorrow to see how you’re faring.’
‘I’ll look forward to it,’ Olivia said with another smile.
‘A day or two? That is out of the question,’ Lady Dallington said. ‘We are guests of the Duke. He expects to spend time with Lady Olivia, and we are leaving the day after tomorrow. She can’t stay in bed the entire time.’
‘I would recommend that she does, and unless she makes a rapid improvement I would advise against travelling until your daughter is well, particularly in this weather. She merely has a chill at the moment, but you would not want it to get any worse.’
Olivia gave a small cough, as if to underline what the doctor had said, then sent him another smile.
‘Oh, very well. You can take your meal up here tonight, and you, Gina, can also dine in Olivia’s room.’
‘Yes, my lady,’ Georgina said. She had intended to spend the rest of the visit with Olivia, whether Lady Dallington suggested it or not.
The doctor said his goodbyes.
‘I don’t think much of him,’ Lady Dallington said, frowning at the door.
‘He’s the Duke’s doctor, Mama. That must mean he is an exceptionally fine doctor.’
‘Hmm,’ Lady Dallington said, in much the same non-committal manner the doctor had used. ‘You, girl,’ she said, pointing at Georgina. ‘Make yourself useful and look after my daughter. She has to get better as quickly as possible. If she doesn’t, I will hold you personally responsible.’ With that she bustled out of the room.
‘He’s rather handsome, isn’t he?’ Olivia said as soon as the door shut.
‘The Duke? Yes, I suppose he is.’ Georgina could hear the falseness in her voice. Anyone who looked at the Duke could not be struck by how devilishly handsome he was. So handsome he made her forget herself and everything she held dear.
‘You find the Duke attractive, do you?’ Olivia’s voice held a teasing note and Georgina feared she had exposed the full extent of her admiration for the Duke.
‘I’m just pleased he meets with your approval.’ In her consternation her voice had taken on an unfamiliar primness.
Olivia tilted her head, and her smile gave every appearance of smugness, although what Olivia had to be smug about, Georgina had no idea.
‘Anyway, I wasn’t talking about the Duke. What did you think of the dashing doctor?’
Georgina looked towards the door through which Dr Campbell had departed, trying to remember what he looked like. ‘Oh, yes, I suppose so. But let’s hope he’s a good doctor as well.’
‘The Duke is hardly likely to employ a second-rate doctor,’ Olivia said as if she had been personally insulted.
Georgina made no comment, but picked up a chair and moved it to the side of the bed.
‘It looks like I’ll have to stay in bed for a day or two, but that doesn’t mean you have to be stuck here as well,’ Olivia said. ‘I don’t want you getting bored.’
‘I would never be bored by your company. So, what shall we do? Would you like me to read to you? Or should I get your embroidery?’
‘No, I want to hear all about what you and the Duke talked about. And don’t leave out a thing.’
It was not a topic of conversation that Georgina would have picked, but of course Olivia would want to hear all about the man she hoped to marry. ‘We didn’t really talk about much at all. He showed me some of the garden. He asked about you, of course, and I told him of all your fine qualities. And then we came back to the house, and that’s it, really.’
Georgina hoped that would satisfy her sister’s curiosity.
‘Did he not ask you anything about yourself?’
‘Why would he want to know anything about me?’
Olivia shrugged. ‘I just thought he might.’
‘Well, he asked about our friendship. And I told him about how you had been so welcoming when I first joined the Dallington household and how you had never treated me as anything other than a sister.’
‘Well, of course, why would I not?’
Georgina had never discussed her origins with Olivia, and never quite knew how much she had been told. She always called her sister, but Georgina did not know whether she knew how true that was.
When Georgina had been taken into the Earl’s home, he had made it clear that out of respect for his wife’s feelings, and to preserve his legitimate daughter’s innocence, she was to always act as a ward, never his daughter.
Georgina had always abided by his wishes, and in return he treated her with kindness and respect, if not the affection she would have wanted. Sometimes she suspected Olivia knew, but her sister knew little of the world and how men behaved. She loved her father, and Georgina would do nothing to temper that love. Olivia did not need her innocence and trust destroyed by being informed that her father had had a mistress with whom he’d spent as much time as he had with Lady Dallington.
‘Not everyone would be as kind as you,’ she said instead.
‘I did it all out of selfishness. I wanted a sister so much, and instead all I got was brother after brother, but then you came along and I was so happy.’ She took Georgina’s hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You were an answer to my prayers and for that reason I have only ever wanted happiness for my sister.’
Georgina smiled and gently squeezed Olivia’s hand in response. ‘And that is all I wish for you as well. So we need to get you healthy again so you can spend time with the Duke. Becoming a duchess is no less than you deserve.’
Olivia smiled at her, and Georgina wished with all her heart that her kind thoughts weren’t tinged by the pain gripping her stomach. How could she be such a terrible person that the thought of the Duke with her sister should make her jealous?
It was wrong to be jealous for so many reasons, not just because Olivia deserved to be the Duchess of Southbridge. Even if he was not interested in marrying Olivia, she still had no right to think of him in the way she did. Men like him did not marry women like her. He would never consider her as a future wife—mistress perhaps, wife never.
Georgina closed her eyes briefly. Would being the Duke’s mistress be such a bad thing? Her eyes shot open. Yes, it would be. Even if he did not marry Olivia, Georgina would never be any man’s mistress, not even the Duke’s. She would not be a kept woman. She would never be like her mother, dependent on the good will of a man. How she could even think such a thing was beyond her.
‘Right. That’s enough chat about men. If you don’t want to do your embroidery, then I’ll read to you.’ She picked up the book from the bedside table, pulled it open and focused on the words, determined to put any irrational thoughts out of her head.
* * *
Georgina remained in Olivia’s room for the rest of the evening, reading and chatting. Meals were delivered to the bed chamber on trays and eventually Olivia dozed off. The coughing and wheezing in her sleep suggested her chill was getting worse, so, rather than retiring to her own bed chamber, Georgina chose to remain in Olivia’s room. She would hate for her sister to wake to find herself alone in the middle of the night in a strange house feeling unwell.
Despite the discomfort of the chair, Georgina eventually drifted off to sleep, but was awoken by a loud hacking cough and wheezing breath.
‘Oh, Olivia. You poor thing,’ Georgina said, puffing up her pillows so she could sit up and get some relief in her chest. She passed Olivia a now cold cup of tea, which she drank with relief.
‘It looks like that handsome doctor is going to have to visit again tomorrow,’ Olivia said with a laugh, which turned into another cough. ‘That’s some consolation, I suppose.’
‘I’ll fetch you a bowl of hot water. The steam will hopefully ease your congestion.’
‘You really are a wonderful sister,’ Olivia said, patting Georgina’s hand.
‘Nonsense. I’ll be back soon.’
With that she rushed out, hoping it would not be difficult to find the kitchen.
* * *
The moment dinner was over Luther excused himself and retired to the library, determined to remain there until the household retired for the night. He would make it up to his mother for being such a coward and leaving her with Lady Dallington, but he had seen being a coward as the safest option. His well-trained mask of politeness had already slipped during dinner, and if he had remained in that woman’s company a minute longer there was the danger it would fall off entirely and his true thoughts would be revealed.
Despite being free from her, he still could not shake off his irritation.
Once again he perused the shelves for a book, one that would capture his full attention and stop the conversation with Lady Dallington from constantly running through his mind.
How dared she suggest that Miss Daglish was responsible for Lady Olivia’s condition? It was outrageous.
‘My daughter is usually of robust good health,’ Lady Dallington had said with that annoying simpering smile she always adopted when addressing him. ‘I’m sure if Gina had not insisted that Olivia take a walk in the cold weather she would not have been forced to take to her bed.’
Luther had responded with an apology and a reminder that it was he who had suggested they take the air this morning, and that the horse ride he had originally suggested might have done even more damage to Lady Olivia’s health.
That had caused Lady Dallington to increase the level of her simpering and yet again blame Miss Daglish.
‘Oh, no, Your Grace,’ she had said, smiling at him. ‘You have done nothing wrong. I am referring to a walk they took before leaving home. It was then that Olivia caught this chill.’
‘If that was the case, would she not have shown signs earlier?’ he had wondered aloud. ‘And perhaps it would have been best if she had not travelled in a light silk dress, then remained standing outside in the cold on your arrival. Everyone else had been wearing warm cloaks and no one else became unwell.’
This had caused the Earl to nod in agreement. ‘Quite right, Your Grace,’ he had said, sending his wife a look of admonishment. ‘I believe I said at the time it was too cold to wear such a garment, but you insisted.’
Lady Dallington had fortunately changed the subject and did not try to blame Miss Daglish for the attire in which Lady Olivia had arrived, or the weather.
He drew down a book, scanned the cover, returned to the leather seat and settled down to read. But once again the words swam in front of his eyes. He slammed it shut and placed it on the desk.
Damn that woman and damn her unfair treatment of Miss Daglish. That young woman was defenceless. She was living in Lady Dallington’s home, with no other means of support and unable to stand up for herself.
He picked up the book and stared unseeingly at the cover. Although Miss Daglish did take the constant criticism with a stoicism that was admirable. He gave a mirthless laugh. Stoicism was one of the many attributes his father said a duke should possess. Although his father would condemn him for even thinking about Miss Daglish in such a manner. He should not be wasting his time on a woman of no account, not when he was supposed to be focusing on doing his duty and finding a suitable duchess. Luther also knew what his father would say about stoicism in a woman. While dukes must display that admirable quality, it was not an attribute demanded of a duchess. They needed to be innocent, sweet, compliant and able to provide future dukes. These were qualities that Lady Olivia appeared to possess. When it came to women, his thoughts should be on her and her alone.
