“YOU CAME WITH the Duke of Weatherstone?”
Geri had been accosted by another group of ladies. It seemed that at the Gileses’ party she had been seen with Thomas on the dance floor and slinking off to the alcove. He’d warned her that night he was giving her a reputation and he was right. The groups who had slighted her before suddenly couldn’t let her be.
She was the new flavor of the month, it seemed.
“Yes. I did.” It seemed like every time she ran into a new group of people at this garden party and they discovered she’d come with Thomas they were in a bit of shock.
“Thomas Ashwood?” another woman asked, that same dumbfounded look on her face.
“Yes. Is there another Duke of Weatherstone?” Geri was secretly enjoying this. She glanced across the room and could see Thomas engaged in a discussion with another group of people. As if he knew she was looking at him, he looked over and smiled, winking mischievously as if he was in on the joke. She wished for a moment that they were alone. She really hated these social gatherings.
“He’s a bit of a womanizer,” Mrs. Ponsonby, the hostess, said. “A love-them-and-leave-them type. My sister Harriet was his last victim—last winter, I believe. She wanted marriage, though, and he, of course, won’t marry. So she moved on to someone more suitable.”
“So I’ve heard, but I assure you there’s nothing untoward about our relationship. We work together.”
There were a few disbelieving glances exchanged.
“That’s what he wants you to think and then the next thing you know he’s taking you on a tour of his estate and you’re in his bed.”
“Oh, yes,” another woman sighed. “And what a wonderful place to be.”
Geri’s stomach knotted and she almost choked on the glass of wine she was taking a drink from. The women she was standing with continued to talk and all she could think about was the fact that after they left here they were going to see his estate.
She refused to end up in his bed, though. She refused to get involved with another coworker. Not after what had happened to her in Glasgow with Frederick.
Only that relationship had played out similarly. Colleagues then friends and then lovers before Frederick had dumped her for another surgeon, whom he’d ultimately ended up marrying.
And she had a sickening sense of familiarity.
Was Thomas doing the same thing?
“He’s never been the same since Cassandra,” Mrs. Ponsonby said.
“Pardon?” Geri realized that the other ladies in the group had wandered away and it was just her and Mrs. Ponsonby standing there now.
“Thomas and Cassandra Greensby were in a relationship at least seven years ago now. After Cassandra called it off Thomas began his womanizing ways. His father was none too pleased. I think that’s what caused the late duke’s heart attack.”
Geri rolled her eyes. “I believe it was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that caused it. It’s when the heart tissue thickens.”
The other woman gave her a confused stare. “What?”
“Never mind.” Geri shook her head. “Why did she break it off?”
Mrs. Ponsonby shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just know that it absolutely crushed him.”
Geri felt guilty that she was being made privy to this information, which was none of her business. It was up to Thomas to tell her these things and he hadn’t, so clearly he didn’t want her to know. Just like she didn’t tell him the reason she hadn’t pursued becoming a surgeon was because of Frederick. How he’d run the surgical program and she was a coward, not facing her broken heart and not becoming the surgeon she’d always dreamed of being.
Instead, she’d taken the offer of her father.
She never wanted Thomas to know that secret shame of hers and she was sure that he didn’t want her to know about this Cassandra Greensby, whoever she was.
“Excuse me, Mrs. Ponsonby. I think I’ll take a quick stroll around your lovely conservatory.”
“By all means, do. I’m sorry your father couldn’t be here. This is where he met your dear mother.” Mrs. Ponsonby wandered off. She didn’t correct Mrs. Ponsonby over calling her mother “dear.” There was nothing dear about her mother.
“Although your mother was a party crasher.”
“So I heard.” And it was nothing surprising. Her mother had often crashed big formal events. It was embarrassing really.
Geri had no real interest in knowing about how her parents had met, she knew the stories, but the more she lingered at this party the more she wanted to go back to London, back to Holland Park and her bed. Just shut the world out for a couple of hours and lock away all these feelings that were getting stirred up in her today.
The conservatory was quite extensive, overgrown with lush tropical greenery and winding paths. It was like something that should be a tourist attraction. Other people wandered along the paths, drinks in hand, as they soaked up the sun filtering through the glass.
Geri found a quiet bench where she could sit and collect her thoughts and enjoy the rest of her glass of wine in privacy.
“There you are. I despaired of ever finding you in this jungle.”
She glanced up to see Thomas standing in front of her. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“Blast, I thought I was better hidden,” she teased.
He chuckled. “You sounded quite like Lionel there.”
Geri couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Well, he’s a bit of a bad influence and every time I’m in the hospital he demands to see me. He’s also demanding to know when he’ll get out.”
“I know,” Thomas groaned. “And I’ve told him time and time again it won’t be before Christmas, but apparently that’s not the answer that he wants to hear.”
“I don’t blame him. He said he looks forward to the King’s College Choir carols every Christmas Eve. He’s never missed it.”
“He will this year.”
“I was thinking about taking him to it,” she said offhandedly. “As his physician naturally.”
“He’s barely out of the intensive care unit and you want to expose him to all the germs and the draughts of King’s College Chapel and take him over an hour away from the hospital? I think not.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. I’m always right.” Thomas winked.
“I’ve been getting quite an earful about you,” Geri teased.
“Yes. I’m sure that you have,” he said. “I saw you were talking to our hostess. She’s a busybody.”
“She told me that you’re going to seduce me when you take me out to your estate.”
Thomas’s eyes darkened a bit. “Would you like that?”
Yes.
“Not particularly.”
“Ouch.” He grabbed his chest. “You don’t pull any punches, do you?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re completely not, because you’re laughing about it.”
“I swear I’m not.” She took another sip of her wine. “When can we make an exit?”
“Oh, we’re not leaving anytime soon. I’m going to drag out this event as long as I can since you’re been so cruel to me.” His eyes were twinkling and she gave him a little shove with her shoulder.
“Mrs. Ponsonby also mentioned this is the place my parents met.”
“You say that with such apathy...”
“How my mother crashed a party. I guess it’s good they met or I wouldn’t be here.”
“And for that I’m thankful.”
Geri blushed at his compliment. “It’s not like it was a great romance. They had a brief marriage and went their separate ways. I was born and my father never knew about me.”
“No, I guess you really don’t have much sentimental value placed on where they met, do you?”
“I would if they’d actually had some kind of romantic feelings about each other, but from what I understand from my mother it was just sex that attracted her to my father. The marriage had been spur-of-the-moment, and the lust wore out eventually, but it resulted in me. That’s what she said. I don’t think she loved my father much either. No love lost there. And, frankly, thinking about my parents together...” She shuddered for effect and Thomas laughed.
“Yes. I understand. I like to think I was an immaculate conception.”
She choked on her wine, trying not to laugh.
“Don’t laugh at me,” Thomas teased.
“You make it so easy, though.” She smiled at him. “I can’t remember ever laughing so much in my life.”
“Well, at least I’m good for something. Did you ever get your father’s side of the story?” Thomas asked.
“No. What does it matter? It’s in the past. You can’t change the past.”
“You certainly can’t,” Thomas said wistfully. “Only I wish...”
“You wish what?” Geri asked as he trailed off, but he wasn’t listening to her. He was staring at the woman and man who had entered the conservatory. The woman was stunningly beautiful, blonde, tall. Like a model.
And she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a past conquest or perhaps Cassandra.
“Let’s go,” Thomas said quickly. He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“I’m good with that. I’ve had my fill.”
Thomas didn’t say anything but dragged her along the path away from the woman and the man she was with.
“Thomas?”
He stopped and Geri almost slammed into his back. She could hear him cursing under his breath and he turned around. Geri saw the tall blonde walking toward them.
“Cassandra,” he said through gritted teeth. “How very nice to see you.”
“I doubt that very much, Thomas.” She turned to the man who was with her. “My husband, Lord Greensby.”
Thomas nodded and then pointed to Cassandra. “May I present Lady Collins.”
Cassandra was taken aback. “Lord Collins got married? And to a much younger woman, I see.”
“I’m not his wife, I’m his daughter,” Geri said. She already didn’t like Cassandra on principle for breaking Thomas’s heart, but other than her looks she didn’t know what Thomas saw in her. She was downright snobbish.
The more she saw of this circle her father belonged to the less she liked it. She resented it, as well. Her father put so much stock in this world and for what? She didn’t like the people she met.
Except Thomas.
And he was part of this. If the rumors were to be believed, he’d almost married someone like Cassandra. Was that what Thomas really liked? If so, she needed to put an end to this because she was never going to be like one of these women. She was never going to be so vain and shallow.
Her career came first.
“Oh, yes, I thought I heard something about that,” Cassandra said flippantly. “I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I am really surprised to see you here, Thomas. I never thought you would be at one of these functions again.”
“I’m surprised that I’m here myself, to be honest,” Thomas said, sounding completely bored.
“Why are you here?” Cassandra asked, and Geri sensed a faint sense of hope in her tone.
“I promised Lord Collins I would escort Lady Collins here. He’s tied up at work.”
“Doctors,” she said with disgust.
“Do you have an issue with doctors?” Geri asked.
“Not in particular, but it’s the weekend.”
“So? Life and death don’t stop at the weekend,” Geri countered.
Cassandra’s ice-blue eyes narrowed on her. “You’re quite passionate about medicine.”
“I’m a doctor as well.”
“How droll. I’ve never heard of an heiress becoming a surgeon.”
“Have you been living in a cave?” Geri was about to hit this woman, but Thomas squeezed her hand and she took a deep calming breath.
“If you’ll excuse us, Cassandra. I have to take Lady Collins back to London.” Thomas didn’t wait for any more polite exchanges as he dragged Geri off. She set her empty wineglass on a tray a waiter held and followed Thomas to pick up their coats in the foyer.
Only when they were outside, waiting for Thomas’s car to be brought round to the front door, did Thomas finally give a sigh, which sounded like one of relief, and then he chuckled.
“‘Have you been living in a cave?’ That was priceless. The look on her face.” Thomas grinned at her and Geri couldn’t help but laugh, as well.
“Well, I mean, honestly. A lot of heiresses have careers. Why does she find it so surprising?”
“Probably because she finds it horrifying,” he replied.
“That I do believe.”
Thomas’s car appeared and he took his keys from the valet. They climbed into the car and Thomas drove away from the Ponsonbys’ home.
“How do you know Cassandra Greensby?”
“I’m surprised Mrs. Ponsonby hasn’t told you.”
“She did,” Geri admitted.
Thomas cursed under his breath. “I thought as much.”
“Well, you dodged a bullet there.”
Thomas didn’t respond, but his hands gripped the wheel tightly as they drove through a small village, whipping round a roundabout before turning down another small road.
“Are you taking me back to London? I do have a lot of work,” she said.
“Oh, no, we’re still going to my estate, but I promise you I won’t act in any untoward fashion.” He smiled.
“Good, I would like to see it. Father hasn’t taken me to ours, not that it’s large, just a manor house in Oxfordshire, but he rents it out.”
Thomas nodded. “Yes, I know. I’ve seen it once and it’s nothing too grand. His Holland Park home is much nicer, but as he’s a member of the House of Lords he also keeps his estate.”
“The House of Lords is sitting next week. I don’t think he’ll be making it, given his condition.”
* * *
Thomas’s heart skipped a beat and he hoped Charles had finally told Geraldine about the angiosarcoma. “Condition?”
“His chemotherapy. I don’t think he’s in any shape to attend a House of Lords session.”
“Of course.” Thomas sighed. For one moment he’d thought she knew about the angiosarcoma. If Charles lived up to his end of the bargain she would know soon enough.
“Are you going to go?”
“Good lord, no.” Thomas winked at her and she smiled.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“Hardly.” And he laughed. “No one has ever called me an idiot before.”
“No one?” she asked in disbelief.
“I believe my father often referred to me as a buffoon but that’s not the same thing.”
“I think you’ll find it is.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but my family estate will be covered in Christmas decorations. I know how you hate that.”
Geri rolled her eyes. “Really?”
He shrugged. “I know it was a foolish thing to ask, but I didn’t want you to be surprised by the extent of Christmas decorations at my home.”
“I’m actually surprised at that,” Geraldine said. “I didn’t think you liked Christmas too much.”
“I don’t, but it brings in the tourists and the trust that runs the tours is all about bringing in the tourists. They love it. They’ve been trying to get me to come to a Christmas event—you know, Christmas luncheon with the Duke and all that. They’ve been trying for years, but I haven’t been very interested.”
Geraldine perked up. “That sounds like fun!”
“It’s not really that much fun.”
She grinned at him. “Well, I think it would be. Why don’t you do it this year?”
“Maybe I will...”
* * *
The rest of the drive was pretty pleasant. They wound their way through back country roads far off the motorway until they came to a long winding road with signs that pointed to Weatherstone House.
Geri had been expecting something similar to her father’s estate, which she had seen photographs of. She was in no way prepared for what she was looking at as they came up the long tree-lined drive, before coming to a clearing and getting a chance to see the house in all its glory.
The house was grand. It looked like something out of a Jane Austen movie. She wasn’t expecting anything like this.
“This is your family estate. You told me it was just a small estate home.”
“Did I?” Thomas asked, grinning.
“This is huge.”
It was definitely bigger than her father’s estate. She’d expected Thomas’s home to be slightly bigger, she just wasn’t expecting it to be Mr. Darcy bigger.
“Have I seen this in a television production?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Could be. It was used for filming for some Hollywood movies in the sixties and seventies. Some period pieces, I’m not quite sure what.”
Thomas drove down a private driveway that was marked for family only and whipped around to the back of the house. When he parked the car and she got out she could see several cars, and that indeed the building was decked out in Christmas flair.
Dusk was starting to settle and the Christmas lights started to come on, thousands upon thousands of white Christmas twinkle lights. It was almost magical.
“We’ll be just in time for the last tour,” Thomas quipped cheerfully.
“Isn’t this your home? Does it matter if we’re in time for the last tour? Don’t I get a private one?”
“Good point,” he said, grinning. He took her hand. “Come on, then, you wanted to see my house.”
“You offered.”
“Right. And I promise no hanky-panky.”
Geri’s cheeks heated as he reminded her that he’d be good, even though she actually didn’t want him to be.
She followed him into the back entrance, into the private part of the home.
“This is where I stay when I come here to manage some of the land and deal with the trust that takes care of the public part of the house and operates the tours, but for the most part I’m not here. This part is pretty boring, pretty modern. This is the part my father had redone, because he lived here the whole time there were tours running. He used to attend the events arranged for Christmas—luncheons with the Duke.”
From everything that Thomas had said about his father, Geri could believe him doing that. “Did your mother enjoy attending the Christmas lunches with the Duke?”
He grinned and then laughed. “Yes, she did. In fact, it was her idea to start opening up the house for tours.”
They walked through a few more doors and suddenly they were in the main foyer, which held a profusion of marble, gilt and had a high ceiling with a crystal chandelier in the very center. It reminded her of the home in Mayfair where they’d attended the Christmas social event the night Zoe’s pacemaker had failed.
And like in that foyer, there was a huge tree here. It was bigger than the one in the Mayfair house and it was decked out in gold, reds and greens. It was the brilliant, rich colors that reminded her of Victorian Christmases. It was overwhelming. It was like she’d stepped back in time.
Art adorned the walls, and she could tell from a glance that some of the paintings were by the great masters. The winding staircase was breathtaking, its banister covered in garlands. If she closed her eyes she could imagine a Victorian lady coming down the stairs in a wide ball gown.
“It’s not much, but it’s sort of home,” Thomas said self-deprecatingly.
“Not much? This is amazing.”
“Well, they take good care of it. Come on, this way.” He led her through double doors to the dining room, which was set out as if they were expecting a Royal visit. Porcelain dishes were laid out on a table that had to be at least forty feet long. It was decorated as if there was going to be a Christmas dinner. There was a lot of holly, ivy, garlands and pine boughs, as well as poinsettias, which Thomas said came from the hothouse.
There was even a Yule log, not burning but in the fireplace.
She craned her neck to look up at the painted ceilings. The walls were papered in a deep red and the frames of the portraits were gilt. Geri wandered over to one of the windows and looked out at the extensive parkland at the back of the house, where there was a large sweeping garden with a canal pond and fountain.
At that moment it felt like she’d been transported to a different world.
“How much land does your family own?”
“Why?” he asked. “Is that important to you?”
“No, of course not. I’m just curious. This place is huge.”
He laughed again. “Yes, it’s a large estate. Not as big as some, mind you, but quite extensive. There’s an arboretum, woods and a sculpture garden. Honestly, I don’t know what’s back there anymore. I think there are stables, but I’m not sure. I’m not into horseback riding, as my forebears were.”
“That’s interesting. Men like you usually are.”
“Are you?” he asked.
“No. I never had the opportunity to be around horses. Horses were a luxury for a girl growing up in a single income home in Glasgow. I didn’t even know who my father was.”
“So I can say the same about you. Usually aristocratic women love horseback riding.”
“Do you own horses? Maybe you can teach me.”
“I own some racehorses, but teach you to ride? I’m afraid I can’t do that. Would you care to see more of the house?”
“Of course,” she said.
Geri followed him into a library that had a vast collection of old books. Thomas showed her some first editions... Dickens and Austen to name a few. There were books that his family had been collecting since the time of King Henry VIII.
Some books were behind glass because they were so old they couldn’t be handled without gloves.
“I’m really thankful for having parts of the house put into the care of the trust and offering tours. They can take care of all this properly.”
“It’s too bad you can’t use this room anymore.”
“I can,” he said. “There are certain times of the year that the house isn’t open to tours. I try not to touch the books, though, especially the very old ones. I don’t want to damage them. Again, I’m very thankful the trust takes care of my family’s history like this.”
Eventually they wandered upstairs.
He opened a door. “This is a representation of what the duchess’s room might’ve looked like at the turn of the last century.”
Geri walked into a beautiful room that was Orient themed, which had been the style of that time. There were some clothes laid out and a mother-of-pearl handled hairbrush on a dressing table.
“Was this your mother’s room?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. This is not the Duchess’s room. It was a guest room when the house was private. My father kept the actual Duke and Duchess’s rooms in the private part of the house, but this room was set up to look like it. This was actually my great-grandmother’s room.”
“So your great-grandmother used it?”
“Yes. You could call this the Dowager’s room. Anyway, the trust decided to set this room up as the Duchess’s room for the tours. These are just smaller than the actual rooms they represent.” He opened the door. “This is the door that leads to the Duke’s room.”
“So he could visit the Duchess at night.” Then her cheeks heated as she realized what she’d just said.
He smiled at her lazily and took a step toward her. “Why, yes, if they wanted the bloodline to continue, that is.”
“I...I suppose so.” Geri found it hard to breathe at the moment, standing so close to him. She could reach out and touch him. Her pulse was thundering in her ears and before she could stop what she wanted to happen, Thomas’s arm slipped around her and he was pulling her tight up against him, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that sent a zing of heat through her body.
She melted into him, but the moment his hand slipped down her back she knew she had to put a stop to this now before something they both regretted happened.
He broke the kiss off before she did. “I’m terribly sorry, Geraldine. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered, trying to regain her composure. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I promised you I wouldn’t do that.”
“Thomas, let’s just forget it ever happened.” And that’s what she wanted to do, before his kiss made her imagine something out of a historical romance novel and Thomas coming through that door on their wedding night.
It was a silly notion, but she understood why he brought women here, and then it completely sobered her that he had brought other women here. She refused to fall for another bad boy. She wasn’t going to be seduced by someone who was going to break her heart again. She just wouldn’t let that happen.
The Duke’s room was darker and more masculine than the Duchess’s room. She walked around it, trying to put some distance between the two of them. She couldn’t help but wonder what the real rooms looked like.
The Duke’s room had dark wood paneling, heavy curtains and decor in forest green or burgundy. It was very much a contrast to the Duchess’s room.
“Very dark. Is that where you got your nickname?”
“Perhaps, but I didn’t have a say over the decor in here. It was the style at the time.”
She didn’t know what else to say but she knew she had to get out of the rooms before Thomas tried to kiss her again or, worse, she tried to kiss him.
They just stood there, staring at each other, not saying a word.
Suddenly they heard a group of people talking and Thomas dashed across the room and took her hand, leading her out of the room.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“To another room. The tour is coming and I really don’t want to be seen.”
“Would they even know who you were?”
He shot her a look. “They know who I am. My portrait hangs in the portrait gallery.”
Now she was intrigued. “There’s a portrait gallery?”
“Of course. Every good estate has one.”
“Can I see it?”
“Yes,” he groaned halfheartedly. He took her down the stairs to a long hallway where every Duke and Duchess of Weatherstone’s portrait hung, with his own large portrait at the very end.
The portrait was painted to match all the others. In it he was dressed in a naval uniform.
“I didn’t know you served in the Navy,” she said.
Thomas nodded.
Geri couldn’t help but stare up at the portrait. He looked so young in it. So handsome. He still was handsome, but seeing him in that uniform made her feel weak in the knees. Thomas Ashwood had hidden depths.
“Well, it’s getting late,” Thomas said, interrupting her thoughts. “Perhaps we should get back to London now.”
“Right. Of course. Thank you for showing me your home.”
“My pleasure.”
“Don’t forget about our arrangement.”
“What arrangement was that again?” he asked.
“That you attend a Christmas function for one of your tours.”
He groaned. “I thought you’d forgotten about that.”
“No, I didn’t forget. I plan to hold you to it.”
“Well, as long as you plan to attend my special Christmas appearance. I mean, it wouldn’t be a traditional Weatherstone Christmas with just the Duke by himself.”
“But I’m not a Duchess,” she said, and then she realized what she’d just said and felt completely mortified.
A strange look passed across his face. “No. I guess you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
And she never would be.