Chapter 1

 

 

The sky was dark, the hour late. There was little sound besides the constant rattle of the rain against the house. Miles Clarendon, the Duke of Sutherland, was sitting alone in his study, drink in one hand, letter in the other. His focus was elsewhere, not really taking in his environment.

 

The letter, a brief note from Bethany Whitmore, the Countess Whitmore, was clenched so tightly that the paper was wrinkled beyond repair. Not that it mattered to Miles, whose heart felt much like the tattered paper he held.

 

The woman he loved, the only woman he'd ever loved, had decided to give her errant husband another chance. Her note, although kind, had devastated him as nothing else had in his life. Not even the death of his miserable father had caused him as much pain as reading the few sentences from his former lover.

 

No, Miles thought, not lover. Although they had broken her wedding vows a few times, it had never been completed. The night of his father's death would have been the first time they'd been together. Unfortunately, he was called away before the deed was done and now Miles was left to wonder if he would still have a chance with her if they had made that last step.

 

Bethany's letter was sympathetic, but nothing could console him. She said she wanted to stay friends, but surely her husband, Miles' former  friend, would have something to say about that. Miles had left Colin in no doubt that he had cuckolded him during his absence. Although their escapades were tame compared to what Miles had wanted to do, he and Bethany had not had sex, unlike Colin and half dozen whores across Europe.

 

How could she forgive him? What kind of woman could get past those indiscretions with grace? Feeling his heart break anew, Miles had even more respect and admiration for the woman he loved. A woman that he could have had as his own wife, had he not be his usual selfish self. When he realized how much he wanted her, it scared him. He decided to marry her off to someone else, in the hopes of making her his mistress. He should have known that she wasn't cut out for that kind of life. Bethany was too loyal to fall into that trap. Which was one of the other reasons it took a year before she was willing to consider sleeping with him.

 

But over that year, something had happened to Miles. Bethany was a good influence on him. She made him a better person, convincing him to give more to charity, pay more attention to his fellow man. If one good thing came from this whole affair, Miles had to admit that he wasn't the same shallow, selfish being he used to be. For that, he could only appeal to her influence.

 

Since receiving the letter, Miles had locked himself away in his one refuge, his study. The oak paneled room, surrounded by hundreds of books, was his private space. He kept a large desk, currently covered in paperwork for the new estates he'd inherited upon his father's death. The floors were covered in large, colorful Persian rugs, and two high backed wing chairs flanked the unused fireplace. The large window overlooked his garden, which lay unseen in the darkness.

 

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Miles opened the letter once more to read its contents. Staring at the smudged words, Miles ached to have her in his arms again. It was difficult to admit, but he had to come to terms with this chapter of his life. Before Bethany, he'd had the carefree life of a man about town. His roguish good looks had earned him many women at his side. Despite his unfortunate reputation, he could have had any woman as his wife, but now, he was guaranteed to have match making mothers throwing their daughters in his direction. Not everyone could become a duchess.

 

Was this his fault? He wondered silently as he took another sip of the fine French brandy in his hand. Were his bad deeds coming back to haunt him? He had to admit that he had felt little remorse for those deeds. He was born to a life of privilege. He never had to apologize, and he never had to lift a finger for all that was given him. Bethany had called him spoiled, but even she had fallen under his spell. Or had he changed to suit her? Shaking his head, Miles decided to put the matter to rest. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.