Chapter Six

 

Lucy bid her mother a good night and made her way down the hallway and back to her room. The sun had yet to set, but she found herself exhausted, a fact she found amusing. Here she had slept for two months straight, and yet she still felt the need to rest so early in the day a concept she could not grasp.

When she entered her room, she stopped short and stared as Lord Balfour moved several items from a chair, including a blanket. So, the rogue planned on getting into bed with her? She would see about that.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, her hand firmly on her hip.

The man jumped and turned around. Rogue or not, he was handsome and his smile brought on a strange warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Perhaps she had eaten too much on her first day out of bed.

“You startled me,” he said, the blanket now draped over an arm. “I simply came to retrieve a few items I had left here, like this blanket,” —he raised his arm— “and this book.” He lifted the items as if to prove he had a reason to be in her room.

“Why, exactly, were they even in my room?” she asked. He might believe he loved her, but that gave him no right to be in her bedroom.

“This chair has been my bed for the past two months,” he explained, clearly unruffled by her tone. “I slept here every night.”

Lucy tried to detect any sign of him lying. If he was, he concealed it well, for she could not see even the slightest inkling of a sneer or a twinkle of deception in his eyes. However, she could not trust this man; she never had and she was reluctant to start now. “Why would you sleep in a chair?” she asked. “You are a Duke, not a common man or a servant.”

His face reddened. “To watch over you, of course,” he explained. “Many a nights you mumbled in your sleep, keeping me up in the late hours.”

She sniffed disdainfully. “That is kind of you; however, your vigil is no longer needed. In fact, it is quite discomforting to know that, as I slept, your eyes were on me.” She moved past him, stopped at the edge of the bed opposite from where he stood, and tapped her foot. Would the man never leave?

As if in answer to her silent question, he moved to the door but turned around before leaving. “It is an honor to gaze upon a woman of such beauty, a truth for which I could not, or would not, in good conscience, apologize. Now, I would enjoy it if you would breakfast with me in the morning.”

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and shot the man a glare. “I am afraid I must decline,” she replied with as haughty an attitude as she could summon. She had many things she needed to accomplish in the morning; yet, eating with this man was not one of them. “However, thank you for the invitation.”

He gave her a nod and then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Come morning, Lady Honeyfield would be returning home, which would leave Lucy alone with Lord Balfour. Thankfully, she had Hannah to protect her; however, her mind raced as she reviewed all that had transpired that day.

As she pulled up the covers, she smiled. Perhaps this had all been a dream and come morning, she would awaken from it and find herself back in her own room in Foxglove Estate, ready to take on the world, just as she once had wished for her life.

***

Lucy realized upon waking the following morning that she had not awoke from a bad dream. Rather than opening her eyes to her own bedroom in her own house, she found herself once again staring at the opulent room at Chudleigh Hill. The realization that she was indeed a married woman and that everything her mother and Hannah had told her was now confirmed, and it made her wish she could return to that deep sleep that kept her away from the truth for the past two months.

The rugs on the floors were soft under her feet as she made her way to the window that looked out onto the gardens. Her last memories were of eighteen months ago, and although it brought terror to her heart, she knew that it was imperative that she remember what had brought her to this point in her life, to be married to a man for whom she had no romantic attachment and to be living in this grand house that she secretly adored. Yes, she had a challenge to face, and she was willing to confront that challenge head-on. It was that or create a ruse that she had come to the understanding that she was indeed married.

However, the thought of being paraded about as the wife of…that man…did not sit well with her one bit. In fact, it made her quite angry. Why had her father insisted that she allow Lord Balfour to court her? She had known him for many years, her family and his great acquaintances, but she had never shown one inkling of interest. Lord Balfour, for that matter, had also been quite aloof, that is until that fateful engagement party. Was this some sort of game he was playing to keep her married to him? Granted, she had secretly enjoyed the kisses they had shared that evening, but beyond that, she had no other opinion of him, at least not one which was complimentary.

She sighed as she turned from the window and made her way to the wardrobe. As she reached in to select a dress, a knock came to the door. She tightened the belt on her dressing gown and called out for the person to enter.

“Your Grace,” Hannah said with a curtsy.

Lucy sighed again. “Remember, call me Lucy, at least when we are alone.”

“Sorry, Your…er…Lucy,” Hannah said with a small giggle. Lucy realized how difficult it was for someone in the woman’s position to consider calling her better by her Christian name, but Lucy needed a friend. She would find it terribly difficult to see Hannah as more than a servant if she had to refer to her as ‘Your Grace’ at every turn.

“It is no bother,” Lucy reassured her. “You call me Lucy when we are alone, but if it makes you feel better, you can use a more formal address when we are with others.”

This seemed to make Hannah feel better, for she relaxed almost immediately. “Thank you…Lucy.” Her face was a deep crimson and Lucy was reminded of a ripe tomato.

“Well, Hannah, it looks as if I will need to do some investigating,” Lucy said as she allowed the woman to help her dress. The dress was a deep green with a rounded neckline and a tight bodice. How could she have such a garment when she had been asleep for so long? Regardless, although it fit, it was much more constricted than she imagined. However, it could prove to be of some use to her.

If the Duke and I are married, Lucy thought as Hannah buttoned the back of the dress, I suppose I should somehow interact with the man; perhaps that will bring forth some of those missing memories.

Lucy took a seat before the mirror and allowed Hannah to brush her hair as she contemplated what Hannah had told her. Could she and Lord Balfour have been that happy? How could it be so? As it turned out, Hannah was the perfect companion, for she did not insist on constant conversation, which gave Lucy time to consider her current situation some more without the distraction of discourse. She still had not worked out how she had been beguiled into marrying Lord Balfour, but there must have been a reason she chose this life. Regardless of what her mother and Hannah had told her, she could not believe that she was truly in love with that man. Would she not have some inclination of that feeling within her if it was such a deep love as they had described?

Perhaps he had offered her extravagant gifts or opportunities for travel, for it would have been his wealth that he dangled before her to convince her to marry him. Now that she had no memory of whatever it was he had promised her, did that mean that he would withhold what he had promised her? However, this made no sense to Lucy. She had no interest in marrying for wealth, and title, though it meant much to her parents, meant nothing to Lucy. No, it had to be something different.

“Does Lord Balfour know I am coming down for breakfast?” Lucy asked.

“I’m afraid he left for town not one hour ago,” Hannah said as she placed one final pin in Lucy’s hair. Then she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“Is that so?” Lucy asked. Though she felt frustrated that he would not be there to question, she also found herself relieved she would have more time to explore Chudleigh Hill on her own. “Does he go into town often?”

“He goes at least two times a week, sometimes three,” Hannah replied.

Lucy bit her lip. Did he have a lover he visited during these visits? She recalled a rumor she had heard once where he had visited a young widow, on a pretense of business. However, within Lucy’s group of friends, there was much speculation that more happened during that visit than an exchange of information.

Lucy sighed. How she missed that group of friends. They always had such fun sharing the latest gossip and drinking tea—sometimes with a tiny drop of brandy added to it.

“Let us have some breakfast, shall we?” Lucy asked as she rose from her chair and took one last look at her reflection. “Then I will wait for Lord Balfour in his study. I want to ask him some questions.”

“I think he’d like that,” Hannah replied with a smile.