Accidentally Compromising the Duke(28)

Edmond swept inside the forecourt, and without waiting for the horse to fully stop, launched himself from its back. With a gasp she stepped forward. Was he mad? He could have broken his neck.

He tugged off his black hat and thrust fingers roughly through his hair, which was damp from the scattering of raindrops. After a few slaps to his thigh muscles with the hat, he fairly prowled towards her. A very large and powerful dog raced from beside the lake to greet Edmond who sank to his knees to tousle the dog’s head in greeting. Good heavens. The dog seemed like a mix between a wolfhound, a Mastiff…and, well, the very devil himself. She had never see a dog so large, but his presence certainly wrought miracles. The duke was smiling. Edmond absently stroked its ears, and she swore the fearsome creature actually purred.

Edmond stood and came over.

“Adeline,” the duke greeted, his gray eyes hooded.

She dipped into a shallow curtsy. “Edmond.”

“This is Maximus, my companion.”

Adeline was transfixed.

She stepped close and touched the dog’s nose lightly. “Hello, Maximus, I am quite delighted to meet you.”

He woofed at his name and his head lolled to the side.

A fleeting smile touched Edmond’s lips. He held his hand out to her, and she gratefully clasped his arm. They strolled over to the line of servants and the housekeeper stepped forward, smiles wreathing her kind face. If Adel was not mistaken actual tears were glistening in her warm brown eyes.

“Your Graces,” she said as she dropped into a deep curtsy.

“May I present my wife, Adeline, the Duchess of Wolverton,” he intoned with his voice fairly bland.

What had she expected? Pride at presenting his new wife? He’d only married her because she had forced his hand. He had initially wanted the much more ravishing and well connected Lady Evelyn.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Fields was a portly, attractive woman. She took over the introductions of the staff and the names blurred together. After they had all curtsied or bowed to her and their lord, Edmond turned to the figures in the distance.

“Come,” he said.

He started walking toward the lawns, and Adel stepped with him trying to bury her ire at his highhandedness. “Are you asking me to accompany you on a stroll, Your Grace?”

His lips twitched. “Would you do me the honor of walking with me? I would have you meet my daughters.”

Oh. “I would very much like that.” She was to meet Lady Rosa and Lady Sarah now. Raw nerves shimmered in Adel’s stomach. What if they hated her as she’d hated her father’s new wife? Should she insist on freshening first? They had departed the last inn hours ago, and she was a little crumpled. When she’d risen this morning, Adel had ensured she attired herself smartly. She had on a walking dress of pale blue with black stripes, a dark blue pelisse and a plumed bonnet. They strolled in silence along the pathway, and with each step her nervousness grew. “Do Lady Sarah and Rosa know you have married?”

“No.”

Adel jerked to a halt, and he glanced down.

“I…I…cannot credit you would not have alerted them.”

“I would not have told my children such news in a letter.”

Adel recalled how stunned and distressed she had been when her father had suddenly announced he was engaged. Her throat tightened. “Did… Has their mother been long gone?”

The muscle underneath the tip of her fingers tensed and a chill blasted from the duke.

“I only asked because my father presented Lady Margaret to me as his intended only thirteen months after Mamma died. It was very hard for me to love her. In fact, I fairly resented him such happiness, while I was still mourning for my mother. I would hate for your daughters to endure such a similar heartache.”

She had not forgotten Edmond had said no questions about his deceased wife, but surely he would understand why she would inquire in this instance.

“It has been almost three years.”

Oh. “I see.” She gave him a tremulous smile. “Well, let’s proceed.”

They continued on, the wind doing its best to tug the bonnet from her head. With one hand clasped on her head to keep the dratted thing in place, and the other holding onto the duke, they made their way across the expanse of lawn. One of the young girls glimpsed them, and Adel smiled at the sheer joy that suffused her face. Adel expected her to race across the lawn, but she waited with hardly a fidget, the joy on her face replaced with cautious happiness.

The laughter and the shrieks died down as they approached, and two very delightful girls separated from the others and stepped forward. Based on their heights, Adel could guess who Rosa was, and who Sarah was. Both girls had fiery red hair and sweetly rounded cheeks. Their eyes were a replica of their father’s—even the cool reserve in their hidden depths was similar in manner.