“You?” The second young lady’s eyes opened wide. “Are you the Beastly – I mean, are you the Duke of Ashbourne?”
“The very same.” Aware that she had almost called him, ‘The Beastly Duke’, Nathanial’s lip curled. “Though we are not acquainted so therefore, you cannot have been invited to this house.”
Stepping back, he made to close the door only for the second young lady to step forward and, to his horror, pushing herself into the house. She came far too close to him for Nathanial’s liking, a sweet scent catching his attention though he quickly flung it away.
“Whatever do you think you are doing?” he exclaimed, his fingers curling tightly as the first young lady stepped in also. “I shall have you flung from this house! Howdareyou – ”
“Ashbourne! Whatever are you doing?”
Nathanial turned, his words cut off much too quickly as he saw his mother descending the staircase just behind him, her eyes round with shock. “Mother, these two young ladies have come into this house without warning and – ”
“Lady Charlotte and Lady Amelia,” his mother interrupted again, her tone dark. “The two young ladies I have invited here for the day. They will be staying with us for dinner before returning home.”
Nathanial’s shoulders dropped.
“My mother would like to express her profound apologies for not being able to join us,” the second young lady said, taking a step closer to Lady Ashbourne. “She is greatly fatigued after recovering from a cold.”
Lady Ashbourne’s expression flickered with concern. “She is quite all right, I hope?”
“Yes, she is well recovered but in need of further rest.” The first young lady bobbed a quick curtsy. “Thank you for your kind invitation. This is a beautiful home.”
Nathanial scowled. He had no recollection of his mother informing him about such a thing but that did not mean that the lady had not done it. He might have been so distracted with his own thoughts and feelings that he had not given her the attention she deserved.
Frustration bit at him hard.
“I am sure that my son would be glad to show you about the house and the grounds.”
Nathanial stiffened, his eyes searching his mother’s face and seeing the glint in her eyes. “You shall have to forgive me. I have matters of business which cannot wait.”
Lady Ashbourne frowned. “I do not think it is all that pressing, surely?”
“It is. My solicitor is already in my study, waiting for me.” Making to walk past the two ladies, he stopped short when his mother spoke his name again.
“Ashbourne, you must permit me to introduce you properly to these two very fine young ladies. After all, that has not yet been done and we are all to sit to dinner together this evening!”
A curl of fire billowed in Nathanial’s stomach but he forced himself to turn to the two young ladies. The second, the one who had pushed her way into the house, kept her chin lifted and her eyes sharp as he looked at her while the first had her eyes a little lowered, her face holding some color. Perhaps she was more embarrassed that the other.
“Might I present Lady Charlotte and Lady Amelia.” His mother gestured to the first young lady, the one with her eyes lowered, and then to the second. “They are daughters to the Marquess of Stanton.”
Understanding flared. “I see.” Seeing his mother’s eyes widen, Nathanial cleared his throat and bowed quickly, first to Lady Charlotte and then to Lady Amelia. “You are the ones who sent me the invitation to the literary event.”
“WhichIattended but you did not,” his mother interjected as the second young lady nodded. “What a shame you did not feel as though it would be an enjoyable event, Ashbourne! It was very interesting indeed.”
“I am sure it was.” Gritting his teeth, Nathanial inclined his head and then stepped away. “I shall leave Lady Charlotte andLady Amelia to your care, Mother.” Making to stride away, he was forced to turn back when his mother called his name. “Yes?”
“Youwillbe coming to join us this evening for dinner, I presume?” His mother’s eyebrow arched, the tone of voice telling him that she would be most displeased if he were to refuse. “There was no argument from you yesterday when I spoke with you so there can be nothing today that would prevent you.”
Nathanial tried to think of something – anything – that might have stepped in his way and thereafter, forced him back from dinner but nothing came to mind. Seeing the slight quirk on Lady Amelia’s lips, he let out a frustrated sigh, having no concerns whatsoever about making his irritation known. “I do not think I can come up with anything to excuse myself, though I might well have wished it, so yes, Mother, I will join you for dinner.”
A glimmer of a smile flew across Lady Ashbourne’s face. “I suppose it must do, though I would have preferred a little more enthusiasm.” Her chin lifted. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Ashbourne.”
Without another word or even a smile in his mother’s direction, Nathanial turned on his heel and marched towards his study, his jaw clenching tight. Part of him wanted to believe that his mother had orchestrated such a thing deliberately so that he would be forced into meeting Lady Charlotte and Lady Amelia but another part was frustrated with his own flickering interest in the ladies. As much as he tried to deny it, as much as he tried to pretend it was not there, that spark continued to fire through him. The scowl on his face lingered as he walked directly to his study, pushing the door open and seeing his solicitor rising to his feet almost immediately.
“Thank you for seeing me, Your Grace.”
“But of course.” Nathanial waved the man to sit back down. “We are to look at my current tenants, are we not?”
“Yes, that is so.” The solicitor cleared his throat and then pulled out a pile of papers, setting them on Nathanial’s desk. “I should say that most of your tenants are doing very well in terms of paying their rent. There is one family, however, who are in arrears.”
