Callie Hutton (16 page)

             
Merry stumbled backward until her feet hit the bottom stair and she fell on her bottom.
She scrambled to her feet and raced up the stairs to reach her bedroom before she shattered into a million pieces.

*

             
“
Brandon
, you surprise me. I thought you liked Miss Chambers. And I would never have expected such an argument from you.”

“You are correct, brother. I merely wanted to see how serious you are about
her
. Keep in mind, Penrose, you will hear these types of comments
from some members of the
ton
.
Don’t forget, you are considered quite the catch.
I would not see Miss Chambers subjected to derision and heartache. I am quite fond of my future sister.”

“Have no fear. No one will cut the Duchess of Pen
rose. And
to set the record straight,
Miss Chambers is not a governess.”

“True. Although she
arrived as
one.”
Brandon
took a swallow of his
brandy
, his mirthful eyes
studying
Penrose over the top of the glass.
“I assume this will be a
business arrangement
?”

Penrose’s jaw tightened
. “Not likely.”

“
Even the great will fall.
Then may I offer my congratulations. I believe you have made an excellent choice.”

Penrose nodded as his mother and Miss Jennings entered the room.

He glanced behind them.
“Where is Miss Chambers?”

“We saw her at the top of the stairs, about to return to her bedroom. Apparently she has
a headache
, and won’t be joining us.
”

A line formed between his brows.
“Should we send for the doctor?”

“No, dear. Miss Chambers did look a bit pale and shaky, but she assured me it was a minor thing.”

The four entered the dining room,
taking their seats. Despite a tempting dinner of roast duck, boiled salmon, braised beef and a selection of vegetables, Penrose remained
distracted throughout
the meal
. Merry had seemed all right when he’d seen her this afternoon. God, how hard it had been to not race across the room and pull her into his arms, right there in front of everyone. The only way he was able to control himself was to practically ignore her.

He frowned. After dinner he would go to her room and reassure himself she wasn’t seriously ill. Penrose patted his pocket to feel the sapphire and diamond ring he’d
retrieved
from the safe this afternoon.
For generations t
he ring had been given to every duchess on her betrothal. It had been hard not to
confide in
his mother, but as much as he loved the woman, she would likely spoil the surprise before he had the chance to propose to Merry tomorrow
evening
,
right before the ball.

Penrose smiled to himself. He’d had no idea when his annoyance with Merry had changed to desire, and then to
something akin to
love.
Hell, it
was
love.
He loved the minx, and without a doubt her escapades would bring a certain amount of terror to his well-ordered life. He couldn’t wait.

Although he tried unsuccessfully to pay attention to the conversation around him,
he was blessedly relieved when the meal came
to an end.

“I will see you all in the morning. I have
matters to attend to
this evening. Good night.” Penrose pushed his chair back and left the room.

He
hurried up the
stairs, then strode down the
corridor
to Merry’s room, and tapped on the door.

“Yes.” Her voice sounded muffled, like she had a stuffed nose. Was she very sick?

“Merry, open the door.”

“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but I’m not feeling well.”

Your Grace?

“That is precisely why I want you to open the door. Should I send for the doctor?”

“No!”

He rattled the doorknob. “Merry, can you please
let me in
? I won’t stay, I just want to assure myself of your condition.”

“I have
no
condition
, Your Grace.”
And please God there would be no
condition
in the future.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. What was going on? Had their lovemaking last night upset her? He had an almost frantic need to see her,
run his hands up and down her body,
make sure she was all right.

“Merry,
I’m asking nicely. Now please
open the door.”

“I’m not properly dressed, Your Grace.”

He leaned his forehead on the door. Something was drastically wrong, and unless he could actually view her, he knew sleep would not come to him tonight. A sense of dread descended on him.

“All right. Shall I have a tray sent up?”

No answer.

“Merry?”

Her sigh came through the door. “No. Please leave me.”

“Miss Chambers, I am not leaving here until you open the door. If necessary, I will have a footman unlock it for me.”

After a very long minute, the lock snapped and the door opened only far enough for him to see her puffy face
in the shadows
.

His gut clenched.
“You look as if you could use a doctor.”

She shook her head. “I’
m fine.”

“Can I come in and speak with you for a minute?” She was obviously very upset, and the only thing he could think of was last night. He needed to hold her, assure her all was well, and he—God help him—
had fallen in
love
with
her.

“No. I need to sleep. As you can see, I am fine. I do not need a doctor. Good night.” She closed the door, turned the lock, and he soon heard the sound of a heavy piece of furniture being dragged in front of the door.

Stunned into silence, he returned to his room.

*

Merry leaned her ear against the door,
each of
Penrose’s
receding
footsteps
a wound to her heart.
She slid down the wall and hugged herself. Why had he come? A man about to
offer a
betroth
al
to one woman, should not
seek
to enter the room of another.

Unless he expected to continue what they’d done last night? She sat up, her jaw slack. Did he intend to marry Miss Jennings, and have Merry for a mistress?

All the agony of the past hour segued into anger. How dare the man! He was by far the most vile, arrogant, miserable excuse for a human being she’d ever met. Well, he would certainly get a piece of her mind the next time she saw him.

She embraced the anger that kept her misery at bay. When the man made his indecent proposal to her, she would box his ears back and walk away with her head held high and her pride intact.

Unlike my innocence, which is long gone.

Chapter Ten

Penrose
entered the breakfast room and
scowled
. “Where is Miss Chambers?”

His mother
looked up from
her place at the table, nibbling a
piece of toast.
“Here and gone.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was finishing up her breakfast when I arrived.
I had several things for her to do in town this morning, so she set out early.”

He took in a large breath and pulled out a chair. “How long will she be gone?”

“My
,
you’re full of questions this morning.” She shot him a curious look.

Penrose
shrugged
. No point in making his mother suspicious. “No matter. I only wondered how she felt this morning, considering her illness last evening.”

His mother frowned. “Actually, she was rather quiet and pale, but she said her
head felt
better.”

A sense of relief filled him, but given Merry’s strange behavior when he went to her room last night, he wouldn’t feel completely relaxed until she saw her.
Still confused by her actions and her obvious distraught state, all he wanted to do was gather her close and take away all her fear. For it must certainly
had been
fear that plagued her. As an innocent, she must surely have conflicting feelings about their lovemaking.

“Good morning, Your Grace.” Miss Jennings swept into the room, her head held high as if she were the duchess. She nodded in his mother’s direction. “Good morning to you as well, Your Grace.”

Penrose stood
, then
held out a chair for her. She blushed and settled herself. “I’m
so looking forward to tonight’s festivities.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

Good Lord
.
His brother
had been
correct. It appeared Miss Jennings was smitten with him.
Mo
re
likely
his money and title. H
e recalled the
meeting with her yesterday afternoon to assess his wards’ progress in their studies. At the time, his thoughts were so consumed with Merry, he never paid attention to the governess’s actions.

Considering the disdain she held for his future duchess, things would definitely run smoother if he helped her secure another position. As soon as Merry accepted his offer, he would begin searching among his acquaintances for a suitable place for Miss Jennings.

But now his
attention
totally
focused on his soon-to-b
e betrothed. The passion in her,
just waiting to be unleashed
,
brought the blood racing to his groin. A small taste of her
the other
night
had
left him craving more. The
ir
engagement
would have to be very short
, lest the future
D
uke
of Penrose make a
n
appearance
too soon
after their
wedding vows
. He chuckled.

Never had he envisioned a woman would so possess him that he would change his mind not only about marrying, but throwing the
business arrangement
part of it out the window.

“Your Grace?” Miss Jennings questioned him.

Pulling himself back to his surroundings, he glanced at her. “Yes?”

“I said,
do you imagine this will be the first of many balls at Penrose
Hall
?”

He stared at her,
running her words through his brain,
still trying to figure out what she asked him. And where the devil was Merry? Why wasn’t she sitting here next to him, smiling, and asking about future balls? He shook his head, good manners taking over. “I’m sure my mother will enjoy planning many more festivities in the future.”

Penrose placed his
serviette
alongside his plate and stood. “Now if you will excuse me, ladies, I will retire to my library to finish up some last minute items before
our overnight g
uests arrive.”

Despite his pronouncement, when he entered the library, he headed to the window, his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out at the dreary day. Snow was once again in the air.

****

Merry checked the
yellow
and white flowered china clock on her dresser. Her lady’s maid would arrive shortly to help her into her gown and fix her hair. She placed her hands over her middle to stop the fluttering.

She’d managed to avoid the
duke
all day. When she arrived home from
the small market
town, he’d been behind closed doors with his stewar
d
.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she scurried to her room, where she remained hidden for the afternoon.

Now with her bath over, and coming to terms with her
impending
meeting with Penrose, all the
jumbled
thoughts that
had
raced through her mind all day began to form cohesive sentences. She would let him make his scandalous proposal. But to make certain he knew she understood what he planned to do, she’d selected her most indecent gown.
If he believed her to be
a woman of loose morals, then she would play the part.