Shifter Romance: Werewolf Shifter Romance: Problem Child (Wolf Shifter Romance Baby Romance Shapeshifter Romance) (Alpha Romance Short Stories Romance Shifter Romance) (16 page)

It was not easy explaining my first encounter with the Duke to Ellen and I bumped into Edward again. “How does he do that? How does he manage to shock, or rather surprise me every time? How does he look so engulfing every time?”

Today also, he is wearing nothing less than those expensive clothing like his father does. I could feel the soft creamy texture of his velvet coat when he jostled me and I almost fell in his arms. His warm breath was against my mouth and I could not help but close my eyes. The ecstatic feeling became, even more, intense when he did not release me for some seconds and I continued breathing his breath though my heart felt like it had stopped.

“Oh, please Edward! Please touch your sculpted lips on mine and never let me go! I just want to be in your arms forever.” Just when I could not resist myself, I felt the voice of buckles on his coat clinking. I come back to reality and open my eyes. His eyes are engraved into mine and I can see my reflection in his eyes. He suddenly apologized for touching me for so long.

“I am sorry Lady. I hope you are not hurt.”

“Hurt! Are you kidding me? This was the best moment of my life till now.” I could not stop grinning from inside. “Not at all Sir, I am absolutely fine. Oh, I spoiled your clothes. I am so sorry.”

“No, no, Lady. It’s Ok. Do not worry about my clothes. Where are you going by the way in such a hurry? You name is Amelia, if I am not wrong?”

“Yes, Sir, I am Amelia.”

“Your name is as beautiful as you are.”

I flushed at the thought of looking ‘beautiful’ in the eyes of Edward. “How does he do that? He always makes me blush in front of him”

“What do you do Amelia? Are you studying?”

“Yes, Sir, I am studying but not from any institution. My mother teaches me a few things. Besides, I also work as a governess for Mrs. Smith’s 4-year-old boy.”

“Is that the same Mrs. Smith who lives in the Donwell cottage?”

“Yes. Do you know her?”

“Of course, she is my paternal aunt. And her son Patrick is so naughty. How do you handle him?”

“He is a darling to me. He is not that naughty with me when I shower him with my love. Oh, no! Did I just say something inappropriate? I could see the gleam in the eyes of Edward as I said ‘love’.

“I should leave now. Mrs. Smith must be waiting for me.” Inside I know that she has two more servants to help her but I cannot stand here with Edward for long. Anybody from the streets may notice and complain about me.

“Listen, Amelia. Can I call you by your name?”

“As you please, Sir.”

“If I call you Amelia, you also have to call me by my name. It’s Edward. I hope you remember.”

I would rather close my eyes forever than forgetting your name.

“Yes, I do Sir. But, how can I call you by your name. It’s inappropriate.”

“You are an educated girl Amelia. Do not talk like this. You can call me Edward. And I insist you do that.” His tone commanded an order.

“Alright, Sir, by the way, I am fondly called Amy. I hope you did not feel offended by any act of mine.”

“Why would I feel upset? You are a nice girl. Will you accompany me for the ball tomorrow night at my place? I hope you know dancing?” His words popped out of his mouth like he threw a small fur ball at me and I could not but stay amazed at his daring offer.

“Don’t worry. You will be fine there. I will take care of everything else. Nobody will say anything annoying to you. After all, you will be my guest. You will be taken care of well. My parents and my family are really nice”

“Of course, they are. But, you are Royalty Sir, I mean Edward. And I am just a…”

“Do not ever say anything like that Amelia. You are an accomplished woman and I do not like people who underestimate themselves.” I can see an unreadable expression in his eyes. I cannot sense what he was thinking but his words fell onto my ears like music.

“I will have to ask my parents.” I can just manage to say this.

“Sure, you do. I will send a dress and a carriage for you.” He said. “I would take a leave now Amelia. See you tomorrow at the ball.”

I could not stop fantasizing a ball dance in the arms of Edward. But, what would I tell my parents at home? I have practiced a few rough steps with Ellen and Isabella but I have never danced in a real ball.

“Have I really grown that young to be asked for a ball? Does he like me or am I just another girl for him to have some momentary pleasure? I would not be able to bear the heartbreak if he leaves me shattered after he is done. I must talk to Ellen about this.”

“I had already told you that he likes you. Otherwise, he would have never talked to you so politely on the day he came to meet the villagers. He treats you equal to him. Do not be a fool Amy. He likes you so much.” Ellen is so sure about it.

“But, I am not sure. What if I am just another girl for him? You are the only one who knows well what I feel about the man of my dreams. I just cannot bear heartbreak. I do not have a brave heart, Ellen. What if he leaves me when I start loving him? Isn’t it better that I refuse for the ball? Shall I leave the house tomorrow before the carriage comes?”

“No baby. Just be brave. What else do you want when you can clearly see a man like Edward falling in love with you? He is the Duke for God’s sake Amy.”

“Yes. That is the problem. He is the Duke, Ellen. Why would he even want to marry me? And I can fall in love only with the man who will marry me. If he leaves me in the middle of this affair, I will be shattered forever.” I said melting like snow, helpless in the warm weather.

“He will Amy, he will marry you. It’s you who can convince him to do so. Do not let him go so easily. There are hordes of girls dying to marry him. If he is interested in you, just go and spend time with him.”

“I can’t be so mean. I cannot rush for him just because he is the Duke.” albeit I know that this is one main reason I fantasize him.

“This is nothing mean dear. It’s just practical. You will not get an opportunity like this.”

“Opportunity! Are you mad? I am not looking for any opportunity in Heaven’s name. I am just longing for the love of my life.”

“I am sorry. I did not mean to rub the wrong way. But, please Amy. Just give him a chance. You will have a very happy life with him. Moreover, after meeting Edward, can you imagine spending the rest of your life with someone as creepy as David? Your parents are already happy to engage you with him.”

That leaves me spellbound. “How does she know it where to crack the nut? She always has the convincing reasons for everything right and wrong.”

“Okay. I will go for the ball. What about mother and father? What will I tell them? They might get annoyed if I tell them that I met Edward.”

“They will not get angry Amy. Which parents would not like to see their daughter settle with

Royalty?”

Again, Ellen has a point. “But, I cannot confront them.”

“No problem. I will win over them. You just concentrate on displaying the best manners to his family tomorrow.”

“Yeah, this thing is freaking me out even more. How would I even talk to people at the ball?”

“I hope Edward handles it well.”

“Yeah, he has to take care of it. Please, help me, Ellen, I feel so overwhelmed.”

“Don’t worry dear. I am always there with you. We will figure something out.”

“Hmmm… okay” I pause, for a few seconds, visualizing the gleaming eyes of Edward. “Is he the one for whom I have waited all my life? Is he as perfect as he seems?”

I see Edward taking off his white glove from his right hand and stretching out the hand to me. I place my hand into his and somehow managing my elaborate gown that he had sent for me, I come off the carriage. It was cold, very cold. But, the norms of the high society did not allow me to wear a shawl.

He kisses the back of my hand and holds me against his chest faintly. “You look gorgeous my sweetheart”. My heart skips a beat!

“Thank you, Edward.’

“Amelia, do not be nervous. My parents are going to like you for sure. You look no less than the ladies present inside. Just be confident and a little shy!” He smirks at me.

I smile at him and flush inside at the sight of his eyes again engraved on my face. He looks so handsome in his black coat flowing to the back of his knees. The glow on his face is extraordinary today. Holding my hand, he takes me inside the hall, which is glowing with lights all over. Not even a single corner is left untouched with flowers and embellishments. The ceiling is well above the normal height and that gives an extraordinary grand feeling to the hall. Now I realize why this place is situated on the outskirts of Brackcliffe. Of course, the royalty needs space to build such a huge palace. They can also keep away from the clamor of village kids.

I feel so out of place in this palace of the Duke. Still holding his hand, I tried to maintain the best possible elegance and propriety and we walk up to his parents. Edward walked upright, with ease and grace. He is so comfortable with his richness and his own well-built body.

I could not stop myself from fantasizing Edward’s body underneath his clothes when I noticed the look of scrutiny in the eyes of his mother. His father seems polite. As I had heard already, there was no feeling of pride in the eyes of guests present in the ballroom. They seem to maintain distance with me but not with a hint of arrogance. It gives me some comfort to be there with the love of my life if destiny has conjured some plans for us.

“Mother, Father, she is Amelia.” Edward introduced me to his parents. I do a little curtsy, wish them with a smile and just uttered, “Your highness! It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They rise to their feet a little and smile at me. Although I could see her mother dissect me from top to bottom, I could feel a sense of courtesy in their eyes. It is understandable for a mother to meet a girl known to her son with an eye of scrutiny.

“Mother, shall I proceed to dance with Amelia if you do not mind”. Edward asks for her permission.

She kisses Edward’s forehead and gave away her permission with the grace that I had never seen before in a lady. Even with the wrinkles below her chin, she looks the most beautiful lady on Earth. The pearly white colored gloves in her hands give a real majestic look to her.

“Lady, would you like to dance with me?” Edward held out his hand to me once more. I just want to melt in his arms right in this moment.

“I am honored Edward. Thank you for bringing me here” I put my hand into his and we go to the dance floor for a waltz. The well-groomed Edward is here and his left hand behind my back and my left hand on his shoulder. His right-hand takes care of my right hand and we both stretch our hands out to take our dance position. The orchestra started playing the Mozart music and I could barely manage to dance to the tune of Edward’s whims. He led me to take the steps in the initial few seconds and then I matched his steps.

“You are so responsive Amy. You grasped the dance so quickly. That is why I admire you so much. I hope you show the same responsiveness in other arenas as well.” He grinned.

“He called me Amy! Does He love me? Is he looking forward to making love with me? Really! Am I not the only one fantasizing about him?” But, sleeping with him without any formal commitment makes me anxious even while dancing. I jerk my hand on his shoulder and he notices my discomfort.

“Don’t worry Amy; nothing will happen without your permission.” He eases me with his words, so calmly coming out of his mouth. He tries to comfort me with his usual perfection and holds me closer to his body. And I cannot help but surrender to his controlling temperament. He is holding me closer than the usual posture of the waltz. And I notice people around us burning with resentment, particularly girls who seemingly so wanted to be with Edward, but now cannot do anything to snatch me out of his hold.

As the dance is about to get over, he whispers in my ears, “Do I have the permission of the lovely Amy to kiss her?” I go crimson at hearing his words and hope that he senses my permission. I feel so shy to permit him in words.

I just reluctantly come out of his embrace and asked for his consent to leave.

“Did I hurt you, Amy? Come on, tell me? Have my words failed to please you?” I can see the feeling of uneasiness in his words. The usual composed Edward seems like a child asking me about my feelings.

“No Edward. I just have a few things in mind which make me fretful in front of you. I hope you understand.” I say walking towards the table in the right corner of the ballroom.

“I would escort you to home sweetheart. But, I want to talk to you for a while. Will you come with me?”

I nod with a smile of mixed feelings. He ushers me to the backyard, faintly radiating with the full moonlight.

“Amy, the day I saw you, I somewhere knew it inside that I like you. I have been thinking about you day and night after coming home. I don’t know what is it about you that grips me to your thoughts but I just know that I want to be with you forever. You already know that I am here for marriage. After meeting you, I do not want to see any other girl. You are an accomplished lady Amy and it is good enough for me accept you as you are. You do not have to be nervous in my society. I know you will learn everything gradually.

Do not shy away from me Amy; I want to live with you forever.”

“Will you marry me?” He proposes while holding my hand into his and kneels on the ground and the look of love that I was looking for all the time. “I want to know your decision before I make it public”

Overwhelming with tears brimming in my eyes, I could just utter “I am sorry Edward but I cannot marry you!”