Something Scandalous

“What about cousins?”

She looked away from him. “Apart from Richard, there is Nicholas, who is unmarried and lives with his young daughter. It might look improper if I moved in with him.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she said, blinking away tears. “After all, you are the duke and you have the final say in all that matters in your house.”

“Elizabeth,” he started as she rose from her seat. “Please don’t leave angry.”

She looked at him, tears filling her eyes. “I am not mad at you, William. Only very disappointed. I thought that you or your father would make a much better duke than my cousin, Richard. I now see I was very wrong on that account. At least Richard would have had respect for the title and the lands.”

She walked slowly toward the door and then turned. “I just need to know one thing.”

“What is that?”

“Why is it so important that you return to America?”

“My future wife is there.”

She frowned but nodded. “I see. And she can’t travel to England?”

“Her father lost his son to the last war with the British, so the last thing he wants is for her to marry an Englishman. Not only an Englishman, but a lord of the realm.”

She shook her head slightly as if confused. “You will always be the duke. If she loved you, it would not matter to her.”

Will closed his eyes against the pain. “She would never disobey her father.”

“If she truly loved you, her father’s wishes would not matter,” she whispered, then left the room.

Chapter 4

Will tried his best to put the frustrating woman out of his mind for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work. The fresh fragrance of her rosewater perfume remained in the room long after she’d departed. But her parting words ate at him.

If she truly loved you, her father’s wishes would not matter.

Abigail loved him. She only hesitated to go against her father due to…

Will blew out a breath. She had to have a good reason. Was it money? Could Abigail be afraid he wouldn’t be able to provide for her and their children? By staying in her father’s good graces, she might be able to persuade him that Will was a good man. If her reasons truly stemmed from money, that issue would be out of the way now. Even if he couldn’t sell off all that he’d wanted, according to Elizabeth, all of this was his. He could do as he pleased with the profits from the estates.

But his mind couldn’t stop wondering if there was something else holding Abigail back. Had he been wrong about her feelings toward him? She was one and twenty now. If she had truly wanted to go with him, they could have married and left for England. Unless she despised England as much as he did. Her grandfather had fought the British for their freedom, and her brother died in the fight for Fort McHenry only three years ago. With a nod, he realized this reasoning made the most sense. She was most likely waiting for him to return so she could marry him.

Will stared down at the ledgers and papers in front of him and knew he was in over his head. He needed the professional assistance of a trusted solicitor to help him wade through the legalities of his inheritance. Except he didn’t know a soul in London. He barely remembered any one of his acquaintances from when he was eight.

This, of course, meant he would be required to speak with the termagant again. Well, there was no time like the present. He pushed back his leather chair and walked to the front hall.

“Elizabeth!” he yelled from the banister.

“Your Grace, if I may…”

Will waved off the footman and shouted once more, “Elizabeth, get down here.”

Soft footsteps sounded from the hall upstairs. She glared down at him. “Did you just shout for me to come down as if I were a servant?”

A quick rush of heat crossed his cheeks. He had forgotten that he wasn’t in a small home without servants. “I suppose I did.”

“Well, that is not how we speak to people in a civilized country.” She turned on her heels and walked back toward her room.

“I don’t think so,” he muttered and then raced up the stairs. The door to her room shut just as he reached the hallway. He stormed to her room and rapped on the door. “Elizabeth, I need to speak with you.”