Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington

Chapter Thirteen

Once out into the open air Hope slowed her pace, taking deep reassuring breathes in an effort to calm herself. She had never met someone who sparked so many conflicting emotions within her. One moment, the duke would irritate her with his arrogance, the next he was tempting her and causing unnerving feelings to swell within her breast. The thought of him touching her, of him kissing her, caused her skin to prickle with excitement. She had never known the touch of a man before, and she tried to convince herself that these feelings would occur with any man she kissed, that they weren't exclusive to Pierce.

She kept walking further and further from the manor, not exactly sure where she was going, but knowing that she would surely find the gardens if she wandered around enough. She looked up as the grey clouds rolled in front of the sun, causing the temperature to drop. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, wishing she had a shawl or pelisse to cover her, but not ready to go back to the house just yet to retrieve one.

She soon found herself on a stone path that wandered through a maze of trimmed shrubs that had been manicured into different elegant patterns. She nodded briefly at one of the gardeners that was busy trimming the bushes to perfection, as she continued down the cobbled path. The air was ripe with the smells of the season, and she inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh country air as it helped to clear her mind. She tried to focus on the story she was writing, hoping to clear her mind completely of thoughts of Pierce.

She noticed a cluster of trees off to her left and decided to go explore. Walking over to the trees, she noticed it was actually two separate rows of trees, their branches growing together to form a canopy over a hidden trail. Feeling enchanted by the delightful discovery, she pushed a low hanging branch back and bent over to walk into the fortress the trees had created.

Hope looked up above her and noticed the ceiling of branches had almost completely blocked out the sky, leaving it shadowy but not dark. She walked over and touched one twisted tree trunk before continuing to explore. She felt as if she had stepped into a magical world all her own. She instantly thought that this hidden world would make a perfect addition to her stories. There were even little white button mushrooms dotting the path, and she had visions of lovely little fairies lounging on the mushrooms as they gossiped amongst each other. Her mind began to create a world full of enchantment, and she made a mental note to come back with some parchment and her quill so she could be surrounded by the magic as she wrote.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft clanking on the branches above, indicating that it had begun to rain. Occasionally a drop would slip through the thick canopy, but she was surprisingly well-sheltered in her hidden forest. She walked back over to where she had entered and peered out and saw that the rain was coming down in sheets. She contemplated making a dash back to the house but decided she would be better off waiting out the storm in the protection of the trees. She retreated back into the clearing, looking around in the near darkness for a spot to sit. She had hoped to find some sort of fallen branch, but when there appeared to be none, she decided to make herself comfortable on the dirt floor instead.

She cringed as she sat down, knowing she was ruining one of her gowns but not seeing what other option she had. She leaned her back on the thick trunk of a tree and willed herself to think about her stories to avoid thinking about Pierce or her new life as Lady Noelle. It was her escape mechanism.

***

Pierce stormed into his bedchamber angrily tugging at his cravat until it loosened, flicking it across the room to land on the floor in a snowy heap of white. He heard Tucker, his valet, come up behind him and knew without turning to see the expression on his face that it would be one of carefully masked irritation. Tucker worked hard to ensure that everything always looked neat and proper and everything was in its place, so the disrespect of his cravat would surely irk the man enormously, but Pierce didn't care. He shrugged out of his jacket, and before he had a chance to toss that as well, Tucker was at his side rescuing it from the same fate as his cravat.