Not Even For a Duke Read online

  Not Even For a Duke

  The Wallflowers of West Lane

  A.S. Fenichel

  Contents

  Not Even For A Duke

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Also by A.S. Fenichel

  About the Author

  Not Even For A Duke

  Finishing school brought four young wallflowers together. The perils of London’s marriage market inspired a pact to protect each other for a lifetime…

  Survivor of a hellish marriage, Aurora Sherbourn, Dowager Countess of Radcliff, is determined to never be taken in by love. With the other Wallflowers married and starting families, her West Lane residence is empty and lonely. What’s missing is a child of her own, to raise and make her house a home. Intent on marrying only to have children, Aurora wants nothing to do with romantic attachments.

  * * *

  The newly minted Duke of Corwin, Garrett Winslow, has known Aurora all her life, and loved her nearly as long. Recently returned from his travels abroad, he was certain the infatuation was left in the past, but upon seeing the now-widowed Aurora, those feelings come rushing back.

  * * *

  Maddeningly, Aurora regards him as nothing more than her brother’s best friend. Determined to make her his, Garrett will use every tender weapon to seduce her—and prove she’s worthy of true love.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I must thank my sweet husband Dave for always believing in me, and being my personal hero as well as a hero to many. This is my twenty-fifth published book and he has stood by me through each and every one.

  Special thanks to my dearest friend, Karla who has also spanned the long years with me and never wavered in her belief in me. It is rare to find a kindred spirit, and our friendship will survive everything including living a country apart.

  * * *

  This book is dedicated to the women and men who survive and thrive after suffering abuse.

  Chapter 1

  Helmsbury Manor country seat of the Earl of Marsden

  * * *

  Helmsbury Manor was just as it had always been, and that offered no comfort. Aurora had avoided the home of her birth even after her brother Rhys had become earl and married one of her best friends, Poppy. Of course, she’d returned for her father’s funeral, but not since.

  The death of their neighbor, the Duke of Corwin, had brought her back home. The duke had always been kind, and Aurora appreciated kindness above all things as it was something her own parents tended to neglect. Garrett, the new duke, was a close friend of both Rhys’ and her. They had played together as children. It had been more the boys running off and trying to avoid the nagging little sister, but she held many lovely memories of Garrett.

  She picked up the figurine of a milkmaid from the parlor table and ran her thumb across the tiny crack at the base. When she was a girl, she’d knocked it to the floor while chasing a kitten. In fact, it had been in the same spot all those years ago. She took another look around the familiar room. Every chair and table were in precisely the same spot they had been when Mother ran the house.

  She looked at her closest friend and asked, “Why have you changed nothing, Poppy?”

  Poppy flopped on the deep pine green sofa. It was not the most ladylike pose, but only Rhys and Aurora were present, and they were more than family. They were the Wallflowers of West Lane. Of course, Rhys was only an honorary member, but Aurora and Poppy along with Mercy and Faith were committed to a lifelong friendship. They never stood on ceremony.

  Despite the rather easy afternoon they’d had riding in the carriage, bits of Poppy’s dark hair had escaped her chignon. Her blue eyes flashed, she kicked off her slippers and curled her feet under her. “Altering Helmsbury Manor to suit our tastes is not worth the fight with your mother.”

  “Poppy, I thought you had more grit than that. You mustn’t let Mother boss you. You are the Countess of Marsden, and this is your home.” Aurora sat opposite Poppy in a stiff-backed chair with a drab brown cushion.

  Rhys shook his head and sat next to his wife. “I have told her the same thing, but after the incident with the flowers on the foyer table, I rather see Poppy’s point.”

  “What happened?” Aurora sat forward.

  Poppy let out another despondent breath. “I had picked some lovely wildflowers one morning while walking the lane. They really were charming. I had them placed in a vase on the table in the foyer. The dowager paid a call that very afternoon for tea. You’d have thought I’d taken an ax to the banisters the way she carried on about my base tastes and the way I’m ruining the whole of Helmsbury Manor.”

  “Gracious.” Aurora hid her amusement behind her hand.

  “Go ahead and laugh.” Poppy smiled. “Rhys and I had a good guffaw after she’d gone.”

  Despite her giggle, Aurora sympathized. She had dealt with her mother’s antics since birth revealed her female and duty bound to marry any rich sod with a title who came along. As it turned out, her father had married her off to a complete monster. Though, now that he was dead, she supposed she should be more kind in her thoughts of the late Earl of Radcliff. “Mother will just have to live with the fact that the new Countess of Marsden likes wildflowers better than hothouse or cultivated. And you should stand up to her, remind her that this is your home, not hers. She has two dower houses and should be pleased as punch with that. Not many dowagers can boast a home in London and one in the country. You have been more than generous with her.”

  Rhys shrugged. “She’s impossible, but she’s still our mother.” He drew a long breath. “And at the heart of her, she means well for us. Though, sometimes its damned hard to tell.”

  They all laughed as the parlor door opened.

  Wimple, the butler, stood at attention. “The Duke of Corwin to see you.”

  A quiver of butterflies, which she couldn’t account for, started in Aurora’s stomach and heat flushed her cheeks. She’d seen Garrett hundreds of times. There were very few men in the world whom she trusted completely, and Garrett was one.

  They all stood.

  Rhys crossed the room and shook Garrett’s hand. “Good lord, man, we’d not expected you this evening. We thought we’d not see you until the funeral tomorrow. Is there something you need?”

  “F-forgive me. I’m intruding.” Usually so assured, Garrett’s sad eyes and stutter was out of character.

  Poppy joined them. “Never, Your Grace. Come and sit with us. We were just having a laugh at my mother-in-law’s expense.”

  He bowed over Poppy’s hand before turning to Aurora. “Hello, Rora. You look well.” Garrett took the seat beside her and smiled.

  “I’m pleased to see you, Your Grace. I hope you will accept my condolences on the loss of your dear father. I’m sure you know I was quite fond of him.” Tightness gripped Aurora’s throat. Hearing of Garrett’s father’s death had hit her harder than the death of her own five years earlier. The Duke of Corwin had been a brilliant and kind man with friends far and wide. He’d offered her cheer whenever she’d run from home to get away from her own less t
han loving, parents.

  “I do know and thank you. He was very fond of you and Rhys as well. May I ask a favor?” Garrett shifted his gaze from her to Poppy.

  “Of course, anything.” Aurora couldn’t imagine a thing she wouldn’t do for Garrett Winslow.

  “Do not call me your grace. At least in private, it would be nice to know my title is not important.”

  Joy pulled at Aurora’s lips. “As you wish, Garrett.”

  Poppy said, “One never knows how one’s friends will wish to be addressed after they have elevated. I’m happy to know a grand title will not change you.”

  “What brings you out this evening?” Rhys smoothed his blond hair and brushed a wayward strand from his eye. “I’d have thought you would be mired in all sorts of business for weeks to come.”

  The sorrow bled back into Garrett’s usually mirthful eyes. His shoulders slumped. “The house is filled to capacity with friends and family come to pay their respects. It’s been a steady stream for three days. I could take no more and thought to just go for a ride to clear my head. The solicitor and estate manager have things in hand. Father left everything in good order and the entailments are quite clear. I rode to the ridge with full intentions of returning home, but once I saw Helmsbury, I thought a bit of true friendship couldn’t hurt.”

  “I’m glad you came,” Poppy said. “We took the carriage over to pay our own respects yesterday, but there were people and vehicles on the lane clear out to the road. We thought we’d wait and see you at the funeral and then have a visit when things had settled a bit.”

  Garrett nodded. “As I said, it’s been a bit mad with sympathizers. My father had a lot of friends.”

  “He was beloved.” Aurora’s chest ached when she thought of all Garrett had lost.

  Rhys stood. “I’ll get some brandy and we’ll toast the Duke of Corwin both past and present. Ladies, will you join us?”

  A wide grin brightened Poppy’s face and lit up the entire room. “Of course.”

  “I’m not much of a brandy drinker, but I shall make a new habit of it tonight.” Aurora reached out and took Garrett’s hand. A warm shock ran up her arm and settled in her chest.

  He gave her hand a squeeze, smiled and released her. “I’m honored. Thank you.”

  “You never need to thank us for our friendship, Garrett. You shall have it no matter what.” Aurora tamped down the effects of a simple touch of his hand to hers. She was being an imbecile. This was Garrett, and she was no green girl out for her first season.

  Wimple, who had remained, presumably in case the duke’s stay was cut short or they required refreshment sprang into action. His black livery and white waistcoat gleamed. His dark hair was slicked back and thinning, but even with his portly shape there was an elegance about the butler who had known Aurora and Rhys since they were children. Once he’d poured four snifters, he brought them over on a silver tray, serving the ladies first.

  “Thank you, Wimple.” Aurora smiled with the memory of all the sweets the butler had sneaked to her throughout her childhood.

  “My lady,” was his dour reply.

  Rhys lifted his glass. “To the Duke of Corwin. Never have I known a finer man and his son shall do well to follow in his footsteps.”

  They all lifted their glasses and said, “The Duke of Corwin.”

  Garrett put his glass aside and leaned toward her. “You were very kind to have come all the way from London, Rora. I wasn’t expecting you. But perhaps you’re here on some other business. I’m being presumptive.” He shook his head as if dispelling the silly notion.

  “I came for your father’s funeral, of course. We have been friends all our lives, Garrett. I wouldn’t want to be absent when you might have need of my support.” There was that tightness again. For the life of her, she couldn’t imagine why she roiled with so much untamed emotion.

  Those admirable eyes, a lighter brown than one would expect locked with hers a long moment. “I’m very grateful.”

  Aurora drew a long breath and suppressed any sign of sentiment. “It is the least we can do. We have been friends and neighbors for many years. You would do, and have done the same for us.”

  “I would do anything for you.” He paused and cleared his throat. “And of course, for Rhys. He and I have been friends since birth.”

  Rhys and Poppy drifted away from them and slid into the love seat where they whispered to each other.

  “Before my father died, I had plans to come and pay you a call in London to see how you get on, but I never managed to make my way there and now this week has been busy.” He rubbed the back of his neck and kept his gaze on the floor.

  “You never need an appointment, Garrett. I will tell you, I am well. I miss having the other Wallflowers living at the West Lane house, but I have some plans to fill my time in the coming months.” She’d not told anyone of her plans and had no idea why she hinted at it now. Maybe she wanted to distract her friend from his own problems.

  His head snapped up and his eyes lit with interest. “What are you plotting, Rora?”

  Of course, he was going to think her a complete fool, but at least he would not be sad for a few moments. She took a deep breath. “You know, Rhys gave me the land and house in Cheshire, which was part of my marriage contract?”

  “I had heard as much.” Garrett cocked his head, and the candlelight caught the red streaks in his hair. It had been curly when he was a boy, but now he combed the wavy locks into submission. “Do you plan to retire to the country?”

  “No. Well not exactly. Though, I expect I shall have to spend a good amount of time at Whickette Park over the coming months.” Excitement bubbled inside Aurora. She was very schooled at keeping her outward appearance calm regardless of what happened within.

  Interest mixed with amusement in Garrett’s eyes. “You have me intrigued. What are you up to?”

  “Mercy suggested the enormous house might make a fine school. At first, I thought it a strange idea, but the more I considered it, and our own schooling, the more the idea appeals to me. If I could create a school for young ladies to learn the same things as men do if they wish. If they could also have the opportunity to pursue their passions for art or music or figures and literature, that would be something worth doing.” Realizing her excitement had begun to show, she folded her hands in her lap and waited to be laughed at.

  Garrett’s smile had faded, but she saw no censure in his look, only thoughtfulness. “It is a bold plan, Rora, but if you go about it the right way, I think it could be interesting.”

  “Interesting? It’s brilliant!” Poppy shouted as she jumped from the sofa she shared with Rhys.

  “Do you really think so?” Aurora looked from one to the other.

  Rhys sat forward staring intently. “Who would run the school?”

  Aurora had let the cat out of the bag, and there was no getting her back in, so she swallowed her fear. “I would have to hire a suitable headmistress for the day to day, but I would handle the business and perhaps enrollment.”

  Eyes wide, Poppy cringed. “Mrs. Agatha Wormbattle comes to Cheshire.” She made reference to the headmistress from the Swiss school they had been sent away to as punishment for bad behavior.

  Aurora laughed. “I’d like to find someone a bit kinder but just as disciplined, if such a woman exists. I don’t want the girls to be terrified of school the way we were when we arrived.”

  “I was more afraid of my parents than school. However, I see your point. The only good thing about the Wormbattle School for Young Ladies was meeting you, Mercy, and Faith. The rest was a waste of time.” Poppy began pacing the room. “I want to help you, Aurora. I’m sure that Mercy and Faith will want too as well.”

  Knowing her friends were on her side eased the fear that had been building inside Aurora since she began nurturing her mad idea. “I will take all the help I can get. Since Whickette Park is connected with Wesley’s family, I will discuss my entire plan with him when I return to London.” />
  Poppy sank back into the love seat. “I can’t imagine Wesley will object, but of course, you’re right to give him ample notice. I don’t know how you will find a proper headmistress. It’s a big job and you’ll need someone brilliant to do it right.”

  “I think I can help.” Garrett announced.

  Aurora had been so caught up in Poppy’s reaction, she’d almost forgotten they were not alone. “How so?”

  “I know a woman...”

  Rhys laughed too loud. “Many a terrible tale have started with those four words. What on earth can this have to do with anything? I’m sure with all the nonsensical travel you’ve done, you met a myriad of women, but how does that help?”

  Standing, Garrett shook his head. “You have very low ideas of what I did during my years of travel, old friend. The lady I’m thinking of is extremely proper and well educated. I don’t know her current situation, but if you wish, Rora, I will write to her.”

  “What is her name?” Why it should matter, Aurora didn’t know, but she asked anyway.

  “Mrs. Helen Hazlett-Barrow.”

  Poppy’s eyes narrowed. “How did she come by her education?”

  “Rumor has it, she impersonated a man and gained entrance to Oxford. Of course, she had to have lied about a great many things to accomplish this, so if you feel her tactics disqualify her from your school, I shall refrain from contacting her.” Garrett ran his hand over his neck in the way he did when he was deep in thought.