Grand Prize Duke by Phoebe Buck

Author:Phoebe Buck [Buck, Phoebe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Ed

I want her here, more than anything, but it still feels wrong having her in my house. She’s not meant to be here, alone, with me. But I knew when I promised myself that I would keep my distance from her it was a lie. She’s like a bright, hot golden flame, luxuriously licking the air, seductive without even trying, and I’m the stupid fucking moth.

She should be back up in her room at the manor, waiting for Billy to return from the “errand” he had to run. It wasn’t unusual for Billy to not tell me where he was going or for him to just leave unannounced. What’s unusual is him running errands on his own. But maybe he’s finally gotten the bug of responsibility that dad desperately tried to instill in him and is taking the initiative to do things for himself.

And maybe Aunt Mable’s going to come back from the dead and join us for tea.

Ivy takes a seat on the ancient settee and pulls the towel tighter around her shoulders, her eyes scanning the walls of my modest little cottage. I could have stayed in the big house, possibly even claiming a whole wing if I liked. I may not be the Duke, but I’m still family and it would be a scandal for William to force his older brother out on the streets.

But this modest 3 room cottage was the traditional accommodations of the groundskeeper for 137 years before I took up the job, and it’s nice to continue that practice. I don’t mind the tight quarters and the simple stone fireplace with the etching of years of soot is a rare piece of original masonry and makes the house always snug and warm.

And I’m sure that if I ever leave this place unattended for too long, William will start plotting its demise. I have pictures of the first occupant standing proudly with my great-great-grandfather on the day he moved in. But even though I provided the photographs and documentation to the council, it was not included on the preservation order for the rest of the estate and, therefore, at the mercy of William’s whims.

I have a suspicion that some money made its way from my brother’s pocket to the head of the council’s wallet. The less secure my hold on this place is, the more trapped William has me, or at least, thinks he has me.

If he had bothered to attend the reading of the will, he would know of the strict stipulations dad put into it, but I’m in no hurry to remind him. It’s better to have that trap card in my back pocket in case things really spiral out of control.

For now, I’m secure in the knowledge that no matter how much money William throws at them, an elevator is on their long list of never-going-to-happens.

I toss another log on the fire to bring it back to life and watch the little flickers of flame start to singe the edges and slowly engulf it.

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