The Devilish Pleasures Of A Duke by Jillian Hunter

Author:Jillian Hunter [Hunter, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780345487629
Published: 2007-07-30T23:00:00+00:00

She walked across the thick Turkey carpet, Bridgewater rising hastily to open the door for her. He was a white-haired elf of a man whose family had served hers for over a century. For a moment the flash of naked worry in his keen amber eyes saddened her. He saw everything that went on in the house.

He knew all of their secrets. He had witnessed her father unfairly accuse her mother of adultery, her mother’s brief illness and sudden death. Bridgewater had served here during her father’s subsequent decline into spells of melancholy. He knew which footman had impregnated the chambermaid, and what the butler was up to in the pantry late at night.

Did he fear, as she did, that Adrian’s return might be too late for Scarfield?

After the emotional upheaval of her older brother’s departure the house had settled into a predictable rhythm, if not a pleasant one. Adrian’s absence had ended the constant quarrels that erupted almost daily between him and his father.

In Florence’s estimation, the question of Adrian’s parentage should never have entered anyone’s mind. Still, by the time Adrian escaped, there was no one on the estate, from the scullions to the family’s maiden aunt, who had not been convinced that he had been conceived of an illicit seed.

Then, two years ago, all had changed.

On her deathbed, the children’s retired governess had told witnesses that the duchess had been indeed faithful to her husband, if not devoted. Miss Mallory then confessed that it was she who had maliciously sent the duke anonymous letters describing his young wife’s love affair with a soldier who had stayed in the village. Adrian, the author of these unsigned missives had claimed, was not Scarfield’s natural son. His early arrival as an eight-month baby had proved this shameful fact.

Scarfield’s mistrust of his duchess grew. She was fifteen years younger than he. She was so vivacious that it hurt him to gaze upon her. He accompanied her everywhere, and his dark suspicions ruined their marriage. When she died of a sudden lung infection, he refused to mourn her. His sorrow, his resentment were turned upon his son Adrian, who at a young age resembled his mother.

When Adrian had left home and set upon his notorious career, it seemed to Scarfield that he had been proven right. The boy was wild, uncontrollable, and showed none of the sense of duty that was the duke’s lodestar. The base instincts of his birth father drove him. He shunned his obligations because recognition of privilege was not in his blood.

And then Scarfield had learned that he had been deceived by the vindictive lies of a former governess, a simple act of revenge. The duchess had caught Miss Mallory physically restraining Adrian in the nursery one day. The young mother had dismissed her on the spot, accusing the woman of being unfit to care for the heir.

Miss Mallory had pleaded for another chance, which the duchess had refused to give. Years later the governess had paid her back.

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