Duke in Disguise by G.L. Snodgrass

Author:G.L. Snodgrass [Snodgrass, G.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Ann gulped, His room was large and very masculine. Wood panels, a large fireplace, and an even larger four poster bed centered on the far wall. Her heart stopped for a second as she froze once again, unable to pull her eyes away.

Oh, why was she being such a ninny? Men and women had been sharing beds forever. Why did it send a bolt of fear through her?

Because it was him. The Duke of Norwich who would be in that bed with her.

The thought troubled her very soul. Yet filled her with a sense of anticipation and the slightest hope.

“This way,” he said as he took her hand and led her to an adjoining door. “These are your quarters.”

Once again, her heart stopped. Pretty wallpaper with ribbons of printed green ivy. Two large windows capturing the evening’s approach. In the middle of the room, a steaming bath and a young maid standing ready.

The young girl dressed in gray cotton and a starched cap dropped into a deep curtsey.

“Welcome, Your Grace,” she said. “Mr. Stevenson said I was to be your lady’s maid.”

Ann studied her for a long second then smiled. The girl looked frightened. Frightened of her. How ridiculous.

“Thank you,” she told the maid. A sudden disconcertment came over her. What else was she supposed to say? People bowing and curtseying to her seemed so strange. As if she was a person of importance. Again, how ridiculous.

“I will leave you,” the Duke said as he brushed a finger down her arm.

Her heart lurched. His touch sent a burst of energy through her making her skin tingle. She looked up at him and nodded slightly. He was leaving so that he might prepare himself for their night together.

Once again, she felt her cheeks grow warm as the two of them looked into each other’s eyes. Oh, how she wished he loved her. For some reason, it would have made their wedding night so much more acceptable.

Instead, it felt formal. A transaction between strangers. An intimate, embarrassing transaction. An unfair arrangement in her mind.

At last, he broke the look and turned to leave. Ann sighed heavily and then turned back to her maid, smiling, trying to put on a brave face.

What now? she wondered. She had been a small child the last time someone helped her bathe, it seemed silly, but the young maid seemed so enthusiastic.

“If the water is too cool, Ma’am, I will have them bring more.”

Ann almost laughed, “I am sure it will be fine.”

The bath itself was huge. High sided. It was so much fancier than the large washing tub she was used to. She would actually be able to sit down and put her feet out fully. What decadence.

And then what? she wondered. Once she was done, what then?

“Would you like help with your dress, Ma’am?”

Ann took a deep breath and nodded, she could not put this off any longer.

Of course, once she was settled in the bath and Margaret was washing her hair, she fell in love with being a duchess.

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