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“That look,” Kate said, frowning. “It is how I know when you are not telling the truth. The Duke of Wallington did not just waltz into your aunt’s cottage.”
“As if Aunt Gertrude would even allow him past the front door,” Helen chortled merrily, excited at the prospect of courting the Duke.
Kate was enthusiastic. “So he slipped through the windows into your boudoir? That must have been quite a sight to behold.”
Helen shot her friend a surprised look. “Aunt Gertrude’s cottage does not give me the space for a boudoir, Kate. I was a scullery maid for God knows how long in that house. The Duke would have been more than irritated to step in. You should have seen the finery of his estate.”
“His estate? You were in his house?”
“I have been a little loose-lipped because of the excitement, but then, things are finally going my way, Kate. The finer details are not necessary.”
Kate frowned. “I live for the finer details, Helen. I want to know how the Duke set his eyes on you. Surely, there must have been other women in the countryside for him to choose from.”
“The countryside is wearisome. Most ladies only go there when invited. If not, they stay in London. Besides, we met by chance. A very funny story indeed.”
“I am getting drawn in by the second. Tell me everything before I pass out from suspense and excitement.”
Helen raised her hands in surrender. “Fine. I will tell you everything.”
And she launched into her story. Helen added more drama than necessary, over-exaggerating the situations. To Kate, it all sounded like a fairytale. She was desperate to have one of her own — someone to save her from the distressful situation she was in. But none of the young men seemed interested in her because they thought her family could not afford a dowry.
“So, the Duke took care of you in his manor?”
“Tender for the most sought-after rake of the Season. He nursed me to health.”
Helen recalled the subtle glances between them, the cold impassive look on his face when they were together with his grandmother. His voice still excited her, sending spasms of desire through her body. In more ways than one, the Duke of Wallington was better than Jack Whitticombe.
Her few days on the estate were filled with raging desire. All Helen could see in her mind was his face, cut to perfection. His dark blue eyes were filled with an intensity that Helen hoped to decipher someday. She felt her veins thrumming in response to him, almost spinning out of control.
“Do you plan on marrying him?” Kate asked, tearing Helen from her thoughts.
She replied haughtily, surprised by the coldness of her own voice. “Of course not. He is merely someone I have a little interest in. There are other eligible bachelors this Season. I shall make my match from one of them.”
Kate was scowling, afraid that her friend might lose an opportunity of a lifetime. “And who is more eligible than an unwed Duke? The title, the connections he possesses, the wealth you will move into? Tell me, do you not want to be called a duchess?”
“While that is certainly enticing, he is a rake. And in that regard, there is the possibility of having my heart shattered into a million pieces. I am but a young woman. I do not think I can go through any more trauma.”
“And you have stopped pursuing rakes, Helen? Since when?”
She sighed, holding her best friend's challenging stare. “I was ruined, Kate. And I had a lot of time to think about what was expected of me. Also, Aunt Gertrude burned all my books because they were supposedly filled with sin and defiled her house. My passion was only fleeting, and it has been quenched.”
“I see. It is rather a huge miracle that he is trying to save your reputation. He is a good man after all, even with his rakishness. But forgive me for meddling. Any eligible lady would latch onto him like a leech. You should make good use of this opportunity.”
Helen knew that she could never marry the Duke. Not because she did not like him, but because the relationship between them was nothing but a mere arrangement, and it could be dissolved at any minute.
While Helen certainly felt interested in him, she was forcing herself not to let her feelings get in the way of their engagement. He was only helping her restore her ruined reputation and fulfilling her wish. The Duke was a good man. Like every other rake, she knew that he was merely toying with her feelings.
“He is nothing but a momentary diversion,” Helen said to Kate and felt the air freeze over.
“A diversion? That is all? Even with the strange circumstances of your meeting? Surely, it is a match made in heaven.”
Helen laughed, trying to bring some warmth into their discussion. “Are you sure that Aunt Gertrude is not your real mother? I have heard enough of this heaven and hell talk to last me till I pass away.”
Kate laughed, fanning herself. “I prefer my mother’s military entrapment that your aunt’s bitterness. But you very well know what I meant when I said those words.”
“A few days ago, you tried to stop me from going after a rake at the ball in Clyvedon. Now, you are encouraging me to have one as my husband. Are you sure nothing else happened while I was busy cleaning and sweeping in the countryside?”
“Er... quite,” Kate replied. “The situation has turned around. The Duke is dashing and wealthy, well-born. Your children will hold the dukedom for years to come. And he wants to court you. Surely, his decision not to marry has changed overnight. Your chance to seize it all.”
