The Duke’s Twin Lust by Lorena Owen

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Amelia felt her hands get clammy in Ernest’s as he led her out to the dance floor. She glanced up at Ernest. His face was perfectly expressionless, and she could not tell what he was thinking.

She felt her stomach wobble slightly. She had been confused about Ernest ever since he’d lifted her punishment. At first, she had thought he had been grateful for her help with Paul. But, perhaps it was something else.

Her belly grew taut with anticipation. She did not want to think that and be disappointed as time went on. Perhaps Ernest just realised he needed someone to plan a ball with, and it had nothing to do with her.

They got to the dance floor, and Ernest let go of her hand, bowing before he took it again. She felt a slight shiver as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She was right against his hard, broad chest, and she could barely remember the steps to the dance.

Ernest did not seem to notice her nervousness. “How did you know Hastings was a duke?” he asked suddenly.

She understood his question. She had sent invites to all the men present, but she’d had no way of knowing who was who, still. “I was a maid for several years, Your Grace,” she said. “When you serve so many noblemen, you gain the subtle art of distinguishing them by their titles.”

Ernest nodded. He was looking down at her, and Amelia realised she could not keep his gaze. So, she gazed down, as though there was a puzzle on her feet that needed an instant solution.

“You seemed to be having a good time with him,” Ernest noted.

Amelia felt her gaze lift in spite of herself. She glanced at Ernest. He had a small smile on his face, and she wondered why he would suddenly ask that.

“Yes,” she agreed measuredly, wondering how to best answer his question. Finally, she decided on, “With men like that, it is essential to make sure one seems like they’re having a good time.”

“Ah,” Ernest said. “Are you certain you were putting up a show? It seemed rather real, from where I was.”

Again, Amelia was confused by his question. Why did he care? But, in truth, Lord Hastings had bored her to death. During the dance, he kept whispering lewd remarks about her beauty, until she grew tired of it all. It had been a relief when they had switched partners and she had ended up with the earl.

She said as much to Ernest, who surprised her with a laugh.

“You cannot blame him,” Ernest said. “You seem to have drawn the attention of every man in here.”

Except you, she thought. Ernest had not so much as looked at her before he asked her to dance. He had also willingly accepted Lord Hastings’s invitation on her behalf. She had felt a prick of hurt at that, and she found out now she was still feeling quite mulish.

“Rebecca postulated that any man here would want you for a wife, even if they knew you were not highborn,” Ernest said, a strange tone in his voice.

Again, Amelia glanced up at him. His face bore no emotion of any sort. Still, she wondered if Ernest was feeling more than he was letting on.

“I do not wish for any of the men here,” Amelia replied silently.

Now, she could feel Ernest’s gaze burrowing into hers. “And why is that, Amelia?”

Amelia sighed. She knew what she wanted to say, but she knew it was far from her place to utter such words.

“Perhaps they are not up to your standards,” Ernest said, looking around the room. “Why, most of them have bellies as huge as a pregnant woman’s.”

“One of them is,” Amelia blurted. A second later, she realised what she said. She muffled a groan, wanting to kick herself.

She could not bear to look at Ernest, and so she kept her eyes solidly on the ground. Ernest did not say anything, and for a while Amelia thought—hoped—that he had not heard what she said. Finally, Ernest let out a long sigh. It seemed to speak of frustration and repressed anger all at once.

“Your Grace,” Amelia started, unsure of what to say.

“Ernest,” Ernest corrected firmly.

Amelia looked up at him, surprised. “Your Grace, I am a mere common girl. I am not fit to address you by your name.”

Ernest gave a harsh laugh. “You are not just a mere common girl to me, Amelia. And I know you are more fit to address me by my name than anyone in this room.”

Amelia felt her heart expand with joy. Ernest’s first sentence was quite enough to send her yelling with joy. She could not believe he had said that. For days, she had forced herself to think that she meant nothing to him. She had been wrong.

But, before she could say anything in reply, Ernest spun her around, and in the flash of a second, Amelia found herself dancing with Lord Dondarrion. She looked up in surprise. She had been so overwhelmed by Ernest’s presence that she had not realised Rebecca and her dancing partner were so near. When she looked back at Ernest, she saw he was now dancing with his sister.

“How have you been, my lord?” Amelia asked.

“It’s going better than I would have expected,” Lord Dondarrion said with a grin that was sure to seize the hearts of a million maidens. Amelia had never quite seen a man as exceptionally handsome as the earl, but still, she could not find it in herself to summon the merest flicker of emotion towards him. And she knew the reason why.

“I take it you’re pleased with Lady Rebecca,” Amelia said.

“More than,” the earl replied “Rebecca seems to love embroidery, and whether or not you believe it, I practically grew up in the care of a woman who can embroider better than anyone in this world; my mother. I am quite interested in getting to know Rebecca better.”

Amelia smiled, more pleased than she could say. It seemed like Rebecca might be one step closer to getting a husband.

It was difficult to say anything more to Lord Dondarrion at that instant, as he spun her around just as Ernest had done, and Amelia found herself dancing with the duke once more.

Ernest seemed to immediately notice her change in mood. “Why are you grinning so hard?” he asked, looking a little suspicious.

In low tones so the earl would not hear, Amelia told Ernest what Lord Dondarrion had told her.

Ernest’s expression cleared. “That’s great news,” he said with a slight smile. “I have heard of Lord Dondarrion’s less-than-optimal reputation, but I suppose gossips are always worse than the person.”

Amelia smiled. “I think so, too.”

At that moment, the dance ended, and Amelia felt a slight loss as the duke withdrew his arm from her waist, leading her by the hand from the dance floor. Amelia looked around, and she was pleased to see that Rebecca and Lord Dondarrion were now chattering excitedly.

She turned to Ernest to tell him of her observation, but when she looked up at him, she saw he was staring down at her with the strangest of expressions. Amelia felt her stomach drop. He had never looked at her like that, like she was the most precious thing he’d ever seen, and the sight made her feel more than a little scared. She feared he had high expectations of her, and she did not know how to live up to them.

She was about to say something, but Ernest took her arm. Turning away, he led her out of the ballroom. They strolled down the corridors together, Amelia wondering where they were headed. Before long, they were standing on the terrace.

“Ernest,” Amelia started, wondering what was happening.

Ernest took a seat on a bench, before he looked up at her questioningly. Amelia nodded, gathering up her ball gown in her fists before taking a seat beside him.

She was getting more confused by the minute. They were the host and hostess, and were not supposed to leave the ball under any circumstance. Yet, they were seated here, looking at the stars.

Since Ernest was not speaking, Amelia thought she’d better think of something to say. She took a deep breath and asked, “What are you going to do about Paul?”

Ernest sighed. “Question him. Perhaps he has a sick relative he has to take care of. I do not think he is keeping all of the money for himself.”

Amelia nodded. She thought Ernest was right. “What will you do after you question him?”

“Relieve him of his position immediately,” Ernest replied. “Why, no matter how much I like him, he’s a foul thief.”

Amelia glanced at the sharp profile of the duke. He seemed rather convinced of the fact. She took a deep breath, wondering how to put into words what was in her heart. “I don’t think you should, Ernest,” she said quietly.

Ernest turned to squint at her. “Why not?” he asked.

“People sometimes do bad things,” she responded, growing increasingly uncomfortable. “Perhaps they don’t think they have any other choice or see that they don’t have any other solution to the present problem. But, it does not quite mean they are bad people.”

Ernest was staring at her. “I see,” he said, and his gaze made her certain he was seeing the deeper meaning to her words.

Amelia stared up at the sky, at the stars glittering overheard. It suddenly dawned on her that the ball was nearing its end. After the ball, Ernest would have no use for her. Perhaps she would not even be present when he finally talked to Paul. The twinge of sadness she felt from that realisation made it impossible to breathe for a second.

“Amelia,” Ernest said suddenly.

She looked at him.

“I know you didn’t want to go along with Christiana’s foul plans. I know she manipulated you and roped you into them. I am sincerely sorry for everything she did.”

Amelia nodded. “Thank you,” she said. It meant a lot to her that he was apologising, even though he had done nothing but to make the entire situation easier. She chanced a glance at him. He was looking onto the grounds, and she felt her heart fill with emotion for him.

“I’m sorry about lying to you,” Amelia said quietly. She knew that he didn’t deserve even a little of what she’d been forced to do to him. “I wanted to tell you every moment of every day we spent together, but I didn’t know how to.”

Ernest gave a short nod. He looked quite sad. “It’s strange,” he said musingly. “After our walk on the grounds, I felt more certain than ever that I was going to live a happily married life with my wife. And now, it appears I was fooling myself all along.”

Amelia felt her stomach twist with guilt. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

“It’s no fault of yours,” Ernest said. He turned to her, still with the sad expression on his face. “You are free to leave now, Amelia. I would not let your imprisonment at my manor go on any longer than it should. When Christiana returns, she will pay for her dastardly actions. But for now, you can return back to your inn anytime you want.”

Amelia felt her heart fill with sorrow. For so long, this was what she had wanted to hear from Lady Gillingham, to be told to return back to the inn. But now, after forming such strong bonds with Ernest and his sister, she was not quite sure what she wanted.

“Is that what you want, Ernest?” she asked him quietly, searching his face for a reply before his lips even began to form one.

He turned to her. The sadness on his face was more prolonged now, and Amelia ached to wrap him in her arms.

“There’s nothing I want less,” he said.

Amelia felt tears spring to her eyes. She had not quite expected him to say such words, and now that he had, she felt happiness seep into her. “Me too,” she said, and he turned to her, surprise etched in his face. “This manor has become my home. You, Rebecca, and Michael are the dearest people to me.”

Ernest gave a thin-lipped smile. He said nothing, merely putting his arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer. And, like that, they watched the stars above them.