The Duke's Revenge Read Free Page A

She hadn’t drunk tea for a long time,
and in fact, she had forgotten when the last time was. Her mother
had never allowed her to drink tea because it was too expensive,
and to taste it now after such a long time, it was pure heaven.
    “ When is he coming back?”
she asked suddenly, putting the delicate cup down.
    “ Who, m’ lady?” Mrs. Price
asked.
    “ The duke.”
    “ Oh, in March for the
Easter holiday, and the Count and Countess of Huntingdon are
invited as guests.”
    Ivy sighed with relief for by then she would
be well gone. She would never have to meet the man who had taken
her home away from her.
    “ I heard the servants said
the countess is very pretty, and that she had just given birth to a
baby boy,” Lisa said.
    “ An heir indeed,” Mrs.
Price put in. “‘Tis too bad His Grace is not yet married. He would,
of course, need an heir.”
    “ The duke is not married?”
Ivy asked curiously.
    “ Nay, m’ lady, a bachelor
he is.” Lisa chuckled. “I think that he would be a bachelor rake
until the day he dies, just like the Duke of
Queensbury.”
    “ Lisa, such nonsense!” the
housekeeper snapped, irritated that the maid should compare their
devilishly handsome young duke to the notorious Duke of Queensbury
who had only past away that year. “The duke does not gamble like
the Duke of Queensbury did.”
    “ What’s this about the
duke, eh?” a voice said from the door. “Ah, my lady, how is your
breakfast.”
    “ It is very nice thank
you, Donald,” Ivy replied sweetly.
    Donald nodded. “You must not hesitate to ask
for anything.”
    “ You must not treat me
like I am the mistress of this castle, for you know very well that
I am not,” she said, looking at the food on the table they had
provided just for her. It had been like that every morning, as
though they were cooking for a feast and she was their most
important guest.
    “ To me, my lady, you are
always Lady Ivy Michaels, daughter of our old lord, the Earl of
Westwood, a very kind master indeed,” Donald said, bowing his head
slightly at her.
    “ Is the duke not kind to
you, Donald?” she asked curiously.
    “ I did not say that, my
lady, he is indeed kind.” He turned to the housekeeper and said,
“Mrs. Price, Mrs. Woods require you downstairs.”
    “ Indeed, sir,” Mrs. Price
said. She turned to nod at Ivy and left.
    “ If you require anything
else, my lady,” Donald started.
    Ivy shook her head.
    “ Very well, my lady,” he
said, and he and Lisa left her alone to her food.
    After breakfast Ivy decided to wander around
the castle. As she strolled along the corridor, she did not know
that behind corners were footmen and maids staring at her, and
their eyes were wide with admirations.
    Not long afterward, she found herself
walking along the first floor corridor toward her bedroom when she
stopped and stared at a door. Hesitantly, she walked toward it and
turned the handle. The door opened wider, as if inviting her
in.
    The moment she stepped inside; she felt at
peace. She closed her eyes and knew she would always feel safe
here.
    When she opened them again, her eyes were
drawn to the large bed that seemed to be dominating the room. A
sudden coldness crept into her being, and she shivered. Ignoring
her odd feeling, she walked toward the bed. She dropped her fingers
to caress the sheets and ambled around the bed. She closed her
eyes.
    In her mind’s eye, she saw
two shadowy figures. They were filled with darkness and mysteries.
There on that bed, she saw a hazy figure of herself. She was small,
and this giant of a man was on top of her. He had caught hold of
her, and he was doing things to her. Lord, she didn’t know what he
was doing, but he was hurting her. He gave out that harsh puffing
sound like the cry of an anguish wolf. She saw that one of his
large hands was under her head, gripping her hair, and the other
was imprisoning her arm. His face was snuggled at the nape of her
neck. He was on top of her. She tried to