Of Dukes and Deceptions Read Online Free PDF

especially interested. She left that sort of thing to Maria and Elsbeth. “Still, I dare say that for once my uncle won’t be able to find fault with me. Thank you, Janet.” She kissed her maid’s wrinkled cheek and slipped her feet into her evening slippers. “Right, hand me my fan and I suppose I’d better enter the fray.”
    “What have you found out about the setup here?” Nick slid his arms into the sleeves of the coat Gibson was holding out for him.
    “About the entire household or one particular member of it?”
    Nick scowled. “About why I’m here at all.”
    “Oh, right, that.” Gibson smirked. “Well, it seems there’s more to yer Alicia Woodley than meets the eye. She’s the key to the whole place.”
    “Really? How so?” Nick waited for Gibson to brush imaginary specks from the shoulders of his immaculate evening coat. He used the intervening moments to adjust the folds of his snowy white neckcloth, which he’d tied in a perfect Mathematical. “I thought she was the poor relation.”
    “Aye, but she’s lived in this house all her life. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father never remarried. It was just the two of them until five years ago, when her father contracted a fever and died.”
    “And the uncle inherited.”
    “Yes. There’s a small legacy for Miss Woodley, which becomes hers on her twenty-fifth birthday, six months from now. The rest went to the uncle in its entirety.”
    “Hmm, that must have been difficult for her. To see someone else take over the house that had always been hers, I mean.”
    “The servants all feel for her. Most of them were here when her father was still alive and they say the bond between them was something to behold. She was devastated by his death and quite went to pieces for a while. But she has an old witch of a maid who saw her through the worst of it and protects her like she was her own daughter. Duke or no duke, you’re gonna have yer work cut out if you think you’ll be able to get past her and have yer way with her mistress.” Gibson grinned. “Under the circumstances I’ll release you from our wager, if you like, and we’ll say no more about it.”
    “Thank you, Gibson, but that won’t be necessary.”
    “Hah, you wouldn’t say that if you’d seen the maid.” Gibson shuddered. “I think you’ve met your match this time.”
    “Hmm, perhaps.” Nick, who didn’t believe it for a second, straightened the hem of his blue-and-green silk waistcoat. It was flamboyantly embroidered with peacocks, the only splash of colour to relieve the otherwise severe black of his evening dress. “What do the servants make of the uncle and aunt?”
    “They speak about them in guarded terms. I got the impression that every one of them would die for Alicia Woodley, whereas they merely feel loyalty toward the current master and mistress.”
    “I see. Anything else?”
    “Miss Woodley’s father was the one who started the stud here. Her uncle was a merchant and lived very modestly when his brother was alive. The word is that he knew nothing about horses when he inherited this place.”
    “That would explain Alicia’s interest, I suppose.” Nick recalled the professional manner in which she’d looked over his team.
    “Aye, she helped her father build up the stud. She refused a season in preference to taking an active role in running it and knows the business backwards.”
    “Did she indeed!” Nick had never encountered a female who didn’t live in expectation of balls, fabulous clothes and as much flirting as could be artfully contrived under the gimlet gaze of an attentive chaperone . His interest in Alicia Woodley, up until then merely trifling, gained momentum.
    “The uncle don’t hold with females getting involved apparently and prefers to rely upon his managers for guidance.”
    “How very provincial of him.” But Nick knew Woodley’s attitude was a common one. “It must be upsetting for Alicia to be here on a daily basis