Dukes By the Dozen полностью

“Nay, that would be my brother, as you know.” She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She couldn’t allow her memory of her first meeting with the duke to influence her judgment. “Bamberg is well-respected as an explorer and a scholar. But his accomplishments have come at a price. I imagine his absence and neglect might be the cause of the dire situation of his estates in Bavaria.”

Millie frowned. “And that, of course, would all be remedied as soon as he finds a rich wife.”

“Apparently.”

Her friend asked for a glass of water, and Taylor brought it for her.

She still didn’t know how it was that Millie had found out about Bamberg. Her friend was not a person with any interest in or access to society natter. She doubted that any of the city gossip rags were delivered to the Abbey.

“Tell me, what is he like as a person?” Millie asked, handing back the empty glass.

“I don’t really know.”

Millie’s eyes rounded, and a smile tugged at a corner of her lips. “You mean, you haven’t spent any time in his company?”

Taylor was suddenly interested in the pattern of the rug at her feet.

“I would have thought this strong opinion of yours, this outright rejection of the man, would be based on personal observation, along with what you’ve learned. Are you telling me it’s not?”

Taylor slipped a hand into the pocket of her dress, touching his handkerchief. Foolishly, she considered it a gift. A keepsake of the man that she dreamed of at night and ran away from by day.

“We exchanged a few polite words the day of the carriage accident.”

They’d exchanged more than a few words. He was gallant, charming, handsome. He was every woman’s dream and Taylor’s ultimate fantasy. Her father’s assertion that the duke was going to call made her the happiest of women. It was only later, when she found out that he was impoverished, that Taylor realized her mistake and started running.

“Since our first meeting,” she continued, “I’ve evaded the meetings my family has engineered. When he was invited to dinner in Edinburgh, I dashed off to the Borders. When a messenger from my father arrived to tell me they were coming and to remain where I was, I bribed the man and fled to Fife to visit your sister Phoebe. And there were other occasions that I narrowly escaped. Still, the earl has managed to keep the duke on the hook. Last word was that he hasn’t given up on me.”

Millie rested her palms on her round belly and gazed critically at Taylor.

“So, you’ve avoided him. You don’t know him, but you’re dead set against him. Do you truly believe this man has nothing to offer? There’s nothing about him that interests you?”

Millie the peacemaker. Millie the organizer. Millie, who was known for her wisdom and ability to set any wrong to right and formulate remarkable suggestions, was frowning at her.

“It’s not that Bamberg has nothing to his credit.” Taylor considered how to answer. How could she convey, without sounding like an idiot, that the mere thought of the man was enough to make her insides flutter like a country lass at her first ceilidh? That this was a nobleman with unexpected compassion. A man who was not afraid to get down in the mud to help others. A man with the face and body of a god. Even now, she still felt herself growing warm deep in her belly at the recollection of their bodies pressed against each other as he helped her after the fall. “He certainly has qualities that would make him attractive to some.”

“Such as?”

This was also the Millie she knew. Line up the positive virtues. Then line up the negative traits. Then decide.

“In terms of his looks, he is striking, I’d say. Impressively tall. His voice…well, I never knew how charming an accent could sound. And we must credit him for his integrity. He’s announced publicly his financial hardship. No woman who marries Bamberg can accuse him of having an ulterior motive for the marriage. His Grace is not searching for love. He’s looking for an economic arrangement.”

Perhaps if they’d met somewhere else, without her family present. Maybe if he’d come to her rescue when she’d been traveling alone. Or if there were no coercion by her father involved. And he had no knowledge of her wealth. Maybe then, Taylor would have been receptive to…no, excited about his pursuit. She shook her head and turned her attention back to her friend.

“A union with him does seem to offer something,” Millie said quietly. “Even if it’s not a love match.”

“Your union has far more. Your marriage has it all.”

“Mine has.” She smiled, patting her belly absently.

Since marrying, Millie and Dermot had settled here in the Highlands. And Taylor knew how important this baby was to her friend. She’d survived the trauma of surgery and recovered as quickly as one could expect after having a breast removed because of cancer. This child would be proof that she could live a normal life. No one wanted that for her more than Taylor.