A Bride for the Brooding Duke (Preview)

Chapter One

I have always wanted to be married, Eleanor Blackwood thought to herself, but not like this.

The carriage rumbled along to the church, and Eleanor bundled her skirts into her fists, willing the tears forming in her brown eyes not to fall. It was imperative, for her own sake, that she appeared completely grateful to her father for what he had done for her. When she looked up, she saw that he was already looking at her, blue eyes piercing her. The same blue, she thought, that had led to her being so despised.

A stray lock of brown hair fell in front of her face as she looked upward, and she fixed it without any fuss. She had envisioned such a day being perfect as a child, and in spite of everything she still wanted that. It simply was not to be, however, and although she hoped for better, she did not believe it would happen for her. She would have a husband, and that was all that she could have hoped for given the circumstances.

There was a particularly large bump in the road, and as the carriage rode over it all of the passengers jumped. Her father cursed at it, and Eleanor pressed herself back into her seat. She hated when he was angry, even when such anger was not directed at her.

“How long will the ceremony last?” Victoria, her younger sister, asked after a beat.

“Far too long,” their father grumbled. “At least, afterward, we may focus our efforts on your own match.”

Eleanor tried to ignore the comment. She was twenty years of age, Victoria two years younger, yet it was Eleanor that was always regarded as the childish one; the less intelligent of the two of them. It was something the Blackwood family had all accepted. Victoria was beautiful, the pride and joy of the family. Eleanor, meanwhile, was the plain and easily overlooked sister. There was nothing notable about her, only that she was not anything like the rest of them.

The Blackwoods, with the exception of Eleanor of course, were known to have blonde hair and blue eyes, their pale skin never marred by anything at all, not even a mole. It was something that made the family stand apart from the rest of the ton, something to be proud of. Eleanor’s brown hair and brown eyes, however, were not as interesting, and the freckles that covered the bridge of her nose and her shoulders did not help matters. She was not one of them in any way that truly mattered, at least as far as her father was concerned.

Her mother, meanwhile, sat quietly as she had done throughout the journey.

“It shall be strange being the only daughter,” Victoria continued. “Though it has certainly been good timing, what with my debut taking place within the month. Fortune has been on my side, to be certain.”

“Fortune has nothing to do with it,” their father explained. “Everything has been done as I wished. I wanted rid of your mother’s daughter before your time out in society came, and so I did what was necessary.”

“And I thank you for that, of course.”

Eleanor did not react to them speaking as if she were not there at all. They did it often enough that she no longer thought twice about it, as well as the fact that her father did not refer to her as his daughter, and therefore did not refer to her as Victoria’s sister. She was her mother’s daughter, or simply Eleanor. That was all she had ever been, and there was some mercy in all of what was to happen that she could at last forge her own path soon enough.

Then she remembered who she was to marry, and that small spark of hope died. Despite what her father thought, she was not an imbecile, and she knew the sort of life that awaited her once she married. As far as anyone outside of the ton was concerned, she was to be the most fortunate young lady in the country; she was to be a duchess, of all things. For those that knew the truth, however, there was only pity that could be felt for her. The Duke of Ravencrest was a serious man, brooding and miserable and an out and out recluse. The ton hated him, and even the most ambitious mothers shielded their daughters from him, terrified that he might glance in their direction. Nobody would inflict such cruelty on their own flesh and blood as a marriage to him.

Nobody except Lord Blackwood, that was.

“You must not look like that when you walk down that aisle,” he warned, bringing Eleanor’s attention back to the carriage. “I did not make such efforts only for you to be a disappointment. All that is expected of you is that you say your vows and smile. Surely even you can manage that?”

“Of course, Sir. I will not disappoint you.”

He grunted in response. She tried to settle herself, but there was only so much that she could do. That aisle would be so dreadfully long, and yet painfully short too. She knew it before they had even arrived.

At last, they came to a halt. Their father exited first, followed by Victoria and their mother. Eleanor was the last to leave, and though a part of her was tempted to slam the door in their faces and refuse to come out, she knew better. He legs trembled beneath her, and she willed herself to remain standing. Victoria and Lord Blackwood began walking to the church, leaving Eleanor alone with her mother for the first time in a good while.

“You will do well,” she promised. “You make a lovely bride.”

“An unremarkable one,” Eleanor sighed. “Mother, the duke will hate me.”

“Perhaps at first. I will not pretend that this will be an easy marriage, or even that it is a good match, but you will find small joys somewhere. For now, we must ensure you reach the altar.”

Eleanor nodded, and they followed along behind the other pair. Victoria’s bright laugh echoed into Eleanor’s ears, and she wondered what she had done to deserve the life she had led thus far. Her father had never made her laugh, nor even smile, but with her younger sister it was as though it was second nature for them to enjoy one another’s company. He was a wonderful father to Victoria, which was perhaps one of the reasons why he was a terrible one to her; all of his love was already being given away.

“Must you look so vacant?” Lord Blackwood asked firmly, and Eleanor tried to pay attention.

They had reached the entrance, and that meant that it would soon be time. Victoria looked at her almost sympathetically, but Eleanor knew what she was truly thinking. Part of her would be envious that Eleanor was to marry a duke, and another part would be grateful that she was not in Eleanor’s place. Alexander Rothschild was a death sentence, for which Eleanor was quite convinced she had not committed a worthy crime.

“We shall take our places,” her mother said gently, taking Victoria’s arm. “Smile, dear.”

Eleanor nodded, trying to fix one.

“You could show more gratitude, you know,” her father muttered to her when they were alone. “I could have forced you into spinsterhood, but I found you a husband. I sought out a duke for you, so the least you can do in return is pretend to be happy about it.”

“I know. My apologies, Sir. I only…”

She knew that it was a mistake before the words had left her lips, but she had not been able to stop herself.”

“You only what?”

“I… I wish there had been a courtship at least. That is all.”

He laughed darkly at that.

“We did not have time for a courtship. Had he come to know you, he most assuredly would have run. Besides, this way we can ensure you are not a burden on our family when your sister debuts. It is beneficial for all, Eleanor.”

“I know. It is what is best for our family.”

“Then I do not wish to hear another complaint. Come along, now.”

With a small nod, she took his arm tentatively and followed him into the church. The aisle was, indeed, very long, and it stretched before her in the same way she imagined the walk to the gallows would be. From one cruel man to another.

She could scarcely breathe.

Her soon-to-be husband was already watching her, his presence large and looming. His brown hair was messy in spite of the occasion, and his green eyes made her feel even more unease than she already did. He was studying her, she could feel it, and she wondered just how disappointed he must have been. He would have assumed he was to marry a real beauty, just as the Blackwoods were known to be, and instead he was now looking at her. He may well have felt as trapped as she did.

Eleanor considered breaking free of her father’s grasp and running out of the church and going into hiding, but she willed herself not to even try. Not only would she ruin Victoria if she were successful, but she did not dare imagine the punishment that would await her should she have failed.

Upon reaching the altar, she turned to look at their guests. It was a very small affair, with only her family and a few gentlemen her father had invited for business purposes along with their families. It would be the first of many events Lord Blackwood would use for his own gain, Eleanor knew as much, but that was to be expected. His daughter was a duchess now, and he had every right to make use of that.

Sarah, her maid, was absent, but she knew that would be the case.

“You shall have enough staff as it stands,” her father had insisted. “We can use Sarah for your sister. She can have two maids now that you are leaving. After all, it is what she deserves.”

“But the duke will think it strange, will he not?”

“Once that ring is on your finger, I do not care what the man thinks. He will find someone for you.”

“But Sarah is…”

She did not dare tell him that she was her only friend. It would only have made him more intent on separating the two of them.

Notably, there was no family sitting on the duke’s side of the seating. There were a few gentlemen, which she deduced were more guests that her father had invited, but not one Rothschild. It made perfect sense for a recluse, of course, but it did not make the empty chairs any easier to look at.

The vicar cleared his throat, and at last Eleanor took a real look at the duke. His eyes were cold, and there was no smile on his face. Then again, unlike her, he was not forced to have one.

As she said her vows, it was as though she was being held under water. The words did not quite hit her ears, and she wondered if that was how everyone heard her. Somehow, though, it appeared that she was perfectly understandable as when she finished the duke took his turn and there was no mention of her being unintelligible.

Then a cold metal band was placed on her finger, and she was pronounced a wife. They were wed.

It was not the wedding she had envisioned, not even close, but at least the worst of it was done. She had promised obedience and love to a man she had never met, and he had promised protection and love in equal measure as if he cared for her at all. They had played their parts well, and now they could go to their wedding breakfast, not that Eleanor felt up to eating very much at all.

She sat beside her husband at the Blackwood Estate. It was near the town that she would be living in, which would have been a blessing if she had wished to live by her family. If anything, she had hoped to escape them completely, but it was a start. Once or twice, she turned to speak to the duke, but when he looked at her in return, she found herself unable to speak at all. She had never been a lady of many words, but he took what little she had and left her with nothing.

Her father, unfortunately, did not have such an affliction. He raised his glass as a sign that he was to make a speech, and the guests fell silent. Victoria smiled brightly, but Eleanor shrank into herself. Whatever he was about to say, she did not wish to hear it.

“Welcome. I would like to thank you all for being here on this, the day of my triumph.”

There was a faint amusement among the crowd, but it only caused Eleanor embarrassment.

“Had you told me a mere month ago,” he continued, “that Lady Eleanor Blackwood was betrothed to a duke, I would have laughed. It is the life I envisioned for Victoria, but Eleanor…”

He seemed to notice that the laughter was gone, and he paused for a moment before clearing his throat.

“What I am trying to say is that this is one of my greatest accomplishments. To see her with such an extraordinary prospect is a joy, and I am pleased to be able to dedicate more of my time to making a similar match for her sister.”

Eleanor smiled faintly. When addressing the public, he had no choice but to admit that Victoria was, indeed, her sister.

When his speech ended, there was scattered applause, and the first course was served. Eleanor picked at it for a while before giving in and placing her cutlery down. Her husband did not seem to have such an issue, as he had already finished.

When the meal was done, there were some more festivities. Lord Blackwood did not look in Eleanor’s direction once, but he remained by Victoria’s side. Eventually, he did have to join the newlyweds for a small conversation, but as he approached them Eleanor noted that he was looking exclusively at the duke.

“Your Grace!” he beamed. “Let me be the first to say that this is a most splendid occasion.”

“Yes,” the duke replied, “I heard your speech. I am well aware of your thoughts.”

Now that she could hear him clearly, Eleanor was caught off guard by how deep his voice was. He also spoke in a very monotone way, but perhaps that was simply because he had no interest in speaking with her father. She would not have blamed him if that were the case.

“Did you enjoy the ceremony?” Eleanor asked Victoria softly, hoping for some kind words, but her sister’s eyes did not quite meet her own.

“It was very nice, yes.”

Eleanor could see her father giving her a sharp look, a warning, and so thought it best not to push the matter.

“Very well. Excuse me,” she said softly, offering a small curtsy before walking away.

As she left, her mother caught her arm, studying her carefully.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yes, quite. What is there for me to feel unwell about, after all? I am a duchess now. The Duchess of Ravenscroft.”

“Eleanor, you are always like this when things overwhelm you. You must breathe. The duke seems far less frightening than I was led to believe. Perhaps you might have a good marriage after all.”

Eleanor wanted to be pleased with her mother’s kindness, but she could not ignore her words. Her mother had expected the duke to be cruel, and she had still allowed the match. She did not care for Eleanor, at least not enough to prevent her from being pushed off to a man every bit as terrible as her father had been to her.

When the day came to an end, she found her husband and they left for the carriages. He helped her into theirs, but instead of joining her she heard the sharp slam of the door, with him remaining outside of it. She looked at him quizzically, and he looked at her almost in shame.

“I will be riding my horse to the estate,” he explained, his voice as lacking in enthusiasm as it had when he spoke to her father. “I shall see you there.”

Before she could say another word, the carriage pulled away. Eleanor sighed, looking out of the window and watching the church fade from view.

Even with her family the way it was, she had never felt so alone in her life.

Chapter Two

Alexander Rothschild’s guilt was immense.

He had not truly looked at his bride at the ceremony; brown hair, brown eyes, slight build. That was all he needed to look at, as it was the extent to which he planned to know her. He hated it, but it was for the best that he kept his distance as well as he could.

He saw how her father treated her, of course. Any good father would be bursting with pride for his daughter on such a momentous occasion, but he only seemed to feel a need to talk about his other one. He had cast a glance at the younger Blackwood daughter, and he had remarked that their features were different, but again he did not pay it much mind. If anything, it eased his conscience. Lord Blackwood did not hold Lady Eleanor in particularly high regard, and at least he was rescuing her from that life.

The only issue was that he did not plan on being much friendlier than Lord Blackwood had been to her. Not at first, at least. He would, for all intents and purposes, be good to her. They would dine together, and be cordial with one another, but her new life would be an adjustment. It was for the best that she had time to adapt to all of it before tending to her marital duties.

Then the bend came.

He had been following closely behind the carriage, and when he came to it, he instinctively slowed. The carriage did not, instead forging along at its steady pace. His heart quickened, and he feared how quickly he was caring for the girl. It was safer for all involved if he did not.

His body tensed as he followed it around himself. His shoulders stiffened, and he could feel a strain in the muscles in his neck. He tried not to frighten his horse, but he could not help it. He hated the path, and it was made worse by the fact that it was sunset and there had been days of rain prior to the wedding. The conditions were not safe, and he wanted it to come to an end more than anything.

When he reached the straight road once more, he relaxed into the ride and quickly reached the carriage once more. The bend was dreadful, but it at least meant they were nearly home. He wanted the journey to be done with, even if it meant an uncomfortable conversation would follow. It had been so long since he had had to engage in conversation with anyone other than his staff, with the exception of his friend Theodore Linwood, who would be seeing him that night once everything was done with.

They arrived at the estate, and both came to a halt. He jumped down from his horse and opened the carriage door for her, taking her hand and guiding her out. He had expected her, at least partly, to have cried throughout the journey, to be afraid of what was to come, but when she exited there was a polite smile on her face, nothing more. She seemed quite at peace with her situation, which eased him a good deal. Perhaps she was as aware of how their marriage was to be as he was?

“Was your journey pleasant?” he asked.

It was a foolish question given that he had seen the entirety of it, but it was all that he could think to say. She nodded politely, and they walked side by side to the door.

“I shall leave you in the capable hands of our housekeeper, Mrs. Crawford. It is rather late, but I thought it best that you familiarize yourself with the household sooner rather than later.”

“That makes sense. It will be nice to meet them all.”

“They are good people, and they will make you feel welcome.”

More than he would, at least. He hated the distant tone in his voice; it was not one for a husband to take with his wife, but it was what he could muster.

Mrs. Crawford, as expected, was delighted to meet Lady Eleanor. There had been no lady to oversee the household beside herself for years, and so his new wife would be a welcome addition as far as she was concerned. She had come to life in the weeks leading to the wedding, preparing everything so that it would be fit for her.

As much as one could do with an estate such as his, at least.

“Good evening, Your Grace,” Mrs. Crawford greeted them both before turning to Lady Eleanor. “I trust that His Grace has told you what will take place?”

“I will meet the staff before dinner,” she replied dutifully, and with a nod from her housekeeper the two ladies disappeared.

Alexander took that as his sign to go to his study. He wanted to believe that it was so he could give them time to themselves, but if he was honest, it was because he had had his fill of seeing people for the day. Dinner would be late, mercifully, which gave him plenty of time to see the one person that did not require a lot of energy to see.

“You know,” Theodore remarked as he entered the study without knocking, “it is not usual for someone to follow a man home after his wedding. You and your bride only returned a mere twenty minutes ago.”

“It might not be the done thing, but nobody need know about it. I asked you to join me in case something drastic happened, as you know.”

“Well? Did it?”

“Not particularly, though I know for certain now that I do not like my wife’s father.”

Theodore chuckled, pouring himself a drink. Theirs was not the sort of friendship where one needed to ask permission from the other to do anything. They found it more convenient to assume they could do as they pleased, and it worked well for them.

“I could have told you that myself,” Theodore sighed, sitting before him, “even before you agreed to go and meet with him. He is not a well-liked man.”

“I know that. I do not know what possessed me to agree to his deal.”

His friend’s eyes narrowed.

“Do you not?”

Alexander sighed, wishing his friend did not understand him as well as he did. He enjoyed Theodore’s presence, but when he wanted to hide something, it was impossible to do so.

“I am in need of an heir. Every young lady in London is terrified of me, and if they are not then their fathers are. I was not going to find a wife through any other means than an agreement, was I?”

“Had you tried anything else?”

“I did not need to. I know what the ton thinks of me, and all because I do not feel a need to behave the way they do.”

“Well, your agreement worked, and now you have a wife. You should be pleased, especially given that she seemed perfectly nice at the ceremony.”

“She is, and that is the problem. She does not seem to care what I say or do; she wears this smile and nods politely and does not disagree with anything at all. I do not know why I chose to wed her when we do not even know one another. I could have at least given her some time to understand that I am not a man to fear, but instead I listened to Lord Blackwood and waited until the wedding day.”

“Well, there is no use in having regrets. You are married now, and as she is living here, you have every opportunity to know her. That is, if you do not hide yourself away in here… all your life.”

The idea was tempting, but he did not need his friend to know that. He was being unfair to his wife—he knew that he was, but he did not know what else to do. It was the only way that he could protect her from the sort of life she would be destined to if he came too close to her.

“If you ask me,” Theodore continued, “I think you should try harder to truly know your wife.”

“I am trying.”

“Are you? I will repeat that this is not the done thing. You should be with your wife, at least asking her about herself if nothing else. You say that you do not know her, yet here you are already keeping your distance. How do you expect to know a thing about her this way?”

“I had expected her to want to be far away from me. I am more than aware of my reputation, and she is no doubt equally as knowledgeable of it. I thought she would be pleased to be at a distance. Besides, it is perfectly normal for a duchess to tour her new estate with her housekeeper. I am hardly doing anything unacceptable.”

“If that is what you must tell yourself,” Theodore nodded, serving two more drinks and handing him one. “In any case, might I be able to meet her properly myself soon? I did not have the opportunity to exchange anything more than a greeting at the ceremony. Her father made certain of that.”

“How so?”

“Did you not see him? He was stopping every guest to tell them about his other daughter, Miss Victoria. I do not know what made him do such a thing, as nobody took kindly to it. In fact, everyone I asked about it thought it was conceited of him, not to mention utterly bizarre. Her Grace is a lovely young lady, though she seemed to not be the most fortunate on the marriage mart.”

Such a thing did not make sense to Alexander. He might not have known much about her, but besides her strange father there was not anything objectively wrong with her as far as he could see. She was timid and polite, but there were many gentlemen who liked that in a lady. To hear that she had been unfortunate with her time out in society was odd, to say the least.

“I did not hear too much of Miss Victoria, myself. There was his awful speech, but other than that I must admit that I do not know anything about her at all.”

“Then allow me to tell you myself, though other than her father and some meager gossip I do not know much either. From what I have heard, she is highly accomplished in practically any way a lady can be, and though you do not tend to cast your eye upon ladies, she is certainly a beautiful one. It seems to me that everything she does is compared with Lady Eleanor, and she always seems to slightly win out, especially according to her father.”

Alexander shuddered. He hated comparisons between children, and he was grateful that it was something his own mother and father had never done.

“I have never understood how a mother or a father could so blatantly favor one of their children. Then again, I suppose Miss Victoria shares her father’s features. Does Lady Eleanor take after her mother? I did not see her.”

“She does not tend to spend much time with others, though she was in attendance today. I assume that their marriage is strained, as I did not see them together once. To answer your question, though, no. Lady Blackwood has similar features to her husband. It is rather bizarre for a family to look so similar, I must say.”

Especially when it was with the exception of one, though Alexander did not say anything about that. After all, he bore a striking resemblance to his grandfather, and he knew that such matters could be complicated.

“Do you suppose,” Alexander considered, “that there is more to Lord Blackwood’s favoritism than the fact that Miss Victoria looks more like him?”

“Who is to say? It could be anything at all. In any case, Her Grace is a good lady, and she is liked in her own right by society. Perhaps it is because the way she was raised is evident, and people pity her, even if they are unwilling to marry into such a family.”

Alexander thought about that long after Theodore had left. He prepared for dinner, and as he left for the dining room, he tried to think of things to discuss with her. That night would be easy enough; he could ask her what she thought of her tour and how she liked her staff. After that, however, it would become more difficult. He did not know how to make conversation with those he did not know. It had been so long since he met anyone that he had forgotten the very thing he used to do with ease.

He shook the thought from his head. It was as his friend had told him; it did not matter how long it had been, he had to learn. He had to try.

His wife deserved that much.