Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington

Chapter Sixteen

Hope rose the next morning with the feeling of excitement in her belly. Today was the official start of the house party, and she knew that all morning various guests would be arriving to participate. Though she dreaded meeting various members of the aristocracy, some who would inevitably know Noelle, her excitement at seeing Pierce overrode those emotions, and she was feeling hopefully optimistic about the future. As long as she tried to pretend that she truly was Lady Noelle and didn't think about the fact that she was, in reality, a lowly servant by birth and someone the duke would never in a million years really tie himself too, she was happy.

As Esther helped her into a lavender gown that had been one of her favorites on Noelle, she reveled in the thought that she was dressing for Pierce, hoping that he would find her appearance pleasing. She even allowed Esther to pin in a few sprigs of lilac into her upswept curls before heading downstairs in search of Pierce.

She couldn't keep the smile from her face, as she passed a number of servants scurrying about seeing to every last detail, before company arrived. She walked into the breakfast room, hoping to find him there, but she was surprised to only see the servants clearing away dishes from the table, indicating that he had already eaten. She wondered if he perhaps had already left on an early morning ride over the estate with Elliot. She slowed her pace as she resumed her search less diligently, feeling foolish at being so eager to see him, when she didn't have anything pressing to say. All she knew was that the prospect of seeing him had prompted her actions. Her footsteps slowed as she neared the parlor, hearing voices inside and not sure she should intrude. Quietly, she opened the door slightly, just enough to give her a glimpse of the figures standing in the room. One was unmistakably Pierce but the other was a girl she had never met.

She took a minute to appraise the girl, noting that the stranger was standing exceptionally close to Pierce, closer than what was proper, and one hand was placed on his arm. The girl was beautiful, with thick auburn hair and alabaster skin. She was voluptuous yet graceful all at the same time. Hope held her breath and willed her heart to stop beating so loudly, as she strained to hear what they were saying.

She heard Pierce asking, "Do you Eliza?" and gasped, so this was Eliza? The girl who stirred so much negative emotion in Pierce just at the mention of her name? She listened with newfound interest and something akin to jealousy knotting in her stomach.

"Of course I do, Pierce. Why else would I be here so soon after Phillip died? You loved me once. Is it so hard to believe you could do so again?" Hope waited in eager anticipation for Pierce's response.

After a long silence Hope heard him say, "No, it's not hard to believe..." followed by Eliza throwing herself into his arms.

Hope pulled her hand back from the door as if it had been scorched, letting the heavy wooden door close with a soft bang. She felt hot tears form in her eyes, as she scurried away as fast as she could, one hand covering her mouth to muffle her cries.

***

Pierce had just been finishing up breaking his fast when the butler came in and announced that he had a visitor waiting in the parlor. Not expecting guests to start arriving until early afternoon, he was curious to see who was there to see him. He gulped the last of his now cold tea before wiping his mouth with his napkin before heading out to see who the mystery guest could be.

He walked into the parlor and saw a girl standing gazing out one window. He didn't have to see her face to know who it was, he'd recognize that burnished red hair anywhere and his thoughts began racing wildly. There had been a time when he would have welcomed the sight of her, hoping and praying she would come to him and explain herself and her actions, apologizing for the hurt she had caused him, but now the sight of her was unwelcome and bordered on making him furious.