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“Indeed, Mr. Caulfield, I am not yet married. So, thus far, the only duchess who shall be seeing this home and require approval is my mother and, to be sure, she approves of very little,” the Duke of Sandon said with a laugh. “Having said that, while her tastes are rather distinguished, the quality of your materials speaks for itself, and I imagine she will speak highly of you to those willing to listen.”

  Mr. Caulfield seemed pacified for the most part. But he did, then, say something for which the Duke of Sandon could not have been prepared.

  “Your Grace, I understand that I am but a humble merchant. I know well that it is not the custom of great men such as yourself to engage with simple merchants in fashionable society. However, it would be a great delight to me if you would concede to dine at the home of a man so far below your station as myself,” Mr. Caulfield invited, bowing his head slightly and closing his eyes in reverence, hiding his mischievous grin.

  The Duke of Sandon was both intrigued and astonished, for merchants never had the gall to invite a duke to their homes. And perhaps that very courage was what endeared Mr. Caulfield to the Duke of Sandon so intensely.

  He smiled at the man whose head was still bowed.

  “Mr. Caulfield, I should enjoy that very much,” the Duke of Sandon replied.

  Chapter 3

  “Yes, but he is a duke,” Georgette pointed out for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

  “Then you go prance about and show off if you would like to, but I have no interest. He is father’s business acquaintance and nothing more,” Thea urged. “Besides, you are aware, are you not, that dukes are often old men?”

  “You truly think so? If he were an old man, do you really think that he would still be single?” Georgette urged with a giggle.

  “If he is hideous and atrocious, then yes,” Delia replied, entering the room and putting small silver bobs in her ears.

  It had been a time-honored tradition in their home that for each of the three daughters, their father had saved to purchase them a pair of silver dot earrings for their sixteenth birthdays. Thea noted how Georgette, still three months away from sixteen, eyed them with envy. She tried to ignore her sister’s pettiness.

  Delia tried to refrain from laughing but her sister’s look was too amusing.

  “Oh, dear, she’s coming…” Delia said, glancing at the door.

  The sound of their mother’s footsteps was drawing close and soon she filled the door with her voluptuous figure.

  “Mother, what is it?” Thea asked, giving Mrs. Caulfield a chance to catch her breath.

  “Your father said he should be arriving within the hour and I’ve not finished setting the table. Georgette, you must come with me,” she instructed.

  “But Mother, I’m not yet ready. I’ve not finished my hair or pinched my cheeks and I have yet to find a better dress for the evening,” she complained.

  “And yet I asked you to help me anyway, child. Your sisters need to prepare themselves. They… well, they just do,” Mrs. Caulfield ordered, leaving out the unspoken reason for the evening’s visit.

  Thea knew well the true purpose of the dinner party. Her family hoped to present their two eldest daughters before a duke. What foolishness! What could possibly cause her parents to believe that a duke would be willing to risk the scandal of marriage to a merchant’s daughter?

  She and Delia gave each other knowing looks, full of awareness that their mother was a fool and had clearly convinced herself of an impossible objective.

  Nevertheless, it was exciting to have an occasion for dressing up and making themselves appear presentable for society with their nicest dresses and hair styles on which they rarely had reason to spend time.

  It was, indeed, a short time before they were alerted to the sound of a coach coming upon their home. Thea rushed to the window to catch a glimpse before following Delia to the door where they all pushed out and waited to greet the duke.

  The coachman stepped down from his spot of driving the horses and nodded to the family who waited patiently. Then, he opened the door to the coach and all the Caulfields seemed to hold their breath.

  A head of medium brown hair gave way to a handsome face. Thea noted the brown eyes under strong brows, brows that could easily appear as stern if the situation warranted it.

  But as the duke settled his feet upon the ground, he seemed to look about his surroundings awkwardly, as if confused as to how he should wind up in such a humble dwelling.

  He then noted that his fine leather shoes had struck up a bit of dust when they hit the ground, and that dust had settled finely on the surface of the black polish.

  Thea saw his attempts to hide his dismay, and the duke prodded forward with apparent determination. He would not allow the inconvenience of dirt to cause any further delay in getting this meeting over with.

  “Mr. Caulfield, what a delight it is to see you again,” the Duke of Sandon greeted with a charming smile.

  Thea held back a scoff. This strong, wealthy, titled man clearly had no desire to spend time with her humble family, but she did have to give him credit for trying.

  It was rare to find a member of nobility willing to put aside the reluctance of associating with common folk and entertain the thought of a dinner. Arrogant though he may be, at least he was willing to move forward with this.

  “Your Grace, it is our honor, to be sure,” Mr. Caulfield greeted in reply. “This is my wife, Mrs. Caulfield.”

  Mrs. Caulfield shook the duke’s hand as if she were meeting the king himself. Wide-eyed and anxious, she spluttered out a simple greeting.

  “And my daughters. This is my eldest, Miss Caulfield. The next is her sister Miss Delia, and our youngest daughter Miss Georgette. My sons, Mr. Thomas Caulfield, and Miss Georgette’s twin Mr. Christopher Caulfield, are both away at school,” Mr. Caulfield added with pride. For a man like him to manage affording school for his sons was evidence of his thrift and hard work.

  “Well, Mr. Caulfield, I am rather impressed by your beautiful family. And I do hope to meet your sons at some point,” the Duke of Sandon added, politely, as he would with any member of London’s nobility.

  Thea tried not to roll her eyes at his attempts to charm them and pretend they were equals. He was trying too hard, to be sure. What kind of hypocrite would try that hard to push aside their differences for the sake of appearance?

  “Well, of course, Your Grace!” Mr. Caulfield replied enthusiastically, as if he believed it would ever happen in reality.

  Thea and Delia shared a quick glance in humor of their father’s gullibility. To Thea, it was further evidence that she needed to stay and care for the poor old man with all of his silly assumptions about the world. The reality of the duke making any effort to meet their brothers was laughable.

  Mr. Caulfield ushered the duke inside along with his family. Thea wondered at what the noble duke must be thinking upon seeing the inside of their home with the clutter cramped inside the small quarters.

  “Humble dwellings to be sure,” her father laughed with embarrassment.

  But the duke smiled kindly. “Mr. Caulfield, all I see is a man of excellent taste. A man I can trust to furnish my home for I can see how he cares for his own.”

  Thea was taken aback by the sentiment and could see that her father was greatly honored by such a compliment. He tried not to stutter in his thanks.

  It was not long before her mother, Mrs. Caulfield, ushered everyone around the table and, dish by dish, brought food to the table with Georgette’s assistance.

  “Miss Georgette, it is very kind of you to help your mother,” the Duke of Sandon noted, causing Georgette to blush.

  “We do raise all our daughters to be hard workers. This evening Georgette has been my helper, but all of our girls are excellent, accomplished young ladies who are eager to work hard on behalf of the household,” Mrs. Caulfield commented in a rush.

  Thea felt the Duke of Sandon’s eyes land on her for a moment, and her smile at her mother’s obvious intentions fell into wide-eyed surprise.

  “I see. That is a fine quality,” the Duke of Sandon said, his eyes remaining on Thea.

  Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, Thea waited until the Duke of Sandon’s gaze was elsewhere before she looked back up, having focused very intently on the empty plate before her. When she raised her eyes, they met Delia’s.

  Thea saw then that her sister was watching her with a combination of mocking jealousy and eager encouragement. She wasn’t sure exactly how she ought to interpret that.

  “Yes, yes. A fine quality. Now, Your Grace, do you prefer pheasant or chicken?” Mrs. Caulfield asked, ready to fill his plate.

  “My goodness, what fine offerings you have, Madame! I beg you to please choose for me. As your husband must have noted while working together, I am a poor man for decision making,” the Duke of Sandon joked.

  “Well then, I have just the thing!” Mrs. Caulfield exclaimed, cutting a bit of each bird and placing it on the Duke’s plate.

  Thea noted that it would be apparent to any man of any form of nobility that the dinner had cost a small fortune for a family like hers. Her family had clearly gone above and beyond their means and were trying to impress him. She ought to be embarrassed, but rather hoped that the duke would be appreciative. Not that men in his position ever were appreciative of much.

  Soon, all plates were full, with Mrs. Caulfield deciding which bird landed on which plate to ensure that there was enough of each for the duke to have seconds. There were also boiled potatoes, cabbage, green beans, and apparently anything else their mother decided to uproot from the garden.

  The meal began and it was not long before the anticipated questions began.

  “I was shocked to learn that you are not married, Your Grace. Surely any woman would make a fortunate wife of yours,” Mrs. Caulfield said slyly. All read through her words easily, knowing that the duke would make an ideal husband for a family with so little means.

  The Duke of Sandon smiled, and Thea read in it that he, too, understood.

  “Indeed, Mrs. Caulfield, I should be most fortunate to find a wife of grace, charm, and… attention to her work…” he replied, referencing her remarks earlier about her own daughters.

  Thea was furious at this. He was mocking their mother who would take his words to heart, who would believe that he truly thought her children suitable for marriage. It seemed cruel and spiteful to take advantage of their hospitality and play this horrible joke.

  “What work ethic might be required of the wife of a duke?” Thea asked, a furrow between her brows to show the Duke of Sandon that she understood the undertone of mocking in his voice.

  “After all, other than spending her husband’s money, surely there is no real work that cannot be executed by the staff of the nobleman’s home?”

  The Duke of Sandon clearly read Thea’s accusation and seemed taken aback by it. He did not show an obvious offense, but the surprise was enough.

  Although Thea knew her mother did not grasp the exchange or the teasing from the Duke of Sandon’s previous remark, she worried that her parents would be angry at her for upsetting the dinner. Thea simply looked back to her plate and resumed eating, aware that she would not have such a meal for a long time to come.

  As time passed, Thea and Delia sat quietly, as patiently as was proper. They made no show of interest in the duke and did not fall over themselves to flatter him as their parents would have liked.

  Georgette made a few attempts to be noticed, but Thea saw that the duke was not swayed by her youth or beauty. After all, what could ever draw the attraction of a duke to a simple merchant’s daughter?

  Chapter 4

  “Forgive me, Your Grace, there was a bit of flooding on the route,” Mr. Caulfield apologized, rushing into the estate and handing his hat and jacket to one of the housekeepers with a kind smile and a nod of the head. He had finally arrived at the Duke of Sandon’s new estate.

  “No need to apologize, Mr. Caulfield,” the Duke of Sandon replied. “I myself was delayed and only just arrived.”

  The Duke of Sandon led Mr. Caulfield into the dining area again and they seated once more at the large table for tea. As it had been cold outside, the tea was particularly satisfying and the Duke of Sandon insisted that Mr. Caulfield enjoy as much as he liked.

  He had been appreciative of the generous hospitality he had received at the Caulfield’s home three evenings before and wished to return it.

  The dinner with Mr. Caulfield’s family had been unexpected. While he knew that he would be visiting an area he had previously had no reason to tread, there was something about seeing this man’s dwellings that had increased his respect for him.

  Mr. Caulfield was clearly a man of intelligence and hard work to be making a name for himself among nobility. But it seemed that he still had no wealth to show for it.

  This would be a large order he would place with the merchant, and the Duke of Sandon was certain that he could find others who might be in need of Mr. Caulfield’s assistance. He had even mentioned the man to his mother that morning but this only resulted in another lecture. She believed it was unnatural for a man to be choosing these designs for his home when he ought to have a wife doing the job for him.

  This, of course, sparked a furious debate between mother and son about the Duke of Sandon’s need to marry quickly. At this point he reminded her that London’s season would not be starting for another two and a half weeks. This seemed to appease her briefly, but she had ended the conversation with a demand that the Duke of Sandon find a wife within the first week.

  The Duke of Sandon shook the conversation from his thoughts and focused on the work at hand. Choosing. Oh yes, his greatest challenge in life was simply the idea of making a choice.

  Mr. Caulfield then showed the Duke of Sandon a drawing for a bed design.

  “This is Thea’s favorite,” he added. “She is a young woman of exquisite taste to be sure!”

  “Yes, yes, it is lovely,” the Duke of Sandon replied, willing to accept any help he could get.

  He thought for a moment about Mr. Caulfield’s eldest daughter. She had seemed terribly haughty. She was certainly the sort of girl which at first appears clever but then shows it all to be a mere game for attention. Like a commoner desiring a king and playing disinterest in hopes of driving him mad for her.

  The Duke of Sandon had seen young women like that many times. He would never fall for it or be swayed by it. In fact, he felt fairly certain that the Duke of Arborshire’s wife had been just such a young woman, showing disinterest first until William wanted her more than anything and then proving herself to be quite worthless.

  That is, she was worthless at anything other than buying gowns with his money. The Duke of Sandon had learned that the majority of women sought only to raise their fortunes as opposed to raising a family.

  It was, however, a shame that such behavior was wasted on a young woman so beautiful as she. Of course, it was always beautiful young women who believed their looks to be the only thing needed to find a husband.

  “So, you agree with her taste?” Mr. Caulfield prodded, breaking the Duke of Sandon from his thoughts.

  “Y-yes. Indeed, Mr. Caulfield. She has lovely taste,” he said.

  “That is good. She is a lovely girl. I have no doubt she will soon be swept away from me. Beautiful as she is, I fear that she might end up with a man who does not appreciate how clever and kind she also is,” Mr. Caulfield added.

  “She loves to read, she has a heart to help, and I think the only thing stopping her from seeking a suitor is to ensure that I am looked after.”

  “Yes, well, that is very nice of her, Mr. Caulfield,” the Duke of Sandon agreed, trying to appease the man.

  “But I must ask myself what prospects she could have. She is a young woman of beauty and wit, a woman of taste and class. But she is the daughter of a mere merchant with little to show for his work. Oh, her prospects do seem dim, do they not, Your Grace?” Mr. Caulfield asked again.

  The Duke of Sandon knew what the merchant was trying to learn. And although he knew it was unwise, he could not stop himself from allowing the line of questioning to continue. After all, it was true that Mr. Caulfield was a good man and that Thea’s prospects for a husband were small for the unfair reasoning of her father’s position in the world. It was all true. And despite himself, he replied to the desperate man.

  “I do not think they are so dim as you imagine, Mr. Caulfield. As you say, Miss Caulfield is a beautiful young woman. And you yourself have acknowledged that you are quite involved with men of nobility,” the Duke of Sandon encouraged.

  “Well, yes, but a noble marriage to my daughter. It is scandalous,” Mr. Caulfield stated. The duke sensed that Mr. Caulfield was digging for something.