Daisy and the Duke Read online

  Chapter One

  Ian Furchess, eleventh Duke of Wolffhampton, was feeding pigs. The irony of the situation did not escape him, but in truth, it wasn’t a bad way to spend an unseasonably warm February afternoon. The weather chaps were all atwitter with record highs and warm air masses and the like. Ian chose not to analyze his good fortune. It was enough just to feel the hot sun on the back of his neck and to think about something other than his problems.

  An importunate sow brushed up against his leg, smearing mud across the thigh of an ancient pair of pants. Ian chuckled, mostly at himself. Here he was, seventy-third in line for the throne of England, communing with livestock.

  He took a certain pride in it, actually. It was his own personal rebellion. Ian had never wanted to be Duke. But when his parents and older brother were killed in a sailing accident the year Ian turned twenty-one, his life had changed forever.

  He should have been with them on that boat. Instead, he’d been charging with testosterone-fueled determination across the polo field, leading his university team to a championship. A natural horseman, Ian’s dream had been to take the fortune he’d inherited from his maternal grandfather and establish a world-class stud farm.

  Instead, he now bore the sole responsibility for an aging pile of rock, a stubborn and imperious grandmother, and the future of the entire Wolffhampton progeny.

  To use an American phrase that would never cross the lips of a proper duke, life sucked.

  “Hellooooo

  “

  Ian’s head snapped up. A trio of soon-to-be-bacon animals scattered.

  The woman in the distance drew nearer, her smile sunny. “Can you help me, sir? I’m trying to find the Duke of Wolffhampton. This is his house, right?” She shielded her blue eyes with one hand, brushing away tendrils of blond hair that danced around her face, and glanced up at the imposing lump of granite that Ian called home. Wolffhampton Castle was impressive rather than attractive, but it had served his family well for centuries.

  Ian sighed inwardly. “The duke is not available. May I help you?” He’d pegged the young lady right off. Ever since William and Kate married, the countryside had swarmed with single female tourists hoping to snag their own fairy-tale prince. He wondered if they expected to find royalty hiding behind potting sheds.

  Her face fell. She hitched her enormous tote higher on her shoulder. “I’m Daisy Wexler. I really need to speak with the duke. It’s a matter of some importance.” Her accent placed her from somewhere in the American South.

  Ian’s stomach clenched. “Concerning what?”

  The woman was lovely, dressed much like Gatsby’s Daisy, all in white—a flowing linen jumper and a simple cotton shirt beneath. But she had added splashes of color in a strawberry belt and a jaunty daffodil scarf that fluttered in the breeze.

  She wrinkled her nose, a small frown appearing between perfectly arched brows. “Perhaps an illegitimate child. But without speaking to the duke I can’t be certain.”

  Bloody hell. Ian’s internal radar blared a warning. At the rate his bank account was dwindling, he certainly couldn’t afford to battle an inheritance claim in the courts, even though he already knew what the outcome would be. He and his grandmother, the elderly duchess, were the only surviving members of the once-prolific Wolffhamptons. That was a fact.

  As delicious as the adorable Daisy was, Ian was not about to let himself become embroiled in a fabricated claim to the lineage. “The duke is a very busy man. Perhaps if you called for an appointment

  “

  Daisy’s small chin lifted, adding a hint of stubbornness to her heart-shaped face. “But I have called

  repeatedly. No one answers.”

  Precisely. Ian had disconnected the answering machine for a reason. “I’m sorry,” he said, wishing he’d met this delectable creature in other circumstances. “You’ve wasted your time.”

  Chapter Two

  Daisy was tired, hungry and cranky. The flight from Charlottesville to Atlanta to Gatwick to Manchester had been interminable. And the subsequent bus ride even more so. The prospect of her first hop across the pond had excited her, but now that she was here, she barely had the energy to be civil. Perhaps she should have built a day into her schedule to recover from the jet lag.

  The subject of her current displeasure was well over six feet tall and had the hard, muscular frame of a man in his prime. He was wickedly handsome, with tousled chestnut hair and long-lashed hazel eyes. She couldn’t, however, afford to be distracted, even if his blatant masculinity and clipped speech made her knees wobble.

  She almost never made snap decisions about people, but this boorish farm laborer set her teeth on edge. He was being either deliberately obtuse or obstructive—or both.

  Drawing on her last ounce of determination, she smiled at him with the cajoling humor that usually stood her in good stead. “Surely you could escort me to the castle

  introduce me to His Grace?”

  The man narrowed his eyes, suspicion in his gaze. “Common laborers don’t, as a rule, walk up to the front door and let themselves in.”

  “Then perhaps we could access the house unobtrusively somewhere else. All I need to see, at least at first, is the library. And I won’t say you helped me. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know your name, do I? Plausible deniability will work in our favor.”

  “You Americans are so pushy.”

  She felt her cheeks flush. The man spoke in educated accents. But he was dressed in threadbare tobacco-colored trousers and a weathered leather bomber jacket that looked as if it might have actually been worn during a world war.

  Perhaps his family hadn’t had the means to send him to university. It was a shame, because he had a natural air of command that would have carried him far in business. It was possible he was an overseer for the duke, in charge of the property. But that still didn’t explain why he was mucking about in a hog pen.

  She refused to let his comment dissuade her from her quest. “I like to think of it as being goal-oriented. Or are you a chauvinist who believes women belong in the bedroom and the kitchen, and nowhere near the boardroom?”

  “I’m sure you could handle all three.” His voice was smooth as whiskey, and he smiled for the first time as he spoke, a quick, flashing grin that stole her breath. The men Daisy usually dated were intellectuals, professors and the like. She had never been attracted to the earthy, works-with-his-hands type. Until today.

  But she wasn’t here for a holiday fling. Reaching into her purse, she extracted a twenty-pound note. “I’m running out of time. Are you above being bribed?”

  Chapter Three

  Ian kept his face straight with difficulty. The urge to laugh was almost overpowering. “I wouldn’t feel right,” he said. “About taking your money.”

  “My expenses are being covered. And you’d be doing me a huge favor.” Daisy grasped his hand in both of hers and curled his fingers around the bill.

  At that moment, everything changed. Because Ms. Daisy Wexler had the softest, most delicate touch Ian had ever felt. Immediately, his mind conjured up wicked, unexpected scenarios of him and Daisy frolicking in bed

  naked

  with those slender fingers wrapped around his—

  Bloody hell

  He cleared his throat, stepping back half a stride, all amusement vaporized by the blasting surge of lust that threatened to bring him to his knees. No longer touching her, he strove to regain his senses. Dukes did not frolic, particularly with strangers. Therein lay the path to ruin. This woman was dangerous.

  And yet Ian had never wanted to be a duke. He was a man, too, damn it. And this man didn’t want to let Daisy go just yet.

  The money in his hand burned his skin. Without second-guess
ing his actions, he stuffed it in her tote, taking care not to make contact with her in any way. “If it means that much to you, I’ll see what I can do.”

  The brilliance of her smile almost blinded him. “Thank you,” she cried, reaching out to hug him. For a brief moment her small breasts mashed against his chest. Flyaway, sunshiny hair teased his lips. The fragrance of rose petals assailed his nostrils. It was everything he could manage not to bend her over his arm and kiss her senseless.

  Instead, he did the right thing, a lamentable characteristic of Wolffhampton dukes through the ages. He straightened his spine and held her at arm’s length. “We Brits are not as chummy at first meeting as you Yanks,” he said laconically. “No need for an overabundance of gratitude. You’ll likely not leave here with what you want. So don’t expect too much.” Releasing her reluctantly, he bent and picked up a pail of hog feed, using it as armor. Perhaps the ridiculous state of his love life was to blame for his aberrant behavior

  .

  “But you’ll help me?” The anxiety on her face made him squirm inwardly. He was not, by nature, a duplicitous man. But he’d waded into a deep pit of muddy intentions, and the climb out was a slippery slope—one that would surely mean the end of any encounters with Daisy Wexler.

  He nodded, wanting to do anything to coax that warm, wonderful smile out of hiding again. “I’ll try. Tell me more about why you’re here.”

  Wide-spaced sapphire eyes regarded him with suspicion. He fancied that her chin tilted skyward a centimeter or two. “I don’t think I should be gossiping about the duke’s private affairs,” she said stiffly. “I’m sure he would appreciate my discretion.”

  I’m sure he would appreciate peeling the clothes from your body like the skin of a ripe peach and sucking your

  Sweat broke out on Ian’s forehead. Thank God his trousers were fashioned of thick corduroy, or else this sylph of a woman would be shocked to see that he was hard as a steel spike.

  Chapter Four

  At that moment, Daisy couldn’t care less about her mission. She was far more entranced with the way the stranger’s eyes had shone hot with desire before he deliberately reined it in and pretended to ignore the sizzle in the air. Daisy was not particularly experienced, but she recognized hunger when she saw it. This tough, rugged man with muddy boots and elegant hands wanted her.

  The knowledge excited her. Daisy was not the kind of woman who drove men to do wild things. She was a good organizer, a decent cook and a damned fine researcher. But she was neither seductive nor sexy. That wasn’t self-pity speaking. She merely knew her own limitations.

  But this man saw her differently

  Suddenly she wished she had worn a more alluring outfit than a comfy cotton dress that traveled well.

  Nibbling her bottom lip for half a second, she blurted out a most un-Daisy-like invitation. “Would you have dinner with me tonight? After I meet with the duke?” This stranger really would think she was a pushy, forward American if she kept this up. “My treat,” she said hastily, once again assessing the worn state of the man’s attire.

  His throat and face flushed. A noticeable bulge tented the front of his pants. Dear Lord. Daisy blushed as well, feeling hot and shaky and wonderfully excited. Suddenly, she had a vision of the two of them hidden away in a hay-filled barn, Daisy riding astride this man’s impressive, impossible-to-miss—

  “I’ll have to take a rain check,” he said gruffly. “Perhaps another time.”

  The gentle rebuff curdled her stomach. She rarely put herself out there, and this was why. He had shot her down, albeit gently, but nevertheless a slap in the face. Gathering her tattered composure, she ignored the way her eyes stung and her throat closed up. “Very well. I only wanted to show my gratitude for your assistance.”

  She heard her prissy words and realized that she had unwittingly picked up some of his toney accent. Glancing at her watch to disguise the fact that she was near tears, she took a deep breath. “If it’s not too much of a bother, would you please go in and ask if he will see me?”

  The man with the dark amber eyes and the face of a Roman conqueror did not smile as he took a step closer, and with one finger, reached out to wipe a damp stain from the corner of her lashes. “You’re a lovely woman, Ms. Daisy Wexler. I’ll do what I can.” His hand lingered, cupping her cheek. “Where are you staying while you’re here?”

  She nodded over her shoulder to the view of a placid Lake Windemere glistening in the distance. The water was a deep, mysterious cerulean beneath the noonday sun. Barely a whitecap or a ripple disturbed the broad expanse. “Ambleside. The youth hostel across the way.”

  He nodded, his expression almost grim. “Come back in an hour. If the duke is available, I’ll ask him to speak with you.”

  Chapter Five

  Disconsolate and bereft, Daisy watched the man stride toward the enormous, unwieldy castle that was more regal than prepossessing. He disappeared around the side where the stables adjoined the house.

  She had no idea if he would really plead her case, and she wanted badly to simply walk up the tree-lined path and knock on the door. But something held her in check, perhaps his unflattering assessment of her fellow Americans as pushy.

  If this man and the duke expected docility and compliance, she would try to be patient. After all, her mission was important, not only for the ones who had sent her, but for Daisy personally.

  The Duke’s ancestral home sat on a rocky hill overlooking the lake. Beyond and to the left, a second outcropping rose against the sky, beckoning the adventurous to follow. She had time to kill and a fascination for exploration, so Daisy set off toward it. The weather was perfect for touring, and briefly she regretted that she wasn’t in England for a simple holiday.

  But too much was at stake to goof off now. If her work went well, she would be able to enjoy a few days of legitimate vacation—and settle a few questions of her own—before she returned to the States.

  The climb was steeper than it appeared, and Daisy was breathing hard when she reached the crest, her calf muscles protesting the unaccustomed trek. But the view from the top was stunning. Pastoral Britain in all its glory lay spread out at her feet. Gamboling sheep, meandering stone fences, fluffy clouds dotting an azure sky. And green as far as the eye could see

  verdant, emerald meadows marked off in neat patchwork squares.

  Savoring the warmth of the sun, she kicked off her shoes, feeling like a schoolchild out for the summer. In her tote, she found a thin, old shawl that she kept with her for just such an occasion. Spreading it over the lush grass, she sat down with her arms encircling her knees.

  If she half closed her eyes and ignored the few marks of civilization, she could almost imagine that she lived in a different age, a day when warriors strode across the land, stealing women and taking them away to pagan lands.

  A shiver worked its way down her spine as she thought of her accomplice. It occurred to her then that she had not even asked his name. But somehow the anonymity of their highly charged encounter added a touch of anticipation to her return to the castle later in the day. Perhaps when she met with the duke, she could probe indirectly for information about the man who must surely have some level of responsibility for the upkeep of the estate.

  The longer Daisy sat on the grass, the more her earlier exhaustion overtook her. She smoothed the edges of the shawl to its fullest width and lay back, her hand beneath her cheek. All she needed was to relax and soak up a bit more sun. Then she would be fresh for her meeting with the duke

  Chapter Six

  Ian tracked Daisy’s progress up the hill. He knew exactly where she stopped to rest. It was a measure of his intense preoccupation with his lovely uninvited guest that he felt not a single shred of guilt for observing her with a pair of expensive, high-powered binoculars. He watched as she stretched out on the ground and closed her eyes. The sight hit him hard in the chest, stealing his breath and making him yearn. He wanted to be there beside her, over her, in her. But the cha
nces of that happening were as remote as finding a leprechaun’s pot of gold.

  Magnified in the lenses, Daisy slept, her hand curled beneath her cheek in innocent relaxation. But the female he was spying upon without compunction was surely no babe in the woods. She had curves in all the right places, and her smooth, creamy skin and full pink lips lured a man into contemplating not only indiscretion, but out-and-out recklessness.

  Before his noble lineage had become a millstone around his neck, he would have been free to follow such an attraction wherever it led. Now, life wasn’t so simple.

  He had told her to come back in an hour. But his patience to be with her again lasted only half that long. Walking around the other side of the hill and to its top was no strain at all. He’d clambered over these acres many times as a boy.

  Though he was not particularly silent in his approach, Daisy never moved. As he neared her, he saw that her lips were parted, and a wispy curl had fallen across her cheek. She had wound the silky strands of her hair into a loose knot at the back of her head, but the windy day had wreaked havoc with her attempt to appear businesslike.

  He knelt beside her and brushed the errant locks off her face, before trailing his fingers down the soft skin of her neck to her arm. “Daisy? Are you awake?”

  She stirred fretfully, her nose scrunched up in a frown. “I am now.” She sat up, yawning. “What did he say?”

  “Who?”

  She lifted an incredulous eyebrow as if questioning his mental competence. “The duke, of course.”

  His machinations weighed heavily upon his soul, but he wanted, selfishly, to be himself for a bit longer. “He’s away from the house right now. But he’ll be home soon.”

  “Shouldn’t you be working?”

  Her question caught him off guard. “I’ve been up since six o’clock,” he said truthfully. “And I’ll put in a few more hours this afternoon.” Not tending animals, of course, but instead, combing through piles of paper wondering if he would ever find a palatable answer to the impossible Gordian knot that was his duty-filled life.