Daring Deeds 0f A Forbidden Duchess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Read online

  Daring Deeds of a Forbidden Duchess

  A Steamy Regency Romance

  Violet Hamers

  Contents

  A Thank You Gift

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Preview: P.S. I'll Make You Mine, My Duke

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Also by Violet Hamers

  About the Author

  A Thank You Gift

  Thanks a lot for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me, because this is the best way to show me your love.

  As a Thank You gift I have written a full length novel for you called The Duke she Desires. It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by tapping this link here.

  Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support.

  With love and appreciation,

  Olivia Bennet

  About the book

  He consumes her heart and her every thought. But yet, she wants more...

  For Miss Isabel Chenieux, the thought of attending London Season is nearly too much to bear. Ward of the Duke of Ventury after the tragic loss of her parents, she is torn between apprehension and a forbidden yearning for his affection.

  The passing of his parents leaves David Thorough not only with the title of Duke but also a ward. And, as he quickly finds out, she gains a dangerously bewitching hold of him.

  But the night is the time for shadows and Isabel's unknown past is rife with them.

  A note delivered by a stranger is followed by Isabel's disappearance. And David has but a single old letter to help him find Isabel and guide him on the right trail. A trail that leads to a conspiracy twenty years in the making...

  Chapter One

  The Duke of Ventbury was in a pleasant mood. In fact, he felt so happy that, despite the fact that he had just learned there were no coaches available to take him to his manor, he couldn’t keep the half smile off his face.

  Ah, it’s finally happening.

  The days were ending quickly and the moment David would be free of his burdensome responsibilities was fast approaching. He could picture it already, the constant weight on his shoulders being lifted off and placed onto another’s. It didn’t matter whose it was. As long as he didn’t have to bother with it anymore.

  He leaned back in the seat, playing with one of the coins he had fished from his coin purse to pay for a coach. To his dismay, the owner of the coaching inn made it clear that he would not be sending out any of his men out of fear of the threatening weather. David couldn’t bring himself to be disappointed about it, although he longed to be home again.

  He was returning from his ward’s estate which was in France. He was merely overseeing it until she was married or until she reached five-and-twenty years. He’d been managing the estate for nearly three years now and though he had accepted the responsibility well, he couldn’t deny to himself that he was a little tired of it all.

  But what could he do? After his parent’s death, he had not only been left with the dukedom, but had taken charge of his parents’ ward, the young Miss Isabel Chenieux. She’d been sixteen at the time, if he remembered correctly. He didn’t see her very often, not with travelling back and forth between estates after he graduated from Cambridge.

  David sighed to himself. As happy as he was that she would soon be coming of age, which meant she would soon make her debut, he was also happy to be going home. But he couldn’t get there if no one wanted to rent him a carriage.

  Ignoring the tankard of ale he had bought before sitting down, he leaned over to the window and peered up at the sky. It was bright and clear, with barely any clouds. What storm were they afraid of?

  David rose and made his way back over to the owner of the coaching inn, who was busying himself with cleaning. “Do you rent horses?” he asked.

  The man frowned at him as if David was mad. David hadn’t told him that he was the Duke of Ventbury, so he wasn’t surprised to see the other man staring at him as if he had lost his mind. “You want to rent a horse, Sir?” the man asked, incredulous. “With the storm coming?”

  “Why do you think there’s a storm coming?” David asked. He tried looking outside again, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of the sky this time. “There aren’t any clouds outside.”

  “A storm’s coming,” said the inn owner with a determined shake of his head. “You’d be mad to attempt getting on a horse.”

  “I’ll be home before it hits,” David said. He was crossed between wanting to believe the man—because surely his conviction stemmed from somewhere—and wanting to reach home as quickly as he could. David was a confident rider. He was sure he’d be able to make it to the manor before night fell.

  When the inn owner’s frown deepened, David held up his heavy coin purse. Before, he had only offered what he thought was a reasonable price for a carriage. Now, he allowed the man to see just how much money he was willing to spend and was satisfied when he saw his eyes widened with hunger. “I’ll give you everything in here,” David told him. “Give me your finest horse.”

  As David expected, it didn’t take the inn owner much convincing after that. He pocketed David’s coin purse, trying not to show how eager he was to do so, and gestured with a finger for him to follow. David trailed behind the owner as he led him outside.

  The heat of the sun pricked his skin the moment he stepped outdoors. Despite there being no clouds in sight, the slight heat surprised him. It was January, so he had expected it to be much colder than this, as it had been since winter started.

  The inn owner led him around the back of the building to the large, well-built stable where the horses were kept. David examined them as he approached. He was pleased to see that the owner led him to what seemed to be the healthiest horse, based on his hasty examination.

  “Here you are,” said the inn owner. “This is the best one we have.”

  “Thank you.” David offered a grateful smile but the inn owner only stepped back with a grim look on his face. No doubt he was thinking that what David was doing was madness.

  He supposed there was a chance of that. And David didn’t do many risky things. He always did what he should, without much complaint, and knew when to step back from a situation. But he was also longing to be back at the manor again. Despite spending so much time away from there, what with boarding school, Cambridge, then moving between estates, he wanted to be around the things he knew.

  And,
yes, he supposed seeing his ward was a good thing as well. The last time he saw her was a few years ago, shortly after his parents had died. Their death had been so sudden that, at the time, David didn’t think he really even saw Miss Isabel.

  David got atop the horse and set out onto the road. If he kept on a straight and steady course, perhaps he could arrive at the manor within a few hours. Hopefully before this supposed storm hit.

  A slow, chilly wind brushed past him. Soon enough, he left the inn far behind and the long and dusty road before him seemed endless. Despite that, David began to enjoy the ride. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been atop a horse like this, in such a peaceful manner. Being so busy as he had been for the past few months, he either traveled by carriage or by ship between countries. It felt nice having the opportunity to take the reins between his own hands once again. And with the sky so bright above him, it was truly hard to believe that there was any true danger.

  After everything that has happened over the past few years, I shouldn’t take anything for granted again. I won’t be able to handle it if things go wrong.

  Life was unexpected. He learned that the hard way when after years of healthy living, the Duchess of Ventbury died from a sudden heart disease. And when, six months later, the Duke died as well, David knew that he couldn’t be certain about anything in life. He had lived his life with one thing in mind—taking over the dukedom when it was his time. He endured boarding school ever since he was fourteen, and then attended Cambridge to study law, following the path he knew was laid out for him.

  His parents’ death and taking over as guardian for Miss Isabel was a part of it.

  He did what he had to. Miss Isabel was only sixteen when the Duke and Duchess died and so she had no one but him, though they barely ever saw each other. He had to do what was expected of him and take care of her until it was time for her to be on her own.

  January thirteenth, was it?

  Miss Isabel’s birthday. He couldn’t be sure of the exact date, but he knew it was some day in January. Soon, she would turn nineteen, the prime age to make her debut. And after her debut this Season, she would find her match, marry, and those estates would truly become her own. Not to mention the fact that he would no longer have to worry about having a ward to take care of.

  David didn’t know how long he rode. His mind had ventured to far places, reminiscing on the last time he’d been here. He hadn’t spent more than a month at the manor since he was young and this time would be no different. The stay wouldn’t be long. He would check on his ward and the manor and then be on his way when it was time.

  Even so, he couldn’t help thinking back on the old days, before he was sent off to boarding school. He was an only child who was given free rein. The late Duke and Duchess doted on him, and David found himself lost in those memories.

  So much so, that he didn’t noticed how dark it was becoming until he found himself squinting to see ahead of him.

  Alarmed, David drew the horse to a halt, looking up.

  How much time has passed? Hours?

  Surely it must be, since now the sky was frighteningly dark and ominous. But by his estimation, night shouldn’t be falling so soon.

  Was the inn owner right about the storm? David set his grim eyes ahead. He’d already made it this far and there were no shelters in sight. He had no choice but to keep going. If he picked up the pace, perhaps he would arrive before the storm hit.

  David continued once again, cursing himself for ignoring the inn owner’s warnings. If renting coaches was what he did for a living, surely he would be well versed on the signs of a storm. Yet, David had allowed his impatience to get the better of him.

  It’s no matter. If I move quickly, I’ll make it to the manor in time.

  He kept telling himself that, even when a streak of lightning brightened the sky above him. David leaned over his horse, easing it into a slow gallop. It wouldn’t be wise to race his horse over the dusty road when it was so dark. He could hardly see clearly.

  Another streak of lightning arced through the clouds and then rain began to fall. Now David was beginning to really get nervous.

  Perhaps it’s only a little lightning and a light shower.

  The weather decided to prove him wrong when the rain came down harder, battering his skin.

  This is fine. I can ride in the rain, albeit slowly.

  As soon as the thought crossed his mind, there was another large slice of lightning that brightened the sky and the path before him. Seconds after, a delayed boom of thunder echoed around him, frightening both him and his horse. The horse neighed loudly, rearing up on its hind legs, and began sprinting away from the noise.

  He was having a hard time regaining control of the horse. The frightened animal raced off the path, then skidded to a halt when David pulled hard on the reins. He saw his mistake a second too late, when he was already flying off the horse’s back and into the air.

  He slammed into the slippery ground at an odd angle and pain shot up his leg. He reached a feeble hand out to his retreating horse, but with the pain throbbing throughout his body, he didn’t have the strength to get up. Black dots appeared before his eyes and it took him a moment too long to realize that, in addition to hurting his leg, he had hit his head as well.

  Within seconds, the world around him went black.

  Chapter Two

  Isabel Chenieux was thrumming with excitement and she couldn’t fathom exactly why. Yes, she knew it had to do with the Duke, who would be returning to the manor today, but she couldn’t understand where this sudden interest was coming from.

  After spending so long a time with the Marquess and Marchioness of Pemperton, who lived nearby, Isabel was happy to be back in the manor again. She was only a guest being hosted when she stayed with her neighbors. Here, she truly belonged.

  Isabel had nearly given up hope on being here again. So when she received the letter from the Duke yesterday, stating that he would be here by the morrow’s evening, she couldn’t help her growing anticipation.

  “You seem to be in quite a pleasant mood, Miss Isabel,” Elisa, her lady’s maid said, as she stood behind her, hands in her hair.

  “Yes, Elisa, quite,” Isabel said, unable to hold back the smile. “I haven’t seen the Duke in so long. I’m excited to know that he’s coming back.”

  Isabel watched Elisa in the mirror, not at all surprised by the woman’s lack of expression. “Perhaps he is returning for your birthday, Miss Isabel,” she suggested. “It is within a couple weeks and you will be turning nineteen. It would be quite the coincidence if that wasn’t his intention.”

  “That was my thought as well.” Isabel fiddled with her fingers. She didn’t know the Duke very well. They’d met a couple times before and it had always been quick and unimpressionable. He always seemed to be busy, always seemed to have something pressing on his mind, and so Isabel never felt comfortable enough to approach him.

  And she always regretted it. The Duke was her guardian. Isabel didn’t want to think of him as a stranger any longer. As soon as she could, she wanted to bridge the gap between them, and grow as familiar with him as she had been with the late Duke and Duchess of Ventbury.

  “I’m finished, Miss Isabel,” Elisa said, stepping back.

  Isabel gave herself a good look, nodding in approval. “It’s lovely, as always, Elisa.”

  “Thank you, Miss. I believe the preparations in the dining room should be complete by now.”

  “Do you think so?” Isabel leaped to her feet in excitement. She’d told the cook to prepare a feast in honor of the Duke’s return. She hoped it would make him happy after coming home from a long trip.

  Isabel wasted no time leaving her chambers, Elisa close on her heels. Elisa was always by her side, ever since she was young and still living in France. She’d come with her after her parent’s death and had remained as her lady’s maid ever since, a mother-like figure to her throughout the years.

  Elisa was the one who had
suggested which gown she should wear. Isabel wanted to look good for the Duke, to let him see how well she had grown up. The gown they had chosen was a pale red one that hugged her curves and dragged a little on the ground if she didn’t pick it up.

  “Ah, everything looks perfect!” she exclaimed when she reached the dining room. The food wasn’t laid out as yet, but she had ordered the servants to decorate the dining room in honor of the Duke’s return. She looked at the Duke’s steward, the man who ran the household in the Duke’s absence. Thomas was standing by the table with his hands held before him. “How long do you think this storm will last, Thomas?” she asked him.