To Defy a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 1 Read online

  To Defy A Duke

  Wendy Soliman

  To Defy a Duke : Dangerous Dukes Vol 1

  Copyright © Wendy Soliman 2020

  This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations contained are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance of actual living or dead persons, business, or events. Any similarities are coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any method, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of

  The Author – Wendy Soliman

  This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction fines and/or imprisonment. The e-Book cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this e-Book can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the author.

  Chapter One

  Southern England, September 1816

  As Athena walked briskly through the wooded slopes of Whispers’ Hollow, the hem of her gown became soaked with dew. She pulled her thick shawl more closely about her to ward off the chill. Weak sunshine broke through the early morning mist, dappling the fallen leaves beneath her feet with its sporadic rays. She breathed deeply of clean, fresh air that smelled of damp, loamy earth and changing seasons.

  Keen to reach the spot where she hoped to find a crop of common field mushrooms, Athena didn’t linger to appreciate the beauty of her surroundings. She thought wistfully of the cosy bed she had just vacated, leaving her twin sisters sleeping peacefully in it, glad not to have disturbed them. She stifled a yawn, perpetually tired these days, but sleep was a luxury she could no longer afford to indulge in.

  ‘We should count our blessings,’ she said aloud. ‘Hard work never hurt anyone.’

  Her companion, to whom this remark was addressed, cocked his head to one side and then wagged in enthusiastic agreement. Athena smiled, something she’d had precious little occasion to do since her circumstances had taken such a dramatic downward turn. Consumed by feelings of great affection, she ruffled Boris’s scruffy ears.

  Boris was a rather unfortunate looking dog, but that was hardly his fault. Gangly-legged, uncoordinated, and with a shaggy coat the colour of the autumn leaves, he was neither one thing nor another. Even the most prejudiced eye, which Athena’s most decidedly was, couldn’t describe him as handsome, or pedigreed. But he was a good hunting dog, ensuring Athena’s current abode remained rodent-free, and a faithful companion as well as a ferocious guardian. Athena shuddered, hoping that quality wouldn’t be called into action in the immediate future.

  ‘Here we are, Boris,’ she said, striding into a clearing and having the satisfaction of seeing a fine crop of mushrooms flourishing beneath the shade of a tree. ‘Just as I had hoped. They will make a tasty addition to our rabbit stew this evening.’

  ‘Woof.’

  ‘I’m glad you agree…Boris, come back. What is it?’

  Athena straightened up from examining the mushrooms, having just assured herself they were the non-poisonous variety she’d been hoping to find. Immediately suspicious of Boris’s abrupt disappearance, she tried to convince herself he was merely tormenting squirrels. Surely, her whereabouts hadn’t been discovered already? Her heart quailed at the very thought. Would her uncle never leave her in peace?

  ‘Boris!’ Her dog came bounding back into the clearing, almost flattening the precious mushrooms in his enthusiasm. ‘Ah, there you are. Did you catch the squirrel? Careful of the mushrooms.’

  ‘Woof!’ Boris bounded off again, and then came back, wagging. It was obvious he expected her to follow him.

  ‘Oh, all right.’ She placed her basket to one side, straightened her skirts, and trailed after Boris. ‘What are you so anxious for me to see?’

  She followed Boris for a full minute before they came to a track. At first, she couldn’t see anything remarkable about it. Then she did and gasped. To one side of it stood the most magnificent horse she had ever seen—a grey stallion of impeccable pedigree, if she was any judge. It looked up from the patch of grass it was cropping when Athena appeared, whinnied, and then continued with its breakfast. It was complete with saddle and bridle, but lacked a rider.

  ‘What the devil?’

  Athena cast her gaze around the clearing, expecting the horse’s owner to appear at any moment. The thought alarmed her. Anyone in these woods this early in the day couldn’t be up to any good, and she had only Boris for protection. Fierce as he was, he was no match for a bullet or rapier.

  ‘Stop being so fanciful,’ she chided, speaking aloud to herself as she always did when she was anxious, which meant she held perpetual one-sided conversations with herself nowadays. ‘Mr Moncrieff doesn’t possess such a fine animal.’

  Boris barked again, bounding ahead of her and leading Athena to the owner of the beautiful horse. He was flat out on the ground, blood pouring from a nasty gash on the side of his head. Unsurprisingly, he was unconscious. Athena knelt beside him and felt for a pulse. It was strong and regular, which reassured her, but his wound definitely needed dressing. With a wistful sigh, she lifted her skirts and tore a strip from her one remaining respectable petticoat.

  Balling up her makeshift bandage, she placed it firmly against the side of the man’s head to stem the flow of blood, and held it there. That was all well and good, but it meant she could neither move, nor go to fetch help. The moment she released the pressure, the bleeding would start up again. What to do? She had no idea how long the man had been there. Surely, not long? Only an idiot would ride through these woods during the hours of darkness. Just as well he hadn’t been here long, and she was the one to have found him, or he would have bled to death. Athena knew a thing or two about injuries, and was absolutely sure of that.

  ‘Go and fetch Millie,’ Athena told Boris, hoping against hope he would understand her.

  The dog obediently loped off in the direction of their cottage but, even if Millie returned with him, it would be at least ten minutes before she got here. Millie only had one speed.

  Athena sat on the ground beside the injured man and placed a hand on his forehead. He was burning up. Lord have mercy, did he have a fever? Panic gripped her. Is that why he’d fallen from his horse and hit his head? If it was contagious, it could place her entire family at risk because, of course, Athena would take him back to the cottage and nurse him back to health. The fact that she barely had the means to feed her existing family didn’t signify. It was her Christian duty to help a fellow human being in his hour of need, and somehow they would manage. Besides, once she was at home, with her precious collection of herbs to hand, she would soon make him better. It was simply a matter of deciding how best to get him there. In his unconscious state, he wouldn’t be able to walk, or ride, either.

  Athena looked at him properly for the first time, blinked rapidly, and gasped. He was quite simply the most beautiful male she had ever set eyes upon. He was dressed simply in the style of a man from the middle classes in old breeches that displayed toned, muscular thighs. Athena probably wasn’t supposed to notice such things, but since she’d never been one to conform to the conventions, and given that she was saving his life, she felt justified in noticing. His upper body was covered by a grubby white shirt open at the neck, no neckcloth or coat in evidence.

  She wondered about the quality of his horse, which was too fine for a man of his status. Perhaps he was a horse dealer, delivering this fabulous beast to
one of the many great houses in the locality. Yes, that could be it. She would have delved into his saddlebags, looking for clues as to his identity, but she needed to keep pressure on his wound, and so couldn’t move from his side.

  That provided her with a legitimate excuse to look at him while she waited for help to arrive. She had never felt the slightest desire to ogle a man before, but then she had never encountered one quite as compelling as the individual who held her complete and absolute attention. He had thick black hair, coated in his own blood, and the longest eyelashes she had ever seen on a man’s face. That hardly seemed fair. What need did a man have for glamorous lashes? They curled back on themselves, protecting eyes, which were firmly closed. Athena wondered what colour those eyes might be. Brown, she thought. Yes, definitely, they ought to be brown. A deep, rich shade of brown.

  ‘Stop being so ridiculous!’ she chided.

  But still, as she continued to look at the man, absorbing the perfect symmetry of his features, a strange feeling consumed her—a warning or a premonition—it was difficult to know which. She was supposed to find this man. She didn’t know how she could be so sure about that—she just was. She also knew, since she had found him, her circumstances would never be quite the same again. Well, that was one good thing, because she had hit rock bottom, and they could only change for the better.

  Her unnamed horse dealer had a strong, square jaw decorated with several days’ worth of stubble and a straight, almost aristocratic nose. His face was all fascinating planes and angles, and his mouth…oh his beautiful, sensual mouth. Athena leaned towards it, quite overcome by the symmetry of his lovely sculpted lips, until his breath hit her face and she almost gagged. If she hadn’t been holding her sacrificed petticoat to his injury, she would have jumped to her feet in outrage. The man smelt like a brewery. Well, presumably that explained why he had fallen from his horse. Athena wrinkled her nose in disgust, feeling she would be totally justified in leaving him where he was.

  But, of course, she would not.

  ‘What’s happening, pet?’ Millie asked, puffing along behind Boris. ‘This creature came back alone and gave me such a fright. I thought you’d been found again, and I…hey up, what have we here?’

  ‘He’s drunk,’ Athena said, laughing in spite of her disapproval. ‘And out cold. I would leave him, but for this injury.’

  ‘We need to get him on his horse. He’s too big for us to carry.’

  Yes, that was certainly true, Athena thought. He was far taller than average, and his large body appeared to be made up of solid muscle.

  ‘It will take us both to lift him up, and I’m worried about the bleeding.’ Athena lifted her make-shift dressing, gratified to notice that the flow of blood had slowed significantly, but hadn’t stopped all together. ‘I need to secure this bandage in place,’ she said, sighing as she tore another strip from her ravaged petticoat and bound it tightly around the man’s head. He groaned, but didn’t open his eyes.

  ‘Right we are, Millie. We shall have to try and push him over his saddle, face down. It’s the only way we can manage this. If we grab one shoulder each to get him upright, we can then try and boost him up from behind.’

  ‘It might be easier if I went back for the pony and trap,’ Millie said dubiously.

  ‘That will take too long. By the time you’ve woken Meg up, which you will most assuredly have to do because that pony is the laziest creature on God’s earth, got her into her harness and persuaded her to come out here, half the morning will be gone. I don’t have time to waste on intoxicated fools.’

  ‘Very well, lass. Let’s try and move him.’

  It was like trying to move a mountain, but Athena refused to be defeated. On the third attempt, they managed to get him to his feet, and leaned him against a sturdy tree. Athena felt mildly elated.

  ‘Hold him up, Millie, while I get his horse.’

  ‘Do you think such a fine animal will agree to stand still?’ Millie asked dubiously. ‘Them types tend to be pretty skittish.’

  ‘We shall just have to see.’

  The horse was still cropping the grass, looking up every so often to see what was happening, but showing no inclination to take to his heels. He made no objection when Athena took hold of his bridle and walked him towards the man who’d so carelessly tumbled from his back.

  ‘This is going to be very undignified for you,’ she told the horse, stroking his soft muzzle. ‘I’m very sorry about that, but I’d be greatly obliged if you would stand still, and not cause us further difficulties.’

  Athena halted the horse as close to the tree the man was snoring against as she could manage, and tied his reins securely to a stout lower branch. Despite her annoyance with her unwelcome visitor, she still took a moment to admire his physique. Now that he was upright, he was even more impressive. Or would have been, except Athena was out of charity with him for ruining her day and refused to be impressed by broad shoulders and a muscular chest that tapered to a narrow waist and slim hips. He was taller than average and even in an intoxicated state he exuded a rather intimidating aura of authority, as though he was accustomed to being obeyed. Athena looked at him, determined she would not be intimidated by an unconscious person whom she didn’t even know. But again, she felt anew the wakening of a deeply disturbing dormant feeling inside of her. This annoying intruder affected her on a level she appeared unable to control, and she wasn’t the least bit happy about it.

  ‘I’ve never seen anyone snoring in an upright position before,’ Athena remarked, thinking it might be a useful habit to acquire, provided it didn’t require one to become intoxicated in order to achieve it. ‘Right, Millie, let’s drag him to the horse and endeavour to get him aboard.’

  ‘It looks an awful long way up,’ Millie replied dubiously. ‘And this fellow’s no lightweight.’

  ‘Yes, but nevertheless.’

  The two of them struggled, puffing and straining, to no avail.

  ‘It ain’t no good.’ Millie leaned against the tree, panting, looking hot and bothered. ‘Perhaps we should wait until he wakes up. Or you could go back to the cottage for your herbs, if you’re worried about his wound.’

  ‘No, I can’t treat him properly here. Besides, I need to get back to the twins before they wake up and wonder where I am. They will only become anxious otherwise. We need to do something.’ Athena frowned. ‘You’re right, I definitely don’t like the look of that wound. Blood is still seeping, and I think he must be unconscious, in spite of the snoring, which is a concern.’

  ‘Wonder who he is? Perhaps one of us can run for help.’

  ‘There is no one close enough to help. That’s why we chose this isolated situation.’ Athena sighed, thinking frantically. ‘At least the horse is co-operating. He hasn’t tried to back away, which makes me think we should trade on his goodwill.’

  ‘All right. But how?’

  ‘Millie, go the other side of the horse, if you please. I shall throw this aggravating man’s arms over the saddle. If you would kindly grab his hands when I tell you to, I’ll then endeavour to push him up from his…er, backside.’

  ‘You can’t be touching a man’s unmentionables, Athena.’ Millie sounded quite shocked. ‘You have your reputation to consider. Best let me do it.’

  Athena smothered a smile. ‘No, Millie, you have a weak heart.’

  ‘Nonsense, I’m as strong as an ox.’

  ‘A weak heart, and I’m stronger than you are. Besides, there’s no one here to see us except this ungrateful drunkard. I don’t care what he thinks, and don’t give two figs for my reputation.’

  ‘Hmm, all right, if there’s no other way, I suppose we must.’

  ‘Come, we’re wasting time.’

  It took far longer than Athena expected just to get the unconscious man at the horse’s side and his arms thrown across the saddle. He would keep dropping one and wrapping it around Athena’s person. Really, if she hadn’t been absolutely sure he was unconscious she would have said he wa
s doing it on purpose, just to aggravate her.

  Finally, they managed it.

  ‘Now for the tricky part,’ Athena said, breathing hard. ‘Are you ready, Millie?’

  ‘As I ever will be.’

  ‘Right, take his hands and I shall boost his posterior.’

  Athena bent her knees, placing her shoulder beneath the man’s buttocks. Her strength was dwindling, and time was getting on. She couldn’t afford to waste any more of either, so she was determined this would work on the first attempt. His legs dangled against her side, the heels of his boots hitting her painfully on the arm. They were very fine boots, she noticed, albeit muddy and dusty, made of the best leather.

  ‘Must be good money in the horseflesh business,’ she muttered mutinously.

  She took a deep breath, then straightened her knees and pushed as hard as she could, straining every sinew. Millie pulled from the other side and, by some miracle, they moved the man far enough off the ground for him to finish half way across the saddle. Athena was both surprised and elated. She really hadn’t thought it would happen quite so easily, and glanced suspiciously at the inert figure dangling inelegantly over the horse. She could have sworn he had given her a helping hand, and was certain he had groaned when she placed her hands on his backside. She peered at his face, almost relieved to find he was still dead to the world. She must have imagined it.

  ‘Well done, Millie!’ Athena clapped her hands together in triumph. ‘One more push from this side, and I think he will be secure.’

  Millie joined Athena and they managed to manipulate the man so his stomach rested on the seat of the saddle, his legs dangling to one side, his torso to the other.

  ‘Lead the horse, Millie, and I’ll walk beside his accident-prone rider to keep an eye on his wound.’

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘Come along, Boris, we’re leaving.’