Dubious about the Duke by Alexa Aston
Genres: Romance
Book Preface
Prologue
Ontario, Upper Canada—September 1812
SERAPHINA NICHOLLS BRUSHED her long, auburn hair as she gazed into the mirror. Tonight was another assembly and she would get to see Captain Edward Marsh. The thought of the handsome English officer caused her to smile.
For the first time, someone was interested in her more than her twin.
Sera loved Minta more than anyone on this earth. Her sister, however, was far more outgoing than Sera. Because of that, even though they favored one another, people always noticed Minta first and were drawn to her vivacity. Sera sometimes felt she observed life from the shadow of her twin, who had been born seven minutes before Sera had made her arrival in the world.
Captain Marsh had proven different from everyone in that he had greeted Minta that first time and then immediately turned his attentions to Sera. She had a hard time with people she did not know and found it difficult to open up to strangers. Sometimes, in a large group, she found her throat paralyzed, nothing coming out. Minta always looked after her on these occasions, fiercely protective of her barely younger sister.
Captain Marsh seemed to see something in Sera that she didn’t even see in herself. She had discovered he also was shy with others and that they had a love of animals and nature. He hailed from the north of England and had been in His Majesty’s army for seven years. England had been at war with Bonaparte since Sera was a young girl and now war had also come to North America, thanks to the Americans hoping to capitalize on England’s attention being on the Little Corporal in Europe. She dreaded the day when Captain Marsh would have to leave Ontario.
Minta burst into the room, a whirlwind as usual, and smiled brightly. “Oh, good. You chose the yellow. I think it is prettier on you. Let me fasten you up and then you can help me to dress.”
Sera helped her twin don a blue gown, which brought out the blue in Minta’s eyes. They shared a wardrobe since both were the identical size, curvy and a few inches over five feet. Where Sera had auburn hair, Minta’s was more copper in color. They also served as one another’s lady’s maid since they only had a handful of servants. Their father, Sir Radford Nicholls, had been appointed by the British government as the chief assistant to the Administrator of Upper Canada. Though the position was prestigious, a government salary did not stretch far and she and Minta had decorated their home in Ontario on a tight budget. They did have a cook and one maid, as well as a washerwoman who came in twice a week to do their household’s laundry, but Sera and Minta handled many of the household responsibilities in place of their mother.
As she buttoned Minta’s gown, Sera swallowed her sadness. She missed Mama terribly. When her father had been named to this new post in Canada, he had taken his girls with him, leaving his wife behind in England. Their maternal grandfather was quite ill and the doctor had said he only had a couple of weeks to live. Papa had urged Mama to stay with him in his final days and then she could sail to Ontario after the funeral.
That had not occurred, thanks to the Americans declaring war upon England. All passenger traffic between England and Canada had stopped, with only warships sailing the Atlantic recently. Mama was stuck in London and separated from her family though a letter had gotten through, revealing she was living with her sister, Lady Westlake, and her husband in town.
Sera loved Aunt Phyllis and Uncle West, who had never been blessed with children. They spent a majority of their year in London and so Sera and Minta had seen the pair frequently since they, too, lived in town year-round with Papa’s post in the government. It comforted her some, knowing Mama was with them, but it did nothing to fill the emptiness inside Sera’s heart. Of the twins, she was much closer to Mama than Minta was. Minta and Papa were peas in a pod and cut from the same cloth, both lively and outgoing, drawing others to them. Mama and Sera were much more reserved and understood one another when no one else did, no words necessary. Although Sera knew her twin had missed their mother, it was Sera who suffered more from Mama’s absence in their lives.
She finished dressing Minta and said, “Let me do your hair now.”
Her twin sat at their shared dressing table as Sera brushed the long locks, braiding them and pinning them up. They traded places and Minta styled Sera’s hair, placing it in a low chignon as Sera requested. Captain Marsh had complimented the style on her only last week and she wanted to wear it in the same fashion to please him.
“Are you looking forward to tonight’s assembly?” Minta asked, smiling. “Especially since a certain army captain is to be in attendance?”
Heat filled her cheeks and she nodded. “I hope Captain Marsh will ask me to dance tonight.”
Minta chuckled. “He always asks you to dance, Sera. He is most taken with you.” She wrapped her arms about Sera and hugged her tightly. “I hope he will have the good sense to offer for you.”
Sera had the same hopes. Though she and Minta had been promised a Season in London, courtesy of their uncle and aunt, she had never had the desire to attend all the social affairs. Unlike Minta, who talked about the Season all the time, Sera had dreaded the thought of attending events with dozens—
up to hundreds—of people, strangers she did not know. She had no desire to marry a title, which is what most girls making their come-outs wished for. Captain Marsh would do quite nicely.
If he offered marriage, that is.
She thought to how her parents had been a love match. Mama and Aunt Phyllis had made their come-outs together, with Aunt Phyllis wedding an earl at the end of their Season. Mama, on the other hand, had sorely disappointed her parents when she married a man they considered far below her socially. Though they may have lacked in some material possession, Sera saw her parents were deeply in love and that love was the food that fed their family.
“Do you love Captain Marsh?” Minta asked out of the blue.
Startled, Sera struggled to reply. Finally, she said, “I don’t know. I like him. I enjoy being in his company. As for love, I don’t know if it will blossom between us or not before he must go to the front.”
Minta gazed upon her with sympathy. “That will be soon, I’m afraid.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I know. I will merely live in the moment tonight and enjoy what time I can spend with him.”
They went downstairs, where Papa awaited them, complimenting how they both looked. The assembly hall was a mere four blocks away. Linking arms with their father in the center, the three made their way there.
Once they arrived, Sera immediately searched the room, seeing several officers already present.
These Canadian assemblies were fairly informal and no dance cards were ever issued to the ladies in attendance. Instead, a gentleman would ask for the upcoming dance.
A thrill shot through her as she saw Captain Marsh making his way toward them. She smiled widely, not bothering to disguise her growing feelings for the handsome young officer.
He reached them and bowed, saying, “Miss Nicholls. Miss Nicholls. It is good to see the both of you this evening.”
His gaze remained upon Sera as two other officers joined them, obviously wishing to speak with Minta. Her sister winked at her and led the men away in order for Sera to have private time with the captain.
“Are you engaged for this first dance, Miss Nicholls?” he asked.
“I am if you ask me,” she replied saucily, which was very out of character for her.
He looked taken aback for a moment and then smiled sunnily. “Then I am doing the asking, Miss Nicholls.”
“And I am accepting, Captain Marsh.”
They danced the first set and then Sera danced the second with a friend of Captain Marsh. No one asked to partner with her during the third set but she found Captain Marsh at her elbow.
“Would you care for some punch, Miss Nicholls? Then perhaps we might stroll outside.”
Her pulse quickened and she said, “That would be agreeable, Captain.”
He led her to the punchbowl and handed her a cup before offering his arm. They took a turn about the room, watching the dancers and sipping their punch. Once she had finished it, he took their cups and set them on a nearby table and walked her through the doors to the outside.
There were gardens behind the assembly hall and several benches scattered about. He led her to one and seated himself close to her, so close that their hips and thighs brushed. Then he slipped his hand around hers and squeezed it gently, causing her heart to skip a beat.
“I have two things to say to you tonight, Miss Nicholls. One is how much I have enjoyed your company since I met you.”
“The feeling is mutual, Captain Marsh. I find that it is easier to talk with you than just about anyone else of my acquaintance.”
He squeezed her fingers again and smiled. Then his smile faded and he said, “We will be shipping out in two days’ time.”
Though Sera had known this day was coming, it was like a punch to her gut. She sat wordlessly, not knowing how to reply.
“I do not wish to ask you to make any type of commitment to me. It would be unfair to you in case you met someone else during my absence. I do want you to know, however, that I hold you in great esteem and when this war with the Americans ends, I would like to come back and be allowed to court you if you are still free.”
Sera knew what he was saying. The possibility he might be killed in battle hung over them and he did not wish for them to be officially linked by a betrothal.
“I will wait for you, Captain Marsh,” she said softly. “I do not need a formal declaration or understanding between us. I will write to you as I hope you will to me when you can and when this war is done, we can see what the future holds for us.”
He continued to hold her hand but his free one cradled her cheek, his thumb stroking it, bringing a
delightful chill that ran along her spine. “I care for you, Sera,” he said, using her Christian name for the first time. “I will do my bloody best not to be killed in this conflict and come back to you.”
Then he bent, his lips brushing her softly for the briefest of moments.
When he raised his head, she saw love for her in his eyes. While she cared for him a great deal, she really couldn’t say she was in love with him. It relieved her that he did not bring up the word and they sat for another quarter-hour, holding hands, a comfortable silence between them.
“We should return inside,” he suggested. “I would like the opportunity to dance with you a final time.”
She gazed at him, a lone tear cascading down her cheek. “I would like that very much, Edward.”
They returned to the assembly room and as they danced, Sera tried to emblazon this moment in her memory. The sound of the music. The scent of his shaving soap. The feel of his hand in hers.
When the assembly ended, he bowed formally to her. “Until we meet again, Miss Nicholls.”
Sera watched him walk away, carrying a piece of her heart with him.
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