Page 9 of Distracting the Duke

She bit her lip. She knew exactly what such a piece would cost. Good Lord. Just how much money had this man’s cheating grandfather amassed for the family coffers? It seemed unfair, when the Westons were so poor, having to send money out to Kate every month, and Philip unsure whether or not he and Sarah could afford to have children.

All Clara’s old resentments against the privileged classes rushed back, but she said nothing. She mustn’t endanger Ellie’s prospects.

And the duke must never find out about the family scandal.

“Lady Tinniswood, you’re looking very grim. I thought we were going to forget all the unpleasantness of last week. Yet, somehow, I feel I’m simply making things worse.”

“Not at all. I’m just a little hot.”

“Then we shall go up to the roof directly and finish our tour with my camera obscura.”

She nodded. The distraction would be most welcome. “I’m very interested in the art of capturing images in a lifelike fashion,” she said. “Do you paint or draw, sir?”

“Both. But I’d hesitate to call my efforts art. I’m sure you’d give me a very honest opinion, were I to show any of them to you. Ah, Miss Soper, here you are. Lady Tinniswood would like to go up to the roof for some air. Would that be acceptable to you? Mr. and Mrs. Weston?”

Clara hung back in favor of Ellie, and linked her hand into her brother’s elbow.

He looked down at her with a puzzled expression. “Are you all right, Clara?”

“Just a little fatigued. I’m sure the air on His Grace’s roof will refresh me.”

It was best she spend as little time as possible in conversation with the Duke of Ulvercombe. Surprisingly, he was too perceptive, too sensitive to her moods.

God forbid he should ever find out the reasons for her vulnerability. She couldn’t bear the shame.

“Here we are,” their host said, flinging open the door at the top of the attic steps with a flourish. “Behold the roof of Kessington House!”

She sucked in the fresh air gratefully as she stepped out onto the lead flashing. Here was another world, quite removed from the luxurious comforts of the floors below. This was a world of practicalities, of chimney pots and movable cowls, of cross-guttering and downpipes to feed rainwater away from the flat parts of the roof and funnel it down to the ground. She’d never seen anything like it before.

A carved stone balustrade separated the flat area from the sloping part of the roof, and between the struts she could see the emerald greens of the lawns, the grey-greens of the rough where the deer grazed, and the darker hues of the surrounding woodlands. How wonderful to be up so high and to see so much!

Ellie was clinging to the frame of the door, looking anxiously at the lichen-patched lead tiles in front of her. Philip had wandered across to the nearest stretch of balustrade but Sarah stayed behind him, clearly unwilling to step too close to the precipitous drop. Clara sent her an encouraging smile.

“The camera’s over there,” Ulvercombe proclaimed, indicating an odd structure, not unlike a small tollhouse in shape. It was cylindrical and was, as he then told them, constructed of wood overlain with lead sheeting. It had a domed roof and looked easily tall enough to accommodate a man’s height.

“I’m told this is my folly,” the duke said. “Others have towers, grottoes, fountains, and falls, but I prefer my camera obscura. It can be turned around so the image you see is infinitely variable. Whatever direction the small hole is pointed toward, you will see that view, crystal clear but miniaturized. The image can be cast onto a piece of paper or canvas and traced.”

Clara nodded her understanding. “Hardly a folly when it has such a practical application.”

He raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

Bother. She hadn’t meant to sound interested. This was Ellie’s opportunity to ingratiate herself with the irritating fellow.

Releasing her from his gaze, Ulvercombe asked, “Who’ll be first to join me inside? I’m afraid there’s room for only two at a time.”

A deafening silence met his offer. Clara, who had walked to the middle of the roof, glanced back at her companions. Sarah, looking pale, was shaking her head at her husband. Philip said, “I think I’ll escort my wife downstairs, Your Grace. Fresh air can be enjoyed just as much at ground level.”

What about Ellie? Oh dear, the poor girl was white and trembling.

Clara rushed back to her side. “You don’t need to come out if you don’t want to,” she whispered. “Although, I promise it’s perfectly safe. How can you possibly fall with such a high barrier? The balustrade is easily waist height.”

Ellie shook her head. “I don’t wish to disappoint His Grace, but I feel a bit ill. Perhaps something at luncheon, or the wine…”

Clara looked over to where the duke stood waiting patiently for someone to join him.

She bit her lip. How long would she be confined in the tiny structure? He would be in it with her, and he was nothing like her late husband. So, what was there to be afraid of?

Nothing at all, she told herself firmly.