SECRET OF THE AMULET

CHAPTER 3

A handsome face was partially hidden by ginger, long hair. She watched eagerly over his expressive brown eyes, and for a moment, she was speechless! Some of her uncle’s men were also good looking, but no one could beat the Duke of Hartwell. How could he look so perfect? From his long locks down to his feet, it seemed that he was moulded into perfection!

“You are so young for the Duke of Dewbury,” he commented while the woman assisted him in his bath. If his guess was right, the woman was not more than twenty. “How old are you?” Zacharias inquired when he could no longer contain his curiosity. “Eighteen? Fifteen?”

“Five and twenty,” she replied. “However, you guessed it wrong that I am the Duke’s lover,” she informed him.

“A Mistress?”

“No. I am his daughter,” she lied to the Duke of Hartwell. Lord Thomas Montgomery has instructed her to withhold the truth of their relationship. It was for her own safety.

“His daughter? I never heard that she has a lovely daughter!” Zacharias exclaimed, and for some unknown reason, he started seeing her differently. “My name is Zacharias Blackwood, but you can just address me with my nickname,” he offered.

“That’s kind of you, Your Grace. However, it’s not appropriate,” she reasoned out.

Zacharias narrowed his eyes while coming up with a solution so that she would warm up to him. “I insist,” he ordered.

“As I’ve said earlier, it’s not appropriate. Now, stay put and let me clean your hair,” she commanded, but suddenly, the Duke of Hartwell chuckled loudly. Bridgette furrowed her brows while waiting for him to talk, but the darn man just closed his eyes.

“It’s inappropriate to boss me around,” he reminded her.

Bridgette shook her head and said, “No, Your Grace, you clearly misunderstood me.”

“Misunderstood? Which part of the conversation has confused you, milady?” He inquired.

“Never mind then,” Bridgette said. She deduced that it would be pointless to argue with someone like the Duke of Hartwell.

He stared at the young woman, who occasionally darted her eyes in a different direction. He noticed that she was a little clumsy for the job. “Have you done this before?” He asked.

“No, Your Grace. This is my first time,” she admitted.

“I understand. Your father valued his privacy so much that he refused to attend to the court from now and then. He hides well in Greenhill! Hmmm, if you are five and twenty, then I guess you already have a husband,” he added while noting her beautiful features. Brown, long, wavy hair was pushed back to expose a long, lovely face behind the layers of her beautiful and shiny hair. Aside from her pretty face, it was her aquamarine eyes that captivated him instantly.

Bridgette pursed her lips when the Duke casually mentioned her husband. “I don’t have a husband,” she answered.

“A widow?”

“I have never been married,” she admitted the truth. “Or should I say that I don’t want to be married?”

“Really? Are you sure? It’s nice to have someone to cuddle at night, or make love to, and have children.”

Bridgette faked a smile at the Duke before looking away. Having a husband has been a constant topic with her uncle, and she was tired of listening to it. “It’s almost time for dinner, so we should hurry up,” she announced.

Zacharias could only shake his head while listening to the woman. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Bossy and dominant,” he replied.

She squinted her eyes towards the man because she was not sure if she understood his meaning perfectly. “Pardon, Your Grace.”

“Well, it’s not a big deal. However, I insist that you should tell me your name,” he commanded.

She clenched her jaw when the Duke used his authority towards her. She had no choice but to inform him about her name. Then, she shrugged her shoulder because it’s only a name. “It’s Bridgette, Your Grace.”

“Bridgette,” he repeated. “Beautiful. Just like you, your name is beautiful,” he complimented her. “You can leave now, milady.”

For a moment, Bridgette stared at him, and their eyes meet for a second before she looked away. Then she inquired, “Why? You are not finished yet.”

“I can manage on my own,” he replied. After learning that the woman was unmarried, he deemed it inappropriate to have her as his assistant. No, he could never allow her to help him with his clothes. It would be dangerous!

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said, and then she strolled towards the door. However, before she left, she turned around to see him one more time. Unfortunately, he was also looking in her direction, and she immediately looked away in embarrassment.

Outside the door, she clutched her chest to calm down her fluttering heart. She shouldn’t feel that way! The Duke was only a visitor, and he would leave after two days. Falling for him wouldn’t do her any good.

Bridgette returned to her bedchamber to prepare for the evening activity. She had to be present during dinner with her uncle’s guest. She smiled upon seeing that Alexander has prepared her bath. The water was filled with rose petals, and Bridgette frowned upon seeing it. She hated the smell of roses on her skin, but it’s readily available in Greenhill.

A few moments later, Bridgette stood in front of a huge mirror to check her appearance. Her elegant dress flowed from top to bottom and has a jewel neckline that hinted at the luxury garment worn beneath it. She looked stunning! A narrow fabric belt placed very low around her waist broke up the continuous flow of her dress' elaborate corset, which hid her tummy and allowed her to eat comfortably.

The dress below the fabric belt opened up on the left and right sides, revealing the dress beneath. Because the top dress was a few inches longer than the bottom dress, the front of the top dress bent outwards, while the back continued to flow a few inches behind her and ended in a broad curve.

They were almost as long as she was extremely wide; their flow was broken up just above the elbow, where they were divided by small, decorative bands made of the same fabric and colour used to outline her sleeves and neckline. Her dress has a v-neckline that was almost the same colour as her sleeves and neckline.

When it was time for dinner, she went outside, only to be surprised when someone was standing outside her room. She curtsied at the man before her and forced a smile. “Your Grace,” she acknowledged him.

“Milady, allow me to be your escort tonight,” he offered.

Bridgette frowned at his choice of words because it made her uncomfortable. “Thank you, but I know my way to the dining hall,” she refused to be escorted.

“I insist,” he said.

Suddenly, all her patience for the arrogant man has worn out, and she wouldn’t give a damn if he’s a Duke or the King! “With all due respect, Your Grace, I don’t want to be rude, but your behaviour is alarming. Perhaps, are you interested in me as a woman?”

Zacharias cleared his throat at her bluntness. He assumed that she was a fragile little flower, but it turned out that she was a wild one, and he was insulted by her choice of words. “Alarming? Care to elaborate on what you are trying to tell me?”

“I don’t like your company,” she told him bluntly. She had no time to mince her words or to sugarcoat them. “You must have assumed that I am hungry to have a man,” she said.

“Aren’t you?” He asked.