A Duchess by Midnight Read Online Free Page A

those surrounding it had been nothing but useless grass. Turning the empty meadows surrounding Longford Park into profitable crops had been one of the many changes Thorncroft had enacted when he inherited the ducal estate from his father.
    It was not for the money it brought him – the family coffers were so profound even he did not know how deep they ran – but rather for the jobs it supplied for his tenants, hardworking farmers all who relied on the land to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Since the day he had inherited his father’s title Thorncroft had earned himself a reputation as a demanding, albeit fair, employer. Still, having been raised in the ways of the aristocracy, he had always kept himself a step removed from the working class both inside the mansion and out. It was Katherine who had taken the time to learn their names and their varied personalities. And it was Katherine, he reflected with a bitter twist of his lips, whom they had loved.
    Thorncroft may have been well-equipped to manage an estate from the financial ends of things, but he knew nothing about the daily running of a household, particularly one the size of Longford Park.
    When were the sheets laundered? Who prepared the weekly menus? Where were the clothes sent to be repaired? Who scheduled the staff? He hadn’t the vaguest idea.
    “If you want to help,” he said without turning around, “I may have a task for you.”
    “Yes?” came Adam’s short, clipped reply.
    For the first time in five days Thorncroft found himself biting back a grin. When he and Adam had fought as children – as young, unruly boys often did – he had often managed to best his brother. Adam may have been as brazen and courageous as they came, but he did not have the patience required of a truly great strategist. Instead of holding his punches in favor of studying how his opponent moved and thought, he attacked without rhyme or reason. On a handful of occasions such bullish tactics had earned him a victory, but for the most part he had found himself pinned to the ground as he stared up at Thorncroft in defeat. Then – like now – he had always indulged in a period of sulking. Sometimes it had lasted for a few minutes, sometimes for a few days.
    There was really no way to tell.
    “I need you to find someone who can manage the household. Someone who can keep the servants organized and run things smoothly while I focus on other matters.”
    Adam was silent for a moment. “Why not simply marry again? Not right away,” he said hurriedly when Thorncroft’s shoulders tensed. “No one would expect such a thing of you. But if you found a suitable wife within the year then Garfield should be able to manage things until then. God knows he’s been doing it long enough.”
    Garfield had been employed as the head butler for longer than either brother could remember. He had become as much a part of Longford Park as the portrait of their great-great-great-grandfather that hung in the south wing. His age was unknown – although Thorncroft suspected he was well into his sixties – and his dedication to Longford Park was unparalleled.
    “I have no wish to marry again.” Thorncroft gripped the windowsill so hard his knuckles turned white. Finding another wife so soon after losing Katherine was the furthest thing from his mind. He wanted to mourn her as she deserved to be mourned, not replace her with another woman at the first opportunity!
    Perhaps if their match had been as cold and calculated as his parent’s he might have begun the hunt for the next Duchess of Thorncroft before the dirt on her grave had settled, for it was a forgone conclusion – whether he liked it or not – that he would eventually have to marry again and produce a male heir. But to think of doing so now was the equivalent of throwing salt in a wound that was still raw and gaping.
    Turning around to face his brother, he leaned back against the sill and crossed his arms. The tiny