Duchess by Chance by Wendy Vella

couldn’t concentrate. Her thoughts always seemed to return to her husband.  
    Neither of them had mentioned London again and she had spent the past few days getting to know both he and Lord Kelkirk and in doing so, had grown comfortable in their company. She had never spent time with men who simply wanted to be with her to talk or make her laugh. It was a revelation. They constantly bantered with each other and now included her in this. She was called on to referee and offer her opinion, and Eva could not believe this duke, with his easy manners and charm, was the one she had known in the early days of their marriage. He was a formidable man when required, yet with her he was polite and attentive and she slowly felt the barriers she had built to keep her safe begin to erode.
    His touch unsettled her – his hand on her back or around her waist. The contact was always brief and Eva wasn’t experienced enough to be certain, but she thought by the knowing gleam in his eyes that perhaps this contact was deliberate on his part.  
    A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts. “Enter.”
    “Miss Belton has called, your Grace, and wishes to see you with some expediency,” Luton said, coming into the room.
    “Of course. Please have tea brought into….uh, where did you put her, Luton?” Eva questioned as she searched for her shoes.
    “The lemon parlor, your Grace.”
    “Excellent. I will be with her shortly.”
    When Eva entered the lemon parlor - presumably named for the solitary lemon tree outside the window since the walls were painted peach -   Eva noticed Claire was craning her neck to see the driveway.
    “Claire, is something amiss?” she said, coming forward to take her friend’s hands.
    “Yes. Dear lord, Eva, I am afraid Mrs. Potter is on her way here again. I was in the village and overheard her saying to that fish-faced Mrs. Plimpton it was her duty to call upon the duke now he has returned to Stratton.”
    “When?” Eva rushed to look out the window. She did not relish the prospect of Daniel meeting Mrs. Potter. What if the woman decided to push him into attending church?
    “Now, as we speak. I had to warn you.”  
    Both ladies stood still as statues as they listened to the wheels of a carriage drawing up outside the front door.
    “Is your husband from home?” Claire whispered hopefully.
    “No. He and Lord Kelkirk are in the stables,” Eva whispered back.  
    “Perhaps they will stay there.”
    “Perhaps, but I don’t believe so. Lord Kelkirk likes to take tea at this hour.”
    “Noblemen and their tea,” Claire muttered.    
    “Mrs. Potter, your Grace,” Luton said, showing the older woman into the room seconds later.
    “Dear Lord!” Eva whispered, watching Mrs. Potter come bustling forward. She resembled a basket filled with fruit of every color and variety.  
    “Your Grace.” Mrs. Potter curtsied, making her large hat tilt precariously to one side and nearly oversetting the small stuffed bird on its crown.
    “M-Mrs. Potter,” Eva said with only a slight quiver to her voice.
    “Oh, Miss Belton, you are here also.” Mrs. Potter deflated slightly. “I have come to see your husband, your Grace.”
    “Uh, I believe my husband is from Stratton at the present time,” Eva said quickly.
    “If it is not too much of an inconvenience, your Grace, I shall wait. It is the reverend’s fondest wish that the duke attend his service this Sunday and I am here to issue the invitation.”  
    Both Eva and Claire watched in fascination as she then lowered herself into the nearest chair, wriggled and twitched, patting the cushion at her back and finally settled, not unlike a small dog.
    “He could be some time, Mrs. Potter.”
    “Mrs. Potter, I believe,” said a deep voice from the doorway as Eva finished speaking.
    Both Claire and Eva stiffened as the duke and Lord Kelkirk walked into the room.  
    “Mother of God!” Simon whispered, watching the small, round woman rock back and forth