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The Letter
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2021-02-17 22:23:28Kylie sighed in relief when she arrived back at the flat. Her palms had been damp when she though that Grant may have seen her if he had been watching out of the window, and the last thing she wanted was to explain why she was getting out of the Duke of Shettleham's car.
Oh, that would have been something, if Grant had seen that! She looked at her phone, nothing from Richie yet, still he was probably saving his millions, and that took concentration. Where was Grant, she could text him and find out?
"Hi, I'm home, where are you?"
Kylie put her phone on the windowsill. They had worked out when they first came to live here that there was better signal reception at that end of the room. She filled the kettle and began to clean the kitchen. Grant had not washed up after his burgers the night before,
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Kylie still hadn't heard from either male in her life. She really couldn't care less about Grant, but it would be nice to know where he was. She wondered about texting Richie, but she didn't want to disturb him if he was still working. Suki was still napping, and Kylie made herself a sandwich and relaxed with a cup of coffee. Kylie's eyes were closing when there was a loud banging on the door. She jolted awake, almost spilling the rest of her coffee. Kylie began to grizzle as she went past the bedroom door and she would have picked her up, but the banging started again.She opened the door, about to tell whoever it was to keep it down. Instead, facing her at the door, two policemen and a policewoman."Kylie Wildgoose?""Yes, what's happened is someone hurt?" she asked, thinking they had come to tel
Last Updated : 2021-02-17The Disreputable Duke Whispering in Corners
Richie sat in his car across the road from the chip shop over which Kylie had her flat. He could see the window of the living room was open at the top. The net curtain was blowing in the breeze. He knew what was behind that curtain; the dull cream walls and drab brown carpet. She had done her best with what she had—the oblong coffee table with ring marks from long finished mugs of coffee. The square glass coasters sitting on it were Kylie's attempt at saving the rest of the table. He remembered that she had polished it at a recent time with lavender beeswax polish, the smell competing with old chip fat and damp walls.Richie pulled his phone out and stared at all the messages Kylie had sent him. Her happiness and excitement were so apparent in everything she had written to him. He had no idea why he had asked that stupid question. She had no idea about that fucking letter, and he was just a fuc
Last Updated : 2021-02-19The Disreputable Duke Pistols at Midday.
Ellie woke early; Jasper was flat out, on his stomach, his head turned towards her. She carefully got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Her face felt different this morning, not as swollen. Yesterday she had been too frightened to look in the mirror even when she had been in here before. She had avoided looking at her face; if both Gus and Jasper said she shouldn't look, then she would take them at her word. This morning though, she glanced up as she was washing her hands. Determined not to cry or make a noise that would wake Jasper, Ellie stared at her ravaged face. That was some bruise over her eye, and her cheek was still very swollen, but she could feel that it had gone down. By tomorrow, it would be yellow around the edges. Taking a breath, she needed more painkillers. Slipping her dressing gown on, she walked silently out of the bedroom.Ellie gave a contented sigh. It felt so typical to be putting the coffee on as usual; she sat in her little apartment. This time of d
Last Updated : 2021-02-21The Disreputable Duke Ritchie.
Kylie held tight to Richie. She was just so happy to be in his arms again. Then, she staggered under the dead weight of him, and people around them started screaming. "Richie." She whispered. His arms stopped holding her, they slid down her back, and she screamed his name again. "Richie!"Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, and then, someone helped her to lower him to the floor, and Kylie knelt, cradling his head. Her tears were falling on his face. She could hear people still screaming and someone calling an ambulance. It seemed like forever before she heard the sirens of the ambulance and the police cars, though she knew afterwards that it had been less than five minutes that was one of the fortunes of living in a small town. The police officer helped her up as the paramedics took Richie away; she grabbed his keys, phone off the table and ran after the stretcher. They would not let her go in the ambulance, and a police officer guided her over to a car."Don't wor
Last Updated : 2021-02-22The Disreputable Duke Weird conversations.
Grant huddled under the bridge, and he pulled his hood up around his face. He was cold, shocked and stupefied at what he had just done. He was so glad that the man, Richie, he assumed, had turned Kylie out of the way and sorry that he had taken the bullet. That wasn't supposed to happen. Grant had shocked himself, and he was confused and didn't truly understand what was supposed to have occurred. He wished he had never taken the gun out. He knew it wasn't just their life that he had ruined, but his own as well. It was Saturday evening. He should be having tea with Kylie, watching Suki toddle around. Just what the fuck had he done?"You can go in and see him now." said the nurse, "He's still not quite with it, so you may get a weird conversation if you get anything at all."Richie was in the recovery position, his wound uppermost; Kylie went over to him, and she stroked his hair back, and his eyelids flickered."Hey Richie," she said softly, "I'm so glad you are alrigh
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Grant was shattered. He had walked nearly all night through fields and around villages alongside the A1 back towards London. He knew he really shouldn't be going in that direction at all, the coppers would be on the lookout for him, and Grant knew there was no way he could get back into the flat. Pity that there were things he wanted in there. He wanted a picture of Suki, an image of his daughter.Ellie slid her hand along the sheet towards Jasper, and she had been awake for a while. It was just getting light, and her ribs were aching. She had done far too much yesterday, but she couldn't help that. She adored Richie, he had been her first real friend down here, and there was no way she was sitting in bed while he was at death's door.She turned her head to look at Jasper. He seemed so far away, and this bed was enormous. She might as well be here alone. She thought about what she wanted to ask him. It wasn't much. She just wanted him to wash her hair, and she was sure it
Last Updated : 2021-02-24The Disreputable Duke Frustration in Both Camps.
When Kylie got to the hospital that afternoon, Richie already had a visitor. A woman was sitting ramrod straight on the edge of the chair next to Richie's bed. All Kylie could see was her black hair pulled back to a tight bun on the back of her head. Kylie looked in the porthole window in the door; neither of them had noticed her so far.Kylie didn't go into the room. It looked as though Richie wasn't thrilled with her. She was older than Richie, maybe in her early forties. She could see Richie was talking to her. He had his business face on and certainly wasn't smiling.Kylie turned to the nurse's station behind her. Sarah, the staff-nurse, looked up from her note-taking. "Hello, are you here to see Richie?""Yes, do you er, know who is in with him now?"Sarah pulled a face, "Apparently, that's his housekeeper. She was how can I put this, rather abrasive to the staff when she first arrived.""Oh dear, she was like that when she called me this morning.
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Jasper sat in his studio, and he could see Ellie sitting in the sun and chatting with her mum and dad. He hoped she would be pleased with the decision he had just made for them. She had three weeks. Hopefully, her face would be much better by then, and he was surprised at how much better she was looking. He knew she had been applying ice packs to her face a few times a day, which had helped the swelling. She had three weeks before they were due at the chapel in Shettleham where the village vicar would marry them. He had already sent out emails to the people he wanted to invite. There weren't many he wanted at his wedding. He would have to get her mum by herself and find out who Ellie would like there. He wondered when Richie would be let out of the hospital, and he would ask him to be his best man. He'd already phoned Nick and Gabriel, who would be ushers.He grinned when he thought about the time th
Last Updated : 2021-02-26
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Charlotte ran hell for leather to her car. She threw open the door and threw her overnight bag, and dived into her vehicle after it. She clutched the steering wheel, her hands shaking, tears rolling down her face. What was she thinking? How could she even think of doing something like that? Was she out of her mind? The tears turned to laughter at how stupid she was, at how ridiculous that she could walk into Ellie's bedroom and somehow get her out of the room so she could do her harm. What a dreadful thing to even think of doing! Next time she would plan ahead, there would be no second chances for Ellie Neyve next time.Ellie looked at the clock, almost four-thirty. It was black outside. Jasper would be home in a few minutes, and she really couldn't be bothered to go and find Charlotte. Whatever it was could wait. If it was that important, she could go and find Francis and tell him. She put another log on the fire. It was so lovely to watch the fire, especia
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Before Jasper could reply, Francis jumped in. "Maybe you should introduce your new wife and duchess to your committee's. I think only the mayor was invited to the wedding, so making a special point of taking Ellie, it would be a treat for them, get them on your side too, I dare say." Francis smiled, "I'm sure even Mrs Troutbridge would get the idea that you are very happy newly-weds if you turned up together.""Oh, what a good idea, kill two birds with one stone." Rosslyn said meaningfully, "Now who wants pudding?"Ellie watched Lotte purse her lips together in annoyance. She would thank Francis later for his timely intervention."I'll help Mary with the clearing up," Ellie said as the rest of them went back up to the drawing-room with their coffee.Lottie looked cheerful at having Jasper to herself for a while, "Where are all the staff? I remember when there were lots of staff here.""We still have lots of staff, but they are allowed time off, espec
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"Ellie, come and get warm," Rosslyn said, getting up to greet her. She put her arms around her daughter in law and gave her a hug, "Goodness, you're frozen. Come and sit here next to the fire. Jasper, be love and make some more tea. I think Mary has gone for her afternoon nap, and Francis is sorting something out for me."Jasper glanced at Ellie. He knew she'd been crying. Why the hell did she think he didn't want her? She was the one who had disappeared from their bed, not him. He went down to the kitchen to make the tea and was determined to get this sorted out before bedtime.Jasper could hear the landline phone ringing just as he got to the drawing-room door with the tray of tea, and as he opened the door, he listened to his mother talking sympathetically."Of course you must come. You certainly can't stay in a frozen and darkened house over Christmas. No, of course, he won't mind. I'm sure he would love to see you." Rosslyn listened for a few moments. "
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