A/N: All my chapters are unedited so there are tons of mistakes guys! Sorry!
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Nalini gulped as she watched the most beautiful and most deadly man she had ever seen, stare at her coldly. His face had fine, almost perfect features but the icily perfect features didn't change, his complete lack of expression chilling to the bone.
He was wearing a very casual outfit—the complete opposite of what she imagined a Duke would wear. Not that she knew what Duke's wore in the first place, though.
He had the sleeves of his white button-up shirt pushed up to his elbows and his black trousers stretched across his big legs as he came to stand right in front of her in three long strides.
She gulped but tried not to cower in fear at the ominous aura he was giving off. He seemed to be in his thirties, his fiery blond hair dishevelled upwards, displaying his piercing blue eyes. Gosh, dang it! It was painful trying to keep eye contact with him.
His body towered over her and he stood there silently, staring at her with his large arms crossed over his chest. Nalini tried to smile a little, but it vanished when the man's eyes narrowed, animosity settling in them as he watched her face like a hawk.
What is it with this man? He wouldn't speak and it was starting to scare her. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing but air came out. It was useless. This man scared her to death. And she thought her grandpa was worse!
She was oh so wrong.
"H-hell–"
"What business do you have here?" his voice roared, echoing off the walls. His deep and threatening voice caused Nalini to jump, startled and the sentence to remain unfinished. She took a deep shaky breath in, shooting him a wobbly smile. The room suddenly felt very cramped, and all she wanted to do was run out of there.
"I have no business?" she said, her answer coming off as more of a question. The man's jaw clenched and she could practically hear the grinding of his teeth as he spoke.
"Oh, I am quite sure you do," he snarled and then leaned down, his sharp nose barely inches away from hers. Her mind told her to run away and to not look back, but his eyes put her in place. "It was quite evident that you were enjoying your little...nap in my carriage, hmm?"
Nalini's eyes widened in realisation. It was his carriage? Of course, it was. Of course, it had to be his, whoever he was.
"O-oh, I'm really sorry about that, you see–"
"No excuses," he barked, causing Nalini's shoulders to jerk.
"And what is your name?" he added, eyebrows raised.
"Um, it's Nalini. Nalini Chandhy."
He narrowed his eyes as if he was stumped by the foreignness of it. It made her feel uncomfortable and she just wanted to get back onto the actual topic.
When the silence was too much to bear, she spoke. "Actually, I just wanted to–"
"Miss Chandhy," he emphasised mockingly, his thick British accent seeping through with the pronunciation of her name. "Was I not clear to you when I said no excuses?" he said through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing. He was starting to get annoyed; his lips pursed together and his jaw clenched tightly.
Nalini went to shake her head when she realised what he was saying. So, instead, she nodded her head, catching herself before she made a mistake and got some sort of punishment.
"You did, but I'm trying to–"
The man scoffed and leaned back, studying her with blank eyes. "What were you endeavouring to do? Enlighten me, will you?"
She was now aware of everything that made her seem like an alien. She spoke weird. She knew, Nora knew, Chastity knew, and now this man knew.
"I was...endeavouring to..." she stuttered, causing his lips to quirk up into a cold smirk, though his eyes were void of any emotion. It was almost as if looking into the eyes of a corpse.
She took a deep breath in and straightened up. "I'm trying to apologise," she said, and then remembered what Nora had said before, adding, "Your Lord."
The man raised an eyebrow. All of a sudden, Nalini felt her confidence drain away as if someone sucked it out of her. Your Lord didn't sound right at all, and she shut her eyes briefly, scolding herself.
"I mean, His Grace," she corrected, softly. The man said nothing and stood still, watching her, unnervingly. It caused her to shift her weight from side to side, uncomfortable. He tilted his head to the side, mockingly.
The look on his face was becoming too much to bear and she ended up sighing softly. "My...Grace?" she asked meekly, trying to guess.
"Your Grace," the man corrected, in irritation. Nalini nodded her head furiously. She cursed her bad luck and wanted nothing more than to go back home and cry into her pillow. Getting married to Mahesh would have been better than standing in front of this...beast.
"Your Grace! Yes, that's what I meant!" she burst out, grateful, but then cleared her throat when he just stared, unamused. "I mean, thank you...Your Grace," she said more softly, awkwardly stumbling over her words. "Someone said you wanted to see me?"
She could have slapped herself for asking the silly question. Nalini had a fairly good idea of why he wanted to see her; he had already questioned her the moment she stepped foot into the room. He walked to his desk and leaned back against it, arms still crossed over his chest, legs crossed at the ankles in a relaxed pose as he watched her.
"I did," he said, his voice empty.
He didn't bother explaining further and she stood, waiting. Since he wasn't going to say anything, Nalini spoke instead. "I'm really sorry for sleeping in your carriage. I was trying to run away from–" His watchful gaze was scaring her and she tried not to glance at him as she talked, instead, fixing her gaze on his chest. "–people that were chasing me."
"Why do you believe these...people...were chasing you?" he asked as if he was speaking to a child. Nalini's eyes widened. Did this man not believe her?!
"I'm—I'm telling the truth!" she exclaimed and immediately shut her mouth at the threatening glint in his eye.
"Dare you speak to me in such a manner?!" he exploded and she gulped, trying her best not to flinch at the danger lurking in his tone.
"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but it's just..." she trailed off, sighing, the events of the whole day getting to her.
"That is no excuse for you to treat me thus," he snapped, seemingly uncaring about what she had to say. "Do you wish for me to have to send you back to whence you came? Or shall you endeavour to be the obedient chit I expect you to be?"
Nalini frowned. The word 'chit' was unfamiliar to her, but it sounded like an insult. Why else would he have glared at her while he spoke those words?
But she didn't want to risk him angering him and sending her away. He was royalty.
"I'm sorry," she said, softly. "I agree I shouldn't have raised my voice because you're a..." She looked up at him but glanced away just as quickly when she found him staring her down, "...duke."
He hummed in agreement, the sound coming out of his chest as a deep growl and inclined his head. "Now that that is settled, I wish to speak to you of more important matters." He pushed himself off the desk he was leaning against, uncrossing his legs.
"Important matters?" she echoed. He moved closer, his glacial eyes cold and ruthless as they looked into her wavering ones.
"I shall offer you a deal."
Nalini stepped back cautiously, not wanting to be near the domineering man. "W-what kind of deal...Your Grace?"
"You will work for me by looking after my child and being his governess. If you are competent enough to accept, I shall make sure nothing happens to you," he said, his voice as empty as his eyes, "however, should you not accept, consequently you will know what is to become of you, Miss Chandhy?"
She let out an audible gulp. All she wanted to do was to ask questions: How can she get back? but most importantly...
Why her?
Nalini gulped and the only thing she could think of was 'no' but the word that actually came out was the complete opposite.
"Good," he answered. There were a few seconds of silence, and Nalini didn't know if it was best for her to leave or if he wanted to say more. Just when she went to turn away, he stopped her.
"Henceforth you are Richard's governess," he began with a hard voice, "however, if you so much as lay a hand on my son, you will face a punishment so severe, you will not ever see the light of day, am I understood?" he said, his lips quirking up into a contemptuous smile.
It was a menacing smile, and it chilled her to the core. Her blood ran cold at the threat and she barely nodded, hating at how much power he had over everyone, including her. He inclined his head, and turned, walking around to his desk and sifting through some papers.
Nalini didn't know what she was meant to do or say and stood there, like a statue. His gaze lifted up from the papers and to her figure, his eyes ablaze like a torch.
"Leave, now!" he thundered, and she didn't have to be told, because as soon as he said those words, she turned and raced out of the study.
As she stood in the foyer, she placed a hand over her pounding heart. The man was so unbelievably rude. Of course, she wasn't that surprised; her grandpa was far far worse. If she could handle him, she could handle anyone.
But, still, it was a big surprise. Nalini couldn't believe that a woman actually married this man and had a child with him.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a young boy, not older than five, rushed past and knocked into her. The boy didn't even say sorry as he raced outside, his messy blond hair all over the place as he went out of sight.
A young auburn-haired woman soon rushed past too, holding what looked like a shirt for the boy.
"Richard, please do not run about without proper attire! You need to be clothed, young man!" she yelled in exasperation after him.
Is that...the man's child? If it was, then she would be doomed. He seemed so naughty and so exhausting, too! She should be grateful, though. It was luck that brought her to this man, because, now she has a shelter and a job, in exchange for him keeping her a secret.
Nalini bit her lip and jogged after the young woman. The woman looked like she was in trouble, so why not help someone in need? She was going to be here for a while, so helping the people who lived her seemed like a good idea.
"Excuse me?" Nalini called after the young woman. She stopped chasing Richard around the fountain and turned over her shoulder to glance at Nalini. As she neared them, she could see the bags underneath the young woman's eyes and her skin looked extremely pale.
Nalini couldn't help but feel bad for her. "Can I help?" she asked, softly.
The young woman's eyes narrowed and Nalini jumped at the disgust in her eyes aimed at her, but it vanished as soon as it came. A gentle smile was now on her lips as she shook her head. "Oh, no no! I could not ask of such favour; it would be too much of a nuisance, would it not?"
Nalini paused for a few seconds. Did she imagine the look in her eyes? After a few seconds of standing in silence, she shook her head frantically. "No, it's not a bother at all! I like working with kids," she said, exaggerating a little.
She didn't have any experience with kids at all. The reason for that would be because of her cousins who hated her. They never wanted their kids to be around a 'murderer' like her.
The young woman sighed in relief, her shoulders relaxing. "Oh, why thank you! I will be much indebted to you! I have many a business to attend to and I am getting no work fulfilled, pursuing this naughty boy!"
Nalini giggled at her rant and nodded, and with a triumphant smile, took the plain blue shirt from her.
"Leave it to me," she said, confidently, turning to Richard. The boy stood there with a pout, his large blue eyes, that resembled his father's, narrowed into a glare as he met her eyes.
"I do not want to speak to negroes!" he suddenly yelled, catching her off-guard. Nalini's eyes widened. Why this little...
She chased after him, and he instantly ran away, screaming loudly, as if a murderer was on his tail. Luckily, the young woman had left, but that wasn't to say that people couldn't hear!
A few minutes later, and she was still chasing him around. Nalini was getting tired; she hadn't run like that in years, there was no reason to run like this in India. She was unfit and needed to take breaks in order to breathe—and right now, it was another breathing break.
"R-Richard," she swallowed, hard, her lips and throat dry and parched. She desperately needed water–but that could wait. "Please put this shirt on!" She needed to get Richard into the shirt and now! If she couldn't do that simple task, then how would she be able to look after him?!
She didn't know what a governess was, but the man had said 'look after my son' so she knew it was somewhere along the lines of that.
"No! I don't wanna!"
"You have to put this on!"
"I said no! I don't speak to people who speak funny!" He scrunched up his nose as he crossed his arms over his chest. The action made him look remarkably similar to his father...even though he looked nothing like him, which seemed a bit odd.
Nalini cracked a smile. "I don't think funny is a language, mister!"
Richard let out a small giggle but then frowned soon after. "You aren't funny! You will not make me laugh," he said stubbornly. She wanted to point out that she actually did make him laugh, but thought better of it and said nothing instead.
"How about we make a deal?" Nalini asked, almost desperately. Richard seemed hesitant but he slowly nodded. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. Thank goodness! If he had said no, she would be kind of lost at this point.
"If you get dressed, I'll...buy you chocolate!" His eyes flashed at the mention of chocolate and she silently congratulated herself for her quick thinking. "How about that?"
He opened his mouth to say something but then his eyes widened as he looked at something over Nalini's head. Even without knowing who it was, her body became rigid at the sudden, tense atmosphere.
Please God, don't let it be the Duke! Her prayers apparently went unanswered as she turned around, slowly. The Duke stared down at her with livid eyes, but his face was vacant of any emotion.
She stepped away as a reflex and tried not to gulp.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm. She could tell that that was just a facade though; he was ready to burst any second.
"I was just getting Richard ready. A woman was having trouble getting him dressed, so I offered..." she trailed off at the lethal stare he was giving her.
"That woman is his nanny." He leaned down, his eyes blazing like a hot furnace. She could see the reflection of herself in his clear eyes, and she looked very afraid.
"You are not in my employ to be his nanny; you are to be his governess," he spat, angrily.
"I...don't know what a governess is," she spoke softly. The Duke sighed loudly through his mouth, his eyebrow twitching in frustration. The sight would have caused her to laugh but she bit her lip. It didn't seem like the right time.
"Should you have the desire to acquire some sense, come to my study after you have apologised to Agnes."
Nalini's eyes widened. She didn't need to apologise for helping someone. Since when was that a sin?
"Your Grace, she looked like she was in trouble."
"Trouble?" he echoed, letting out an uproarious laugh that was filled with no humour. "That is her job, woman! You hold no reason to take over, have you no shame?" he chided.
She didn't think she did anything wrong. All she did was help the woman, and she was fine with it too. At least, that's what it looked like.
"Your Grace, I don't know what you're saying. She seemed fine with me offering help and she also said needed to do other things," she said gently, trying to reason with the irritated man in front of her.
"Oh?" he drawled sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Nalini felt belittled by the way he was speaking to her. "Why must Agnes come to me, sobbing, should she felt fine with your undesired aid? What 'other things' would she ought to do when my son is of utmost significance?!"
The woman, Agnes, went to him...crying? Was she trying to trap her? A gasp left her lips.
"I wasn't trying to make her cry, she really did seem fine when I was talking to her!" she reasoned, and his nostrils flared.
"Indeed, you did not endeavour to upset her, yet you did." Nalini did her very best to not cry at this point; he was hurting her feelings and in front of his son.
"I was only trying to help and when I offered it to Agnes, she didn't say anything against it!" she exclaimed, not able to help it. Her voice echoing in the front yard, the faint rush of the water in the fountain being drowned out by her loud voice.
She gulped at the dangerous glint in the man's eyes. "Richard, leave us now," he barked, to his son.
Richard's eyes were wide as he stared up at his father, but upon hearing his thunderous order, he raced away in the direction of the manor. Nalini clutched the shirt in her hand, tightly, afraid of the consequences, seeing as the man looked like he wanted to punch her.
His eyes clouded with anger like the sky before a storm as he glared at her. "How dare you heave about like a crazy woman and disrespect me, and in front of my child, no less," he sneered.
Nalini frowned to herself, her fingers fumbling. "Because you won't listen to me. I've already apologised for sleeping in your carriage, and all I wanted to do now was help someone," she ranted. She regretted it once she saw the duke's face. Why do I have to find a voice and talk back now? And to him of all people!
"Mind your tongue." He rubbed his forehead for a little while, taking in a huge breath before speaking in a smooth, soft tone, danger lurking beneath, "Give me reason to not beat you endlessly or have you shipped away. Now."
Nalini's chin trembled, hurt swirling within her. This man was just like her grandpa; he never gave her the benefit of the doubt and just yelled at her. People like him didn't deserve an answer. Her silence caused him to sigh in irritation.
"Tell me," he demanded.
"I don't want to tell you anything," she whispered, and the Duke stepped closer, menacingly. There was a good amount of space between them, but his intimidating presence was still hard to bear.
"What was that?" he asked, mockingly, his blue eyes darkening with rage.
Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Nothing."
"I thought as much." His face was now blank again as he stepped away. "I do not condone childish behaviour such as yours," he said, sharply.
"I'm—I'm not being childish," Nalini said softly, defending herself. "I don't think I'm at fault here at all, Your Grace."
The man stared at her, pointedly. Annoyance was gathering in his eyes and he looked like he wanted to slap her ceaselessly.
But she didn't back down. There was nothing she did wrong! All she did was offer help; she never thought Agnes would lie! And this man was too cruel to care about anyone but himself and what he thinks is right.
"Miss Chandhy, it is very clear that you have no manners whatsoever," he stated, blankly. A small gasp escaped her lips as she watched him turn, his back now to her, "Come to my study once you have learnt to behave as a woman should." Without even glancing her way, he strode away.
She frowned at his large, retreating back. To say she was upset was an understatement. She never felt the need to fire back at her grandpa, but this man was different. It was as if he was asking for her anger and for her to yell at him, and she couldn't help it.
Because of all her pent up anger with her grandpa, it allowed her to let off steam with the man-but, for good reason too.
Nalini sighed as she trudged back into the big manor, in hope of to find Agnes and give the shirt back. The last thing she wanted was to face the woman who lied, though. She wasn't going to say anything; she hated confrontations and always felt bad if it meant hurting someone else.
She went on a journey up the never-ending stairs and found Agnes in a separate room with Richard. Nalini sighed grudgingly and taking a deep breath in, slowly entered, but froze when she saw Richard's face. He looked like he'd been crying; his cheeks were red and there were tear streaks down them, his eyes puffy.
Why is he crying?! Nalini raised both her eyebrows in concern and went to ask if he was okay when Agnes turned, noticing her presence. Her devilish hazel eyes flashed and she quickly shuffled forward, snatching the shirt from Nalini's hands.
"W-wha–"
"I am pretty sure you have received the punishment you deserved from the Duke," she cut Nalini off, a small smirk quirking up on her lips. Nalini's jaw dropped. The woman did everything deliberately! And to think she felt bad for her when Richard was giving her a hard time.
"Actually," Nalini said, "I didn't."
She was surprised at her own confidence that she had never ever seen or shown anyone. "He was kind enough to only give me a warning!" She cringed, not knowing whether that was the right thing to say. Agnes' smirk wavered and her eyes glinted angrily.
"Oh...is that so?" she trailed off, her eyes darting back and forth. She swallowed, hard and then met Nalini's eyes. "Well, he must inflict discipline on you shortly. Filthy negroes like you should not damage the Duke's name by working hither. I cannot fathom His Grace's thoughts as to why he would employ someone of your status!"
Nalini gasped. She didn't understand why, just because she was coloured, she was being called a negro as if it was an insult. There was nothing wrong with being darker in colour, so she didn't get the point–but it still managed to hurt a little.
She went to retort when Richard sniffled, his watery eyes holding anger in them as he stared up at her. Did he think the same of her? He was only five...but the society here was different and very messy.
"Now, leave us be." Agnes swatted her away as if she was a fly that was bothering her. Wordlessly, Nalini walked out of the room and into the hallway, frozen, even as the door shut on her face.
"I see you have had an encounter with the crooked Agnes."