The Brooding Duke.

Chapter 1

" ...And here lies our angst ridden hero!"

Dane, Duke of Marlborough greeted his longtime friend and boon companion. The two were friends since the tender age of five and remained such through fights, disagreements and their own feuding families.
Marlborough threw himself onto a chaise lounge in his friend's richly appointed study,a glass of the best scotch whiskey in hand.
While Marlborough was a pretty blonde with big blue eyes that the ladies adored, his friend Raine, Duke of Mooreland was something else altogether.
He was tall and broad shouldered with the body of a Greek God, his dark brooding handsomeness was at once compelling and yet made one wary of approaching. The fact that the Duke's wickedly handsome face was always remote and austere and his manner so cold as to freeze the immediate vicinity around him, didn't help his image either. Both men and women spoke to him if they were spoken to and not before.
"Sod off, Marlborough." was Raine's reply to his greeting. Raine was long accustomed to his friend's determined cheerfulness. Dane was the only one who really knew and understood him, from the first Dane was the one who saw through the mask of haughtiness to the introverted almost shy personality beneath, and got past it with humor and patience. Both were born to affluent and powerful families. Both had the usual upbringing of their class; being raised by servants and the usual indifferent parents.
It had forged their personalities differently. Dane had become a charmer eager to please and be pleased, happy and devil may care. Raine had become introspective and brooding, solitary and uneasy around everyone except for those closest to him, whose number were embarrassingly few.

"Will you be attending the Huntley ball tonight, I hear lady Amelia has polished her claws just for you."
Raine scoffed...lady Amelia Huntley was the only woman brave enough...or rather desperate enough to approach the Duke of Mooreland uninvited.

  She was already on her fourth season and rumor had it that her papa was growing impatient. He had allowed her her own choice of a husband but her campaign to ensnare Raine was a spectacular failure. It was being said that her irritatiated sire was threatening to make the choice for her with a large enough dowry for her future husband to be quite pleased.
Raine's opinion of the lady wasn't high...she was rather, er, friendly and no man wanted a wife he couldn't trust. Besides the only thing about him that was of interest to the lady was his fortune and Raine swore to himself that he would never be trapped in a loveless marriage.

"Not interested, my friend...I have much more important matters to attend tonight. The ton will have to be content with your blonde beauty unmarred by my dark shadow tonight."
Dane laughed undeterred by Raine's quip.
"You a speak of that chess match with the portly Sir Billings."
Raine raised a dark brow in disapproval.
"Preferable to the company of the lovely wanton, miss Amelia I assure you, he, at least, stimulates my intellect, while the good lady would be trying very hard to stimulate my ...libido."

"Suit yourself, I'm off to mingle with the cream of the beau monde."
Dane rose, adjusting his pristine clothing and heading for the door. Before exiting he turned to tweak Raine's nose one last time.
"Shall I give the lady your regards?" he asked and exited hastily before Raine could blister his ears with his reply.

Raine sat lost in thought long after Dane had departed thinking about the emptiness of his life lately. How did he sink into this morass of ennui and when had it begun, he couldn't tell. The thing was, he had very little to be depressed about from most people's point of view. He was obscenely wealthy, he had his health, and women admired his looks.
And yet he was vaguely dissatisfied with his life lately.
His home seemed cold and empty, even colder and emptier than when his parents were alive. The feeling had him moodier than usual. His life was missing some vital quality that made getting out of bed worthwhile.
The sound of his Butler removing the ignored tea tray roused him from his dark musings.
"Bexley, I'm off to my club don't wait dinner. You and the staff may retire early."
"As you wish milord." the man replied.
Raine wondered just how old his Butler really was. He appeared carved from stone and looked the same even when Raine was a very small boy. The man never showed emotions of any sort...Raine sometimes fancied that he was some immortal being that watched over the house and staff of Mooreland house.