*Sigh*

"Do you know what's wrong with the Duchess?"

" I don't know. She's been sitting and sighing at her vanity all week." a group of young ladies in blue traditional maid uniforms stood at the door of a large room, whispering.

"She's been kind of odd all week. Remember that weird reaction she had to her reflection?" continued whispers. The chattering maids eyes darted back and forth with worry.

*Sigh*

So here I am. 35 year old Toni Cole, stuck inside what looks like an old Victorian house via car accident/soul transfer. I never even read these types of novels, but remembered my sister being overly fond of them. That geekazoid.

*chuckle*

Upon remembering her old life, she felt herself choke up.

No Toni, none of that.

After being here for a little over a week, and believing it was a dream for the first two days, Toni had finally realized the reality of her situation. She was transmigrated Into a red headed buxom Duchess.

Good old soul transfer from the previous Duchess' soul dying from some sickness, convenient amount of memories left for world adaption, possibly neglected Duchess...ect.

Upon seeing her reflection she had freaked out, but now stared at it in the mirror of her vanity.

Damn, she's gorgeous, but like a vicious gorgeous.

Big emerald colored eyes, thick red hair that reached her luscious hips, sexpot lips, straight high nose, plus the cleavage. She must have been at least a double D, not to mention her height; at least 5'8". Legs for days?Legs for months! Chick was stacked.

Drink it all in, Toni. You're stuck here.

Toni liked her new look. Being a full time Dominatrix, she could have used these man killer looks in her old job. Standing 5'3", brunette and small chested, she was still very much a Dom but really had to work on her self love. With time she realized how much she loved her clients.

Her favourite clients were the fat cat CEOs who hid behind their powerful facades, and her soft hearted female clients. Gods she was gunna miss them in this time. Now that she was married, and apparently a Duchess(?) Speaking of she still hadn't met the Duke. His wife was MIA for over a week and still no " yo wassup, you good?"

Neglected Duchess? Check that off the cliche trope.

* Sigh*

what did her sister say about these novels ?

A Loveless Duke+sexy red head= Contract marriage and villainess.

Great. I'm a villainess. Cool cool. Well may as well actually go down for dinner. See what this loveless Duke actually looks like.

---

Duchess 'Toni' sat at the end of a large table in an awe inspiring dining hall. The head of the table was currently vacant.

" So, is the Duke not going to join me?" Toni asked.

She dabbed at the corner of her lips with a handkerchief. She was now on her 3rd course.

( a lovely gizpacho) Whatever world she ended up in seemed a hodgepodge of Victorian, turn of the century America's and some smaller European countries thrown together. Even the dress was bizarre. Currently she wore a floor length low collar forest green dress that was quite sheer and light. She wore no corset but she had spied some in her walk in wardrobe. She couldn't wait for those!! (She wore corsets at work but they were cheap. Felt cheap.)

The ones the Duchess owned were probably made from whale bone, or was this like a fantasy world? Perhaps, it was made from some magical beast bone? Curiosity racked her thoughts. Pondering about needing to read up on this new world.

" I'm sorry, Duchess Blackoak, but Grand Duke Blackoak said he'd take his dinner in his study." a maid interrupted her thoughts.

Right, Duchess Blair Blackoak. Formerly Blair Winster, daughter of a Lord and Lady from a tiny town in the outskirts of Blackoak. Married to Price Blackoak. Contractual marriage, daddy got a lump some of money and his debt paid off where as I got to marry into a cushy lifestyle. The only thing expected of me was a heir and a marriage for the Duke to inherit his title. Grand Duke of Blackoak.

She saw sweat dotting the maids upper lip.

Seems the maids where a bit scared of her former host, Duchess Blair must have detested being ignored by her husband.

Sorry, ladies, your new and improved Duchess Blair doesn't ask anyone for attention. THEY beg ME for it, while kissing my feet.

" Then I should like to take a walk in the garden. "

Toni, now the apparent 'Grand Duchess Blair' rose up from her seat, all sensuality and sexual prowess. She tossed her long crimson mane over one shoulder, hair cascading to the swell of her generous back side, hips swaying as she exited the dining hall.

---

A tall muscular figure sat behind a mahogany desk. Tackling what seemed like endless mountains of paperwork, quill in hand the man wiped at tired sapphire colored eyes. Ruffling his ebony hair in exasperation.

A gentleman coughed for attention after entering the study.

" How's the Grand Duchess fairing?" the working man asked, His deep austere voice seemed to carry even in such a large study.

" She's fully recovered, Lord." The newly entered man, brown haired and dressed in blue soft leather armour, replied.

The man fidgeted a bit as if wanting to add something.

" Speak openly Kris, it's just us in here." His blue eyes pinned the man, exasperatation evident in their gleam, his head never facing away from the paperwork.

The brunette named Kris (full name Kristoff von Gherriam) scratched the back of his neck and cocked a smile. They had been friends since childhood. His family had been protecting this dukedom for generations. The oldest son always being the Dukes main Knight, and normally closest friend.

" Well the lady asked for you at dinner, Price, I mean, your Grace."

The man Price looked up fully from his paper work, eyes narrowing.

" And?"

" And that's it but..." Kris stopped abruptly.

Price sighed but waved for him to continue.

" There are some rumours, Lord. That the lady has been...different since recovering." Kris ended.

This brought the man Price to put down his quill, and fully face Kris in confusion.

"Different," Price asked," In what way?"

Kris scratched the back of his neck again, a gesture he had since childhood when long silences ensued.

" Well...the maids are saying she's more," a blush covered Kris' face as he recanted the past days events.

----

Kris was walking down a long windowed corridor, suns rays lighting the whitened walls brightly. He whistled a well known tune but abruptly stopped when he heard whispering.

" I can't understand what's going on with the Duchess!!"

" I know, her movements are so jaw dropping, yet bewitching!"

Kris peaked around a corner of the corridor, down one of the many joined hallways that lead to one of the obscene number of rooms in the mansion. A group of maids stood chattering in hushed whispers in front of one said rooms.

' Isn't that the Duchess' room?'

From what he could gather, upon eavesdropping;

the maids were curious about the sudden change(?) in the Duchess. Their thoughts wondering how the lady had learned to move in such a sensually provocative way. Before she was nothing but cold gracefulness. The Duchess had apparently changed since she had recovered from the reported deathly sickness. Her cold stares were now laced with a heat that could suggest she knew your deepest desires but also a sinfulness that the maids couldn't understand. The maids recanted with how the duchess now knew how to sit at the right angles to draw eyes to her cleavage or flash a thigh, as if by mistake, but always would look at the person who'd looked with a eyebrow raised and a sensual tilt of her sinful lips. Making one wonder if she was flirting or mocking one for being caught. The strangest part, her movements seemed natural not trained, but as if she was born for teasing someone to madness; couple that with her dangerous looks, and the gossip mill was in full swing. One such topic was a constant and that was how the Duke was going to deal with this new more fiery Duchess. Kris pondered over the thoughts of the maids as even some of his knights had come over to the group to gossip. He noticed more than one of his knights cheeks turn red and 'subtly' adjust themselves upon the apparent sexpot that was now the Duchess.

+++

"- Sensual, my lord." Kris ended after remembering the scene.

" Pardon?" Price looked flabbergasted.

" Please don't make me speak this way of your wife again, Lord Price." Kris was turning crimson now.

Price's blue eyes looked calculating, trying to figure out what his wife's current plans were.

So far she had done nothing but spend her months expenses frivolously and made a fuss whenever he hadn't paid her any attention after their first obligated night together. That was six months ago. Price wasn't in any rush for an heir. He wasn't planning for at least another three years. It would take that long to get his dukedom up and running after his late father had almost lost it all.

Sex. It was just another part of the job of a Duke as far as he was concerned. He remembered the first night with the Duchess.

She had laid on the bed, unwilling to undress and lifted up her skirts. Telling him to hurry up with his duty to her and the dukedom.

He waved that memory away. Twenty nine years for that. He didn't know what all the fuss was for. All the randy lads flirting in front of clubs, women whispering suggestively in their ears.

He had shunned so much of that life style as his father had been one of those men. Price shuddered, thankfully his mother had passed during his birth, never having to see that shame.

He stood up walking to the window looking out into the well treated garden. A flash of red caught his eyes.

Duchess Blair, his wife.

Yes she was beautiful, if one found cold steely porcelain statues attractive. Not to mention she was about as interesting as a bitch in heat that spent too much money on its vanity. He dreaded the thought of talking, not to mention laying with that woman again.

Shuddering internally he turned away from the window, ready to get over absorbed in more work to forget the blightful Duchess.

----

Blair, Blair, Blair, Blair. I really have to get used to this new name. Grand Duchess Blair Blackoak. Husband Grand Duke Price Blackoak. Price, Price, Price, Price.

Ugh but seriously, what kind of a name is Price? Like was that just for ironies sake?

*sigh*

'Blair' walked through the garden, a nicely cobblestone path cut between perfected flower beds making a pleasing display. Centered at it all was a triple teir fountain, some sort of winged creater was made to look as if it rode the splashing water bubbling from the very top, little winged stone fairies, toe dipping in the very bottom of it.

Blair looked into the bottom basin, seeing no coins in which to wish upon.

Understandable, the coin currency here was based on the good old one gold coin is worth one-hundred silver, one silver is worth one-hundred brass and so on and so forth. The generations of this mansion had probably never even seen a brass in over a century.

" Do any of you lovely little ladies have a copper? I'll trade you a silver coin for it."

The three maids entrusted to Blair, shuffled around uncomfortable over wondering if it was a trick.

Blair pulled out two silvers from her purse.

" You ladies drive a hard bargain, will two suffice?"

" Ugh, I have one my lady!" a petite strawberry blonde woman approached her.

I believe her name was, Trixie?

Blair smiled at the young woman "Thank you, Trixie, may I call you Trix?" Blair passed the two silvers to Trixie, and took the much smaller copper coin.

" Thi-this humble maid wouldn't dare to be addressed as such, Duchess!" wide eyed Trixie blanched, droplets of sweat dotted her brow in worry.

" I'm going to ignore that, Trix." Blair chucked the young maid under her chin, staring into her eyes, a tilt to her lips.

Then she turned and threw the copper into the fountains.

The maids made a noise in confusion.

" Are, are you making a wish, my lady?" Trix seemed confused.

Understandable, I mean what would a Duchess have to wish for?

Blair clasped her hands together in front of her face, sending out a silent prayer

' Please, to whatever Gods may be listening, Please please please. Send me back home!'