The Duke's Heart

by Boyd, Heather

  The girl winced. “My father said you want to change me. I guess he was right that you would start straight away.”

  “A change for the better, and it will not be painful, I assure you. I want you to feel at home in any drawing room—be it here or before the queen. What I really want to do today is learn more about you. Your passions, your interests. The ones you do not dare tell your father because you fear he might misunderstand or deny you them. Do you share an interest in mechanics and design with your father? Be honest now.”

  The girl sighed. “Not really. I would like to know what he is up to, but joining in is not ladylike. There are days I wish I had been born a son so he would have reason to be proud of me.”

  “Nonsense, girl. He is already proud of you. Did you hear him threaten me? He loves you just the way you are, as did your mother.”

  “Did you really never meet my mother?”

  “Sadly, that is true, but I did like her very much.” Kitty nodded. “We corresponded for several years, but the distance between us and the expense of travel was always an obstacle, you understand. Her letters were full of love for your successes as you were growing.”

  “I miss her,” Felicity whispered.

  Kitty quickly placed her hand on the girl’s and smiled. “And you always will. I miss my mother dreadfully still, too, and she has been gone thirty years now.”

  There was a light tap at the door, and Willa called out that Percy had finally gone. Kitty rushed to admit her to the room again.

  “Did he cause you any distress, my dear?” Kitty asked, after noticing Willa’s cheeks seemed a bit flushed now, too.

  “Not at all,” Willa promised. “But I swear he imagines we’ll corrupt her.”

  “I think I might fall in love with her instead,” Kitty suggested, smiling at the girl again. “She wants to learn from us how to better manage her father.”

  Willa laughed uproariously at the news. “If only we ladies could bottle our successes with our men, we’d each possess a fortune,” she promised, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

  Felicity grinned, and it was clear to see Willa had won the girl over already. Kitty could not be more relieved that she’d come to London now, no matter the original incentive. It was good to be with family and friends once more.

  During her discussions with Felicity, she might be able to discover if the girl had ever had cause to worry about her father’s mental state. She wasn’t quite sure Percy was unbalanced, but only time would tell if he would prove her wrong. She hoped he would not. “Would you care for tea, my dears?”

  Chapter 9

  Sinclair stepped from his carriage in darkness and glanced up at Lady Darrow’s blue-painted front door. According to Percy Hunter, his sister Kitty was here—unless he was too late and she’d already left London. It had been several days now since he’d first caught sight of her. Sinclair sincerely hoped she had not gone. He really wanted to talk to her, and hopefully alone, after all the obstacles he’d overcome to get here.

  He’d finally managed to evade Teddy’s company tonight. He’d told his heir he was going to his club, and since Teddy disliked the crowd that usually gathered at White’s, the young man had voluntarily stayed behind at home.

  It was only after he’d given the coachman the directions to White’s, and they were underway, that he’d called out a new destination, believing Teddy would never find out or suspect him of subterfuge tomorrow.

  He clenched his hands at his sides and released them as he looked up and down the street, a little anxious that his ducal carriage went unnoticed as it stood before this quaint little townhouse. If it were any other woman he was calling on, he should have come during the usual visiting hours in daylight, rather than night.

  If anyone saw him, they would assume he’d come for an assignation. Lady Darrow was unmarried, but the mistress of a fellow duke.

  He would apologize to Lady Darrow for the hour and his need to come, but he would not be deterred. He would not pass another day or night wondering if he might meet Kitty by chance somewhere else.

  Seeing Kitty again consumed his thoughts.

  He looked back to the house and studied the place carefully. The windows were lit, signaling someone was indeed home to see him. He took a breath. “Wait here a moment, and when I am admitted, you may return for me in one hour.”

  It might have been presumptuous to imagine he’d be welcome to stay so long in conversation with Kitty. But he had one burning question to have answered by the end of that hour, and he would not leave without a satisfactory response.

  He strode away from the carriage and up the steps quickly, determined that nothing stand in his way now.

  He reached the door and knocked. When it opened, he presented his card without a word. The butler studied it, and then he was invited inside immediately. “Lady Darrow has been expecting you,” the fellow murmured. “If you will come with me.”

  Sinclair blinked at that. Lady Darrow was an acquaintance of his, but he had not seen her in some time. He had never called upon her before. She was always in London, but being a fellow duke’s mistress meant they did not attend many of the same events often.

  The butler led him to a charming sitting room at the back of the house, one a quarter the size of his own. His eyes fell on Kitty immediately, but he made himself pay his addresses to Lady Darrow first. “Thank you for seeing me, Lady Darrow,” he murmured as he bowed over her outstretched hand. “I apologize for the late hour of my call.”

  “Your grace, it is a pleasure to see you at any time,” she replied with a soft laugh, and then her eyes cut to Kitty. “Isn’t it a delightful surprise, Lady Forbes?”

  Kitty set her needlework aside, her eyes narrowed a touch, but then she smiled graciously. “Indeed. Welcome, your grace,” Kitty murmured.

  He was disappointed she did not offer her hand but it was just as well. He was not entirely sure what he’d do if he had her in his grip again. “It is good to see you again.”

  He found the shock of seeing her again was easier to bear tonight than the first time. Kitty might have changed, aged, but was still lovely. His reaction to her reappearance was unchanged from when he’d stumbled upon her at the pleasure gardens, though. However, tonight she was better lit by candlelight, and the alterations to her features were more apparent in the fine lines on her face. Her eyes were wary, her smile strained.

  His anxiety rose now. He was older than she must recall as well. Was her shock at seeing him just as overwhelming?

  Lady Darrow gestured to the chairs. “Please, won’t you sit? Would you care for refreshment?”

  “Thank you, but please do not go to any trouble.”

  “Oh, it is no trouble at all,” Lady Darrow promised. “A drink perhaps to mark the occasion.”

  Yes, he did feel an urge to celebrate seeing Kitty again. “An excellent idea.”

  Lady Darrow gestured to a servant, and when he had his own glass, the servant was sent away.

  Lady Darrow fairly exuded an aura of barely contained excitement as she looked between them. Sinclair assumed, since Lady Darrow had been expecting him to call, and was so gracious in her welcome, that Kitty must have shared confidences that involved him. He hoped that did him some good tonight.

  “To old friends reunited,” he suggested, lifting his glass in a toast.

  Kitty raised hers and sipped; studying him closely all the while she did so.

  The curious expression in her eyes brought an answering response in him. He could not get from his mind that Kitty was sitting right there in front of him, a widow, and he had never really forgotten how much she had meant to him. They had been good together once, and he’d most definitely felt a pull of attraction between them the other night at the pleasure gardens. He still felt it. She interested him.

  Was it too late to pick up where they’d left off years ago?

  They talked about the weather and the latest scandals for a while. Harmless small talk that did nothing to ease
the tension in Sinclair, until Kitty’s smile turned genuine as she finally relaxed.

  He and Kitty had perfected their public performances years ago. No matter how desperately he’d wanted Kitty at the time, he had somehow managed to restrain himself from singling her out. Kitty had seemed to do the same with him, appearing much more interested in everyone else’s marriage prospects than her own. Until this day, he’d believed no one knew they’d been lovers. Lady Darrow, however, fairly beamed each time he caught her eye. She must know about them, but for how long had she?

  Lady Darrow winked at him. “I understand your niece and nephew are filling their nurseries to overflowing.”

  “Hardly that. But it does seem that way, given two sets of twins have been born so close together. The noise of all those crying little urchins quite deafens at six in the morning. For some reason, they are all early risers like me.”

  “Two sets of twins?” Kitty exclaimed in surprise. “Oh, my word, that is a handful.”

  “They do not want to miss anything,” Lady Darrow suggested. “Lady Forbes is an early riser as well.”

  He glanced at Kitty quickly in surprise that they shared that trait still. He remembered why it had been important they rose early before. When they were young, neither one of them were keen for Kitty to be caught slipping from his bed, or him from hers, too late in the morning. In hindsight, it was a pity she had not been caught with him. They might have married and spent many a blissful night together ever since. He shook the regret aside. “My niece’s husband, Lord Hallam, and my nephew, Ettington, have become competitive about the next arrivals.”

  Lady Darrow laughed. “What of their wives?”

  “Content, I assure you,” he said, smiling too as he thought fondly of the young women of his family. “They often write of how amused they are by their husband’s antics.”

  “That is wonderful,” Lady Darrow exclaimed. “When will you see them all again?”

  “Not for a while more. It seems I have reason to stay in the city for a bit longer this year.”

  Lady Darrow beamed again, and then glanced at Kitty. “It has been an age since my friend and I were together. I was so excited to see Kitty, I ran straight outside to drag her in. I may never let her leave again without a good reason.”

  “Well, I completely understand why you would want to keep her close,” he promised with a soft laugh. “I would have done the same, too, if Lady Forbes had arrived at my door at any time in the last years.”

  Lady Darrow’s eyes turned glassy with sudden tears. Apparently, he was saying the right things as far as Lady Darrow was concerned, but Kitty had grown unnaturally quiet and watchful during their exchange.

  Lady Darrow drew breath before continuing. “I hope to see the two of you standing together before my door one fine day in the not-too-distant future.”

  Kitty’s soft gasp was the only sign of her reaction to that bold suggestion.

  Sinclair colored at the unexpected image her words evoked but was a little astonished that Lady Darrow’s support meant so much to him. Perhaps having Lady Darrow on his side before might have prevented Kitty from rushing off to marry someone he considered unworthy of her affection.

  “I would like that,” he promised, and then turned his full attention on the object of his undiminished interest. “Very much.” Kitty was the reason he’d come, but suddenly those answers were unimportant now. “I called on your brother.”

  “Yes, he mentioned you called but none of the particulars.” She nodded. “That was very unexpected of you.”

  “It was a happy visit with an old friend, and I am pleased to say the matter of his experiments has been discussed and resolved to my satisfaction.”

  “What experiments?”

  He glanced at Lady Darrow, wondering if he should continue the subject in her presence. Some matters should stay private. The nature of Percy Hunter’s experiments in warfare would get Percy in trouble with the authorities if it were widely known.

  Lady Darrow heaved a sigh, but then she shook her head and stood. “Would you excuse me, your grace? Lady Forbes. I hope you do not mind if I leave you two alone to discuss Mr. Hunter. I am sure you do not need me becoming involved in what must be a family matter.”

  “Not at all. I appreciate your understanding,” Sinclair said quickly, and Lady Darrow hurried to leave. “That was rather abrupt. I did not mean to drive her off.”

  “My brother’s behavior has often vexed her over the years. She has no patience to hear more of his lurid accusations.”

  “What accusations are you talking about?”

  Kitty bit her lip.

  “Tell me what else he has done, Kitty.”

  She leaned forward to whisper, “He has been very confused. You could not have hurt your sister, as he claimed. He wrote the most appalling letter to me, so I felt I had no choice but to come before he did something foolish and hurt you. If I had found him insane, I swear I would have taken care of the matter. You would never have had a need to be involved with my family again.”

  Sinclair was so startled, he gaped at her for a full minute, he suspected. “You came to London because of him? To protect me from him because you thought he’d lost his mind.”

  “And to protect my family from scandal. Percy may be head of the family, but I am not without resources now. I will remain watchful of him. I suggest you keep your men on alert and with you at all times, just in case.”

  Sinclair was utterly appalled. “I assure you, Percy Hunter’s mind is completely unchanged with the years. He means me no real harm. He just wanted my attention and chose a poor way to get it. Why, I sat in a room with him alone the other day, and he never once gave me cause for concern.”

  She exhaled and closed her eyes. “Thank heavens I was mistaken about him then, but you can understand why I worried. My niece is of an age where even the suggestion of madness in our family could weaken her chances of making a good match.” She looked at Sinclair closely. “If you had not heard of his threats against you, why did you go see him? Why do you have guards following you about now?”

  “It is not important.”

  A look of skepticism crossed her face. “You ventured from Mayfair to Southwark just to pass the time? I doubt that can be true, but of course, you do not have to tell me the truth. It must have been important though. You spoke of experiments.”

  “Forgive me. I wrongly assumed Percy had told you of his success by now. I should have held my tongue.”

  Kitty’s eyes narrowed. “He tells me nothing, as usual.”

  He would not like to be the cause of Percy being committed to Bedlam on his account, but she might hear of his design from someone else. He’d never lied to her before. “Do not be alarmed by what I tell you now…but your brother has been waging war on me on and off for a year.”

  She grew very pale. “War?”

  “I do not retaliate,” he promised quickly, holding up one hand. “At first, it was an enjoyable surprise, never knowing what he was about to do next. But lately, he is taking too many risks. My people could be harmed. Proving his designs work was important to him, but I wanted to prevent injury, and more expenses without confronting him, until now. So when I finally found where he lives, I called upon him to discover what was on his mind.”

  “Madness,” Kitty whispered.

  “No. No. Do not let what Percy has done concern you. It was just like old times when we were children.”

  “That is not reassuring.” She put her head in her hands. “He is mad, and he hides it so well. Dear God, how am I going to convince others I am right if not even you see it?”

  “Nothing to be done. Percy is not a child or at all mad.”

  Kitty sat up swiftly, remembering her station, her decorum. A lady did not slump before a duke, even if Sinclair had seen her in worse poses. “He is acting like a child, and I must apologize on behalf of my family. I will deal with him, I swear.”

  “He was simply frustrated, and his spirits brought l
ow by missing his wife, I suspect. I have promised him that my interest in his inventions has never waned, so I hope that has brightened his mind. I also hope to move him and his rather dangerous carriage contraption from London as soon as can be, so he might begin construction of another far from innocent bystanders. There are several fellows I know who are already intrigued by his new design, once I explained the clever modifications he has made to a carriage.”

  “A carriage?”

  Sinclair grinned. “On the outside, it seems a normal conveyance, but it is capable of launching missiles great distances—eggs in the most recent tests—at any window in my house that he chooses. Two floors up one time, one lower on another occasion. His accuracy has improved since his first disastrous attempt, which only managed to sully the front steps. Thankfully, nothing but the window panes were harmed in any of the past assaults.”

  Kitty gaped at him. “He is mad, and so are you for not having him arrested already!”

  “All the best inventers are eccentric,” Sinclair assured her. He was not worried about Percy Hunter. They’d come to an understanding, and the resumption of their conversations would ease any other discord that might exist between them. If Percy believed him responsible for his twin sister’s choice of husband still, they would talk about her again. But he would not mention that conversation to Kitty. Then she’d really be worried about her brother’s state of mind.

  He met Kitty’s gaze and saw her concern. It brightened his heart considerably that she’d deemed it necessary to come to London to protect him from her own brother.

  He drank in the poised form of his former lover, and the yearning to comfort her, hold her, stirred. He would very much like to know her again. “It is good to see you, Kitty, for any reason.”

  Her face lifted slowly. “And you, Sinclair.”

  He brightened at hearing his name on her lips again. The accent suited her, he decided. “I heard about your husband’s passing from Percy. You must have been devastated after so long together.”

  She nodded. “I am consoled by the love and support of my family.”