Evading the Duke
Page 24
He angled a glance in Miss Halliday’s direction. “Would you prefer I stay behind, too? Do you really not want assistance?”
“I was being nice. They outnumber me five to one. Of course I want your help.” She laughed. The sound of it was rich and pulled a smile from him. “I would be lost without you. I feel quite out of my element sometimes.”
“You have handled country life very well. It is hard to believe you never ventured from the city until your sister married Beckford.”
“It is a nice life,” she said. “I expect many years of happiness at Blackwood Castle.”
His heart burgeoned with hope before it realized she meant that she would be staying on as the governess, and it was in that moment he realized his heart had known his desire for days now. He drew her closer to his side and smiled when she leaned into him.
Rebecca hung back with them, walking only a few paces ahead. “Mama said Dr. Campion and his bride returned yesterday.”
“Yes, and just in time,” Miss Halliday said. “My sister expects she will have her baby any day now.”
Rebecca spun around, walking backward while she addressed her governess. “May I visit Danby Castle after the baby is born? Would your sister allow me to see the baby?”
“I am sure Felicity would love to show you her newest son or daughter. She might even allow you to hold him or her.”
Colin’s oldest niece giggled and twirled back around to see where she was going. Rebecca had begun talking more over the last week, shedding her shyness around her governess. It was a splendid development, and even more evidence that Miss Halliday belonged at Blackwood Castle.
As their group neared the barn, one of the collie pups ventured outside, spotted the girls, and clumsily bounded toward them. His brothers and sisters, hearing delighted squeals, waddled outside to investigate. Their full bellies nearly dragged the ground as they trotted across the packed dirt to greet them. Each of Colin’s nieces chose a favorite pup to lavish with hugs and kisses. Miss Halliday dropped his arm and hurried forward to kneel beside the youngest girl.
“We have to be gentle,” she said to Nora when the girl tried to lift the puppy by his neck. “He is only a baby. Do you remember how I taught you to hold a baby?”
“Yes, Miss Halliday.” Nora created a cradle with her arms, and Miss Halliday carefully gave her the pup. His pink tongue swiped Nora’s chin, and she grinned, her dimples appearing. “He licked me!”
Her teacher laughed. “Just don’t lick him back.”
“Ew!” Nora wrinkled her nose. “That would taste bad.”
“About as bad as the biscuits around here, I imagine,” Miss Halliday mumbled to herself, but Colin caught every word and chuckled.
Caroline’s pup slowly began to slip through her arms, its hind legs dangling several inches off the ground.
“May I hold him?” Colin asked and held out his hands.
Caroline furrowed her brow as if considering his request.
“Please,” he said, drawing out the word and flashing what he hoped was a winsome smile.
Eventually, she inclined her head with an exaggerated huff and surrendered the puppy. “She is not a boy. Her name is... Lady Harriet, uh...”
“Lambkins?” he teased.
“No, Uncle.” She lifted her small chin, reminding him of her mother. “It is Puppykins.”
Colin tweaked her sweet pink cheek. “You are much too clever, Caro.”
The girl clasped her hands at her chest and flashed a wide smile at his sincere compliment. His nieces surprised him at every turn with their absolute brilliance.
Miss Halliday helped Nora place the puppy on the ground then stood. “Who can tell me why Blackwood breeds collies rather than pugs or poodles?”
“What is a pug?” Iris asked.
Her oldest sister Rebecca shushed her before answering Miss Halliday’s question. “Collies help herd the sheep and protect them from predators.”
Iris shot her hand into the air to hail her teacher’s attention. “What’s a predator?”
“Don’t be an imbecile,” Emily said and elbowed Iris in the side. “Everyone knows it’s a wild dog.”
“Not everyone.” Iris shoved her sister and called her a goose. Their governess stepped between them before the two came to blows.
“Now, now. Fisticuffs are not part of our lesson today.”
“What about fencing?” Iris blurted with a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes.
“That is next week,” Miss Halliday said with a wink. “Right after you finish your watercolors.”
Emily giggled into her hand, and Iris cheered. Both knew very well none of them would ever be allowed to wield blades. Since both girls had gotten in shots at one another, and neither had really been scolded, they returned to discussing the collies without further incident.
Colin shared a secret smile with Miss Halliday over their heads. She was nothing like the governesses or tutors his father had hired to teach him and his younger brothers. Perhaps if the educators had been quicker to laugh and easier with the rod, Colin would have been more interested in his lessons.
Aside from discussing the working dog’s role on a farm, Miss Halliday turned their brief stop to pet the puppies into a lesson on mammals—and how they were different from reptiles, birds, and amphibians. She asked the older girls to apply what they learned to determine if lambs, puppies, and babies were all mammals. Caroline and Nora were the two naysayers in the group, pronouncing it impossible when they looked nothing alike.
The group had moved out into the field where the youngest were practicing their numbers by counting sheep when Mrs. Browning came to the fence. “It is time for supper,” she called.
Miss Halliday waved to the nanny and dismissed her students. “I should gather my belongings and return to Danby Castle.”
When she tried to duck past Colin, he gently captured her arm. “Must you go?”
He’d been hoping for a moment alone with her to determine if their wishes for the future might be in alignment.
She blinked, taking in the sight of his hand around her wrist before raising her gaze toward him. Confusion clouded her brown eyes. “I know it is an unusual arrangement, my lord. As governess, I should have a room at Blackwood, but my sister will give birth any day. I promise to be at your nieces’ disposal once she does.”
“That wasn’t my meaning. I understand your sister needs you.” He lifted her wrist to entwine the fingers of his free hand with hers, wishing he could feel her skin against his. “But I would like to speak with you.”
Her eyes grew round. “Wh-why?”
He could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Her labored breath matched his own. With her near, his heart thumped vigorously. He felt more alive than he ever had, and he yearned to hold her. As if a magnetic force drew him, he swayed toward her.
Her eyes widened even more. “M-my lord, I d-do not understand. H-have I done something w-wrong?”
Evidence of her alarm broke the spell he’d been under. She only stuttered when she was anxious, and he hadn’t intended to upset her. He released her hand and moved to a respectable distance. “Forgive me, Miss Halliday. I forgot myself. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
The wrinkling of her brow displayed her confusion. She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly.
Damnation. He was a bloody imbecile. Obviously, she did not share the attraction he felt, and while he’d been entertaining the possibilities of what might be growing between them, their daily excursions with his nieces were simply part of her duties. He should cancel the meeting with his banker, fulfill his agreement with Danby, and put the past couple of weeks behind him. It would be the least difficult path to travel, but he didn’t want simple. He wanted her.
“Are you content at Blackwood?” he asked.
Her head snapped up. “Of course, my lord. I have been treated very well.”
“You obviously have a love for teaching, and you get on well with my nieces.”
“You needn’t be concerned about your performance. You are marvelous.”
“Oh.” Her mouth formed a perfect puckered little circle, and all he could think about was kissing her. It threatened to drive all other thoughts from his head.
He swallowed hard. “I enjoy our time together very much, Miss Halliday. I wonder if you might feel the same.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. The air grew heavy, vibrating like a plucked violin string as he held his breath, awaiting her response. A spark of desire darkened her cocoa brown eyes and fanned the flames of his own need. Neither of them looked away. They seemed locked in this moment and careening toward an end that could not be undone.
He cleared his throat, but his voice still sounded husky when he spoke. “If you don’t wish for me to kiss you, perhaps you should go.”
She slowly uncrossed her arms and allowed them to hang at her sides.
“Now,” he snarled, unintentionally harsh.
She held her ground. The tip of her tongue darted across her lips, leaving them glistening in the late afternoon sunlight. “A-and if I do wish for y-you to kiss me...?”
His heart stumbled and slammed into his ribs. “Then I am your servant.” They stepped toward one another, and Colin swept her against him. Her body fit perfectly with his; her mouth was soft beneath his. A soft moan slipped from her and sent his blood—hot and pulsing—tearing through his veins. He could devour her in one kiss; he could lose himself in her.
But she was an innocent.
He was a gentleman.
And he wanted to build a forever with her.
Reluctantly, he ended their kiss and hugged her. She laid her head on his shoulder. His breath came in heavy gasps as he tried to regain control. At last, when he’d recovered, he brushed his lips across her forehead.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Miss Halliday,” he murmured as she snuggled closer, “except capture my heart.”
Chapter 10
Meredith’s legs shook as Lord Blackwood escorted her back to the castle to gather her belongings. Exhilaration and mortification battled for control inside of her. Her sister had warned her the earl seemed interested in more than Meredith’s teaching abilities, but she had dismissed Felicity’s worries as fanciful and attributed them to overprotectiveness.
Colin MacBride was an earl; Meredith was a physician’s daughter. Even though her sister had married above her station, it was a rare occurrence, and Meredith wasn’t naive. A kiss between a governess and her employer seldom led to an offer of marriage—but heavens above. It had been the kiss of a lifetime. And Lord Blackwood had been stealing little pieces of her heart since the beginning: the way he doted on his nieces, his interest in their education, speaking with Meredith as if she was his equal. How could she squelch the hope blossoming within her chest?
She held her breath and glanced at the earl for a hint of what her future held. He offered an easy smile.
“I detect a trace of rain on the air. Hopefully, it will hold off until evening. I have a meeting with my banker in”—he pulled his watch from his waistcoat pocket to check the time—“two hours.”
Meredith blinked. Her head was reeling from their kiss, and he was thinking about the weather and business. Their encounter didn’t appear to have affected him in the least. Her hope deflated a little.
“If you are not needed urgently at Danby Castle,” he said as he slipped his watch back into the pocket, “I will escort you home before traveling on to the village.”
“Thank you.”
She dropped her gaze to the well-traveled path beneath her boots. He was behaving as if he kissed young ladies every day. The urge to ask if theirs meant anything to him bubbled up at the back of her throat, but she swallowed against it. She didn’t want to know if she was one among many who had succumbed to his charms.
Heat rushed into her face at the thought; they walked in silence.
She loved being a governess to the little girls at Blackwood Castle. She’d never been happier in her life, but now she couldn’t imagine returning every day, pretending with their uncle that nothing had changed—that he hadn’t kissed her and unearthed a desire she’d buried halfway into her unsuccessful season.
Meredith longed to be a wife and mother, and she wanted that life with Colin.
She pressed her fingers against the throbbing ache building at her temple. The earl drew her to a halt in the castle yard.
“Is everything all right?”
She nodded as the backs of her eyes began to itch. She really didn’t want to cry, but if he didn’t stop looking at her with heat in his gaze, she wouldn’t be able to forget that she’d invited him to kiss her.
“You may speak freely, Meredith. What is on your mind?” He reached to cradle her face. She angled her head away, and his hand fell to his side.
“I’ve frightened you.”
She shook her head. His image blurred, and dreaded tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She swiped at them with her fingers, wetting her gloves.
“I have,” he said, “and I am ashamed for allowing my...eagerness to overcome my good manners.”
If his words were meant to provide comfort, they failed. More tears fell on her cheeks, and they were coming faster. He retrieved a handkerchief, handed it to her, and drew her beneath his arm. She stiffened, trying not to sag against his side, but the temptation was great. Pulling away, she dried her eyes and sniffled.
“I really should go, and I do not want the girls to see me like this.”
His sigh sounded weary. “I understand. You may wait in the drawing room while I retrieve your belongings.” He escorted her inside and left her perched on the settee. When he reached the drawing room threshold, he turned back to her. “I should explain.”
“Please, may I have a moment to collect myself?” If he said what she suspected—that kissing her had meant nothing—she would start blubbering and make a larger fool of herself.
“Of course.” Furrows appeared on his forehead. “But when I return with your personal items, we should discuss what happened.”
She took a shaky breath and nodded as heat consumed her once again. Apparently satisfied, he left for the classroom. She dabbed at her eyes once more, wondering how she could face him when he returned.
He’d only been gone a few moments when Lady Blackwood stalked into the drawing room and closed the doors. Meredith sat up straighter. A cold knot formed in the pit of her belly when the countess leaned against the doors and glowered in her direction.
“You sneak,” Lady Blackwood hissed. “How dare you play your games in my house?”
Meredith gasped. Lady Blackwood had been stern with her a few times when Meredith hadn’t followed her directions to the letter, but she had never berated her with such ferocity. Meredith searched her memory for what she could have done wrong and couldn’t think of anything. She’d coaxed the girls into eating their vegetables at noon, and she’d had them change into old frocks before they’d walked to the pasture.
The countess’s blond brows arched higher on her forehead. “I saw you and Blackwood in the castle yard.”
Meredith’s spine grew rigid when the woman speared her with an icy glare and crossed the room. Lord Blackwood’s sister-in-law stopped in front of Meredith, looking down her nose at her. “Are you hoping for a marriage match? Do you think you could be the next countess?”
“That has never been my aim, ma’am.” Meredith clenched her fists in her lap. The woman’s sardonic tone reminded her too much of the insults she had suffered in London.
“I have played your game and won.” The countess leaned forward, lording her position over Meredith. “I earned my place, you grasping little trollop. I devoted two years toward catching my husband,
and you think you can waltz into Blackwood Castle and wheedle a marriage proposal from Colin in two weeks?”
The roar of Meredith’s blood pumping through her veins whooshed in her ears. She’d had enough of the vile woman’s abuse. Giving in to her base desires had been a mistake, but she would never use manipulation to further her gains. “I am here to teach your daughters. My friendship with Lord Blackwood is no cause for concern.”
“Friendship.” One side of the woman’s mouth curved up. “You seemed chummy a moment ago. I believe you desire more than friendship, Miss Halliday, and the game has been played on you.”
The sound of crackling paper caught Meredith’s attention, and she realized the countess had been holding something behind her back.
“Colin doesn’t want you here.” She thrust the paper in Meredith’s face, and Meredith flinched. “He only agreed to hire you in exchange for land, and he will do anything necessary to fulfill his agreement with Danby. He does not care for you.”
Meredith took the letter and silently read the damning words. A lump formed in her throat as she neared the end. Lady Blackwood spoke the truth. Meredith was simply a bargain to fulfill, and the duke had betrayed her.
The countess backed away and pointed toward the door. “Leave my house at once. You are not wanted here.”
Meredith rose from the settee, bade the countess a good day, and swept from the drawing room with her head held high and the letter in hand. Once she was outside, however, she lifted her skirts and ran away in a most undignified manner. She was almost halfway to Danby Castle before she realized fleeing was unnecessary.
Lord Blackwood wasn’t giving chase.
She slowed her pace. Dampness plastered several strands of hair to her forehead, and her breath came out in forceful puffs.
“He isn’t coming,” she murmured as if saying it aloud might make it easier to accept, but it didn’t. Disappointment crashed down on her, sitting heavily on her chest, and her boots suddenly felt like they were made of stone.
She had fallen for the earl when all along he’d probably been seeking a way to compel her to resign. And most troubling of all, he’d been scheming with the duke, a man she’d come to love like a grandfather.