by Amelia Grey
Including the pianoforte and Lord Henry, Esmeralda wanted to say but decided that Griffin didn’t need to know about the earl’s son.
“I’m rather glad they have someone else in the house to interact with now other than each other.”
“And that will change after they meet young ladies at the various parties.”
“Which reminds me,” he added. “I looked into your suggestion of finding out which young ladies who were a part of the wager hadn’t married and also had brothers, uncles, or fathers.”
“Who did you come up with?” she asked anxiously.
“Only two names.”
“But didn’t Sir Welby think there were more than two at White’s?”
He nodded. “He did but admitted he couldn’t be sure of anything other than the comments that perhaps the way to get back at me was through my sisters. If you listen carefully enough in a taproom, you can overhear a lot of conversations.”
“But you’re saying we have two young men to watch carefully, right?”
“Yes. For now, anyway. Sir Charles Redding and Mr. Albert Trent are the only gentlemen who have sisters who received a secret admirer letter but never married.”
Esmeralda repeated the names in her mind. They weren’t on any of Lady Evelyn’s lists. And they wouldn’t be. She wouldn’t consider either of them high enough in the heel to offer for the twins.
Why did Esmeralda keep forgetting all she’d been taught when she was living in her uncle’s home? She knew all about the snobbery of Polite Society. She just hadn’t been a part of it for a long time. And now she was on the other side of it.
“I will keep a steady eye on the two should they get near Lady Sara or Lady Vera even for a dance.”
The duke’s eyes swept up and down her face. Fluttering began in Esmeralda’s chest. It was madness that whenever he looked at her with that intimate intensity radiating from him, she wanted him to pull her into his strong arms, nestle her to him, and kiss her eager lips. She knew he was attracted to her. He had admitted that. But surely she was more aware of his every breath than he was of hers.
“Did you know that out in the sunlight your eyes lose all their brown coloring and are golden?”
With that question, Esmeralda felt the atmosphere change. The noise of the crowd faded away, the cool breeze stilled, and the sun heated her face. It was as if she and the duke were the only two people in the park.
“How could I possibly know that? I have never seen my eyes outside a house.”
“I thought perhaps someone might have told you—your parents, possibly a beau?”
“I’m sure you’ve had countless ladies tell you that your eyes are as blue as a summer sky.”
He ignored her comment and said, “You skillfully deflected my question, but I’m not going to let you get by with that.”
She evaded him again by saying, “Did you ask one? I thought you were making a statement.”
He gave her an amused smile. “It’s always a challenge with you, Esmeralda. I like that.”
She gasped. “You can’t call me by my given name.”
“I can and will when we are alone and no one is around to hear but you. Now, here is a direct question for you, Esmeralda. Have you ever been kissed?”
Her immediate instinct should have been to shy away from such intimate conversation once more and insist he call her Miss Swift at all times. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she was outraged he’d ask her something so personal, but staring into his striking gaze as it brushed down her face to her mouth, she knew she didn’t want to resist him in that way or any way.
Maybe she wanted him to call her Esmeralda and to know that her lips had never been touched by another’s. Maybe she wanted him to know she’d welcome his kiss.
Still, her practical, survival nature came to her rescue and she resisted what her heart desired and said, “I’ve not had time nor opportunity for such things as hugs and kisses.”
“Twenty-five and never been kissed.” His voice was low, and soft. “I find that very intriguing.”
His hold over her intensified. There was something about his unobtrusive interest in her that stirred her womanly passions to an anticipation she couldn’t have known existed.
Her throat ached with an increasing need that was always denied—to feel his lips caress hers. Perhaps he found it intriguing she’d never been kissed, but she found it discouraging that she’d never had the opportunity to know what it felt like to be kissed. She wanted to know.
Putting all her sensible, inner declarations aside, and willing her voice not to quiver, she asked, “Are you offering to change that, Your Grace?”
Chapter 16
Don’t think about romance. It has no place for a person in the line of service.
MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES
Esmeralda felt the duke’s breath kick up a notch, matching her own. She didn’t know where the question or her nerve to ask it had come from. It was impertinent, rash, and downright brazen, not to mention something that had never crossed her mind to say before it tumbled from her lips with a confidence that belied her inner feelings.
And impossible too!
Yet, for a split second she thought he was going to drop the blanket and the basket and do exactly what she desperately wanted him to do right there in the park in front of the world. However, he remained still and said, “You only dare to ask that because you know I can’t.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
His voice had been husky and caressing, leaving no doubt he meant what he said. And she understood. They were both born in the same world, but he didn’t know that because she now lived in a different society. Fate wasn’t likely to change their futures. He was a man of honor and had sworn not to touch her while she was under the protection of his household. It was becoming clear each time they met that it wasn’t what either of them wanted, but that was the way it had to be.
Knowing she needed to stop the intimacy swirling between them, she took a step back, changed her demeanor and her tone to one she would use on an errant child, and asked, “Then why would you bring up kissing, Your Grace?”
The corners of his mouth tightened. So did the corners of his eyes. He hadn’t liked her change in attitude or her question, but he had to know it was best. What was happening between the two of them needed to be stopped.
“Curious.”
She kept her firm countenance and expression. “And is that curiosity now satisfied?”
“It will have to be,” he answered much in the way she’d asked.
She inhaled deeply, trying not to allow the sudden disappointment she was feeling to overtake her. “That’s reassuring. As I said, I know little about kissing, and I doubt a man like you could teach me, so we don’t have to discuss kissing again, do we?”
He snorted a short laugh and moved to make up the distance she’d just put between them. Lowering his head so close to hers for a second she thought he was going to forget his honor, forget where they were, and kiss her anyway.
Instead he whispered, “You don’t think I can teach you? With a challenge like that thrown at me, oh yes, Miss Esmeralda Swift, we will talk about kissing again. Have no fear about that. It must wait until you are no longer in my employ, but we will discuss it.”
His tone suggested a promise. That had her legs once again feeling weak. The thought of a kiss from him, no matter how distant in the future, thrilled her, but somehow she had to keep him from knowing that. The duke was far more than she had bargained for, and she had to be careful. She didn’t want to leave her heart with him when she left his employment.
“Griffin!” Lady Sara asked as she ran up to her brother and bussed his cheek. “What are you doing here?”
Esmeralda expelled her deep breath and stepped away from the duke.
“I didn’t know you were going to join us today,” Lady Vera said, brushing the air beside his other
cheek while Napoleon barked once and then started sniffing around his feet.
“Neither did I, but I hope my arrival won’t spoil your afternoon.” He reached down and patted Napoleon on the head while he asked, “How are you, Miss Josephine?”
“Very well, Your Grace,” she said with a curtsy. “Did you get here in time to see the juggler?”
“I missed him. Was he good?”
“He was exceptional. What’s in the basket?”
He held up the wicker hamper. “I’m not sure, but I was told it’s refreshments for us to enjoy. After the puppet show is finished, we’ll find a place to spread the blanket and see what’s inside.”
“Excuse me, Your Grace, I don’t want to interrupt your afternoon on this fine day, but I didn’t want to pass by without stopping to speak either.”
Esmeralda looked around to see a tall, slender young man walking up to them. Like the duke, he was dashing in a black cloak secured around his shoulders and his hat held under his arm.
“No, Mr. Lambert,” the duke said with a nod and a gaze of scrutiny. “You’re not. I’ll introduce you.”
Esmeralda had heard of Mr. Peter Lambert, nephew to the Lord Mayor. He was a handsome fellow with straight, neatly trimmed dark brown hair. His brown eyes weren’t remarkable in any way, but she noted that, when he smiled, it showed in his whole face, making him appear friendly and cajoling. He wasn’t quite as tall or broad-shouldered as the duke, but a fine-looking man just the same. Most important of all, he wasn’t on Lady Evelyn’s list of possible suitors for the twins. No doubt she didn’t consider his social standing high enough for the twins.
After introductions were made, Mr. Lambert and the duke started chatting about how lovely the day was, about Napoleon’s name, and about the rise in footpads accosting people on the streets. Esmeralda watched the twins’ reaction to the man. Lady Vera seemed to dismiss him outright without a second glance. He wasn’t Lord Henry, so she was completely uninterested in him. Lady Sara was taking a different approach. She made eye contact with Mr. Lambert when she spoke to him, and his gaze kept straying back to her.
Instinct told Esmeralda that though she’d had a difficult time telling the twins apart, Mr. Lambert was having no problem seeing a distinct difference in the two sisters. It was quite clear that he’d seen something in Lady Sara that he hadn’t seen in her twin.
“There’s been a lot of talk about your sisters making their debut this Season,” Mr. Lambert said to the duke.
Even before the duke frowned suspiciously and his eyes narrowed and twitched, Esmeralda knew Mr. Lambert realized he’d brought up a subject that should not have been mentioned.
He quickly added, “Not bad talk, of course, Your Grace. No, nothing unflattering about them at all or anything of the sort. Because they are twins. I mean, that is to say, we don’t often see twins. That is what everyone, well, some, are talking about. So that’s what I was referring to, you see. Twins.” He glanced at Lady Sara. “To see if they really look very much alike. It’s the rarity of it that has people talking, er—about how rare it is to have twins debut the same Season. Nothing else.”
The confident young man was suddenly stumbling over his long-winded explanation so badly Esmeralda might have laughed at how horribly he managed his attempt to explain what he was trying to convey if she hadn’t felt sorry for him. Too late he realized that saying people were talking about the twins would make the duke automatically assume he was referring to the gossip swirling about possible mischief concerning them.
Luckily for the gentleman, Lady Vera spoke before the duke had a chance and said, “We are used to people staring at us because we’re twins and are quite prepared for it. It doesn’t bother us at all and, sometimes, it’s actually quite nice to be the center of attention.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I was meaning, Lady Vera,” Mr. Lambert hastened to say. “Everyone has been eager to see if you and Lady Sara are identical. And it’s really quite astonishing how much you do look like each other.”
“We’ll say good day to you now, Mr. Lambert,” the duke said tightly.
“Of course,” Mr. Lambert replied nervously. “I didn’t mean to keep you from your outing.”
By the time he said good-bye and walked away, the puppet show had ended, so they headed over to a nearby tree together. The twins talked quietly to each other. Josephine had stopped to study something she saw lying on the ground while Napoleon sniffed around the closed picnic basket.
“Keep an eye on that man,” the duke said in a soft voice to Esmeralda as he shook out the blanket.
She picked up the ends and helped him spread the thick woolen covering on the cold, hard-packed ground. “I will, but Mr. Lambert appeared to be a nice man.”
“Any man can be nice when he wants to.”
“I know.” Esmeralda glanced over at the twins. They weren’t paying any attention to what she and the duke were saying to each other, so she added, “He made it clear he wasn’t talking about the gossip that immediately came to your mind and his. Surely you saw how horrified he was when he realized what he said could be misconstrued by you?”
The duke’s mouth narrowed with a grimace. “And it was.”
“I think he’s harmless. He wouldn’t be a very good mischief-maker if brought up the mischief to the brother of the young ladies he intended to harm, now would he?”
“All the same, I don’t know him well, so watch him.”
She smiled at the duke. “I shall watch everyone. Including you.”
His brows rose and he tensed. “Me?”
“Yes. To make sure you don’t go around accosting innocent young gentleman.”
A smile relaxed his face. “I want you watching me,” he said. He reached for her hand, which she quickly drew back.
“I only want to help you sit down, Miss Swift.”
“Oh, of course.” Esmeralda hesitated for a moment longer and then placed her hand in his. At his touch, she felt a shock of sensuous awareness shoot throughout her body and settle low and longingly in her abdomen. His strong fingers took hold of hers in a gentle, possessive way that made her feel warm all over. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would seek her out after she was no longer in his employ or if the attraction that sizzled between them now would have faded by then.
While the duke helped Lady Sara and Lady Vera to sit down opposite Esmeralda, she called for Josephine to come join them.
“Just a minute,” her sister replied and continued her inspection of the ground.
Not wanting to make the others wait, Esmeralda said, “Let’s start without her. She’s obviously discovered something interesting to look at. I’m sure she’ll be along in a minute.”
“All right.” Griffin took off his hat and made himself comfortable beside Esmeralda. “Let’s see what we have in here.” He opened the basket to a stack of napkins on top. He handed them to Lady Vera and said, “I’ll let you pass these around.” He reached into the basket again and brought out a silver container with a stopper in it. He opened it and smelled. “Looks like we have warm chocolate in this.” He handed it to Esmeralda along with several china cups and said, “You pour this, and I’ll see what else we have in here.”
“It’s probably cheese and bread,” Lady Sara offered.
“No,” Griffin said, carefully unwrapping a napkin. “It looks like we have tarts.”
“Fig or apricot?” Lady Vera asked.
He broke one open. “Fig.” Napoleon walked over to the duke, sat on his haunches, and licked his chops. “All right, Emperor. You can have the first one.” Griffin took the pastry and held it in the palm of his hand. Napoleon gobbled it down in two chomps.
Esmeralda’s gaze kept straying to Griffin while she poured the chocolate. The wind had ruffled his hair. She liked the way it had feathered away from his forehead. It gave him an approachable appeal that didn’t show when he stood so tall, strong, and masculine.
She handed a cup to Lady Vera and then to Lady Sara. There
was something about sitting with Griffin and his sisters, and enjoying light conversation, that felt good and right. It was a foolish feeling, she knew, but it was as if she belonged—that she was a real part of their lives and equally acceptable socially.
She smiled to herself when she realized she’d been thinking of the duke as “Griffin” rather than “Your Grace” since they sat down to have the refreshments. Perhaps it was because he’d decided to call her Esmeralda when they were alone. She felt comfortable thinking of him as Griffin and in her thoughts would continue to do so.
When Esmeralda handed a cup to Griffin, his fingers closed over hers and held for a moment before releasing her so she could let go of the cup. Surely if he knew how topsy-turvy her stomach felt when he touched her, he wouldn’t do it. Or maybe he knew, and that was why he did it. It could be that he had a wicked desire to torture her, for it was sweet torture to be filled with such delicious sensations.
Esmeralda called to Josephine again as she poured chocolate for herself. “There may not be anything left for you to eat or drink if you don’t hurry.”
“Griffin,” Lady Sara asked, “is Lord Henry more handsome than Mr. Lambert?”
The duke’s gaze darted to Esmeralda’s. She shrugged slightly. She couldn’t help him because she’d never seen Lord Henry.
“I’m not one to ask how handsome a man is, Sara. You best ask your aunt about that.”
“There’s no point in asking her, Sara,” Lady Vera said. “Aunt Evelyn wouldn’t have told us Lord Henry was the most handsome eligible bachelor if it wasn’t true.”
“Perhaps, but I’m going to tell her we met Mr. Lambert in the park today and ask her more about him when we return. And I noticed he had very nice hands too.”
“Essie, look what I found!” Josephine ran up between the twins. She held a large frog, its plump body squeezed between her small hands. Long skinny legs and webbed feet dangled right at the twins’ eye level when she thrust it toward Esmeralda.
