Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

S he felt his arms wrapping around her, the strength of them so all-encompassing that it was no effort for him to take her falling weight and steady her as he pulled her body into his chest. And as he did, those large arms held her close, tight into him, protecting her and caring for her so that there was no chance she might fall and hurt herself.

It happened in an instant. She stumbled, and the next thing she knew, he had her. But time seemed to slow as she rested in his embrace, and rather than pushing back and trying to force his arms from her, Caroline could not help but succumb for a moment to their feel around her, for it was a level of intimacy and intensity that she had never known and did not wish to end.

"What is going on here?" His Grace growled, still holding Caroline so that she was half-horizontal, one foot on the ground, the other up… dangling by his calf as if she meant to wrap her leg around him.

"Nothing!" Isabella cried. "We were just… nothing!"

He looked down at Caroline as he cradled her, no sense that he meant to let her go. And for a further moment, he simply held her close as his stare bore into her, a feeling that he was trying to see through her as he searched for the truth. And Caroline, her mind gone now as all she could think of was the way she felt in his strong and protective arms, met them and held them and forgot who she was and what she had been doing.

"Do not lie to me, Isabella."

"I am not!"

"Miss Dowding?" he then asked, still looking at her. "Tell me, is my daughter a liar?"

"I…" Caroline's mouth was bone dry, her tongue swollen in her mouth. "I… she… we…"

"Well?"

Caroline gave her head a shake. "She is not lying, Your Grace. It is as Isabella said."

"Is that so?" Still holding her in his arms, he looked down at her, a warning glare that was intended to break her resolve, but she matched it, refusing to give in… even if a small part of her wished to.

"What in the name of all things have I walked in on!" Esther appeared suddenly around the corner. She took in the scene, a smile split her face, and she threw back her head and cackled. "Perhaps I should do another lap of the estate if my timing is inappropriate!"

And just like that, the moment was broken.

His Grace lifted Caroline up and planted her on her feet as if she were a piece of furniture. Then he stepped back, making sure to step around her and block Isabella from escaping, trapping the two women between himself and his grandmother.

"Do not be ridiculous," he sighed. "I was simply helping Miss Dowding."

"It looked as if you were."

His expression was flat… even if there was a tinge of red on his cheeks. "She ran into me if you must know. They both did." He widened his eyes at Isabella. "So, I ask again, what is going on here? Where are the two of you coming from?"

"Nowhere!" Isabella said immediately. "Right, Caroline?"

"Caroline?" His Grace raised an eyebrow at Caroline which had her cheeks flushing even more red. "I did not know the two of you were so close."

"I… we… I asked that she call me as such," Caroline managed, unable to meet the Duke's eyes because her mind was still on his arms around her, and whenever she looked at him, she could hardly concentrate.

"Oh, leave the poor girl alone," Esther said. "Both of them."

"I simply wish to know where my daughter was," he argued. "I was told she was outdoors, climbing trees…" He looked warningly at Isabella. "… but my daughter knows better than that."

"I do!" Isabella said a little too loudly. "Which is why I would not do such a thing."

"Is that right?"

"It is." She firmed her gaze on her father, refusing to break it.

"Then tell me…" He looked right at his daughter, anger building. "… why is your dress dirty?"

"I—" Isabella caught her tongue because, indeed, the knees of her dress were scuffed with dirt from sitting on the carriage's roof.

"I told you not to lie to me, Isabella."

"I didn't!"

"Another lie."

"I… I was not climbing trees, father! I promise."

He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Go to your room. We will speak of this later."

"But—"

"Your room!" he bellowed so loud that the hall seemed to shake.

It was heart wrenching to watch. Isabella winced and looked away from her father, her chin wobbling furiously as she tried to keep herself from crying. And while Caroline had only known the girl for a few short minutes, she felt responsible for some reason, as if she owed it to her to protect her from her father.

Not her job, she knew, but she wished growing up that she might have had someone to do the same, and in that, the feelings that were swirling about her concerning the Duke faded as new ones came about. That same heated feeling that she had experienced the last time the two had spoken.

"Oh, leave her alone, will you," Caroline snapped before she could help herself.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me perfectly well," Caroline said, forcing herself to meet His Grace's eyes. She glared at him, and he glared right back. "The poor girl is beside herself, and all you can think to do is yell at her."

The side of his mouth twitched. "I will ask that you keep your nose out of business that does not concern you."

"It does concern me," she said. "Seeing as I will be living here for the foreseeable future, I think it concerns me greatly."

"Yes, well, we shall see about that."

"Excuse me, Frederick," Esther interrupted. "Are you suggesting that you might throw my companion out onto the street?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Then she is a guest in your house, and I suggest you treat her with respect."

He clicked his tongue, and his jaw clenched. "All I ask is that where matters of my daughter are concerned, and that includes how I choose to raise her, that my guests mind their own business."

"She did nothing wrong," Caroline interjected, taking a step back so that she was closer to Esther. "I found her outside, sitting in the carriage, and when we were coming back in, she simply tripped. My fault, in fact, for I got in the way."

"Yes!" Isabella cried excitedly. "That is what happened."

"See," Esther said rightly, "no need at all for all this nonsense."

The Duke groaned loudly and ran a hand through his hair. "You would not be lying to me, would you, Isabella?"

"No! Never! Father, that is as it happened, I swear it."

"As do I." Caroline pointed up her chin and held the Duke's gaze, doing what she could to keep her chin from wobbling. "We had a lovely little chat, and then I convinced her to go back to her room." A smirk. "I noticed how upset you were earlier that she left it, so I thought it for the best."

"What a silly turn of events," Esther said, clapping her hands together. "Frederick, I think you owe both Isabella and Caroline an apology." She then folded her arms and looked sternly at her son.

"I…" His Grace looked caught between anger and confusion. "I most certainly will not apologize."

"Typical," Esther scoffed.

"Grandmother!"

"Father…" Isabella took her father's hand, her voice soft now. "I was just thinking…" Her eyes lit up, and she grinned mischievously. "Seeing as you let the last governess go, would it not be a good idea if Caroline was to take over in?—"

"What?" He snatched his hand back. "Absolutely not."

"What a wonderful idea!" Esther cried. "Caroline, what do you think?"

Caroline's eyes went wide. Looking from Esther to Isabella—who looked pleadingly at her—she had no idea what to do or say or even think! "I do not know if that is such a good idea."

"See," the Duke seized on the chance, "she is not interested."

"Why not!" Isabella stamped her foot.

"I am already the companion of?—"

"Oh, do not worry about me," Esther said. "While we are here, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"It really is not something that I know how to do."

"What don't you know?" Esther asked. "You are a lady of the ton, are you not? You know how this world works as well as anyone. And is that not what you wish for, Frederick? To find a young lady to raise Isabella as such? From where I am standing, it is a match made in heaven."

"Say yes, father." Isabella put her hands together. "Please! You must say yes."

"A governess is not a role for someone of Miss Dowding's station," Frederick tired. "She is the daughter of a viscount, and a governess is certainly beneath her."

"Semantics," Esther said, blowing through her lips. "It is not as if she will be treated as a member of the staff. This is more about Isabella and her education than anything."

Caroline was caught in two worlds. On the one hand, she did not entirely mind the idea of being the young girl's governess. At the very least, providing her company for the time that she was here because Isabella clearly needed it. And further to that point, she got on well with the young girl so much so that it might even be fun. Yet on the other…

She dared to look at the Duke, whose face was contorting into an expression she could not recognize. Caroline wanted to avoid His Grace while she was here, to become invisible because the two times they had spoken so far, she had become lost to a side of herself that she did not wish to explore any further. If she was to accept this role, it might put her in situations that she knew she really should not be put in.

Thank God, the Duke seemed to understand this as she sensed he did not wish for her to take on this role either.

"Isabella…" Caroline started carefully, "I would love nothing more than to be your governess?—"

"See!" Isabella cried. "She wants to do it. Father, please!"

Caroline suppressed a groan.

"All right!" the Duke bellowed, silencing the room. "Isabella, do you want this?"

"Yes!"

"Grandmother, do you think this is a good idea, also?"

"I cannot see why it wouldn't be."

His smile was pained. "Miss Dowding…" He looked right at her, and she felt her stomach flutter as she was drawn into his eyes. "If you do not mind, I would like to have a word with you."

She swallowed. "You would?"

"Alone."

"Alone?" She swallowed again as her chest tightened.

"Yes," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "Alone. Now."