Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The duke would meet the girls today. Both Lydia’s own biological daughter as well as the one whom he was going to be charged with caring for moving forward. A prospect that was anxiety inducing on its own, let alone with the added tension of her own unsorted feelings toward the duke. Both girls were riddled with nerves.

It was the first day that either of them had felt up to leaving their rooms. They had been rather sequestered in their wing of the house with their governess during the worst parts of their mourning period. That, and Lydia had wanted to have some time to sort out her own feelings about the men in the home before risking introducing either of them to her children.

But it would be nice to have them in her arms once more. If they were feeling up for it, they might even take tea in the garden. The fresh air would do them all good. Lydia had hoped that the longer she was in the company of the duke that she might get a clearer head about things, but that was proving to not be the case. Her sister had become rather fond of both men.

That should have been enough for Lydia to give them more of a chance than she was presently doing. As it was, she felt like every moment that passed was simply her waiting for the other shoe to drop. As if something horrible might happen at any coming moment.

The best laid of Lydia’s plans always had a wrench thrown in them.

When her daughters came bounding down the stairs shortly after breakfast in their lovely gowns, begging to go into town, how could she ever say no to them? It was the first time that they wished to be out in public again after her husband had passed.

It was the least that she could do to indulge them. Even if she was still wearing her own mourning black, they girls did not need to stay sad because society dictated it. They would always miss their father. It was a loss that could not be filled, but perhaps a day of fun would cheer them.

Lydia and Kitty had quickly planned a whole day for the lot of them. Lunch would be served in a local tearoom that they had been known to favor. The establishment had a lovely selection of cookies and cakes that would be indulgent as well as one of Lydia’s favorite blends of tea.

Then, if they so wished, they could go and allow the duke to buy them new ribbons and perhaps even a carriage ride through the countryside after. The weather was supposed to be splendid all day and if the clouds were any indication, they should be well met and without rain for the duration.

The whole carriage ride into town, her two girls had tucked themselves under her arms and nestled into her sides. It caused her ribs to ache, but she would never dare ask them to move. It was a lovely distraction from the work that she had been doing lately in avoiding the duke at all costs. It was becoming next to impossible to avoid him when they lived under the same roof.

“Do you think that we shall like him, Mama?” Juliet asked finally, inquiring to the man they were going to meet.

That was the question of the hour, was it not? She could feel Kitty’s eyes on her. All of the unasked questions hanging between them. Kitty had been attempting to figure out her unexpected change in attitude since their picnic.

“Do you like him, Mama? Is the duke a good man?” Margaret asked.

Lydia hesitated. Not because she did not think of the duke as a good man but because she was stunned to realize that she had not even given him the chance to properly get to know her. Was she truly such a slave to her lust that she could not have the decency to have a proper conversation with the man? She was ashamed of herself.

“Of course he is.” Kitty interjected, answering on Lydia’s behalf. She quickly nodded along with the sentiment.

“I think that he shall have nothing but kind words to say to you and your sister both. It is important that you do not feel intimidated or frightened. He was your father’s cousin, and family to us as well. We shall have to treat him as such.” Lydia said evenly.

Kitty snorted. “All of us, sister?”

Lydia could have kicked her, if the girls would not have wanted to know why she was doing such a thing.

The carriage finally came to a stop in front of the local tea parlor. The girls were escorted out by their footman, and Lydia followed slowly after. She worried that sitting so close to the duke when she had not even been able to say two words to him would pose a challenge in and of itself.

Much to all of their surprise, the duke was already waiting for them inside of the tearoom. His friend, William came bounding out to greet the small group excitedly. Though, Lydia did not miss the fact that his attention seems to be focused on one person in particular. The same someone whose face tinted pink the moment that she felt William’s attention upon her. Truthfully, she could not recall the last time that she had seen her sister so effortlessly happy. It was a refreshing thing to see.

Lydia found herself looking over their shoulders, straining to see where the duke might have been.

“Mama, is that the duke?” Juliet asked, tugging softly on Lydia’s skirt.

“No, this is Sir William.” She answered after a moment, snapping out of her daze. “Remember? You met him once before.”

At Lydia’s reintroduction, he seemed to remember his manners and turned away from greeting Kitty to enthusiastically greet the two younger girls.

“Hello! It is so lovely to make your acquaintance! I hope that you will not find the duke and I’s presence in the home to be too intrusive. I should not wish to burden you in the slightest.” William said with a polite bow in their direction.

Juliet was the younger and shyer of the two, so she needed to ensure that nobody took her shyness for rudeness.

“I do believe that the duke is awaiting us inside of the shop, if you would allow me the privilege of escorting you?” William asked, extending his arms to Margaret and Juliet. Lydia appreciated the effort. It was difficult not to snatch them away. The impulse to keep firm control over them was intense, but she knew that she would have to loosen her hold on them a little, no matter which way all of this went.

The duke stood near their selected table in the shop, his spine rigid as he greeted them with an uncomfortably tight smile. Was he nervous? Had he suddenly changed his mind about wishing to meet the girls? How was he supposed to be so determined to be Margaret’s guardian when he could not even hold her gaze for longer than a few seconds at a time.

For a moment, the girls seem to be taken aback by the duke’s sheer size, hesitating for a moment before remembering their manners and dropping into a curtsy.

“How do you do, Your Grace?” They both chimed in unison, and then Juliet promptly moved right back behind her mother’s skirts.

“Very well, thank you. It is my honor to meet you both.” The duke said in an overly formal tone. He stiffly gestured to their table that he had reserved. “If you should like to select your flavors, I would be pleased to order for us.”

The girls, happily tempted by sweet treats, took their seats and quickly started devouring the menu with their eyes. Lydia lingered a moment, watching the adorable way that the duke shuffled from one foot to another before both girls made their selections.

He dutifully moved away to uphold his end of the bargain while Lydia and Kitty took their seats as well. Though, she should not have been surprised that when the duke chose to return to the table, he chose the seat closest to Lydia. Such a tight fit, in fact, that his warm thigh was pressed tightly up against hers.

“You would think that he was frightened of them,” Kitty teased under her breath in a way that only Lydia was meant to hear. “It is rather comical, is it not? It makes him seem so much more human.”

Lydia suppressed a giggle at the duke’s expense. She could not bring herself to comment or acknowledge that what she was feeling was more than mere fondness.

“Your Grace, you did not get anything for yourself?” Margaret asked, slowly sipping her tea.

“No, I found that my nerves would not tolerate it.”

“You were nervous too? But we are just girls!” Margaret laughed, the sound so bright and pretty to Lydia’s ears. Again, she was reminded that in no world was she going to be able to leave her side. No, she loved her too much for that.

“I trust that your trip was standard?” The duke’s brow furrowed, and he chose to rephrase the question. “I mean to ask, how was your journey?”

Juliet and Margaret exchanged glances, but to their credit they did not giggle. If Lydia was not mistaken, she could see a hint of pink starting to color his cheeks. It was so refreshing to see him so disarmed when he was usually the one flustering her.

Just knowing that he is choosing to put forth so much effort warmed her heart. She could not help but to wonder if he had any experience with young children before this day. From the tense way he was holding himself she would presume that he had not.

Soft conversation flowed between him and the girls as he fumbled through attempting to get to know them. But all Lydia could focus on was the way he seemed ready to bolt the moment things became any more uncomfortable than they already were. The hints of red tinting the skin of his neck and ears was only a further testament to his mood. She could not help but wonder what it would take for her to elicit such a similar reaction from him.

“It was perfectly fine, Your Grace.” Juliet answers, though she does not look him in the eyes directly. Perhaps in time, she would warm up to him.

What was that I just thought?

Certainly, she could not wish for him to get along with her daughter when he was here to halt her personal goals. What did it matter if the girls liked him? It would actually benefit her further if they did not like him in the slightest. Then she would have even more reason to keep him at arm’s distance.

“We are to show you around the village after this, is that correct, Your Grace?” Margaret asks sweetly, finishing her tea.

Under the table, the duke’s hand found her hand, twining their fingers together and resting softly over her skirt but even just the proximity of his hand spread an uncomfortable warmth through her core. The sort that pooled directly between her legs.

Was she truly such a silly woman that she could not contain herself near him? This was exactly why she had been avoiding him. So that things like this would not happen.

“I would be delighted to be escorted. I have much to learn,” The duke answered, suddenly no longer fumbling over his words. His hand slips down the curve of her thigh, not seeking any higher but seeming to feel steadied by the fact that he was touching her. Perhaps knowing that he had transferred his fluster to her, he could operate more easily.

Coming to her senses, Lydia pulls her thigh from his grip and rises from the table. “Are we ready?”

“I think that I shall stay behind and finish my tea, if that is alright with you, sister?” Kitty says sweetly, holding Lydia’s gaze with such intensity that she had no choice but to allow her sister this favor. “It will allow you time with your daughters, and I can return to the house when I am finished to coordinate dinner with the staff? Would that suit you?”

Lydia could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her sister had never once offered to help with any of the household tasks. It had always been Lydia’s assumption that her sister merely did not realize the effort that it took or that such small tasks even needed to be handled.

Kitty was prone to daydreaming, and Lydia presumed that Kitty was under some delusion that those sorts of things just happened by themselves or some other silliness. To hear her willingly take on responsibilities? No matter how small? She was only too happy to oblige her.

Lydia nodded softly. “Of course, sister, thank you.”

It was not only a sign that she was finally growing into her age, but perhaps it was also the desire to seem more mature to a certain man who had apparently caught her eye.