“Will you please call me Robert?”
She compressed her lips. “You cannot buy my affection, Your Grace.”
He sighed with a tinge of frustration. “I wasn’t trying to.”
She looked at him run a hand through his hair, a gesture she had noticed before that expressed agitation.
“Sarah, what can I say? I am at a loss.”
“You could try starting with an apology!” she blurted, her anger flaring up again.
“You believe me complicit in Lady Holbrook’s deception?”
She nodded, her back ramrod straight and her hands clenched tightly before her.
“I wasn’t,” he said baldly.
“How can I believe that when you stood to gain everything from it?”
“If you can believe I would stoop to such tactics as that, you know nothing of my character. I don’t know what else I can do to demonstrate to you that I am a man of honor and integrity, two traits that I thought would weigh with you.”
His words pierced her angry defenses, yet she turned them off. For if she weren’t at outs with him, she would fall victim to his charm again, and it wouldhurt!Gathering her anger around her again, she was about to reply that she didn’t know what to think of him when he said stiffly, “Very well, if it is an apology you require, you shall have one.” He cleared his throat. “I do most sincerely apologize if anything I have done or said has caused you distress.”
She listened to these words with her heart beating fast. They were obviously uttered reluctantly and did little to assuage her anger. He must have seen that in her demeanor for his stiff posture collapsed and he reached out a hand toward her, saying with far more sincerity, “I’m sorry, Sarah. Please, I cannot bear it if you’re angry with me.”
She stared at his hand, not sure if it was a viper or an olive branch. Her traitorous heart wanted to think of it as the latter. But before she could react, the door opened, and the duchess came in.
“Sarah, my dear, how lovely to see you! I do hope you’re feeling better.” She advanced on Sarah and kissed her cheek. “Robert, why didn’t you tell me Sarah was here? You must join us for afternoon tea,” she said, sweeping Sarah off upstairs to the parlor where she found not only Lady Ava but Lords Hereward and Kenrick, who were all delighted to see her and envelopedher in hugs and kisses—and from Ava, a pelting of questions. She wanted to be angry with the duke, but it was impossible to be angry with his family.
*
Robert cursed underhis breath as his mother bore Sarah off.Had she been about to accept my apology or not?Em emerged from a bookcase and jumped to the ground with a thud, prowling over to rub round his legs. He bent and patted her, running her tail through his hand.
“It’s a tricky one, Em. What do you think I should do?” Green eyes blinked at him, and she uttered one of hermrrpnoises, butting his hand with her head.
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” he said. “I’ll keep trying.”
Straightening, he followed Sarah and his mother upstairs to the parlor. Joining Sarah on one of the sofas, he took a cup of tea from Ava and hoped Sarah would not show his family that there was discord between them. They needed to finish their conversation on their own. The talk was all of Ava’s ball which was set for tomorrow night.
Sarah, to her credit, participated in the conversation with all signs of enthusiasm. She was not allowing their disagreement to color her behavior in front of his family. He was conscious of a sudden surge of pride in her composure, despite his frustration with their situation.She has the maturity and self-control required of a duchess, and in fact she puts me to shame for my lack of it,he reflected in a moment of insight. He was having rather a lot of those lately, and none of them reflected well on him. When the opportunity presented itself, he sought her left hand discretely where it lay in the folds of her skirt and squeezed.
Startled, she glanced at him and flushed faintly, he smiled and raised her hand to his lips. While public displays of affection could be considered vulgar, he felt that it was worth whatever blow his dignity might take in letting his family see this bit of discreet affection between them. Sarah stared at him a moment and lowered her gaze with becoming maidenly confusion, a disguise he suspected for her latent hostility toward him, though he was pleased to note that she didn’t try to snatch her hand away.
He caught a smirk on his mother’s face and a positive grin on Ava’s. Kenrick actually winked at him, and even Hereward showed mild signs of amusement.
The duchess put her teacup down. “Well, I have a dozen things to do before dinner. Sarah, you will stay and join us for dinner, won’t you? We are having a quiet night in, because tomorrow will be so hectic. I’m sure Robert can keep you amused until dinnertime.”
Sarah glanced at him helplessly and he smiled. “Of course I can, Mama. Perhaps you’d like a tour of the house, my dear?”
“What a splendid idea,” said the duchess. “I’d do it myself, but as I said, I have a dozen things to do.”
“Do you need some help, Your Grace?” asked Sarah.
“No, no, not today, but tomorrow perhaps if you come over around midday? Bring your gown and you can change here with the other girls. Ava’s maid can dress your hair.”
“You’re most kind, Your Grace.”
“Please, my dear, you must address me as Mama. I cannot tell you how delighted I am to have another daughter.”
