“Have a good evening, you two,” she said to the brothers.
“Oh, no, you cannot go to bed this early,” Jeremy insisted in a whisper as he stood up. “It may be late for him, but for us the night is still quite young! I am having friends over for games in the parlor in an hour; you must join us, Caroline, please. You as well, brother.”
Without thinking twice about it, Caroline looked to Damien for an answer.
“I really must get back to my work,” he replied quietly to Jeremy, who frowned but did not argue.
He really is working that hard to find George’s parents?After the incident at his study, Caroline did not revisit her snooping; instead, she decided to trust that Damien would keep his word.
“If you want to, you should join him,” Damien gently coaxed. “It has been a while since you attended a ball. A small gathering might provide you with a good practice for your return to such social engagements.”
Caroline fought the wave of disappointment that hit her as he revealed he would not be joining Jeremy’s small gathering; however, she had to admit he had a good point about thepractice.
“Very well,” she whispered, rubbing circles into George’s back. “I shall put George to bed, then join you in the parlor with your friends.”
Jeremy shook both of his fists in the air as he smiled, as if celebrating a victory, and Damien walked toward her, stopping close enough so that he could lean close to her ear.
“Try to enjoy yourself,” Damien whispered to her. “But do not hesitate to come fetch me from my study if you need me.”
Butterflies erupted in Caroline’s stomach as she heard his offer, and tried to hide her new blush by laying her cheek against George’s head.
“I will,” she whispered.
He gave her a nod, his amber eyes sparkling with a warmth that made her knees feel weak, then he turned away, wished his brother a pleasant evening, and left.
Chapter 19
“Nothing,” Damien grumbled, looking over the various letters littering his desk.
They all said the same thing. There were thousands of Georges across the country who shared the boy’s birthday, but none of them had a missing parent. Each record listed a mother and father, most of them of common stock, and there was certainly no mention of his own name on any of them.
He had known that to conduct such a search was going to be difficult, but after nearly two months, he had thought he would be at least a little bit closer to finding out who George’s true father was.
“There has to be something I am missing,” he said aloud, standing up from his desk. “Something too close for me to see. Or perhaps too far?”
He rubbed his chin, feeling the shadow of his beard start to form. He had to shave every day, but even so, it grew so fast that by nightfall, it started to grow back. A sudden image flashed through his mind. Caroline, nuzzling into his chin and neck,laughing softly as she reminded him to shave. Her soft lips brushing along his jawline, and him curling his arms around her as he laughed with her.
Damien startled at the daydream. He had had many delicious fantasies of showing Caroline the meaning of pleasure, but something so peaceful, so pure? That was something he thought was beyond him.
He huffed out a breath, his heart and cock both aching, and decided to focus on something else. Settling on getting in some late-night boxing practice, he left his study and made his way toward his practice room. As he entered the hallway, loud laughter echoed toward him, stopping him.
Jeremy’s friends are still here? It is way past midnight.
He changed directions, heading toward the parlor instead. He was nearly there when he spotted one of his maids, Clara, coming out of the parlor with a tray. She let out a small gasp and faltered in her steps when she saw him, causing a small silver dish to fall onto the floor.
“I did not mean to startle you,” Damien apologized, picking up the dish for her.
“No, please forgive me, Your Grace. I should not have startled,” Clara replied, offering him a curtsy and an apologetic smile. “I had assumed that since you were not in there, you had retired for the evening.”
Damien shook his head, then leaned toward the slightly open door as more conversation and laughter floated through the air. He was able to make out the back of the red velvet couch, and while he recognized Caroline’s figure turned away from him, he did not recognize the man seated close to her; their shoulderswere nearly brushing. His eyes narrowed as a sudden flare of jealousy erupted in his chest, and he gritted his teeth.
“Are they keeping you from sleeping?” Damien asked, forcing his gaze back to Clara.
“It is quite fine, Your Grace, I do not mind,” Clara replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Besides, it is nice to see young George having some fun. He was so skittish when he arrived, you know.”
Annoyance slithered up to join the jealousy blooming in his chest.
“What?” he hissed, “The boy went to bed hours ago.”
