Clara’s shoulders rose toward her ears at his tone, and he looked away, forcing himself to take a deep breath.
“I... I suppose he must have woken up again,” Clara offered, her trepidation clear in her voice. “Anyway, the ladies asked for more wine, and little George wanted a biscuit, so I should hurry to the—”
“No,” Damien stated, his tone steely but reserved as he looked at her again. “No, you have done enough for them tonight, Clara. You may return the tray to the kitchens and take the biscuit to the boy’s room if you like, but your work is done for the evening. Please, go take your rest.”
Though still appearing a bit intimidated, Clara’s shoulders sank down, and a grateful smile spread across her lips as she curtseyed to him.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” she whispered. “I hope you have a pleasant night.”
Damien only gave her a nod, and as she hurried away, he stepped closer to the ajar door and peered inside once more. George was in the center of the room, in his long nightshirt, with a blindfold over his eyes. Caroline had left the couch, but it seemed that her gentleman counterpart was still not keen on leaving her side, for he was crouched down with her on the other side of the couch. His fingertips were brushing over Caroline’s as she looked away from him and peered around the corner of the armrest, completely unaware of the contact. He spotted another woman perched atop one of the tables, and Jeremy and another lady peeking out from the drawn curtains. All of them were giggling loudly, trying to throw George off with a cacophony of sound.
It was a game of blind man’s bluff, he surmised, and for some reason he could not quite identify, that annoyed him even more.
Damien’s eyes were still fixed on that hand, on those fingertips brushing over Caroline’s.
“Jeremy,” Damien barked, pushing open the door as he stepped inside.
Everyone jumped and whipped their heads toward him, except for Jeremy, who casually stepped out from behind the curtains and smiled at him.
“Good evening, brother!” he greeted warmly, opening his arms. “I am so happy you changed your mind and decided to join us!”
“Join you? I came to see why there is enough noise coming from this room to wake the entire street.”
Damien glowered at his brother, but in the corner of his eye, he saw a small shape start to tremble. He shifted his gaze and saw that George had removed the blindfold and was nowgrasping it tightly in both hands, growing pale. Caroline was standing behind him as well, and even though she looked at him with disappointment, satisfaction moved through Damien as he found her no longer in touching distance of the other man, who had stood but remained behind the couch with the same terrified look that George had.
He took a calming breath, a deep rumbling sound coming from his chest from the forced nature of it, and looked back to Jeremy.
“It is late,” Damien stated, willing his anger into check. “I believe that George should be taken back to bed, and your friends should take their leave.”
He half expected Jeremy to argue, but instead, his brother slipped one of his hands into his pockets, and he placed the other on his chest, then gave him a slight bow.
“Of courseyou are right, brother dearest,” Jeremy agreed in a cordial, if not overdramatic tone. “We were on our last game anyway. Come, friends, let us depart to one of the taverns for another round of drinks!”
Damien shot a glaring look at the gentleman who appeared interested in Caroline, and his anger festered as he watched him approach her.
“You are coming with us, are you not?” he asked.
Damien’s teeth ground with pent-up anger, making his jaw ache.
“Oh, no. His Grace is quite right,” Caroline said politely as she gave the man her full attention. “It is late, and I should have insisted that George get back into bed at least an hour ago.”
“Join us after the boy is back in bed, then?” the man insisted. “It will not be the same without you.”
Without giving it a thought, Damien stepped toward them, his hands balling into fists.The nerve!
He caught himself taking another step as Caroline let out a light, polite laugh and shook her head.
“I should not go out without my husband, Lord Brooks, and as he said, it is late. The three of us should go to bed. Have a pleasant evening with Jeremy, and bring your wife to his ball. I would be delighted to meet her.”
The man’s disappointment was quite evident, but still he murmured his agreement as he bowed toward Caroline and wished her a pleasant evening in return. Neither Caroline nor Damien said anything as Jeremy and his guests filtered out of the room, but as Damien turned his gaze back to her, she turned her back to him and crouched down before George.
“Did you have fun this evening?” she asked, her voice soft and kind as she rubbed her hands up and down the boy’s arms.
George still kept his terrified expression on Damien’s face for another moment; guilt rippled over him. They had come so far at dinner, and in one small moment, that progress seemed to vanish. Damien turned his gaze to the floor, ashamed that he had scared the boy.Again.
“Y-yes, Cece,” George rasped a moment later.
“I am so very glad,” Caroline replied sweetly. “However, Damien is correct. It is far too late for you to be out of bed. I want you to run along up to your room now and tuck yourself in. Remember, we have another busy day tomorrow.”
