Harriet saw the Duke’s mouth curl downwards, his eyes hard as iron.He is furious.The realization made her stomach roil, and Harriet wondered just who had been foolish enough to cross this man.And here I am, alone with him.
“Why did you want to find me so badly?” Harriet tilted her head, watching as the anger faded from the Duke's face.I did not think the neutrality of marble could be so reassuring.
“First, tell me your name.” The Duke replied, stepping away from her and sitting in an armchair.
The air in the room returned and Harriet could breathe once more. She inhaled sharply and sat across from the Duke,perching on the edge of the plush chair as she smoothed her skirts.
Harriet hesitated, wondering if perhaps it would be safer to lie. A false name might keep her safe from scandal after all. The Duke arched an eyebrow and though he did not say anything, Harriet could hear his unspoken reprimand.I thought you said you were not a liar.
She stiffened and sat up a little straighter. “I am Harriet Montrose.”I do not have to tell him that I am the daughter of an earl.
She had come here to get answers, and without knowing why the man had wanted to meet her in the first place, she was not going to give him anything he could use against her.
He was a duke after all, and everything about him screamed propriety. If he learned the truth of her station, what would he think of her? Would he tell her the truth or dismiss her drawings as the fancies of a bored, aristocrat.
The thought made the air around them feel colder, and unconsciously, Harriet tugged her shawl closer around her.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Montrose.” The Duke inclined his head towards her.
She did not correct him. Let him think she was a minor noble, or even only a gentleman's daughter. It was safer. Her shoulders relaxed, just a tiny amount.
“And you, Your Grace.” Harriet shifted in her armchair, her eyes taking in the room around her. “Forgive me, I do not mean to sound rude, but I still do not understand why you cared so much about finding me. You do not strike me as the sort of man who cares so deeply about the arts.”
For a moment, Harriet could have sworn she saw the Duke’s lips twitch as though he were about to smile, but she knew she must have been mistaken, for his voice was utterly devoid of amusement as he spoke. “I do not care for mystery, Miss Montrose, and I am a gentleman; an appreciation of art is to be expected.”
“Art, yes, but… well these are just silly little drawings.” Harriet pointed to the sketch of the tree on the desk, her heart twisting at her own words, feeling as though she was betraying some part of herself.
She heard the sound of the seat creaking as the Duke leaned towards her. “If you think so little of your own drawings, why do you leave them dotted around in libraries throughout the land? I have found your sketches as far North as Inverness. There is something of you in nearly every estate I have been to.”
Her heart sped up at his words. Her mouth was bone dry. He was skirting dangerously close to a truth she had no wish to name. Not to him. Not to anyone.They are pieces of me.
“More to the point, there is a life to your work that speaks of a gift many artists would kill for. In truth, your skill has made this whole chase all the more frustrating and baffling.” He stood and walked to the desk, picking up her sketch, his thumb tracing across the lines of the tree. The sight of it made her stomach swoop as though she had just missed a step, gooseflesh spreading across her body.
She was grateful that the Duke seemed too transfixed by her sketch to notice whatever was happening in her body. “In just five minutes, you created this. Most artists sign their work, but you do not. You are content simply to let it be in the world without any sort of recognition. Why?”
Because that would be too close to being seen.Harriet could not make herself say the words. “Some of us are used to a life without such things.” It was as close to the truth as she could get. She continued before the Duke could say anything else, not wanting his pity. “And you have not answered my question, Your Grace.”
He looked at her, and the trick of the light streaming through the window made her think the corner of his mouth had twitched upwards.Do not be ridiculous.She doubted this was a man who smiled at the best of times, let alone when someone was skirting the edges of insubordination.
No doubt it was just her imagination trying to make her feel better about the entire situation.
“True.” Harriet saw the muscles in his neck tense, his lips part slightly and thought he would say something more, but instead, he straightened the lapels of his jacket as he sat back down in his armchair, tucking the sketch into his left breast pocket. “And you are correct, I am not usually the sort of man who would go to such lengths to seek out an artist, especially not one who clearly had no wish to be found. Nor did I expect that it would take me quite so long to find my quarry.”
“I only found this note yesterday.” Harriet shifted her weight, a giddy feeling rushed through her chest. “Not the most efficient way to get my attention.”
“I had little choice in the matter. Especially when my investigators turned up nothing.” The Duke’s eyes flashed. “You asked why I wanted to find you, and the reason is simple: Phoebe. Your work is the only thing that has drawn her back into this world.”
There was an odd note to the Duke’s tone that Harriet could not quite place. She saw him clench and unclench his hands, noticed the muscles in his shoulders tense as his eyes went distant.
“I did not realize she was your daughter.” Harriet saw the Duke stiffen.
“She is my niece – her guardianship fell to me two years ago, when my sister Rose passed away.” His words drove the air from her lungs.
Her fingers moved towards him, but she saw his muscles tense and hastily clasped her hands together, putting them firmly in her lap. “I am sorry. I cannot imagine how hard that must have been for you both. It is hard to lose someone you love, especially so young.”
She studied his face, looking for some sign of pain or emotion, but it was as still as marble. It made her think of a forest path, overgrown with trees and brambles, a barrier that would not be moved.Focus.
“I promised her mother I would care for her. I have tried everything I can think of to give her what she needs. Governesses, companions, tutors and physicians. All for naught. She had completely withdrawn, until we happened upon one of your pieces in a book.” His was soft, but not warm and Harriet heard an edge to it and tried to puzzle out what it meant, but his face was half turned from her. “I did not know she could smile like that.”
