Felicity winked. “I shall tell Abby that she will see her auntiemuchlater.”
Merry rolled her eyes and closed the door. She would never hear the end of this from Felicity.
Duncan stretched out his hand. “Come back to bed, my own. I miss ye.”
“Why would you miss me?” she teased. “I am right here.” She sauntered to the edge of the bed and let the blanket fall.
He caught hold of her and pulled her into his arms. “Aye, but when I canna feel yer warmth, I hunger for it like a man starving.”
Unable to resist, she melted against him, smiling as he rolled her to lie beneath him. “I thought we were going to go back to sleep?”
He nuzzled kisses along her jawline, then raked back her hair and tenderly nibbled at her earlobe. “Whatever gave ye that idea, my love?” He rocked into her, deliciously settling exactly where he belonged. There would be no sleeping. Not for a while.
Chapter Eighteen
Happily returned toKirkston Place for weeks and weeks now, Duncan marched up and down the line of servants he had ordered assembled in the large sitting room, glaring at them, willing them to quake in their shoes. “Which of ye made my wife cry?”
The butler, Barclay, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Barclay, exchanged shocked glances.
“Made her cry, yer lordship?” Mrs. Barclay turned to the string of maids alongside her. “What do any of ye know of this? What have ye done to make our lady unhappy?”
All the maids, their eyes wide with fear, shook their heads.
The cook, Mrs. Oxworthy, wrung her hands in her apron. “Lady Merry is brighter than sunshine, my lord. None of us would do anything to dim her light.”
“What is going on here?” Merry asked from the doorway. “Duncan?”
He tipped a nod at the servants. “Which of them upset ye? Tell me so I might release them without any references.”
“Duncan! Never say such a horrid thing.” She hurried over and inserted her petite form between him and the line of his employees. “Each of them is loyal and true. They do an excellent job of caring for us.”
He leaned closer, determined to discover the culprit. “Then what brought on yer tears?”
More of the worrisome things welled in her lovely blue eyes, but she blinked them away and stamped her foot. “I do not know. For some ridiculous reason, I am on the verge of tears constantly, and I hate it.” Without turning, she shook a finger in the direction of the servants. “But I will not have you bullying our fine people, so just stop it.”
“I was not bullying them!” Could she not see that he was merely trying to protect her?
She marched over to Mrs. Barclay and Mrs. Oxworthy. “Was he bullying you?”
“No, my lady.” Mrs. Barclay hurried to shake her head. “His lordship would never browbeat us. He was merely worried about yer welfare and treatment.”
Mrs. Oxworthy rubbed her nose and glanced from side to side as she stepped forward. “I noticed ye changed yer wishes for breakfast to weak tea and dry toast, my lady. Might ye not be feeling well in the mornings?”
With both hands pressed to her middle, Merry made a face. “I certainly do not.” Then her eyes flared open wider. “Surely, you do not think? So soon?”
The cook beamed with a knowing smile. “Might ye be checking with yer maid about certain appointments that may have been missed?”
“What appointments?” Duncan was bewildered about how he had lost control of this situation, which he had pulled together to help his precious Merry. “Since when does Jenny keep yer diary? I thought ye managed it yerself.”
“Jenny keeps track of morepersonalappointments.”
“What kind of personal appointments?”
“Appointments I am unwilling to discuss in front of all our people,” Merry said. “Should we not beg their forgiveness and allow them to return to their duties?”
Duncan dismissed them with a curt upward jut of his chin. “They know I value them.”
The servants dispersed, the women scurrying away with smiles on their faces, smiles that made Duncan frown. “What the devil do they know that I do not? All but Barclay looked like one of Mother’s cats that had just finished all the cream in the larder.”
