Page 9 of Stolen By the Duke of Stone

This was better than some alternatives, but she had been forced into a corner, and she did not appreciate it in the slightest.

The duke’s gaze dropped to William in her arms. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the sleeping child.

Jessamine hesitated.

Irene nodded at her. “Let him see his second cousin, dearest.”

Her legs moved before her mind gave them permission to, and before she knew what she was doing, she was standing before the Duke. He gazed down at the baby, the harsh lines of his face softening. What had started as austere handsomeness turned into something entirely more… human.

Almost beguiling. The way his eyes softened, the soft part of his lips. His hand reached out, as though he longed to touch William’s downy head, but after a moment, he stepped back. All softness left his expression, and his ducal personality returned.

“I will reach out once I have acquired the special license,” he said. “And we will begin the wedding preparations.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Jessamine didn’t drop into a curtsy, and hoped that holding William was enough of an excuse.

If he thought anything of it, he said nothing as he left, bidding a quick goodbye to Henry and Irene.

As soon as he was gone, Jessamine’s shoulder slumped.

Irene’s face twisted with contrition. “You know there was no other solution, Jessie. What was he supposed to do? You know you cannot raise William here like this forever.”

“Being Knightford’s ward is the best solution for William,” Henry said. “And you make a far better mother for the lad than any other lady Knightford would marry out of a sense of duty.”

Jessamine knew they were right. She knew this was the best for the baby.

But marriage… She wanted to protest.

This was no small thing, marrying a man such as that. A man new to his title, seeking to establish himself in the world, and with a new ward he intended to make his heir.

At least he did intend to make William his heir.

“You will learn to be happy,” Irene said, pulling her into a sideways hug. “Marrying Knightford may not be such a bad experience, after all.”

“Do you truly believe that, sister?” Jessamine asked mournfully.

“He is not so bad, I fancy,” Henry said bracingly. “And besides, he said it was a marriage of convenience, and he will make William his heir. What more could you ask for, Jessamine?”

What she wanted was the freedom to choose—the freedom to choose no one at all, if no one met her standards—not have the choice forced upon her by some high-handed man who thought he knew better.

What she had always wanted was a family of her own. One done right—not the way her father had created a family, with idle carelessness, discarding his wives as he so chose. Poor Percy. Her heart contracted at the thought. And her life with Irene had been denied her.

Given the choice, she would marry for love—something her father never truly did—and raise a family the way she chose. So they might be happy and together.

The moment she’d taken William into her care, she knew her dreams had grown to encompass him, too. They had just not grown to encompass a stern, brooding, autocratic duke.

Still, she could keep William. That would have to be enough, and it was better than she had ever thought she could get.

“I will keep you safe,” she said as she cradled the infant and her friends prepared to leave. “No matter what, you will be safe with me.”

And perhaps even safe with the duke.

She had not thought so at first, but she could not shake the softness in his eyes when he’d looked at the infant. He did not seem a man naturally given to kindness, but he could perhaps know love eventually, given time. When it came to William, he seemed to have an inclination toward it.

Jessamine would do everything in her power to foster that affection and make it grow until the duke became the father William deserved.

Chapter Four

“Ihad a devil of a time, Your Grace,” Mr. Pritchard, his solicitor, said with a thin-lipped smile.