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Sadly, she just hoped that her words would not fall on deaf ears.
Oh, Daniel…it is high time we have a talk!
* * *
Unbeknownst to the two ladies, the subject of their conversation had just begun to stir in his rooms.
Daniel woke up to a raging headache in complete darkness which was just as well, for he might have been in a much fouler mood if he had left his curtains open.
Last night…last night had been a complete and utter disaster. He had no business holding, touching Emily so intimately. He had managed to keep his physical and emotional distance for as long as he could, but when he saw her in danger, it had stirred a protective instinct in him that he could not ignore.
And then, he had gone and done the same thing that bastard Chaney had attempted.
Now, he not only put Emily at risk of being ruined, but he might even have pushed her to marry a vile creature like that Chaney!
He groaned and pushed himself off the bed, swinging his bare legs over the mattress as he groggily called out for his valet, Percy.
“Dammit, what time is it?” he growled, when the valet quietly slipped in through the door. The curtains had blocked out all sunlight, and even if he tried, he could not make out the time on the clock.
“It is…a quarter past ten in the morning, Your Grace.”
“What!?”
He ran a hand through his thick hair and growled. He had slept through the entire bloody morning!
“Did the Dowager Duchess ask after me?”
The valet nodded in the affirmative. “She did come by earlier, Your Grace. Seeing as you were yet to arise, she feared you might have fallen ill. She has instructed the staff not to disturb you and to inform her as soon as you awaken.”
He smiled at that. His mother still acted as if he was a small boy when he was already a grown man nearing his third decade.
“Have someone inform her that I am awake and well,” he told Percy. “And tell the kitchens in advance, I want my coffee black and to have it ready in fifteen minutes.”
Make it as black as my soul, he thought irritably because after last night, he rightfully deserved to rot in hell.
With the assistance of his valet, he finished washing and dressing himself within fifteen minutes although there was very little Percy could do about his foul mood.
The Duke made his way down to the dining hall as fast as he could, but to his dismay, the servants had already cleared the table. His mother, though, was still there, daintily sipping at her tea, a piece of cake before her.
“Good morning, Mother,” he greeted her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
The Dowager Duchess smiled at him and delicately raised her eyebrow upon observing his disposition.
“Well, it seems that somebody has gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today,” she remarked softly. “Or did you even sleep? Are you ill?”
“I’m fine, Mother,” he replied quickly, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He was relieved to find the brew sufficiently dark. “I apologize for missing breakfast with you. I overindulged last night.”
“Well, that is fine, every once in a while, as long as you do not overdo it,” his mother advised him gently. “I did not lack for company, though, as Melissa joined me for breakfast earlier.”
“Oh?” Daniel fought to keep his expression neutral. “And how is she?”
“She seems to be finding London quite…entertaining.”
I’m certain she found it entertaining enough after the severe lecture she handed down last night,he winced internally. His cousin did not bother to mince her words although they were well-deserved on his part.
When breakfast was served, he ate it as quickly as he could to avoid his mother’s probing gaze. He might be a grown adult already, but there was still something about the way Joyce Bolt looked at him sometimes that made him feel like an errant schoolboy.
“Will you be occupied today?” she asked him, after he had finished breakfast.
