Page 26 of The Dark Duke's Virgin

Sadly, Frederick could not spend days riding. As things stood, even three hours felt like far too long a time to be away from home, such that he very nearly cancelled on his friend this morning and just may have if he did not want George to cause a fuss.

As to the reason for this need to be home so soon? That pestering sense of worry that sat in the back of his head, needling away so that he fidgeted in his saddle? The desire to ignore his friend, kick in his heels, and take off at a gallop so that he might be home sooner?

Miss Dowding was the reason… although, not for the reason some might think.

“Are you going to tell me?” George asked, watching the way that Frederick stared at his home as they came closer and closer. “Or am I going to need to guess?”

“Tell you what?” Frederick said dismissively.

“Guessing then…” George pushed his lips together and tapped them with a finger. “You have developed a rash around your thighs, and every second you spend in that saddle itches such that you might lose your mind.”

“Funny.”

“Perhaps a new maid has caught your eye,” he winked, “and you wish to spend the day watching her as she dusts the head of your bed.”

“Do not be ridiculous.”

“You suspect one of the staff is stealing from you, and you want to be home to catch them in the act?”

Frederick looked flatly at his friend. “Are you quite finished?”

“Are you going to tell me what is troubling you?” he shot back, raising both eyebrows in warning.

“Urgh…” Frederick groaned and rubbed his forehead. “It is nothing that exciting, I promise you, but…” He eyed his home, wondering how best to explain the circumstance to his friend without raising any unwanted questions. “… I have recently hired a new governess for my daughter?—”

“Another one?! You go through them like bottles of wine!”

“And—” he emphasized over his friend, “I wish to be close to home to keep an eye on her. That is all. If anything goes wrong—you know how my daughter is. I wish to be there, just in case.”

George did not speak for a while, and as they rode, Frederick could feel his eyes upon the back of his neck. He knew what was coming, for he knew his friend well which had him regretting that he’d said anything in the first place.

“A new governess is it?”

“That is what I said.”

“Huh.” A beat. “Is she a beauty?”

Frederick groaned. “That is neither here nor there.”

“Ah, so she is, then.” He chuckled. “And you wish to keep an eye on her is it? Very dotting of you, Your Grace…” He chuckled further. “The care you have taken in your daughter’s education is truly a marvel that other fathers should look to as inspiration for?—”

“Oh, enough of that!” Frederick snapped. “It is the truth. I did not want to hire the woman—my grandmother forced my hand is why. And while she is certainly fit for the role, I do not trust her.”

George snorted. “Somehow I doubt that your grandmother would be able to make you do anything you did not wish to do.”

“Meaning?”

“Oh, you know my meaning.” He grinned. “That your grandmother is not nearly as at fault as you wish for me to believe.”

Frederick scowled at him. “I could hardly say no—she is the daughter of a viscount, if you believe it. She is also verbose in theway she speaks, rude to a point yet seemingly unaware of it. The type of woman who enjoys testing the limits of what a lady of the ton can get away with for fun and—what? What is that look?” he accused his friend, noting the smile behind his eyes.

“I did not say anything!”

“She is trouble,” Frederick emphasized with finality. “And if any trouble should arise, I wish to be there to see it. For my daughter surely will not tell me…” He muttered bitterly, knowing that to be the truth.

Trouble… it felt like the perfect word to describe Miss Dowding. For so many reasons…

For three days, she had worked as Isabella’s governess, and for three days, Frederick had spent more time thinking about her than he cared to admit. Oh sure, it was easy for him to repeat the lie he had just told George, that it was his daughter’s education he cared about only and that was why she refused to vacate his thoughts. But that was only half the reason… less than half.

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