Page 5 of An Ember for a Duke

“Katie! How did you get out there?” A woman stood up, her mouth the shape of an O and her winged brows pulled together. She wore an ice blue gown that curved around her breasts and waist and flared outward at the hips, while sleeves hung casually off her shoulders. She had donned a domino, as all the guests had, and he couldn’t quite make out the color of her eyes. What he did feel was the strength of her presence pulling him further into the room.

Luke was about to give the woman the baby until he noticed what he had walked in on. The woman in the blue gown was fixing the bottom hem of his mother’s skirt. She had a needle and thread in one hand. That was obviously when the baby saw her opportunity and made a hasty escape.

“Don’t we have servants for that?” Luke gestured.

“Yes, we do. But this lovely woman insisted that she help. And we are done now.” Alissa, the dowager duchess turned to look at the woman. Unlike the others, his mother was not wearing a domino, and everyone would have recognized her. It befuddled Luke that a guest would be hemming his mother’s dress, but his mother’s voice to the mystery woman interrupted his thoughts. “You saved me time and did a wonderful job. You are a dear. Thank you.” Then she left the room without a second glance at her son.

He knew his mother left without acknowledging who he was in hopes of preserving the clandestine nature of the evening, proving just how much Alissa believed in the magic of the masquerade.

“This little one belongs to you?” Luke tickled the baby as he asked the rhetorical question.

“She’s with me, yes.”

“Well, she’s adorable.” Luke softly pinched the baby’s cheek. Recalling the name the woman had uttered to the baby, he said, “Aren’t you baby Katie? I’m sure you will grow up to be a strong and beautiful woman.”

The woman’s silence prompted him to look up. When he regarded her expression, something caught in his chest. She was looking at him in wonderment, eyes soft lidded and jaw slack. He felt his own heart beat rapidly in reply.

“What?” Luke asked, knowing it was a bit too direct.

“I just…usually men aren’t so…good with children. Nevermind infants.”

“That may be true, but this is no ordinary baby. She has traversed miles and pushed through mountains. At least in her world. And when asked where she came from, she gave me a very direct answer.”

“She did now? What did she say?” The woman’s kissable cardinal red lips floated up on one side.

Luke laughed, “I have no clue, but it led me here.” He looked at the woman’s smiling face and added, “And I’m glad it did.” A slight blush rose to her cheeks.

“Thank you for bringing Katie back to me.”

“Of course,” Luke held out his hands for the woman to take the baby, and she drew closer. In the exchange, Luke felt a small reticule graze his forearm. He wished it had been more of the woman’s body that had done the grazing. Then Katie stretched out her hands to the woman and started babbling again.

Once the baby gripped the woman, she patted her back a few times. Baby drool mixed with spit up slowly dripped down onto the expensive gown.

“Here, let me,” Luke pulled out a handkerchief and wiped at the woman’s fragile sleeve. Anything to be closer to her. His body was aching to be near her.

“It’s alright. That’s what babies do,” came a whispered reply. “It’s to be expected. I’ll be fine.”

Her whisper roared to life through his ears. That’s when he realized how close he was standing to her. The fact that there was a baby between them acted as a buffer, but all the same, he should not be found alone in this room with his hands on her. Clearly someone’s wife.

He stepped back.

“I apologize. Please,” he bowed slightly and motioned toward the door.

“I should go. I have to put Katie to bed.”

The woman took a few steps toward the door and looked back over her shoulder. She opened her mouth, letting it stay that way for a few seconds. Finally she closed her mouth, turned and left the room.

Her leaving should have been the end of that moment, but instead, he felt as though a string were tied from her bodice to his waistcoat, and after a few seconds, he felt the tug too hard to do anything other than follow her steps. He stopped himself at the door. This was madness. To feel such a draw to a perfect stranger, no matter how kind she was shaping up to be. No amount of gown-hemming and baby-holding should compel him to act against his morals.

He couldn’t go around Glass Hall chasing a woman with a baby. Because that meant she had a husband. No, he couldn’t go chasing after her for a kiss. No matter how strong a pull he felt.

But he could still get to know her. So he poked his head out of the door. Just as he did so, he saw her bump into a footman with a tray. A few unidentifiable pieces flew off the tray onto the carpet. Baby in hand, the woman bent down to pick up the items, on her haunches next to the footman.

She had to add footmen-helping-while-holding-a-baby to her list? What kind of humble saint was she?

Who was this beautiful, shimmering light who acted with such aplomb and kindness to people of all ranks? He had to know, if for no other reason than to establish a clear picture of her dueling husband in mind. Surely knowing her husband’s identity would reinforce in his mind a boundary that he would never cross.

If the woman was coming back, there was a strong chance she would return to the masquerade following the same route, so he resolved to wait and listen for her from the room.

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