Page 52 of Her Ruse with the Wicked Duke
“Bollocks.” Rowan chuckled breathlessly. “Stay here. Wait until I come back in and tell you all is clear, understood?”
She nodded quickly, dipping into the darkness behind the door. He threw his jacket on, waited until the candlelight passed the bottom of the door, and poked his head out to see that they had not lingered.
Rowan beckoned Alice over. She turned to him in the doorway, stealing one more kiss before anyone else breached the darkness, and walked back to the ballroom.
Rowan leaned against the door as he watched her walk away, looking at the ceiling.
That woman is amazing.
ChapterSeventeen
Several days had passed, and Richard was not harping on Alice in his usual way, which made her a bit on edge. She double-checked her cleaning and cooking to be sure he would not be able to find anything to get upset about but still paced the house in anticipation of his booming voice.
“Isn’t it odd that Richard has been so distant? I feel like I am walking on eggshells,” she muttered to Grace and Agnes, sitting in the kitchen while they planned out meals for the day. “Like he will snap at any moment.”
“I think His Grace made it clear to him that he can no longer treat you as before. Perhaps he had a change of heart.” Grace smiled.
“I would not be too sure, my dear. He seemed to be quite agitated this past week. I am not sure why, but he has been pacing the study frantically for days,” Agnes said quietly.
“I just wish he would talk to me. I know that I sound foolish for saying such things after all these years of him treating me like a maid.” Alice looked at the women to make sure they were not offended by the statement. “But he is my brother, after all.”
“You are too sweet for your own good, my dear.” Agnes chuckled, walking over to her and petting her head fondly. “Everything will work out as it should.”
As if on cue, they heard the chiming of Richard’s study bell from its place on the wall. The three looked at one another before laughing quietly at the irony, and Alice made her way to the study, where Richard sat at his desk, his hand in his blonde hair.
“My Lord,” Alice said quietly. “What can I do for you?”
“Pour my tea.” He gestured to the pot and cup on the desk no more than a foot away from him, and she made a mental note to never ask for something so lazy if she ever had someone to wait on her. “You have another event today, correct?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “In the park.”
“With the Duke? You have been spending an incredible amount of time with him, Alice. Do you think that is the best way to use your time? You should either be here or finding a husband.”
“Richard, I am finding a husband. I cannot simply pick one person and not question my options,” she replied.
He peered at her over his papers, furrowing his brow but saying nothing more. She dipped out of the room when she could, surprised that he had not scolded her for her attitude.
Perhaps Grace was right. Maybe he is changing.
* * *
Richard stood in his dining room, sipping his tea as Cain Ryder dashed around the table like a madman. “It was just like that, Salvator. I swear to you, I was chasing her around the room.”
“I want to know nothing more about that.” Rowan sighed, shaking his head and grabbing his newspaper before taking a seat.
“Oh, come on. We all know that you are not satisfying yourself with your paperwork,” Cain said, being purposely crass. “I am simply helping my dear friend.”
“No one, and I mean no one, wants to hear about the oddities you find in alleys, downtown,” Rowan said. “Back me up, please.”
Xander Yarros put a cube of sugar in his tea before walking over to the dining table and sitting down. “He is right.”
“Thank you,” Rowan said, hiding his smirk behind the paper as he heard Cain start to complain.
This afternoon was another ton event, and Rowan wanted to be as calm as possible beforehand so that he could control the urges that began to arise whenever he happened to be in the same vicinity as Alice Snow. His friends coming over for business advice the same morning was unplanned and unwanted, to say the least.
“What did you two need from me again? I am busy.”
“Well, I came here for actual advice. I have no idea why he is here, other than to ruin your day.” Xander chuckled, pointing to Cain, who was still ranting about how his best friends were “too sophisticated for manhood.”
