Page 76 of In Need of a Duke
“Rafe Davies! Out. Go conduct business somewhere else in London so I can continue with mine.”
“Only if you kiss me first.”
“Out.” Lily couldn’t keep a straight face. Lily pressed up onto her tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss against Rafe’s lips. “I will see you this evening.”
“I give you permission to yell at me all you like.”
“Out!” She shooed the two men away, leaving Charlotte there, laughing to herself.
“What’s it like being married to a rake?”
“Oh, absolutely the worst. I can never stay mad at him. He’s too damned charming.”
“Sounds terrible.”
“Almost as terrible as being married to a broody duke who has returned and is utterly obsessed with you?”
Obsessed? No, certainly not. He remained because… well, Charlotte didn’t have the answer. She assumed because he had been scared to lose her after her accident, or more pressingly, he wished for an heir. And now they were becoming reacquainted with one another. And she vowed her heart would stay out of it.
Couldn’t they share what they had last night without her surrendering to him completely? Could she continue enjoying their time together exploring one another’s bodies without involving her heart?
But Charlotte knew the answer, even if she didn’t like it.
Some people trusted their heads—like Lily—while others like Kate trusted their hearts. But Charlotte had always had a strong intuition, listening to her gut. The problem, however, was that she was beginning to wonder if she was allowing fear to guide her decisions rather than her intuition.
She searched the halls, peeking into rooms until she came upon Ian in the doorway to the music room, silently watching as the girls danced and sang and practiced their instruments. The very merry sound echoed off the walls of a property he had never had any intention of using.
Charlotte approached, unable to wipe the smile off her face at the sight of him in her school.
“You created something special, Lottie,” he whispered to her as she came to stand beside him. “These girls are very happy.”
“They have the opportunity to learn and pursue their goals and not focus on finding husbands. I suppose that is why.”
“For now.”
She hated that he had to slip that ugly truth in between them.
“I dream of a future where girls can grow into women and chase after their interests with the same freedom as men. Fanciful, I know. I am reminded of it often enough at dinner parties that my interests are fanciful. A woman naturalist should not be treated like an oddity. So yes, I believe this is a worthy cause.”
He glanced at her, nodding.
“Would you like a full tour?”
“Someone already beat you to it, I’m afraid.”
“Who?”
He pointed toward Dorothea, a small girl with a round face full of freckles and an auburn plait tied with a purple bow. She sat down at the pianoforte and stretched her arms.
“Only what we’ve practiced now, Miss Jones,” the teacher reminded.
Charlotte chuckled. “Watch this…”
“Hmm?”
The little girl smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” Then she began playing a gentle hymnal. And just when the teacher turned her back, the girl grinned and began playing the rowdy notes of a bawdy song.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Miss Jones. Must we do this every day? You know well enough what to do.”
