Page 37 of Moonlight and the Duke
Eden rolled her eyes. “You always do something to set her off. On purpose, I might add.”
“She deserves it,” he muttered. “The woman is an insufferable banshee. I am the one to be pitied. She almost killed me.”
Dr. Weaver’s expression remained professional and detached. “Sit quietly now, Lord Darrow. I am going to stitch you up, and you will need to remain still for this.”
Eden did not know whether it was the heat of the day, too much time spent under the sun, or merely the strain of thinking her father had been killed that prompted her to suddenly feelill. Her head began to spin as soon as the doctor withdrew his needle. She felt dizzy, and an odd numbness began to spread through her body in waves.
“Eden!” Connor’s arms came around her as she suddenly swayed. “Sit down.”
He helped her to one of the nearby chairs, and she sank heavily onto it.
“You’re shaking, love,” he said, his voice tender and husky.
She nodded. “I need air. Connor, please…”
He glanced around, noted the implements the doctor was taking out of his bag, and hastily agreed. “Let me get you outside.”
He put an arm around her waist and kept protective hold of her as he led her onto the shaded terrace that was similar to his in size and view, except hers did not have as beautiful a garden. She loved flowers and had many colorful blooms, but they were no match for his display, known throughout England as one of the finest examples of horticultural excellence.
“Evans, bring out lemonade and any sweet cakes you can find,” Connor ordered her butler as the man followed after them, concern for his mistress etched on his face.
“At once, Your Grace.”
Connor made certain she was seated in a shady spot that was also in the path of a cooling sea breeze. “You overdid it today, Eden. My fault entirely,” he muttered. “I should have gone with you. Or not let you stay out so long.”
“On our bird watch? When have you ever had the patience to watch birds? But I do it all the time,” she insisted. “It wasn’t the length of the excursion that was the problem. I enjoyed it, and so did your children. And you could not have gone with us, or it would have defeated the entire purpose of my taking them out of your hair in the first place.”
“But I should have been more thoughtful. I don’t know, I should have looked out for you better. We were dancing into the wee hours of the morning.”
She smiled at him. “I liked dancing with you.”
“Me too.” He grinned back. “It was nice, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “You are an excellent dancer. Or was it just the music and moonlight that swept me away?”
He tweaked her chin. “It was my being manly and your being in my manly arms, of course. How does it feel to have danced with a Silver Duke?”
“Almost as good as I will feel after taking a sip of this lemonade.” She nodded toward Evans, who bustled out with a lemonade pitcher, glasses, and an enormous cherry pie. “You don’t expect me to eat all that by myself, do you?”
“No, I’ll make the sacrifice and join you,” Connor teased, settling beside her. He frowned when she reached for the pitcher. “I’ll do it. Sit back and rest, Eden. Let me take care of you.”
“Being waited upon by a Silver Duke. Now, that is something to note in my diary.”
He arched an eyebrow as he poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to her. “Do you keep one?”
She sighed. “Yes, and I used to write all sorts of improper things in it.”
“But no more?”
“Not really, not all that much lately. I did at one time, but that was ages ago. It turns out my life is very dull and there was never anything of interest to write in it, so I had to make up lots of exciting things.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, mostly silly things. Pirate invasions. Dragons. Elves and pixies.”
“What about your debut Season? Was this not interesting enough?”
She took a sip of her lemonade. “No, not particularly.”
