Page 4 of Her Duke to Beguile: Lady Be Wicked
She hadn’t even glanced at the man when she had come into the room. Her attention had been solely focused on the little brat that had continued to make her life hell. Now that she had taken the time to glance at him, she lost all ability to think or form words. She had never seen a more gorgeous man in her entire life. His hair was dark as a night sky devoid of moonlight and his eyes were like spun gold shimmering in candlelight. There were some specks of green in that gold that made her think of grass on a warm, sunny day.
Eleanor swallowed the lump in her throat. What should she do? Slowly, her brain started to form thoughts again. She’d never felt like a ninny before, but this man had turned her into one with just one glance. How was she going to get anything done with a man so handsome she lost the ability to use the intelligence god had gifted to her? “Your Grace,” she said, and curtsied. “My apologies for our interruption.”
He chuckled lightly. It was like pouring warm honey sliding over her tongue. Sinfully decadent, and highly irresistible… “I do not believe you are the one at fault.” He glanced down at his nephew. “Do you want to explain yourself?” The duke lifted a brow and waited.
“Uncle…” the earl began, but clearly he hadn’t thought the duke would take Eleanor’s side. In her estimation, that made him even better than she could have imagined. Not many dukes would care about a servant.
“Don’t give me any excuses,” the duke warned his nephew. “You were running. Something I have told you not to do myself. So tell me. Why are you misbehaving now?”
The earl glanced down and shuffled his feet. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t?” The duke frowned. “Then I believe you owe…” He glanced at her. “I owe you an apology, too. I’m afraid I do not know your name.”
“It’s Miss Jones,” the young earl informed the duke. “She’s my new governess.”
The duke smiled. “I gathered that much.” He nodded in her direction. “You owe Miss Jones an apology. I’m home now and I expect you to behave properly and learn. If you’re ever to be a proper lord and run your estate, you need to have an excellent education. Do you understand me?”
The young earl nodded. He turned to her and said. “Please forgive me, Miss Jones. I promise I won’t run from my lessons again. I’m sorry for being difficult.”
With that turn around he wished the duke had been in residence from the beginning. It was clear Lord Craven respected him far more than he did anyone else. Would he return to such improper behavior once the duke returned to London? All she could do was pray that once he did, she would have gained some respect from the young earl beforehand. “Apology accepted,” she told him. “We should return to the schoolroom now. Your uncle has only arrived, and he probably wishes to have some time to himself after such a long journey.”
“Are you staying for a while?” the earl asked his uncle.
He seemed anxious for this answer. She hoped that the duke would stay, not only for herself but also for the boy. He clearly needed the attention from his uncle. “Yes,” he told him. “I’m here for at least a month. Now run along. You have many things to learn.”
The boy nodded and walked back to the schoolroom. Eleanor smiled, then glanced up at the duke. “Thank you, Your Grace,” she said.
He held her gaze. “Think nothing of it.”
Her heart skipped a beat as he stared at her. What should she say? There didn’t seem like there was anything else to add, but she didn’t want this time to end. Eleanor was a fool. The duke had far better things to do with his time than entertain a silly governess. “Good afternoon.” She turned away from him and went to attend to her charge in the schoolroom.
“Miss Jones,” the duke called to her.
Eleanor stopped and glanced back at him. “Yes?”
“After you are done with today’s lessons, I would like to speak with you. Come see me in my study.”
She gulped in air like a fish out of water. Hell. Had she messed up far more than she had realized? What would she do if he turned her away, and she was forced to find another position? This one had been her last hope.
“Yes, Your Grace,” she said, then turned away. She couldn’t look at him a second longer. Her heart thudded heavily inside her chest, and just not from the fear she might be sacked. He made her wish for things she had no right to. He would never want anything with her. No duke would look at a governess and want more. Duke’s did not marry a penniless vicar’s daughters that had to seek employment to survive, and she would never be a mistress.
It was too bad she had morals or she might throw herself at the handsome Duke of Cranbrook and do something far too scandalous for her own good… She sighed. Eleanor couldn’t escape the truth. She would never have a family, and the Duke of Cranbrook would marry someone else. He had to think of his line, and he wouldn’t choose her to be his duchess. Her fate held something far different, and less pleasant, and she had to accept that.
He wasn’t for her, no matter how much she wished she could change it. She couldn’t make him love her, and she didn’t even know if she would if that option was open to her. Just because he was heavenly to gaze upon didn’t make him a good choice for a husband. She had to push those thoughts away and do the job she was hired for, and leave dreams for those that had the luxury of wallowing in them.
Three
George sat at his desk and stared at the ledgers, demanding his attention. He couldn’t focus on anything that his estate manager had written in them. All he could think about was a certain beguiling governess and his desire to spend more time in her company. She hadn’t said or done anything that would indicate she had any interest in him, and that in itself was appealing. All females, save his family, showered him with attention. The title put ideas inside their heads and most of it could not be interpreted as good ones either.
Such was his cross to bear as a duke…
That wasn’t arrogance, though he did have his fair share of that. George knew his worth both in title and wealth. Not all dukes were created equal, as was the case of most gentry. His title was old and his wealth extensive. That made him far more desirable than many of the gentlemen in the ton. Which brought him back to the conundrum that had chased him from London to the safety of his countryseat.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. These thoughts were doing nothing to solve his current dilemma. He had to go over those ledgers and stop thinking about his nephew’s governess.
“Ye look like a troubled man.” That familiar Scottish brogue made George smile.
He glanced up at the Duke of Allister and grinned. “Why are you here?” George lifted a brow. “Isn’t your own estates keeping you busy?”
