Page 14 of Cinderella's Charade With the Duke
William turned and caught the small smirk on the old man’s face. He couldn’t help but grin back. He appreciated Simmons’s attempt to turn his mood and for his practical and calm nature.
‘Perhaps it is not the worst idea,’ he replied with a bit of a chuckle. ‘Send out an enquiry to the farmers nearby. Perhaps they will have a litter coming soon that we could pull two pups from. And none of those fussy dogs, Simmons. I want a hound or a hunter. Dogs large enough to alert loudly and give chase to the next set of reporters that wander on our property.’ He crossedhis arms against his chest. ‘Then I can enjoy watching them run.’ He flashed a full smile to Simmons, who gave a smirk as well.
‘I look forward to seeing such a display, Your Grace.’
‘As do I. Please also send for the doctor to come check on Millie and Miss Potts. Although I think they will be fine after they settle from the scare, I would feel better to know for certain they were unharmed.’
‘Of course, Your Grace. I will see to it now.’
‘Thank you, Simmons. This Manor wouldn’t work without you.’
‘Well, I hope to never be without it,’ he replied, his voice softening in a rare display of affection, before he turned to leave.
William stood in silence as the wagon disappeared around the last bend to the main road. He settled himself with one more deep breath before he went inside. He had to be calm, not enraged, despite how he felt. His daughter would not benefit from him being out of sorts. He climbed the steps, made the walk to the kitchen and found her with Mrs Updike, rather than in the parlour, sitting in a small chair pulled in from the other room.
Millie stared out the window at the lake, one of her favourite places in the world. Her legs swung in the air as she nibbled on a biscuit, her upper lip showing evidence of the milk she’d consumed already. Cook stood behind, watching her as she sipped from a cup of tea.
‘Everyone settled?’ he asked.
Millie paused and turned to him. She smiled, which set his heart at ease.
‘Yes, Your Grace. Nothing a biscuit and warm milk cannot cure,’ Mrs Updike replied.
While he was pleased to see that was the case now, what of next time? Would she be hurt? Should he take a bride to show he’d moved on from the scandals of Cecily to stop this pestering and invasion of their privacy? It was the last thing he wantedto do, but for Millie…he would do anything. He sat next to her and Mrs Updike brought him his own plate of biscuits and some strong tea and set it before him without even asking.
‘Thank you,’ he replied, moved by the woman’s ability to know exactly whatheneeded, too. He took a sip, letting the warm tang settle through him. His pulse was nearing normal despite his racing thoughts. ‘Miss Potts?’ he asked.
‘Went to change and clean up, Your Grace. Quite a spill she took. Never seen anything like it,’ Mrs Updike replied with pride. ‘Quite a brave lass.’
‘She is,’ he agreed. He popped an entire biscuit in his mouth and savoured the soft, delicate way it dissolved on his tongue as he chewed. He needed to speak with his new governess and to thank her. The woman had risked her own well-being and safety to protect his daughter. What more could one ask of a governess? He chewed slowly on another biscuit. Or of a wife, for that matter? He set the biscuit down as an idea bloomed.
Hehad after all given up on the idea of marrying for love after Cecily. But what if he married for Millie instead? Married a woman who was unexpected and unjaded by Society. A woman Millie knew and adored already.
He frowned. What a ridiculous idea. For starters, it was too great a risk. He hardly knew the woman and rash decisions never worked out well for him if Cecily was any indication. He was being irrational and nonsensical…emotional. He was still startled by what happened to Millie. He batted the idea away and pulled his daughter to his side, kissing the top of her head. When she looked meaningfully at the remaining biscuit on his plate, he nodded. ‘It’s yours,’ he murmured.
She took it from his plate and ate it, and they sat in silence, looking upon the glorious sun streaming down around the lake. He would worry about all that much later. First, he needed the doctor to check both Millie and Miss Potts to make sure theywere well. Once that had been accomplished, he would be able to think far more clearly.
Chapter Seven
‘May I speak with you for a moment, Your Grace?’ Doctor Kemplar asked as he tucked his stethoscope back into his medicine bag and snapped the metal clasp shut. He was in the hallway outside William’s study and evidently finished with his checks on his patients this morning: Millie and Miss Potts.
William’s heart skipped in his chest for a beat and he stood behind his desk. He knew Dr Kemplar well andthistone was reserved for serious conversations. The last time he’d used this tone with William, he’d told him his father was close to death after a decade-long battle with his lungs. Fear tightened every muscle within him.
William nodded and tucked his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘Of course, Doctor,’ he replied with a forced calm he didn’t feel. It was either that or curse so loudly the chandelier would rattle from the rafters.
The Doctor entered the study and closed the door behind him. He settled in a chair opposite the large desk and William sat down, grateful for the barrier between him and whatever news he was about to receive.
‘While Miss Potts seems fine despite a few bruises and a strained shoulder, your daughter…’ He paused and shifted in his seat. ‘I am gravely concerned. While she has no physicalconcerns, her refusal to speak despite the time that has passed leaves me feeling…uncertain.’
‘Uncertain?’ William asked.
The Doctor’s brow creased and a frown pulled down the corners of his mouth, making his large white moustache twitch. ‘Continued exposures like the one today may cause her to never speak again.’
William froze.Never?The idea of never hearing his daughter’s voice again sent ice through his veins.
‘Over the years, I have seen children shocked into silence by such traumas before, but they have always spoken again before now. It has been over a year, has it not?’
‘Yes, it has.’
