Page 51 of The Duke's Spinster Bride
He sat back on the floor, and stretched his legs out in front of him before grabbing a scone from the platter. His fingers brushed against Andrea’s and he heard the sound of her breath catching. Or perhaps it was his own.
The smell of her perfume lingered in his nose. The memory of catching her as she fell from the stool floated to the forefront of his mind. He swallowed and took a bite of his scone with difficulty.
“I am surprised the cook’s shouts did not raise half the castle.” Andrea’s voice was soft, not quite a whisper but not far from it.
Frederick shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck with a free hand. “Caverton Castle is rather large. And sound carries strangely here. I expect if we had led her on a longer chase, we might have caused more of a disturbance, but we did not.”
He took another scone and chewed on it, rolling out some stiffness in his shoulders. The sound of their laughter seemed to fill the silence between them.
“Why did you not just tell her who you were?” Andrea asked, crossing her ankles over each other.
“It would have embarrassed her to realise she had been shouting at the Duke and Duchess.” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “I did not want to do that.”
She frowned. “You are not worried she will accuse the servants of stealing?”
“You heard what she said, she will tell the Duke in the morning and I will reassure her that I will look into the matter. She has been telling me about pantry thieves for years.” He grinned at Andrea who smiled back.
The warmth of her smile spread through him, and he ran a hand absently over his chest as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“And how many of them have been you?” She shook her head, but the smile did not leave her face.
He laughed. “Most of them. Well, all of them, but sometimes Dorson and Elington were there as well.”
“She must think you rather incompetent at catching thieves.” Her eyes glittered in the candlelight as she tilted her head towards him.
“Oh, I have no doubt she knows it is me. But this way we can both pretend and no one need feel embarrassed or upset.” He shrugged and massaged his shoulder. “A rather elegant solution if you think about it.”
“It seems like a lot of trouble to go to when you could just tell her the truth.” Andrea pulled her legs onto the sofa, leaning against the arm and peering at him.
He ran a hand through his hair. “But if I did that, I would have never have gotten to experience the delight of you giggling like some naughty child.”
She shifted on the sofa, her eyes searching his face. “If I recall, you were also laughing.”
“Exactly! It may seem rather elaborate to you, but this way is far better for everyone involved.” He leaned back on his hands, crossing his legs over one another as he looked at her.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, tapping her finger against them. “You do go through rather a lot of trouble to avoid hurting people’s feelings.”
“Would you rather I live my life uncaring of such things?” He had meant it to sound like a joke, but his voice came out firmer than he had intended.
“No.” Her eyes traced across his face with such intensity it felt like she was touching him.
He swallowed and shifted his weight. He wondered what was going through her mind. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, but he could not bring himself to look away.
“Even when someone is wrong, or something has upset you… You rarely voice it.” Andrea leaned against the arm of the sofa.
“If I do not voice it, then how do you know it has upset me?”
“Your muscles go all tense, and your smile does not quite reach your eyes. Depending on your level of upset, your jaw will twitch.” Andrea gestured to him.
Her words caught him off guard. His heart skidded to a halt. He shook his head.What is happening?
“It sounds like you watch me rather closely.” His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed. “Careful, Duchess, I might think you are starting to grow fond of me.”
“You see, you just did it!” she pointed to him. “You got uncomfortable and then you made a joke. You always do that.”
He reddened, his back stiffening as he looked at her. There was excitement on her face, her eyes wide as she sat up a little straighter.
“You do not always have to keep things light.” She gestured to him. “You are allowed to have emotions you know.”
