Page 20 of A Scandalous Bargain
Chapter 4
Laughing, Thomas swept Regan up into the air the following afternoon on the lawn in the middle of Grosvenor Square. She giggled, and her bonnet went toppling to the ground.
“Oh no,” he said, grinning as he lowered her to the ground.
Regan touched her now bare head. “My hat.”
Her nurse picked up the accessory and smiled at Regan. “Let’s put this back on. We don’t want you to get freckles.”
Thomas actually liked freckles. Miss Whitford had a few on her face, and they only added to her charm.
“Afternoon, Rockbourne.”
Thomas turned to see his neighbor, the Duke of Ramsgate, walking toward him. Of average height with dull brown hair and a round paunch, the duke bore almost no resemblance to his beautiful daughter. Except for the eyes—the shape was the same as Miss Whitford’s, though hers were a sparkling mix of light brown and green while the duke’s were just brown.
“Afternoon, Ramsgate.”
The duke eyed him speculatively. “You look well given the circumstances. Allow me to offer my condolences.”
“Thank you.” Thomas worked to hide his dislike, which was how he now felt toward the duke after having met his abandoned daughter. How a man could ignore his own flesh and blood was not only beyond Thomas, it made him furious.
“I lost my wife five years ago, so I understand what you’re going through.”
Thomas doubted that. For so many reasons.
“It’s a bit different, of course,” Ramsgate continued. “You don’t yet have an heir, so you’ll want to find a new wife. I didn’t need to worry about that.”
That’s what he meant about understanding Thomas’s position? “How did you manage your grief, particularly with regard to your children?” Thomas wasn’t sure why he bothered asking, but he wanted to know. Mostly because he wondered if the duke truly ever thought of his other daughter, Miss Whitford.
Ramsgate waved his hand and scoffed. “Bah, grieving is for milksops. My children were fine. Both my daughters were already wed, so I was fortunate there. Managing unmarried daughters can be so troublesome!” He laughed, seemingly unaware that Thomas not only had a young daughter, but that she was standing just a few feet away with her nurse.
Thomas stared at him but said nothing.
“It’s good that you’re carrying on,” Ramsgate said. “That’s the way to go about things.”
The duke’s nonchalance was infuriating. Thomas couldn’t seem to let it go, particularly where Miss Whitford was concerned. She’d said her father had loved her mother. Had she been wrong? “So you don’t let death or loss concern you?”
“Why should I? The duchess lived a good life. I suppose our daughters were sad, but we didn’t discuss it.”
“Papa!” Regan wrapped her arms around Thomas’s legs. “Fly again!”
Thomas swung her into the air and twirled her around. She shrieked with glee, and he hugged her to his side. “Now it’s time to go inside for something to eat.” He looked over at the duke, who was gaping at them as if Thomas had stripped off his clothes and run around the square nude.
“Ramsgate.” Thomas inclined his head at the man before turning with Regan toward his house.
The moment Thomas stepped into his entry hall, he realized something was amiss. The butler, Baines, was not at his post. Instead, one of the footmen opened the door. And the young man appeared nervous, his gaze furtive and his shoulder twitching.
“What is it, Preston?” Thomas asked.
The footman glanced at Regan in Thomas’s arms. Thomas handed her to the nurse. “I’ll join you in a moment.”
The nurse clasped Regan to her side and nodded before going upstairs.
Thomas turned his attention back to the footman. “Is something wrong?”
“No, my lord. I mean, I don’t think so. There is a Bow Street Runner, er, constable, waiting in the sitting room. And another one is downstairs speaking with Baines.” His cheeks flushed, but he didn’t look away.
“That troubles you.” Thomas gave him an encouraging nod. “Don’t let it.”
