Page 45 of Dubious about the Duke (Second Sons of London 5)

Chapter Fifteen

Sera had mixedemotions as she perched on the bed and kissed Charlie’s forehead. He smiled up at her sleepily and then rolled to his side. She went to the other bed and brushed a kiss upon Freddie’s brow. He crinkled his nose as if disgusted by the gesture. Freddie would definitely be the harder nut to crack. Unless you counted Win.

She could not for the life of her figure him out.

“Goodnight,” she called softly. “Sleep well.”

Turning, she reentered the schoolroom since that door was still open and the bedchamber door opening to the corridor was already closed. Win followed her and shut the door behind him.

“They are a handful,” he said.

“They are charming,” she countered. “I found them both quite delightful. It is hard to think they have pulled some of the pranks they have.”

“Under your loving hand, I doubt they will. Or at least not very often,” he amended. “They are, after all, boys. And boys will find mischief. Especially a pair such as they are.”

“I agree. A little mischief can be a good thing. If they were to always obey without question and never find trouble, I would worry something might be wrong with them.”

He took a step toward her and her heart sped up. “We shouldn’t talk here. I don’t wish to keep them awake. The sound of our voices might do so.”

He smiled enigmatically. “Then we should go downstairs for dinner.”

Sera opened her mouth to protest but Win added, “We both have to eat. Plus, we can talk about the boys. What you wish to teach them. Come along.”

He moved through the schoolroom door to the hallway and she followed, her pulse beating rapidly. She thought about kissing him in the carriage and how that had been a mistake.

A huge mistake.

She could have stopped him. Win was gentleman enough that if she had, he wouldn’t have pressed her for more. But she had reveled in his taste. His touch. She had never known people kissed like that. Or touched so intimately. The thought of his hand against her breast had her growing hot. She fought to dispel the image and the feelings it aroused within her.

He paused, waiting for her, and offered his arm.

“No, thank you. You wouldn’t have escorted the two previous governesses as if they were ladies, so I don’t expect you to do the same with me.”

She reached the staircase and gripped the handrail firmly, trying to ground herself in reality and not fantasy.

As they moved down the stairs, Sera added, “I cannot dine with you each evening, Win. A servant—even an upper servant—would never do so. And as a single female, it wouldn’t be proper.”

He chuckled. “So, you would allow two little boys to address you by your first name, disregarding society’s established manners, and yet you won’t even dine with me.”

Win stopped on the landing, blocking her way. “Sera, I beg you to change your mind. I do want to know what is going on with them. I am curious as to what you will teach them. How you will spend your time with them. They are very active children and you will be busy most of the day. Supping with me would give you a chance to relax and allow me to hear about Freddie’s and Charlie’s day.”

He gave her a charming smile. “Besides, we are in the country. Theton’s rules are a little more relaxed here, outside the prying eyes of gossips. Please.”

Win looked so boyish that Sera found herself weakening. “All right,” she told him, knowing that nothing intimate could take place with several footmen watching and listening to every word said.

“Good.” He turned and started down the stairs again and she continued holding the handrail to steady herself.

He led her to a room which was obviously not the main dining room, She knew an estate of this size would have a table that seated two to three dozen. This room was cozy, with two wingback chairs near a window and a table for four in front of a fireplace.

“This is the winter parlor,” Win explained. “I have been dining in here. It seems ridiculous to eat by myself at a table where I can barely see the far end. It is also less trouble on the servants.”

“I heard what you told the boys. About how to treat servants and others.”

“Doing the right thing was a lesson I learned early at school,” he shared. “I had done something careless in the dormitory. Left a mess. A maid took me to task. She said she was tired of thoughtless boys leaving a mess. While she did not mind cleaning up—since that was her job—she still believed that limits should be placed.”

He sighed. “I had never thought of what servants actually did. To me, fires magically were laid and beds turned back with warming pans inserted at the foot. Food appeared on the table at regular intervals. I never thought of the hard work behind these tasks. That one maid scolding me left an impression which never faded. I do my best now to allow my servants to wait on me but I never want to inconvenience them.”

“That is very admirable.”

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