Page 47 of Dubious about the Duke (Second Sons of London 5)

“I will find it.”

“I will go with you,” he insisted.

“Win, you would not take a governess to her room. That is not the way a duke behaves. There are rules to adhere to.”

“Then what the bloody good is being a duke if I can’t break a few rules? Especially in my own household.”

Sera rose. “No,” she said firmly. “Ring for your housekeeper. She will escort me to my room. You know I am right. Besides, I really shouldn’t be here without a chaperone. Aunt Phyllis would have my hide for volunteering to come here alone. Minta told me if we keep quiet about it, no one in town will know.”

He regarded her for a moment. “So that no gentleman will think you have been compromised by the Duke of Woodmont.”

“Precisely. The house party is coming up and we are both expected to find a spouse among the guests. At least, Adalyn will find you one since you don’t seem to care whom you wed.”

Saying those words made her heart hurt but she needed to hear them aloud and recognize that Win was meant for someone else. Not her.

His frown deepened as he rang for Mrs. Farmwell and they sat in silence. She hated ending such a lovely evening on a sour note but she didn’t know what to say and retreated within herself.

When Mrs. Farmwell arrived, Win said, “Take Miss Nicholls to her room if you would. She has not seen where it is yet.”

“I’d be happy to, Your Grace. Come with me, Miss Nicholls. I placed your valise in your room. Hot water will be brought to you every morning at six and every evening at eight. Also, a tray will be delivered so you may eat in your room.”

Sera started to leave with the housekeeper but Win said, “Mrs. Farmwell, please make a note that the tray will be unnecessary. I wish for Miss Nicholls to dine with me each night so I may hear about the progress Freddie and Charlie are making on a daily basis.”

She saw the housekeeper’s bemused look, which Mrs. Farmwell quickly erased.

“Very good, Your Grace. Will you continue to eat in the winter parlor or would you prefer the small dining room?”

“Here is fine,” he said brusquely. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Your Grace,” Sera replied, following Mrs. Farmwell out the door and up the flights of stairs until they reached the top of the house.

“You know where the schoolroom is. And the boys’ room. Your room is on the other side of the schoolroom. A door connects to it just as it does for the boys.”

They entered and Sera saw how cramped it was. The room contained a small bed pushed against the wall and a tiny table with a basin atop it, already filled with water, and a towel next to it. No chair. No mirror. A trunk did sit at the foot.

“Farmwell told me that your trunk would arrive in a few days,” the housekeeper said. “We can always remove this one and replace it with yours.”

“Yes, thank you,” she said.

The housekeeper looked at her beseechingly. “Let me know if you need anything, Miss Nicholls. We are... more than grateful for your arrival. The boys... well, they have been a handful, to say the least. We want you to be happy here. For a long time.”

“I appreciate your concern, Mrs. Farmwell. I am certain the boys and I will get along splendidly. In fact, I believe we have already made a good start in that direction.”

Mrs. Farmwell nodded. “Goodnight, then, Miss Nicholls.”

It took Sera some time to struggle out of her clothes with no help. She realized she would need to make some adjustments to her wardrobe or ask the maid that delivered her morning water to aid her in dressing for the day.

Finally, she donned her night rail and climbed into the bed. The mattress wasn’t nearly as firm as she liked and the pillow only held half the feathers hers normally did. Still, these were small concessions to make on her part. Her purpose at Woodbridge was to help Freddie and Charlie adjust to their new lives.

And avoid being around Win as much as possible.

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