Page 24 of Claimed By the Duke of Ice

“No,” Aunt Tabitha stated flatly. “This one will not do. Madame Rosé, come, let us look again. Grace, stay there a moment.”

Once more, the two older women left the room, leaving Nathaniel and Grace alone. The moment they were gone, Grace burst into a fit of giggles and lifted the heavy mass of skirt so she could step down from the stool.

“You’re not happy with this choice?” Nathaniel teased, standing up.

“I look absolutely frightening in this thing,” Grace replied, giggling softly as she tried to do a twirl. As she did so, the long skirts got caught up under her feet, and as she sailed toward the floor, she let out a small shriek.

Before Nathaniel could even think about what to do, his body moved toward her, catching her before she hit the ground. It happened so fast that he didn’t think about what the touch would do to him, but once his arms were around her, he froze. Grace looked up at him as shocked as he was then a beautiful smile spread across her face, and her hand reached toward him. Gently, she tucked his hair behind his ear, her fingers caressing his lobe.

Instead of the usual numbness that came, a shiver of delight travelled from the lobe of his ear to the back of his head and then down his spine. Unable to help himself, Nathaniel’s arms wrapped around her tighter, drawn to the feel of her in his arms. He hadn’t held anyone in so long that he thought it would be a foreign feeling. But instead, it felt as if he was finding a piece of home in her embrace.

“Thank you for catching me,” Grace breathed, her eyes full of longing as they stayed locked on his.

“Of course,” Nathaniel murmured, still in awe.

Suddenly, from behind them, they heard the clapping of hands followed quickly by Aunt Tabitha’s shrill voice.

“That is quite enough of that!” she exclaimed, hurrying toward them. “Even if you are married, it would not do for someone to catch a glimpse of you like this through the windows. That is what the privacy of your home is for.”

Regaining his decorum, Nathaniel gently pulled Grace to her feet and let her go. She was still looking at him in the same longing manner as before which only made his arms itch to wrap around her again. Why hadn’t the numbness come? What had made this moment different?

“Come now, come,” Aunt Tabitha urged, practically dragging Grace back to the changing room. “We must find something we can leave with today. Hurry up now; we cannot be at this forever.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I shall expect to see you in one of your new dresses when I next visit,” Aunt Tabitha commanded as she pulled on her gloves. “You have no excuse now to be flouncing around here like a…a…a ragamuffin.”

Grace bit back the chortle in her throat and worked her mouth to stop it from smiling as she curtseyed toward Aunt Tabitha. Her visit was supposed to be only a day, but it had spanned into several. Though Nathaniel had been able to carve out time for her the first day, duty had called him back to work, and the two women had been forced to spend time alone. In the course of that time, Grace discovered that the icy matriarch was all bark and no bite, and though she was weary of her constant displays of aggression, she no longer feared the woman.

“Absolutely, My Lady, I will part ways with my old wardrobe just as you suggested.”

Aunt Tabitha nodded curtly and turned toward her carriage.

“Tell my nephew that I shall write to him shortly, and he is to report on your progress,” she at last commanded. Grace assured her that she would deliver the message, and as the carriage rolled away, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“You did well, Your Grace,” Mrs. Snievely praised, appearing at her side.

“She is a rather…astringent woman, is she not?” Grace mused, smiling ruefully at Mrs. Snievely. The older woman chortled.

“That is a polite way of putting it, Your Grace,” Mrs. Snievely said in way of agreement. Together, they walked back inside, both of them a little more relaxed.

“Shall I have the cook prepare you something special for teatime?” Mrs. Snievely inquired. “Something to take away the sting of her tongue, perhaps?”

Grace laughed softly and shook her head.

“That won’t be necessary, Mrs. Snievely, but I deeply appreciate your concern. In truth, her visit was not all that awful. She did, in fact, aid in my edification of my new title, and I know what better to do with my day now as well as how to receive our future guests.”

Grace paused, looking down at the gown Aunt Tabitha had picked for her. It was a similar design to the black and silver one she’d tried on at the modiste’s, but the puff in the shoulders was much smaller, and the tight sleeves came all the way down to her knuckles. It was a dark shade of purple which Aunt Tabitha insisted was the color of aristocracy and suffocating. The fabric didn’t breathe at all, making Grace most uncomfortable in the summer heat.

“I must admit that she and I still differ on our choice of fashion, however,” she continued.

“It is a rather interesting choice for the season, Your Grace,” Mrs. Snievely agreed, “but perhaps there are some more fitting ones in the new delivery.”

Grace looked at Mrs. Snievely, confused.

“There isn’t a new delivery,” she countered. “All of the dresses Aunt Tabitha chose for me have arrived already.”

“I am afraid not, Your Grace,” Mrs. Snievely replied with a grin. “A few packages from the modiste arrived just a short time ago through the kitchen entrance. Shall I bring them up to your rooms along with your tea?”

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