Page 31 of Her Duke Next Door
“This is different. We cannot infringe on Lady Yore and her daughter.”
“We have been invited!”
“A letter written by your seven-year-old friend is not the formal invitation I would want from Lady Yore herself, Katie.”
She blinked, as though she did not understand why that did not suffice. But he could barely show up to Lord Yore’ house with an invitation from a seven-year-old and think that it had been officially sent!
Besides, she was to marry that awful man and the very thought of it sent unpleasant shivers down his spine. He would fight that bastard if he ever laid eyes on him again, seeing him lay a hand on Lady Yore.
She can protect herself, she told you so herself, he told himself.
She was simply being brave, he argued back in his own mind, shaking his head.
“Katie, I said no, and that is final.” Truly, he did not want to go. He had kissed the woman once and that had been a taste of something he craved again. If he saw her… He would not be able to resist his desires for her, especially with that insolent tongue.
“Papa!” she cried. “Youmusttake me! Please, please, please…” She kept repeating that word until Dominique groaned.
“What else can I do for you instead of this?” he asked.
“Nothing else will be as good as this, Papa,” she pouted.
“Nothing at all?”
“This is all I wish for.”
“And if I take you to visitone timeyou will eat and leave your rooms as normal? And you will stop asking to visit every day?”
He sighed, his cutlery clattering to the table. “You will not let this go, will you, darling?”
“No, Papa.” Her smile grew wider, sensing that she was a bit closer to winning what she wanted. “If you do not take me I shall never stop asking. I shall join you for every meal and leave my room but only to ask to visit Eloise.”
She gave him her best grin, smug in her words.When had she grown up so much? He wondered to himself. He sighed deeply again and picked up his fork, slowly slicing up a piece of venison.
“Eat your dinner, Katie.”
“But—”
“Eat your dinner,” he repeated firmly.
She did and glared at him the entire time. But he took his time, slicing up another piece, before forking them into his mouth, one by one, letting her wait. Then he gave her a small smile. “I shall see to it that you see your friend. We shall visit London.”
Her face brightened immediately. “Oh, truly, Papa? When? Shall I go and pack right now?”
“No, no, sit down,” he said, as she had already stood up eagerly. He hoped he would not regret agreeing to her whims but he knew he needed to be there for his daughter and do this one thing for her.
For once, I shall not be selfish, he swore.
“We shall depart tomorrow.”
ChapterTen
“My dear, are you almost ready?”
Hugh’s voice had Mary startled. She had been back in Yore House for almost two days now and still had not become accustomed to him appearing behind her or in doorways. At least he had not approached her during slumber.
That did not stop him from peering down her dress at any chance. She felt as though she had one of Eloise’s spiders crawling over her skin whenever he did that.
Now, she tugged her shawl around her shoulders. “I am ready.”
