Page 24 of The Duke's Christmas Scandal
Ian strode out into the night, lugging his mattress roll and bedding up the stairs. When he came back, Grace and the baby had retired to the second room for the evening.
He and Tavi pushed the table near the window to make space for his pallet on the floor near the stove.
“This looks cozy,” Tavi said, her shawl falling down around her elbows. She twisted the ends and let them unfurl, over and over, a mindless exercise he recognized as the product of anxious nerves.
“There’s only one question left,” Ian said, a sly note creeping into his tone. “Where will you sleep? With your sister…or with me?”
A blush stole over her cheeks.
“We can’t do what we did last night,” she said.
“Or this morning?” he teased.
Red-faced, Tavi smacked his chest.
CHAPTER11
OCTAVIA
Tavi awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window and a baby’s contented gurgle. She stretched, then belatedly wondered where Ian had gone.
Twisting, she found him standing near the window holding Noel. Her heart thumped.
His disheveled hair stuck up every which way. A scruff of unshaven beard darkened his chin. His eyes were soft as he patted the baby’s back.
Her breath caught. She’d never seen any man as beautiful as he. Ian would make a wonderful father. He was patient and gentle, with an airy sense of humor that made even the darkest conditions feel brighter.
If she hadn’t already been halfway in love with him, the sight of Ian holding a baby sent her tumbling right over the cliff.
“Morning,” she said, scrambling out of the pallet.
“You’re awake. If you’ll take a turn holding this little one, I’ll put water on for tea.”
Last night had been a test of temptation. They made it through without engaging in too much untoward conduct. Furtive kisses. His hand beneath her nightgown. Nothing more, for Grace’s sake.
They had standards. Besides, it was rude to flaunt their happiness before a woman devastated by abandonment.
Tavi cooed at the baby, delighted by his wrinkled features and watery gaze. Noel was wrapped in the swaddle she’d embroidered for him. The stitching was a little crooked in places. She inspected it with a frown.
“Admiring your perfectly adequate handiwork?” Ian teased. Tavi laughed and passed the infant to him. Fluttery warmth filled her midsection as she thought of him holding his own child. Their baby, cradled in his arms.
The bedroom door creaked open, startling them both. Grace emerged, somber, holding a letter.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” she said somberly. “You’rethatIan Harkness. The new Duke of Susskind.”
Tavi laughed. “Are you sure you’re not feverish, Grace? What an absurd thing to say.”
“He didn’t tell you, did he?” Her sister’s dark eyes cut to hers. “Mr. Harkness isn’t the caretaker of Fellsgrove. He was just recognized as its rightful heir. It was announced a few weeks ago. Right before Solomon left England.”
Tavi felt her jaw drop. That couldn’t be right.
Turning to him, she read the guilt written on his face. Her stomach sank. Cold washed over her as if she’d been plunged into a cold bath. Dropped into a snowdrift. An unpleasant shock to the system.
If he was a duke, that changedeverything.
He’d been toying with her. She had no reason to expect anything from him—that wasn’t part of their bargain—but his unexpected appearance had given Tavi hope their one night could lead to more.
If it was true, her hopes were dashed.
