Page 18 of Married to the Icy Duke
And yet Lady Charlotte encouraged him to speak. What on earth does she have that I do not?
Isaac cleared his throat, shifting. “We are going to have a guest, Thomas. Can you guess who it might be?”
Thomas turned his head slightly to the left, then to the right.No.
Isaac breathed out. “Lady Charlotte Harding. You remember her, don’t you? The lady who sat with you under the table.”
The effect was immediate. Thomas’ little face broke into a wide smile, and he sat up, clutching his scruffy piglet to his chest. Isaac found himself grinning, too. Children’s expressions were, thankfully, easy to read.
At his age,Isaac thought grimly,I had learned to conceal my emotions. So had Sybella, and so had my brother. We thought it was normal. Perhaps it was not as ordinary as we were led to believe.
There was no sense in wasting time thinking about such things, however. Isaac’s father was long dead. His mother was dead too, and likely so were the endless parades of mistresses and opera-dancers his father had brought through the house.
And yet the effects of his reign remain.
“You like her, then?” he said, half to himself. “You like Lady Charlotte?”
A nod.
“Well, that’s good. She’s a kind woman, I think, and very maternal. Clever, too, even if she has no ability to keep her mouth shut or how to show respect. Or gratitude.”
He cleared his throat angrily, suddenly aware that Thomas was staring at him curiously, a little frown line between his brows.
Smile, damn you,Isaac told himself, and he forced a faint smile to his face. It wouldn’t do to terrify the child.
“Well, I can tell you that she’s looking forward to seeingyou, too,” he added, reassuringly.
Thomas stared at him for a moment longer. Suddenly uncomfortable, Isaac rose to his feet. Should he hug the little boy? He couldn’t simply say ‘good day’ and walk off; that was too blunt. A hug did not feel right, though. In fact, it felt unnatural, so he reached out and ruffled Thomas’ hair instead. That would have to do.
When he turned away, Mary was watching him with curiosity.
“If I may, Your Grace,” she said carefully, eyes fixed on the ground, “is this Lady Charlotte the same woman who found him at the party?”
“Yes, that is her. Why?”
“Nothing, it’s just … Well, she seemed kind, Your Grace. She had kind eyes. If I may be so bold, I liked her a good deal.”
Isaac sniffed. “Well, you might as well know, Mary, that Lady Charlotte will soon be the Duchess of Arkley.”
It took Mary a moment to understand, but once she did, her eyes widened.
“Truly, Your Grace? Why, what a wonderful thing that will be for Tommy! For Master Thomas, I mean,” she corrected hastily.
Isaac didn’t bother to scold her for the slip-up. Thomas had always responded more to the nickname his parents had given him, in any case. Perhaps Isaac was wasting his time fighting it.
“I think thatMaster Thomasprefers to be calledTommy,” he muttered.
Mary’s cheeks burned. “I … I didn’t mean to tell you, Your Grace, but sometimes when I call him Master Thomas, he doesn’t respond. I’m not sure he always realizes that I’m talking to him. So, I started calling him Tommy, and I can tell that he likes it much better. I did not wish to contradict you, as I know that you said he should be called Master Thomas.”
“I should prefer that hewascalled Master Thomas, but I suppose the boy is old enough to decide which name he’d prefer. Tommy, it is then, I suppose.MasterTommy, ideally.”
She nodded in agreement and made a quick curtsey, but not before he saw a wide, relieved smile on her face.
He grunted and turned on his heel, striding out of the nursery. He felt strangely glad to have left it behind, as if the pressures of parenthood were something he could leave behind the closed nursery door.
Enough of that, I think,he told himself sternly, and hurried away down the halls. He needed to get to his club. There he could meet his friends, relax in his own habitat, and put all thoughts of matrimony and children out of his head.
Not that therewouldbe children, beyond Thomas.
