Page 88 of Married to the Icy Duke
He shook his head, and the nursemaid deflated a little.
“Oh, dear,” she mumbled, half to herself, and hurried back inside the crowded ballroom without another word.
A moment passed, and then a tiny figure stepped out onto the terrace. It was a child, a little boy, clearly overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise. He blinked around, pushing out his lower lip. In a moment, there would be tears, which would undoubtedly attract attention.
Matthew hurried over to the child and crouched down before him.
“You are little Master Tommy, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice low. The boy nodded, eyes wide with unshed tears. “I imagine you’re lost.”
Another nod, but the little boy’s tears did not yet fall. Perhaps he felt more at ease, having seen an adult he recognized.
“Your nursemaid is looking for you, little one,” Matthew added, keeping his voice gentle. “We ought to go and find her, shouldn’t we?”
There was a faint pause, then the boy slowly and nervously shook his head.
He tilted his head to one side. “No? You don’t want to find the nursemaid? Ah, I see … once you find your nurse, you’ll be off to bed, andyoudon’t want to go to bed yet, do you?”
Tommy gave a tentative smile and a hesitant nod.
“I understand. I was exactly like you at your age—I never wanted to go to bed when such exciting things were happening. Now, wherewouldyou like to go? Who would you like to see?”
The boy considered, then his face lit up.
“Char-Char—Lotte! Charlotte!” he proclaimed, his little round face flushing with pride.
I imagine that just about everybody else in that ballroom wants to see the new Duchess of Arkley, too. They’re calling her the Duchess of Devils already.
Matthew smiled. He glanced up, scanning the brightly lit windows and doors of the house before him. He did not think he was being watched. In general, people were simply so blind to anything but their own concerns.
“Very well. Then I shall take you to her, shall I?”
The little boy nodded eagerly. When he stood up, the boy lifted his arms to be picked up. Matthew picked him up, holding him tight. Then he turned, setting off at a brisk stride across the terrace, plunging into the woods.
Within a few seconds, there was no sign that the man and the boy had ever been there at all.
CHAPTER 26
Everybody was looking at Charlotte. Everybody. Gazes lingered on her as she walked by, envious stares from women and lustful glances from men.
The lustful glances did not last long, since Isaac was following in Charlotte’s wake, and the men hastily glanced away, red-faced and more than a little terrified.
Good,Isaac thought with a wry smile.She’s mine.
But that wasn’t correct, was it? Charlotte was his in name only. The Society papers were calling them the Duke and Duchess of Devils—a delightfully catchy name—but they’d already decided to avoid producing heirs. He’d promised not to fully share her bed, a promise he was constantly on the cusp of breaking.
Closing his eyes, Isaac pushed through the last few people in the crowd, breathing a sigh of relief when he made his way to a corner of free space. The doors leading onto the terracestood open, letting in a rush of cool air. He might have found it relaxing if it weren’t for the fact that Charlotte was there already, heating his blood further.
I want her,he thought in resignation. It was clear now that the feeling was not going to go away. He felt like a fool for ever imagining that it would.
Mary was standing in a corner, anxiety written over her face. Some of the desire clenching in Isaac’s chest faded away at the sight of the worry on her face.
“What is it?” he asked at once, stepping forward alongside Charlotte. Behind him, laughter and clinking glasses filled the air. His heart thumped with some sort of uneasy warning.
“It’s Master Tommy,” Mary whispered, tears glinting in her eyes. “It was time for him to go to bed, and of course, he didn’t want to go. He slipped away, and I can’t … I can’t find him! I’ve searched everywhere. Mrs. Ribb and Perling have scoured the rest of the house, and they’re sure he isn’t there.”
Charlotte’s gaze slid past her to the open terrace doors. “Might he have gone outside?”
“Perhaps, but he wouldn’t have gone far,” Mary answered firmly. “He’s a clever little boy. While he might run off and hide inside the house, he wouldn’t go outside. Besides, you know how he’s afraid of the dark.”
