Page 11 of Married to the Icy Duke
He scowled at that, shaking his head. “You are insufferable, do you know that?”
“Fine words for a man who hasjustproposed marriage to me.”
He heaved a mighty sigh. “Very well. I suppose alittleexplanation is in order. You see, I never imagined myself as a father, any more than I imagined I would be a duke. My brother held the title. He was a happily married man with a sweet child, and I was most content with my lot. And then he and his fine wife were killed, quite abruptly, in a carriage accident, leaving me with the title and their young child to manage. Since my return, things have been …” he paused, as if groping for the word. “Different. Raising my nephew and managing my new responsibilities are challenging. The thing is, Lady Charlotte, my nephew Thomas, he … well, he does not speak.”
Charlotte frowned. “What, not at all? Nearly three years old, and he does not speak?”
The duke’s expression hardened, his long fingers curling around the arm of his seat.
“Not a word. Not to me, not to his nursemaid, not to anyone. I have consulted professionals, and I have taken him to several doctors. All confirm the same thing. Hecanspeak, and there is nothing … nothingamissin his mind. He simply does not choose to speak.”
Charlotte blinked, trying to understand this. From what she had been told, she and Gabriel had been chattering from a young age. A three-year-old was unlikely to beeloquent, but he should be talking a little.
“Not a word?” she managed at last.
The duke’s face tightened. “No.”
Charlotte folded her arms, chewing the inside of her cheek. It wasn’t right for a child to be as quiet and timid as Tommy was.
But he opened up with me,she realized. Not by much, of course. The little boy hadn’t spoken again. He had been willing to play a little, though, laughing at some of Charlotte’s antics. She’d talked to him, telling him how, when she was small, her brother had taken wooden clothes pegs and made a series of dolls for her. She could do that for Tommy, she was sure of it.
“I imagine you can see why we are so interested that he chose to speak toyou,” the duke continued, his voice soft. “I cannot imagine why he would, but hehas, so that is that.”
Charlotte sighed. “It was only one word, and only his name. You act as though we had a full conversation.”
The duke shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Hespoke, and he spoke to you. This is an opportunity I cannot let slip away. It is my responsibility to care for Thomas, and I cannot … Iwillnot fail in this matter.”
There was an edge in his voice now, which Charlotte did not like. She glanced over him, frowning. He met her eye and abruptly rose to his feet, striding towards her. She wondered briefly if his looming was meant to intimidate her.
In fact, she was not entirely surehowshe felt. Not intimidated, but she felt … she felt something. Best not to think too deeply on that now, however.
“I don’t know much about your brother and his wife,” she heard herself say, “but I understand their death was sudden. Perhaps Tommy is grieving. Perhaps he remembers them.”
The duke blinked, looking faintly baffled. “He’s a baby. He can’t remember them.”
For an instant, Charlotte was sure that he must be joking. Then she glanced properly up at his face and discovered otherwise.
“He could be grieving,” she repeated firmly. “Never underestimate how deeply a small child can feel. And have you considered, Your Grace, that perhaps the boy is afraid?”
“Afraid? Of what?”
She gave a harsh laugh. “Ofwhat? Of you, of course.”
There was a brief silence after she had spoken. Then the duke leaned forward, ever so slowly, until the tip of his nose almost brushed hers. There was a hungry, wolfish look in his eye which made Charlotte swallow thickly.
“Have you heard of my reputation, Lady Charlotte?” he asked, his voice soft and almost sweet. Deceptively so.
She swallowed again, forcing herself to meet his gaze. She wouldnotretreat again. Everything about this conversation felt like a battle, and she wasdeterminednot to lose.
“Your reputation? Certainly,” she responded evenly. “It is not a good one. If you were a lady, your reputation would be in tatters even worse than mine.”
He gave a harsh laugh. “You are correct. I was once a rake, and now I am considered a beast. Devil by name and Devil by nature, they say, and frankly, they are correct. It is not often that Society describes a person’s character so neatly, but this is indeed one of those occasions. I am not a man who thinks much of the opinions of others, my dear.”
She clenched her jaw, lifting her chin. “I am not yourdear. And that is precisely why I do not plan to marry you,Your Grace.”
Far from being angry or shocked at her refusal, the duke gave a short burst of laughter.
“And that ispreciselywhy I do not care, Lady Charlotte. Perhaps I have not made myself sufficiently clear.”
