Page 50 of An Unwanted Widow for the Duke
Hector, so often resistant to everyone, even his governess, had yielded easily to her. And Lady Slyham, who otherwise kept her distance from much of the ton, had received him with warmth and tenderness.
The scene unsettled Gerard as much as it moved him.
A thought took root in his mind, uneasy yet insistent: Hector needed someone steady, someone wise and compassionate like Lady Slyham in his life.
“Come over here, Hector,” Gerard ordered, trying to soften his voice but keep it firm, though he always had trouble finding that balance.
“Why? I’m not going to our country home, Papa!” Hector protested, his eyebrows knitted together. He looked afraid and a little suspicious. “I’m staying with Lady Slyham. You heard me!”
“All right, then,” Gerard said slowly. “I need to speak with Lady Slyham for a moment. Just a moment.”
Hector’s lips parted, a small frown tugging at the corners, and his eyes flicked nervously between his father and Lady Slyham. He shifted from one foot to another, his fingers twisting the hem of his sleeve, as if bracing himself for something he didn’t yet understand.
Lady Slyham cut through the silence, her voice soft but firm. “My maid, Grace, can show you to the kitchen. I’m certain Cook is still awake, knowing we have a young gentleman to feed.”
She gave the bell pull a gentle tug, the action almost casual but deliberate.
“I’m not hungry, Lady Slyham,” Hector replied.
It was not merely a statement, but a small act of protest.
Gerard’s chest tightened at the sound; he hadn’t been sure if Hector had eaten dinner, much to his shame. His governessmight have urged him to finish, but whether he actually had was another matter entirely.
“Well,” Lady Slyham said, unwavering, “you are still getting some milk, young man. It is not only nourishment, but also comfort. Cook has been trying some new recipes for her biscuits. You must tell me later if they are any good. From what I know of my younger sisters, children are often the best judges.”
A maid, who Gerard assumed was Grace, appeared quietly in the doorway, and Lady Slyham whispered a few instructions to her. Hector glanced at her, then at Gerard with bright, curious eyes, before allowing her to lead him away.
The door clicked softly behind them, leaving Gerard staring at it.
Lady Slyham stepped back, her gaze turning to him. The subtle movement, the distance she put between them, made his chest tighten.
That could not be a good sign.
Still, she did not look angry, but concerned. “Your Grace, your son is still very young, even if he is a brilliant boy who can express himself better than some adults do. You can’t keep speaking to him in such?—”
“Marry me.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Ibeg your pardon?” she sputtered, her voice a little hoarse.
Gerard hadn’t meant to propose like that, but the words just spilled out of him.
Lady Slyham’s eyes widened before she blinked once. Twice. Was it horror that he saw in them?
“Marry me,” he repeated.
This time, he did it slowly, as if that was the only way she could understand him.
Lady Slyham laughed. Not only did she laugh incredulously, but she shook her head as if banishing the thought. She retreated further, her face contorting.
“That’s not a way to avoid a scolding, Your Grace. Now, I know why our dear Hector is the way he is—running toward someone else after being scolded. But he is a child, and you…” She faltered, her eyes widening with shock and anger.
“I am serious, Lady Slyham. I wouldn’t just say those words,” he insisted, trying to tamp down his irritation.
He didn’t like that his mood was quickly darkening. He needed to be gentler, the way she had been with his son. But he had not even uttered those words to Pamela, his first wife. That had been an arranged marriage. He was only nineteen. Too young. Too much under his father’s thumb.
“I can tell you are serious, as you always are,” Lady Slyham retorted. “Somehow, that makes it a lot worse. You actually believe this is a good idea.”
