Page 86 of His Grace, the Duke
At the end of the set of en suite rooms, James stood leaning against the open door to his study, his eyes downcast on a letter in his hand.
“Burke!” he shouted again. “Where the bloody hell is everyone?”
41
Rosalie
The last timeRosalie and James spoke, he had been shouting at her in the drawing room. In the past two days, she’d only seen him at mealtimes, and even then, he’d been missing both last night and this morning.
He looked haggard. Not at all his usual polished self. His coat was off, his cravat loose. Dark circles under his eyes belied the likely source of his current distress.
“Can I help, my lord?” she called, alerting him to her presence.
His eyes shot up as his shoulders stiffened. He took her in from head to toe. “Where is everyone? Even the bloody footmen have deserted me.”
“Her Grace is at the Queen’s tea,” Rosalie replied. “The young ladies are shopping, the lieutenant is with Captain Hartington, and I couldn’t begin to guess at where His Grace might be,” she finished with a small smile.
James just grunted, his eye back on the papers in his hand. “Where is Burke?”
“I imagine he’s not back yet.”
“Back? Where did he go now?”
Concern twisted in her gut. “He... you sent him on an errand after breakfast, my lord... do you not remember?”
“That was hours ago.” He turned sharply and retreated into his study.
Taking a deep breath, Rosalie followed him into the lion’s den.
The study was a mess—stacks of papers on the desk, more on the floor, account books splayed open. Then there was the tray of cluttered tea things, another with an uneaten meal. This mess had accrued in two days? Had the man slept at all?
She leaned against the open doorway. “My lord... what time is it?”
“I haven’t had a moment—” He glanced at his clock, rubbing his eyes. “Christ, does that say ten?”
This confirmed her suspicions. “Can I help, sir?”
“No.” He slapped down the papers in his hand, snatching up a different set.
“Oh, I think I can,” she replied with a frown. “Put that down.”
He glanced up sharply. “What?”
“The paper in your hands, James. Whatever it is, put it down. It’s not what you need right now.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You presume to know what I need?”
“I do.” With more confidence than she felt, she shut and locked his door.
James went still as stone. “What are you doing?”
She pointed to the window. “Make yourself useful and close the curtains.”
“Miss Harrow—”
“Don’t ‘Miss Harrow’ me, James. The stairwell rule now applies to your study. I have decreed it.”
He raised a brow. “You decree it?”
