Page 59 of The Marquis' Game of Seduction
Duncan nodded quickly, almost ferociously. “Yes. I was only able to introduce her to one half of my toys. And she told me that she has quite a few herself in her bedroom. I am quite curious. Could you arrange it?”
“I believe so. Although I must tell you something about this girl,” Rose continued. “You see, there’s something of a game surrounding her.”
Duncan’s brow furrowed. This was his world of games and play. He couldn’t resist it.
“What’s the game?” he asked. “Are there rules?”
“Of course there are rules,” Rose said. “There are always rules when it comes to things like this. Essentially, when you see this young girl, you must play—play as hard as you can. Because she doesn’t play so often with other children. And neither do you, I suppose.”
“Very true,” Duncan affirmed.
“But beyond that, this girl is something of a special girl. You see, nobody on earth knows she exists,” Rose continued. “If anyone discovers where she is, then she’ll—poof!—be taken away.”
Duncan’s eyes grew large with wonder. “Where will she be taken to?”
“Nobody knows where she’ll go. But it will be dangerous when she arrives. And she’s just a little girl, younger even than you are. Do you think that you could take care of yourself out there on your own?”
Duncan considered this. He seemed to believe that perhaps he could—although he did slowly shake his head no. Perhaps he did it because he knew Rose wanted him to.
“I certainly don’t think she could take care of herself out there,” he said.
“Precisely. So. Do we have a deal? If I take you to play with her, do you promise not to tell a living soul that we’ve gone?” Rose asked.
Duncan’s face was stern, like that of a much older man. He bowed his head and said, “You have my word.”
Rose and Duncan gathered up their school things and wandered down to Colin’s study. Rose was still awash with pleasure from the previous night, her body sizzling with lust and love. When she rapped on the door of his study and heard his voice, asking who was there, she nearly leaped from her skin.
“It’s Duncan and Rose,” she said. Then, she creaked open the door to find him all-out beaming at her, his quill poised above a piece of paper. “I wanted to ask you a question, Colin. It’s quite important. Do you have a moment?”
Rose told Duncan to wait in the hall for only a moment. He agreed, and remained standing with his hands behind his back. It seemed he thought this portion of the afternoon was all tied up in the game of the girl in the tower. Then, Rose laid out the plan for Colin: that they would allow Duncan and Emily a few hours of playtime together, to wade off the darkness of childhood loneliness in both of them. Colin listened in rapt attention, his eyes turning toward the door, as though he could see Duncan through it.
Finally, Colin agreed. There simply wasn’t a reason not to. They dressed in thick coats and pulled hats over their heads and wandered out toward the tower. Duncan yanked open the little green door and rushed up the steps. Long before either Rose or Colin reached the top, he hollered out, “There you are!” in a way that was entirely sweet and wild with drama.
As they walked up the stairs, Colin slipped his hand through Rose’s. The warmth of his palm against hers made her eyelids flutter. When they reached the top, Duncan and Emily had already raided her toy chest, dragging out each and every toy onto the Oriental rug.
Emily beamed at Colin as they entered. “Did you see? He’s back!” she cried.
“This is my nephew. Duncan,” Colin said. “He wants nothing more than to play with you.”
Emily’s grin grew wider. Her little crooked teeth peeked out from her lips. She grabbed a little wooden horse and yanked it around and around her body, as though the pleasure of joining another in play put a fire in her belly. Rose continued to hold Colin’s hand. The children didn’t seem to notice or care.
The children played for hours. Colin and Rose took breaks from chaperoning them to walk along the edge of the forest, to ease through the trees and give one another little, playful kisses. They found strength in the fact that they’d finally—finally—been allowed the truth. And in this newfound truth, their love could plant itself. It could finally grow.
When they entered the tower room once more, they found Emily stretched out on her princess bed, fast asleep. Duncan himself looked exhausted, splayed across the Oriental rug and making little motions with his toy soldier. They’d obviously worn one another out.
Colin dropped down and lifted the boy up. He did it with such certainty, showing himself to be the man who’d raised Emily since birth. Duncan burrowed his head into his uncle’s shoulder. Rose felt that her heart might explode. She sighed and splayed her hand across Duncan’s back.
“They wore one another out,” she whispered.
“Could you tuck Emily in?” Colin asked. “Judith will bring her dinner soon, I suppose, but she deserves a nap.”
“Do you suppose Judith will be upset that we allowed Duncan to be with her?” Rose asked.
Colin considered this. “I don’t suppose Judith has to know.”
This shocked Rose. Colin and Judith had been the keeper of this enormous secret for years; yet now, he seemed willing to share another enormous secret with only Rose. She beamed at him and lifted her lips and kissed him on the cheek. There wasn’t anything else to say.
**
