Page 23 of The Iron Duke's Flaming Christmas
He kept walking, perusing the shelves, a slight furrow between his brow as he gazed at the books. Selene took a deep breath, following him, her heart pounding hard, trying not tonotice anew how tall he was, how commanding his physique. The breadth of his shoulders took her breath away.
Her heart leapt against her will. She hadn’t seen him at all since he had kissed her. Not once… and it was like she was seeing him afresh… as if she were seeing him again for the very first time.
Has he thought about the kiss at all? Has he thought about me? Or has he forgotten it entirely? It was only a kiss, after all. It would not mean so very much to an experienced man of the world.
“Ah, here it is.” He stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him. He reached out, selecting a book, looking at its spine. “Bewick’s A History of British Birds. This is the first volume.”
He started flicking through the pages with a small smile on his face, before he closed it, handing it to her. “Have a look, Miss Bomind.”
Selene nodded, trying not to drop the heavy book, nor show that her hand receiving it was shaking slightly. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
She took the book to a desk, sitting down, opening it, expecting that he would wander away and search for a book of his own. Instead, he followed her, sitting opposite.
Selene glanced at him, before turning back to the book, trying to ignore him. It was his library, and he owned every book in this collection. She couldn’t tell him to leave… but she was determined he wasn’t going to intimidate her, either.
She focused on the book with difficulty. Her eyes grew wide, taking in the beautiful, detailed illustrations of birds, as well as the accompanying informative text.
“This is wonderful,” she said, looking up at him, before she could stop herself. “I have never seen such a comprehensive book on the subject!”
He smiled, sitting back in his chair. “Yes, it is a superb book. Bewick has become quite the authority on birds. The second volume about sea birds is just as informative.”
“This is just what I need,” said Selene, feeling a stab of excitement, her eyes shining. “Lady Lenore is going to love this! And I can create such wonderful lessons with it…”
“You are planning to do some lessons on birds, then?” he drawled, staring at her intently.
“Indeed,” she said, smiling at him. “Lady Lenore is fascinated with them. We have been going to visit a robin’s nest every morning. She is so looking forward to when the baby birds hatch.”
“That sounds interesting,” he said. “I have always enjoyed bird watching.” A smile stole over his face. “Perhaps she gets her fascination from me.”
Selene tried not to gape at him. He wasn’t arguing with her for once. In fact, he seemed genuinely interested in what she was planning to do.
“Have you taken Lady Lenore bird watching with you?” she asked.
He frowned slightly. “No.” He was silent for a moment. “I must confess I have not been birdwatching since… since her mother died.” He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. “I did not realize my daughter had such a love for the creatures as myself.”
“Perhaps you should take Lady Lenore,” said Selene, her heart thumping hard. “I am certain she would enjoy spending time with you, as well as enjoy searching for different birds and studying them.”
“Perhaps,” he said, looking dubious.
There was an awkward silence. Selene tried to ignore her racing heart.
Selene took a deep breath. “When you take her birdwatching, perhaps you could speak with her about her feelings toward her late mother?”
He bristled, staring at her, as if she had just started speaking in another language entirely. Selene hesitated, her heart racing harder still. She had resolved not to talk with him about this and yet, the subject of Lady Lenore’s conflicted feelings about her mother had just marched off her tongue.
She could barely breathe as she waited for his response.
“I believe that Lady Lenore’s temper tantrums are linked to those feelings,” she continued, in a rush, putting her foot into her mouth even deeper. “That somehow, she blames herself for her mother’s passing, and that makes her push people away…”
“What?” His voice was as icy as the lake outside. “How can you deduce such a thing on so short an acquaintance?”
Selene took another deep breath. “She mentions her mother to me. She asked me what it was like to have a mother.” She hesitated. “She believes her mother abandoned her, that her mother never loved her, and that was why she left.”
“Enough!” roared the duke, banging his fist upon the desk so hard that the book jumped. “I will not be lectured to about myown daughter’s feelings about her mother by a governess! You go too far, Miss Bomind!”
“I am sorry,” cried Selene, standing up, her throat so dry she could barely swallow. “I just thought you should know… that perhaps if you spoke with her about it, it would set her mind at ease… and she would stop acting out in the way that she does!”
He got up, walking around the desk, until he was merely inches away from her. They were both breathing hard, their chests rising and falling. Selene saw a tiny vein twitching in his left forehead. His lips were set in a grim line and his eyes were flashing dangerously.
