Page 21 of The Duke's Tempting Widow
The duke stood near their selected table in the shop, his spine rigid as he greeted them with an uncomfortably tight smile. Was he nervous? Had he suddenly changed his mind about wishing to meet the girls? How was he supposed to be so determined to be Margaret’s guardian when he could not even hold her gaze for longer than a few seconds at a time.
For a moment, the girls seem to be taken aback by the duke’s sheer size, hesitating for a moment before remembering their manners and dropping into a curtsy.
“How do you do, Your Grace?” They both chimed in unison, and then Juliet promptly moved right back behind her mother’s skirts.
“Very well, thank you. It is my honor to meet you both.” The duke said in an overly formal tone. He stiffly gestured to their table that he had reserved. “If you should like to select your flavors, I would be pleased to order for us.”
The girls, happily tempted by sweet treats, took their seats and quickly started devouring the menu with their eyes. Lydia lingered a moment, watching the adorable way that the duke shuffled from one foot to another before both girls made their selections.
He dutifully moved away to uphold his end of the bargain while Lydia and Kitty took their seats as well. Though, she should not have been surprised that when the duke chose toreturn to the table, he chose the seat closest to Lydia. Such a tight fit, in fact, that his warm thigh was pressed tightly up against hers.
“You would think that he was frightened of them,” Kitty teased under her breath in a way that only Lydia was meant to hear. “It is rather comical, is it not? It makes him seem so much more human.”
Lydia suppressed a giggle at the duke’s expense. She could not bring herself to comment or acknowledge that what she was feeling was more than mere fondness.
“Your Grace, you did not get anything for yourself?” Margaret asked, slowly sipping her tea.
“No, I found that my nerves would not tolerate it.”
“You were nervous too? But we are just girls!” Margaret laughed, the sound so bright and pretty to Lydia’s ears. Again, she was reminded that in no world was she going to be able to leave her side. No, she loved her too much for that.
“I trust that your trip was standard?” The duke’s brow furrowed, and he chose to rephrase the question. “I mean to ask, how was your journey?”
Juliet and Margaret exchanged glances, but to their credit they did not giggle. If Lydia was not mistaken, she could see ahint of pink starting to color his cheeks. It was so refreshing to see him so disarmed when he was usually the one flustering her.
Just knowing that he is choosing to put forth so much effort warmed her heart. She could not help but to wonder if he had any experience with young children before this day. From the tense way he was holding himself she would presume that he had not.
Soft conversation flowed between him and the girls as he fumbled through attempting to get to know them. But all Lydia could focus on was the way he seemed ready to bolt the moment things became any more uncomfortable than they already were. The hints of red tinting the skin of his neck and ears was only a further testament to his mood. She could not help but wonder what it would take for her to elicit such a similar reaction from him.
“It was perfectly fine, Your Grace.” Juliet answers, though she does not look him in the eyes directly. Perhaps in time, she would warm up to him.
What was that I just thought?
Certainly, she could not wish for him to get along with her daughter when he was here to halt her personal goals. What did it matter if the girls liked him? It would actually benefit her further if they did not like him in the slightest. Then she would have even more reason to keep him at arm’s distance.
“We are to show you around the village after this, is that correct, Your Grace?” Margaret asks sweetly, finishing her tea.
Under the table, the duke’s hand found her hand, twining their fingers together and resting softly over her skirt but even just the proximity of his hand spread an uncomfortable warmth through her core. The sort that pooled directly between her legs.
Was she truly such a silly woman that she could not contain herself near him? This was exactly why she had been avoiding him. So that things like this would not happen.
“I would be delighted to be escorted. I have much to learn,” The duke answered, suddenly no longer fumbling over his words. His hand slips down the curve of her thigh, not seeking any higher but seeming to feel steadied by the fact that he was touching her. Perhaps knowing that he had transferred his fluster to her, he could operate more easily.
Coming to her senses, Lydia pulls her thigh from his grip and rises from the table. “Are we ready?”
“I think that I shall stay behind and finish my tea, if that is alright with you, sister?” Kitty says sweetly, holding Lydia’s gaze with such intensity that she had no choice but to allow her sister this favor. “It will allow you time with your daughters, and I can return to the house when I am finished to coordinate dinner with the staff? Would that suit you?”
Lydia could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her sister had never once offered to help with any of the household tasks. It had always been Lydia’s assumption that her sister merely did not realize the effort that it took or that such small tasks even needed to be handled.
Kitty was prone to daydreaming, and Lydia presumed that Kitty was under some delusion that those sorts of things just happened by themselves or some other silliness. To hear her willingly take on responsibilities? No matter how small? She was only too happy to oblige her.
Lydia nodded softly. “Of course, sister, thank you.”
It was not only a sign that she was finally growing into her age, but perhaps it was also the desire to seem more mature to a certain man who had apparently caught her eye.
Chapter 12
Weston thought that he was a man with sufficient reserves of energy until today. It appeared that the endless stamina of youth was shaming him. He was going to have to work harder to keep up with them. Though, he was not one for going to shop after shop.
