Page 111 of His Duchess in Disguise
“I told you none of your noise above stairs,” Mrs. Noddicott’s voice cut in. “You have no idea who you might be disturbing.”
Leo quickly exited his study - the room the servants called “the duke’s office” - and nipped into the library.
“It is all right, Mrs. Noddicott. Usually, you would be quite right, but I enjoy Kathy’s singing. Perhaps she can be persuaded to sing for all of us sometime when it is just family and staff.”
The young lady blushed. “I did not mean to disturb anyone. I was just so happy, it sort of crept out of my mouth.”
Mrs. Noddicott relented. “You were truly not bothered by it, Your Grace?”
“I truly was not, Mrs. Noddicott. I appreciate your efforts to keep the staff well disciplined. Miss Smith, you must understand that singing might be intrusive to guests.” He fixed her with a stare that he hoped conveyed the possibility that she might be discovered if she drew attention to herself.
Kathy dropped her gaze to the tattered Latin text she had been carefully piecing back together. With the lightest hand, she had brushed glue along the edge of a tear and had been coaxing the fibers of the paper back together. It was a neat mend, he observed, with most of the text preserved in legible type.
A tear coasted down her cheek, making a track in the dust that was smudged there. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” she said.
Mrs. Noddicott glanced at the Duke. When she saw that he did not intend to intervene further, she said, “Kathy, I do think you have worked enough for now. You will soon lose the light in here. You’ve had a very long day. Since these are only schoolbooks, perhaps you would like to take them to your room after you have eaten. I had come to tell you that it is time for tea and to see how you were doing.”
Leo and Mrs. Noddicott surveyed Kathy’s field of endeavor. Books that were whole were already neatly stacked back in the cabinet along with the copy books. Books that looked as if they could easily be repaired were stacked on the worktable and a messy stack of books that were going to require quite a lot of work were in another stack.
“Rather well, don’t you think, Mrs. Noddicott?”
“Indeed. She might not be well-versed in cutting carrots, but books are clearly her forte. One does wonder . . .”
“Perhaps one should not wonder too much, Mrs. Noddicott,” Leo cut in.
Mrs. Noddicott gave him a direct look. “Perhaps not, Your Grace. Come along, Kathy. Tea is on the table. If we do not go directly, it shall soon be cold.
Leo watched them go, then turned toward the study. No doubt his tea would be making its way up from the servants’ quarters shortly. Indeed, he found it waiting for him, and Hamilton was just setting out the tea-things from a tray held by a very surly young man.
“Thank you, Matthew,” Hamilton said. “We will ring when it is time for you to retrieve the tea things.”
When the door had closed, and the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, Hamilton remarked, “That one is going to be trouble. I wonder what Robbie knows about him?”
Leo sighed and poured himself a cup of tea.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” Hamilton said. “I should have done that.”
“There is no one here to see, Hamilton. Let’s use ship manners and not stand on ceremony. Please, help yourself and sit with me. They’ve sent up a spread sufficient for at least four men.”
Leo watched his secretary fall to with a will. There had been many days on the continent when they all went a little hungry. Hamilton required no coaxing to lay into the soft buns spread with ham paste or the beautifully presented deviled eggs. Scones and mint jelly finished off their repast.
Leo ate absently, his mind’s eye still tracking that solitary little tear making a trail down a smudged face. Oddly, he found it far more attractive than the carefully painted and presented faces of young ladies at court. Had this young woman worn paint the night he had turned away from being introduced to her? He could not quite remember.
“I wonder if she rides,” he said somewhat absently.
“What, Your Grace?” Hamilton paused in the midst of wolfing down an egg.
“I said, I wonder if she rides? After all, she did buy a horse.”
“I’m sure she must, Your Grace. She rode that donkey, and he was just green broke. The farmer was worried that she might have lamed him or otherwise damaged the youngster, but he was none the worse for wear when he was returned. Robbie says she named the animal ‘Sir Faithless.’”
Leo chuckled. “Did she, now? Her mare will not be ready for riding for some time. I wonder if she could be talked into helping train some of the cattle Captain Arnault just brought. Not all of them are going to work out as military steeds.”
“Your Grace, you are as transparent as a pane of glass. Just what are your intentions toward the young lady?”
“What are you? Her nanny?” Leo quirked an eyebrow at his secretary.
“Merely the voice of your conscience, Your Grace. And perhaps the voice of prudence. Or are you taking up with serving girls? It was a long sea voyage.”
