Page 4 of A Duchess Mistaken
He straightened her and then stepped away. The absence of his arms sent a chill across her body. “Are you all right?”
Wordlessly, she nodded. She couldn’t believe it. She was never without words.
“Good.”
And then he turned and walked away without another word.
Agnes blinked in bemusement. Good? Was that all there was left to say? She stared after him in utter disbelief as he made his way over to her parents. Stiffly, she followed behind just in time to hear him say, “Good evening, my lord. Welcome to Claymore Castle.”
Only then did it hit her. Agnes berated herself for not putting it together sooner, but she blamed it on his incomparable handsomeness. He was the Duke of Claymore.
CHAPTER 3
Johnathan was glad he kept his gloves on because he was certain his palms were sweating profusely. Somehow, he managed to keep his voice level as he greeted the viscount and was introduced to his family, but it didn’t quell the anxiousness coursing through him as he led them indoors.
“You must forgive me, my lord,” he stated the moment they were all in the foyer. “I shall be the only one to greet you tonight. I’m afraid the rest of my family has already retired to bed.”
“I cannot blame you, Your Grace,” Lord Sutton stated. “It is we who should apologize for arriving at such a late hour. We found ourselves rather…inconvenienced this morning.”
Was it him or had Lord Sutton just shot a glare at his son? Johnathan didn’t mind looking at the younger gentleman in time to see a sheepish look come over his face. He did, however, have a problem with looking at Miss Agnes.
She was utterly gorgeous. She had brown hair curled and tucked to the back of her head with a pair of dark brown eyes. She had a smattering of freckles adorning her cheeks, with a slightly cleft chin and perfect pink lips. Johnathan hated himself for noticing, just as he hated how abrupt he had been with her earlier. She hadn’t said much to him by way of greeting but the way she narrowed her eyes at him made him think that he might have unknowingly put his foot in his mouth. He didn’t dare look her way but he was very aware of her presence. He saw the way her head tilted as she took in the surroundings. He noticed how she paid little attention to the conversation at hand, as if she was far more interested in the floors beneath her.
“Had it not been for the late hour,” Johnathan remembered to say, “I would have offered to give you all a tour of the castle.”
“That would have been wonderful,” Lady Sutton spoke up. She clung to her husband’s arm and neither one of them seemed intent on pulling away. “Had it not been for how tired I am, perhaps I would have insisted.”
“Be happy that she is,” Lord Sutton spoke up, a humorous glint in his eye. “She can be quite persistent when she wants something.”
Johnathan told himself to laugh. He felt so on edge that he might have forgotten.
“Then for now, allow me to show you to your chambers,” he said. “Mrs. Adams?”
Mrs. Adams, whom he knew had been lingering nearby, appeared next to him.
“Kindly show Lord and Lady Sutton to their chambers.” He turned to the viscount and viscountess. “Would you like…”
“Separate chambers?” Lady Sutton finished with a laugh. “Certainly not. One would do.”
“Perhaps one far away from everyone else’s,” Mr. Parsons spoke up. He still had the casual demeanor of a child who had not yet seen the world.
“Ignore him,” Miss Agnes stated. “He seems to forget his manners when he’s just woken up from his nap.”
Johnathan only spared her a glance. He wouldn’t allow himself any more than that. He didn’t like the way his heart skipped a beat whenever their eyes met.
He nodded but didn’t miss the slight frown that touched her brows at his slight dismissal. He hadn’t meant to do that. Johnathan tried not to sigh at his slip-up.
Instead, he signaled for two of the footmen, who had been carrying their luggage in, to escort Mr. Parsons and Miss Agnes to their rooms. The weight pressing on his chest grew lighter as he watched the entire family be led away from the foyer. His gaze lingered on Miss Agnes’ retreating form, unable to keep himself from admiring how straight and poised she walked, clutchingher skirt in her hands. He didn’t take his eyes off her until she was out of sight. Even when she was gone, his eyes lingered, his mind drifting back to when he’d stopped her from falling in the driveway.
Johnathan shook his head suddenly to banish the thought. It wouldn’t do to pay more attention than was necessary to the viscount’s eldest daughter. She was important, certainly. But she was meant for another.
Because she was to be his brother’s betrothed, Johnathan had to banish these thoughts and fast.
The room she’d been brought to was marvelous, large enough to house a small family if the space was used correctly. The entrance led directly into a living space, with a door veering off to the left for the actual bedchamber. There was yet another door within the room that housed a tub and chamber pot with an assortment of towels and sweet-smelling soaps. Despite how late it was, the tub was full of steaming hot water.
The footman had been replaced with a maid when she arrived at her chambers.
“I will not be in need of your services tonight,” she told the maid.
