Page 41 of A Duchess Mistaken
“I have good news,” the duke told her with a soft smile touching his lips.
His eyes shone with something she’d never seen in them before. Genuine happiness.
“What is it, Your Grace?”
“Mother has agreed to play with us this afternoon.”
Agnes felt an answering smile tug at her lips. She still didn’t quite understand the depth of the dowager duchess’ situation but the duke’s happiness was infectious.
“Is she feeling better then?” she asked.
“Only time will tell. But this is a step in the right direction. And I have you to thank.”
“Me? What have I done?”
“Our talk last night gave me some perspective. I am a bit ashamed to admit but I had almost given up on her. Had I not spoken with you, I would not have even asked her anything in the first place. So, thank you.”
Agnes reached out to take his hand without thinking. “I am only happy that things appear to be looking up for you.”
He squeezed her fingers. Heat raced through her body the moment she realized what she was doing. But she didn’t pull away. And as the duke’s smile slowly slipped, his joy fading into an emotion she could not name, Agnes realized that she’d taken a step over the line she had been skirting for these past few days.
Something shifted between them. It had been shifting for some time, she knew. At least on her end. She studied his eyes, wanting to understand what that look meant, wanting to knowwhy he did not release her hand now that the moment had long since passed. Was it because…
Before she could draw a conclusion, the duke released her hand and took a step back.
“I shall go to fetch her and make my way to the gardens,” he said, not looking at her.
Agnes was struck dumb. She couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch as he left her alone in the room. Slowly, she released a long, low breath, hoping it would calm her racing heart and her flushed cheeks.
All it did was solidify the realization that she was smitten with the duke.
CHAPTER 16
“An outrageous pairing!”
“Yes, quite so. These two should be on the same side.”
To her annoyance, Agnes had not expected this to happen.
She said nothing, watching as the duke raised his hands in a placating gesture that would do nothing to calm the Earl and Countess of Reeds. They all stood out in the duke’s marvelous gardens with a footman on hand, ready and waiting to hand out the pall mall sticks. They would have begun the game some time ago had it not been for Lord Reeds’ objections.
“I assure you that you have no need to worry,” the duke said to the earl, a lie that rolled off his tongue with such ease it impressed Agnes. “Miss Caroline is quite fine with being on opposing sides with me. And you should look on the benefit of such an arrangement?—”
“What benefit could there be?” Lady Reeds hissed behind her husband. Agnes tried not to roll her eyes. She couldn't believe they were really arguing about such a trivial matter.
“Being on opposing sides will help us understand each other much better.”
Lord Reeds stared at the duke as if he was the maddest gentleman in all of England. He grew red in his anger, his shoulders tensing as if readying himself to explode.
“Uncle, it really isn’t any trouble,” Caroline dared to step in, her voice soft but pleading.
“Truly, I do not see the point in all this back and forth,” Agnes cut in before Lord Reeds could turn his indignation upon his niece. She was more than happy to be the object of the earl’s anger. “It is only a game.”
“Perhaps it would have been fine had the duke and Caroline spent more time together,” Lady Reeds stated with her chin jutted out. “But we hardly see any interaction between the two!”
“That is because you are not paying attention, my lady,” Agnes told her. She went over to the footman and took one of the sticks. “If you’d like, you could join us in a game and you could see how well they bond.”
Lady Reeds looked as if she was about to explode herself. Agnes wondered if it was her words or the fact that she was the onecurrently opposing them that bothered them the most. She knew very well that the earl and countess were not fond of her and she had no qualms with showing them the same lack of grace they showed her.
