Page 39 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
There was an uneasy silence. The housekeeper nodded slowly.
“Yes, there is,” she replied eventually. “There is a lot of it.” She hesitated. “I think you should talk to the duke about it … before someone else does.”
Christina gulped. She hadn’t seen or talked with the duke since the day of the explosion. The last time she had seen him he had kissed her hand fervently and told her there was no other woman like her in the world.
Her heart shifted. How was he going to treat her now?
Chapter 20
Christina hesitated for only a moment before she knocked on the study door. It seemed like an eternity before she heard the muffled voice on the other side. “Enter.”
She stepped into the room, gazing around, her heart filling with pain. Only a week ago, she had been coming here to help him with the business ledgers for the mines.
He had trusted her implicitly. Only a few days ago, he had let her accompany him to help after the explosion at one of the mines, praising her efforts.
How was he going to react towards her now?
Lydia. It is entirely Lydia’s fault. She was the one who put doubt into his head about me working on the ledgers … and now, she has cast doubt to the world about me, telling everyone that I am defrauding the duke entirely.
He was standing near the fireplace, with his back to her, gazing out the window. Slowly, he turned around. Despite the circumstances, her heart started pounding hard and she felt a frisson of delight.
The sight of him – broad-shouldered and commanding in a crisp black jacket and cream britches, his tousled dark hair falling over his face – took her breath away.
He was so devastatingly attractive, but it was more than that now. Much, much more. She knew his mind … and his heart. He was a clever, courageous, compassionate man. A good man. The very best of men.
She curtseyed deeply before rising. “Your Grace.”
But he wasn’t smiling at her the way he usually did, and his dark eyes weren’t shining the way they normally did when he beheld her, either.
“Georgina,” he said in a short, clipped voice. “What can I do for you?”
Her heart plummeted at the coldness in his voice. It was such a stark contrast to how he had last spoken to her that it made her mind whirl and her heart ache.
She took a deep, ragged breath. She had requested this audience with him, and she had done it for a good reason. She must get on with it and not let his demeanour unnerve her.
“I apologize for disturbing you,” she stammered, feeling disconcerted. “But I thought we should talk.” She exhaled slowly. “I … I have heard some disturbing rumours circulating about me in the servants’ hall. I thought you may have heard them as well.”
He nodded curtly but didn’t say anything. She felt sweat trickle down the back of her neck again. It seemed he wasn’t going to make this easy for her.
And worse than that, the lack of surprise on his face showed her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“The rumours are not true,” she declared, trying to make her voice sound firm but calm, even though she felt like bursting into noisy tears. “I would never do that to you or anyone.” She hesitated. “I am not pretending to have lost my memory to stay here and seduce you, Your Grace. The very idea of it is terribly distressing to me … as is the thought that I might lose your trust in me …”
Abruptly, she stopped talking, staring at him pleadingly. He was just looking at her, his head tilted sideways, his mouth drawn in a tight line. There wasn’t a flicker of warmth in his eyes. In fact, he looked quite hostile towards her.
He doesn’t believe me. He thinks it is true.
Her heart somersaulted in her chest in distress. She was too late – he had heard the rumours about her and stewed on them.
Probably his sister had fanned the flames, reiterating that ‘Georgina’ was fraudulent and that she had never trusted her right from the start. She should have asked to see him and confronted him about them as soon as she had heard them circulating.
She felt her mind begin to whirl. She felt sick to her stomach. Clearly, the damage was already done … and there was nothing she could do to repair it.
“I … I can see that you have already heard these rumours and believe them,” she said faltering, trying to raise her chin and look him straight in the eye without flinching. “I do apologize. You have been so generous and kind to me, but I will no longer impose on you. I will leave your home as soon as I make the necessary arrangements.”
She turned to leave. But then she stopped, turning back to him.
“It really is not true,” she cried, her mask slipping finally, so that he could see how upset she was. “And it is distressing for me even to hear it. But I will say no more. Good day, Your Grace.”
