Page 25 of The Marquess's Imperfect Brid
Gareth stayed in the library long after Thomas left. While the urge to read did not exist, the smell and sight of all the books wrapped him in a comfort not unlike a warm wool blanket during the middle of winter. He stared into the fire, not really seeing anything except a blur of the bright light as he thought about his plight.
He could never hope to earn his parents’ approval when it came to rejecting Lady Cecilia as his future wife. Nor could he convince them that someone else would be better for him, both as a marquess and as a duke. But he could not simply shut out the idea of hoping for a future with Lady Grace, either. He knew that he would need to resolve the problem. And he felt sure that the end result would be, against his every wish, to marry Lady Cecilia, as everyone expected. But would he ever be able to forget the feelings he had for Lady Grace? Or would he simply serve his dukedom, only to disappoint his family when he could not produce an heir with a woman he did not love?
Chapter Fourteen
“Milady,” Juliet said with a giggle as they walked the familiar road toward the orphanage. “If you do not come down from those clouds, I fear that it shall be you who gets stuck in a tree today.”
Grace blushed, looking at her lady’s maid with wide eyes.
“I am not in the clouds,” she said, knowing that her tone and her demeanor would clearly belie her. “I am simply thinking of the day ahead.”
As Juliet laughed again, Lady Whiskers, who walked alongside her mistress with contented strides, rubbed against her ankle as though offering her own opinion of Grace’s woolgathering.
“And yet, the dreamy look in your eyes speaks of the past, not the future,” she said.
Grace blushed again, and she looked away from her lady’s maid to hide a smile. Despite the disheartening thoughts she had had the previous night before she fell asleep, Grace had awoken with nothing but warm, pleasant memories of the night before. In fact, all she could think about that morning, as she had readied and departed for her lesson at the orphanage, was the game of whist she had been fortunate enough to play with the marquess the night before and the blatant connection she had felt with him. She still knew that she could not allow herself to get too carried away with such fancies. But nor could she help how the very thought of him made her heart skip and brought a smile to her scarred face.
“Last night was simply a rather enjoyable one,” she said, trying to sound matter of fact.
Juliet looked at her with playful skepticism as she shook herhead.
“I believe you mean that Lord Hayewood’s company was rather enjoyable,” she said.
Grace shook her head, cursing herself as her flush deepened.
“Lord Hayewood is a kind and honourable gentleman,” she said. “Any lady would be fortunate to spend an evening in his presence.”
Juliet nodded, her eyes sparkling much like Millicent’s had when she spoke of the marquess to Grace.
“And yet, he ignores all other ladies and chooses to spend a remarkable amount of time with you,” she said with raised eyebrows.
Grace could not help but giggle as she thought again about the tingle that his touch had sent through her arm. She could never bring herself to say it aloud, but the thought that he could be attracted to her as she was to him was hopelessly appealing to her.
“Perhaps, I should have left you at home,” she said, stifling another laugh even as she spoke.
When the women arrived at the orphanage, they were greeted by a sea of small, smiling faces. Several of the children threw their little arms around her waist, while two others grabbed Juliet by the hands and dragged her further inside. One of the older children, a thirteen-year-old girl named Susan, scooped a compliant, purring Lady Whiskers into her arms and beamed at Grace.
“Can I hold her while you teach today?” she asked. “Please?”
Grace laughed, glancing at the feline, who was tentatively relaxing in the girl’s arms.
“As long as she is happy, you can hold her for as long as you like,” she said. She knew that Lady Whiskers would make her demands for affection from all the children before eventually settling in beside Grace, as she always did. But the childrenalways felt special when they believed they were getting extra attention from the animal. And Grace was happy to grant them the extra brightness to their days.
She began her lesson by asking for volunteers to show her what they had been practicing since her previous lesson. Susan, another girl named Ginger, and a boy called Paul stepped forward, forming a small, excited line beside her. She called each one of them up, watching with pride as they each played the song she had left with them to practice. Susan and Paul showed great natural talent. And Ginger was clearly dedicated, which meant that she could grow to become as good as her peers with a little extra work. Grace made a mental note to give the children an easier song to practice, to help improve Ginger’s confidence in subsequent lessons.
When it was time for her to demonstrate a new song, she closed her eyes, allowing the music, as always, to soothe her unsettled mind. As her fingers delicately finessed the keys, her troubled thoughts slowly dissolved. Left in their place was nothing but the pleasant memories from the night before. Specifically, those regarding Lord Hayewood. She shivered again as she thought about the way his eyes had met hers from across the table. And her entire body felt warm as she recalled how his fingers had brushed hers while they were exchanging cards. And his warm smile had made her heart skip several beats intermittently throughout the night. Just as the memory was causing it to skip as she played for the children.
For the half hour that she played, it was easy for her to forget the whispers and stares. It was easier still to smile about her interactions with the marquess. Even if they did live in a society where a gentleman like him would never be interested in her, she could think back fondly on how genuinely kind he was to her. She supposed that having him as a friend was far less painful than for him to be just another gossiping mouth and judgmentalheart. It was something with which she believed she could come to terms. But with the music sweeping her away, it was also not difficult to imagine how things would be if he shared the feelings that she had toward him. Whether he could ever be something more than a friend to her was irrelevant right then. She was content to revel in the previous night’s memories and smile to herself.
***
The tension the following morning as Gareth entered the breakfast room of his aunt’s estate was so palpable that it nearly stole his breath. His parents, neither of whom looked particularly thrilled, did not look up at him as he took his seat beside his brother. Thomas, glancing toward their mother, looked at Gareth and offered a sympathetic smile. Gareth could guess what that meant, and it was all he could do to stop himself from groaning aloud.
As the servants placed the meal before them, the duke cleared his throat. Gareth could read the words in his eyes before they ever cut through the tense, stilted silence in the room.
“Gareth, may I remind you that you have a duty as the future duke of Darendale,” he said. “We have spoken at length about the need for you to marry well, and soon. And I fear that you may be forgetting that. You must marry a woman of impeccable breeding and beauty. And dear Cecilia is such a lady. Yet you seem as though you hardly even notice her or find her worthy of your attention.”
Gareth clenched his jaw, bidding his appetite a bitter farewell. How could I possibly forget, Father? He asked, staring at his empty plate. We do not simply speak at length about it, but it is all that you and I ever discuss anymore.
