Page 41 of When a Duke Loves a Woman
She sensed he wasn’t merely speaking to her but was communicating something to himself as well. She climbed the stairs to the landing, all the while feeling his gaze on her, wondering how she could be so aware of him. Reaching into her reticule, she pulled out the key, unlocked the door, shoved it open, turned back, and waved at him.
His only movement was to touch his fingers to the brim of his hat. So he wasn’t going to leave until he saw that she was truly inside. Stepping over the threshold, she closed the door and leaned her back against it, listening for the rumble of the coach leaving. It was several long minutes before she heard the clatter of wheels and the clip-clop of horses’ hooves.
She wondered why he’d been in no rush to leave.
Chapter 12
If she was going to spend so much time in the company of a duke, she was going to have to get some new clothes. The shirt and skirt she wore today weren’t as fine as the ones she’d worn yesterday, and tomorrow’s would be even less fine than today’s. But as she stood behind the counter pouring beer for one customer after another, trying to determine when in her schedule she might be able to arrange a trip to the dressmaker’s, she realized she wasn’t going to change herself for him. While her coffers were far from empty these days, she didn’t need a lot of fancy clothes for work, and once they found his bride—which could be this very afternoon—she’d not be seeing him again, so why spend precious coins on clothing that wouldn’t be worn for long when the silver could be put to better use?
Although it was quite possible that his bride had already been found or returned home since he had yet to make an appearance and it was already half an hour later than he’d arrived the day before. Not that she was looking at the clock that stood against one wall and watching the minute hand move with maddening regularity without a duke walking through the door.
“Thought you had plans to go out for a bit this afternoon with your gent,” Roger said.
“He’s. Not. My. Gent. But, yes, we were going out. However as he’s not yet here—”
“He’s in the kitchen.”
She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“I saw him a while ago when I popped my head in to give Hannah a wink.”
“How in the world did I miss all this flirtation the two of you do?”
“No idea, Gil.”
Not that it mattered, but it was a bit irritating when she’d always considered herself to be so alert, but most of her attention had been on troublesome customers, not bothersome employees. “All right then. I’m off. You’re in charge.”
“Have fun.”
She almost explained that it wasn’t an excursion designed to be fun, but even so she was looking forward to it. She pushed open the door that led into the kitchen, walked through—
And could not have come up short so quickly, so unexpectedly, if she’d been hit by a team of oxen.
Wearing his spectacles, Thorne was sitting at the oak table, pointing to something in a book that was open in front of Robin. The sight made her heart do all sorts of funny flips inside her chest, and not just because his clothes, his spectacles, his freshly shaven face, his hair without a strand out of place created a portrait of a devastatingly handsome man, but because he was giving time and attention to Robin.
The lad looked up, his eyes bright, his smile one of the largest he’d ever given her. “Gillie, look! He brung me a book with pictures drawn in it. Of animals. All sorts of animals. Not just dogs and rats and horses. And he said it’s mine to keep! And not ’cuz I saved him. Just ’cuz. No reason at all.”
“Did he?” She didn’t know why the words came out sounding as though she’d been struggling to find them or why two little words should sound so breathless.
Robin bobbed his head so fast and hard that his dark locks flapped his forehead. Then he shoved on Thorne’s arm. “Show her the graft.”
“Giraffe.” He carefully flipped back a few pages, showing utmost respect for the book. Then he stopped, lifted his gaze—that dark liquid gaze, the darkest stout—to her and every speck of air seemed to have been sucked from the room, sucked from her lungs, leaving her feeling light-headed and warm and confused.
“Look, Gillie. It’s the tallest animal ever! It’s taller even than this building!”
“I don’t think it’s quite that tall,” Thorne said, humor laced through his voice.
Taking a deep breath, regaining her equilibrium, she eased up until she could see the odd creature. “Quite extraordinary.” Then she looked at Thorne, wondering why all those confusing sensations hit her again, why he was such a feast for the eyes. “I didn’t know you were here. You didn’t come in through the front.”
“I could tell from the crowd gathered outside you were busy. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I came in through the back. And I wanted to give Master Robin the book.”
“Can I keep it, Gillie?” the boy asked.
“Yes, of course.”
Very, very slowly Robin turned a page. “You have to be ever so careful so you don’t tear the paper,” he explained.
“You keep looking at it. The duke and I have to run some errands.”
