Tempted by the Windflower (House of Devon Book 6)
Page 5
Tears pricked at her eyes and words of thanks bubbled on her lips as she reached for Michael.
But she never got the opportunity to utter them.
“Are you in charge of this boy?”
The man’s voice was strikingly deep and full, booming over the land. It made her shiver as though she’d been cast into cold water. “I am his tutor.” Her voice sounded so much smaller by comparison.
He grimaced, as he dropped Michael into her waiting arms. “Is this one of Devon’s children?”
She wrapped the soaking boy in her arms as he sobbed against her dress, his arms clutching at her neck. “Yes,” she answered as Lily ran toward them. Without a word, she knelt onto the grass, her legs hardly able to hold her as Lily tossed her little arms about her and Michael.
“What happened?” he demanded, climbing down from his stallion, his fine wool coat completely drenched.
She swallowed. Now on her knees, he looked miles taller than her, rather harsh and imposing. His dark hair was now plastered back, revealing his near-black sparkling eyes, strong jaw, and prominent cheekbones. Irritation and stern judgment rolled off him in waves.
“We were walking home from my sister’s wedding. It was part of a lesson. The river is high.”
“You’re a tutor?” His voice was sharp. Disapproval dripping from every word even as water soaked through her clothing from the soaking boy. Clearly her answers weren’t doing a thing to stem his annoyance. “What do you tutor them in?”
Why did she feel like a child next to this man? “Decorum.”
His eyebrows rose. “You ought to be more careful allowing children to play near fast-moving rivers. I’ll have to speak with the duke about this.”
There was nothing she could say to refute the charge. Though it grated her, he was correct. She nodded, closing her eyes. Would the duke fire her for such a gaffe? Perhaps she ought to see if one of those men Michael had mentioned was truly interested in courting her after all.
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