by Amelia Grey
“I know,” the girl said as casually as if they were talking about the weather. “But I like the name. And I think it’s a good name for a dog.”
Griffin smiled. “So do I.”
Josephine sighed quietly as she looked up at him and added, “You’re tall.”
“No, Josephine,” Miss Swift admonished, stepping in closer to her sister. “It’s not your place to say things like that to a duke.”
Griffin held up his hand to stay Miss Swift’s objection as he looked down at Josephine and said, “You’re short.”
“Yes, but I’m still growing. I’ll get taller one day. You’re as tall as you will ever be.”
Griffin chuckled. “That I am. And what about Napoleon? Is he still a growing pup?”
“No, he’s old like you.”
He heard Miss Swift suck in another gasp as he responded, “I suppose at twenty-eight I am getting old.” Griffin hadn’t expected the girl to be so outspoken, but he should have, given the boldness of Miss Swift. Though she looked nothing like Miss Swift, they had the same daring personality.
“Do you have a dog?” the girl asked.
“Not here in London. I have a spaniel at my home in Griffin, and rest assured, he is not named after a defeated French emperor.”
Josephine smiled up at him, and Griffin had no doubts the girl knew exactly what she was doing when she named her dog.
“What’s your dog’s name?” she asked.
“Jasper.”
“That’s a good name for a dog. Is he the reddish-brown color of most jasper stone?”
“As a matter of fact, he is.”
“I like my room. Napoleon likes it too. Thank you for letting us stay here with Essie.”
That was the second time she’d called Miss Swift “Essie.” He approved of the nickname she had for her sister and wondered if Miss Swift ever called her “Josie” or “Jessie.” Probably not, he thought. With flame-red hair and deep green eyes, “Josephine” fit the girl perfectly. He wouldn’t shorten it either.
“May I ask you something?”
“No, you may not.” Miss Swift spoke up again. “Enough of this chattering, Josephine. His Grace has been very patient with you, but you have taken up enough of his time.”
Griffin glanced over at Miss Swift and said, “Did you forget I grew up with two sisters in the house demanding their older brother’s attention and that of his friends whenever they were around? You are worrying too much. When she has a question, let her ask and I’ll answer—if I can.”
“All right.”
He then returned his attention to Josephine, and in a good-natured voice with a grin on his lips asked, “Do you ever get to say what you want to when she’s around?”
Josephine stared up at her sister and preened delightedly before looking at Griffin and saying, “Not often. She talks a lot.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I was thinking. You have permission to ask me whatever you want whenever you want.”
“You might regret saying that to her, Your Grace,” Miss Swift offered.
Griffin took note that Miss Swift was a little miffed that he’d given her sister the same permission he gave her to speak freely to him. She had a choke hold on the braided cords of the little velvet reticule she held. And he had to admit that Miss Swift’s show of displeasure was very enticing to a man who already wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she sighed with passion.
“I believe I told you that I like a woman who knows her mind and isn’t afraid to speak it.”
“Do you have a back garden?” Josephine asked.
Clearing his wayward thoughts and his throat, Griffin said, “That’s an easy question to answer. I do.”
“May I take Napoleon outside to play in it?”
When was the last time anyone had asked such a simple request of him? To play in his garden. He couldn’t remember a time in recent years. Being a duke, there was always someone wanting something from him. Usually the requests were from someone in Parliament, another peer, his overseers or accountants, and sometimes his tenants. And the favors were usually much harder to accomplish than saying a simple yes to a twelve-year-old girl.
“I don’t see why not.”
“All by ourselves?” she asked with eager excitement showing in her face. “Essie won’t let us go outside alone where we live.”
“Your sister is probably right about that. It’s not safe or proper in a business district.”
“That’s what she says.”
“But while you are here at my house, you and Napoleon may play in my garden as often and long as you wish without supervision.”
Her eyes brightened like stars. “Thank you, Your Grace!”
Griffin quickly looked over at Miss Swift. “That is if it doesn’t interfere with anything your sister has planned for you. Her wishes must come first.”
“They always do,” Josephine said.
“In that case, I’ll speak to Sparks so he’ll know you have permission to treat this house as your home while you are here. One other thing. My gardener, Fenton, will probably be out there most days. He might have other men with him sometimes.” He glanced over at Miss Swift. “The man prides himself on his talents to produce the biggest and best blooms in the Royal Horticulture Society. Other gardeners often stop by to see what he’s growing for the May Day Fair.”
“I like flowers too, but we won’t bother Mr. Fenton,” Josephine said. “I promise.”
“I didn’t think you would, but I wanted you to know his name should you be out when he’s working.”
Another big smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Your Grace. May we go out now?”
“I’m fine with it.” He looked at Miss Swift again.
“Yes, of course, you may,” she said to Josephine.
“But you don’t have permission to open the gate and go outside the garden,” he said. “Understand?”
“Don’t worry, we won’t. Thank you, Your Grace.”
Then, suddenly, without warning, the girl rushed him, threw her slender, still-childlike arms around his waist and hugged him tightly for about two seconds before turning loose and stepping away. Napoleon took that as a sign he should show appreciation too. He jumped up on Griffin’s leg and barked.
“Josephine!” Miss Swift exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have done that. Napoleon sit!”
The girl’s action surprised Griffin as much as it did Miss Swift, but he didn’t mind. Though he’d much rather it had been Miss Swift’s arms around him. He patted the girl’s head a couple of times and then the dog, who had obeyed his master and rested on his haunches.
“You must never touch the duke again,” Miss Swift reprimanded Josephine.
“I wanted to thank him,” she argued convincingly. “I hug you when I thank you.”
“That’s because I am your sister. It’s not the proper way for you to thank a duke.”
Josephine rolled her big green eyes up at him and said, “I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
“I never mind a hug from a young lady, Miss Josephine. You did nothing wrong in showing your gratitude.” He nodded his head toward Miss Swift and said, “Your sister is too prickly.”
“She sure is.” Josephine gave Griffin another big smile and whirled away. “Come on, Napoleon, I’ll go get my coat and we’ll go outside and play.”
As the two ran down the corridor, Miss Swift turned to him. “She shouldn’t have been so familiar with you. The only justification I have is that her father was a very affectionate man. I’m sure she didn’t realize that was inappropriate. We haven’t been around a lot of men for me to explain to her that it shouldn’t be done.”
“You are fretting for no reason, Miss Swift. It was only a hug, and a brief one at that. No explanations or apologies are necessary. My sisters have been hugging me since before they left the nursery.”
“That’s kind of you to say. I do appreciate you being so nice to her about it.”
“I like hugs, don’t y
ou?”
With those few words spoken so casually, the atmosphere around them changed in an instant. The intense yet gentle look in his eyes made her breaths come fast and choppy. “I, well, of course I do.”
“Then, tell me, Miss Swift, when was the last time you were hugged?”
She didn’t know for sure. A long time, she lamented to herself, but softly asked, “What?”
Griffin found himself wondering if she had ever been held in the arms of a man and kissed. Passionately. The way he wanted to hold her and kiss her right now. It didn’t matter whether or not she had, but for some reason, he wanted to know.
He inched closer to her. “You heard me. When was the last time you were hugged? From someone other than your sister, or your mother or father.”
Her eyes grew wide. “I’m not exactly sure,” she hedged, not wanting to tell him the truth that she hadn’t ever been.
“Recently?”
“Probably not. But I really don’t see how that is any of your concern, Your Grace.”
It wasn’t, but he still wanted to know. “I’m curious.”
“And I’m not going to answer such a personal question or continue further on this subject. I’ll just say I’m pleased you’re not upset with Josephine’s fresh behavior and leave it at that.”
He was right when he’d thought that Miss Swift would know just how to keep him in line. That was good, because with the least bit of encouragement, Griffin could so easily cross that line of what was acceptable where she was concerned. She reminded him that she was not available for him to pursue.
He watched her inhale. He had no doubt she knew what he was thinking. He’d wanted to kiss her. Hellfire, he’d wanted to since the first time he saw her. Everything about her had drawn him to her when he first saw her, and that hadn’t changed.
Suddenly there was barking from the front of the house. An ear-piercing scream shattered the stillness. It was followed by a loud crash and then something rumbling down the stairs.
Chapter 12
Don’t worry about things you can’t control. Do control the things you can.
MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES
Esmeralda almost jumped out of her skin as her gaze flew to the duke’s. He was alarmed too. Fearing it was Josephine tumbling down the stairs, she dropped her reticule to the floor and took off running. The duke must have thought the same thing, because he rushed past her as she cleared the doorway.
Entering the corridor, Esmeralda saw a tabby cat scampering off the last step of the stairs. Napoleon was right behind the cat, barking like a fiend. Josephine was behind the dog, screaming his name and running after him. Thankfully she wasn’t harmed, but a small broken table lay at the foot of the stairs.
“Josephine, what happened?” Esmeralda ask breathlessly, but there was no time for an answer.
The cat darted into a room off the vestibule with the barking dog right on its tail.
“Napoleon! Stop! Sit!” Esmeralda added her cries to halt and calm the dog as she, Josephine, and the duke all tried to go through the door at the same time.
They bumped shoulders, elbows, and hips. Six arms and six hands all pushed and tangled together in the trio’s haste to get inside and catch the animals. Josephine shoved her way through two of them first and squealed in horror again as Esmeralda and the duke skidded to a halt beside her. The cat had jumped on top of a table and sent a figurine flying to the floor where it shattered into hundreds of pieces.
At the same time, Napoleon rounded a chair and sideswiped a large urn. It teetered from side to side. Esmeralda and the duke stumbled over each other in a rush to save it, but the large vase toppled to the floor with a loud thud and broke into several pieces before either of them could reach it.
Esmeralda thought she might stop breathing. But there was no time to even do that as the cat quickly altered his course and dashed right toward her. As she reached down and grabbed the cat, he scratched at her. His claws dug into the bodice of her dress, and he shrieked as if he thought all the hounds in hell were giving him chase. Napoleon’s front paws landed on Esmeralda’s skirt as he jumped to reach the cat. The duke scooped up the barking dog and moved him away from the cat.
Horrified, Esmeralda called, “Napoleon! Quiet!” The dog instantly stopped barking and scrambling to get down from the duke’s arms. He quickly turned around and licked the duke’s chin and lips before the duke had time to move his face away from the excited dog.
Anguished by all that had happened, and knowing that any chance she had of keeping her position in this household had just evaporated, Esmeralda advanced on the duke and exclaimed, “This is all your fault, Your Grace!”
“My fault?” the surprised duke countered as hastily as she’d spoken. “How is that possible, Miss Swift? I was in the drawing room with you when all this commotion started.”
She glared at him and said, “Because you didn’t tell me you had a cat in the house.”
The air between them crackled with tension as he advanced on her. Napoleon woofed and squirmed to get near the cat again, but the duke held him firmly. His blue gaze pinioned hers. “I didn’t know.”
Searing disappointment in her inability to keep this debacle from happening made her bristle at his annoyed tone. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said.
“I’m not,” he answered, holding the squirming dog tighter.
Esmeralda knew she was behaving irrationally. She should listen to her inner voice and quiet herself. She shouldn’t be accusing the duke of anything, but fear made her unable to stop herself. She’d lived in Viscount Mayeforth’s house long enough to know how servants who broke things were treated. She knew how uncompromising and how unforgiving the titled few were.
“How could you not know? This is your house.”
His head tilted defiantly. “It is my house, but I don’t live here. My sisters do.”
“Then maybe you should spend more time here with them so that you know what’s going on in it.”
“It looks as if I will need to if this is an example of what’s going to happen while you’re here. If anyone is at fault, Miss Swift, it’s you. You told me this dog was trained to obey your sister.”
“No dog will obey its master if its sees a strange cat. The temptation is too great.”
“Oh, I know all about great temptations, Miss Swift. I’m having a few of them myself right now.”
“So am I,” she countered, infuriated that she’d lost the opportunity to make a better life for Josephine and for herself. She was more than upset that Josephine wouldn’t get to experience a little of what it would be like to live in a fine house and play in a large garden.
“Why are you two yelling at each other?” Josephine asked.
Esmeralda and the duke looked over at Josephine. Her lips quivered and tears had pooled in her eyes. Esmeralda’s heart broke.
“We’re not,” they said in unison.
“It’s my fault Napoleon knocked the table down the stairs and broke the urn. Not yours.”
“It’s no one’s fault,” the duke said, keeping his intense gaze on Esmeralda as he continued to control the excited dog. “It was an accident.”
“May I be of assistance to you, Your Grace?” Sparks said calmly from the doorway as Lady Sara and Lady Vera skidded up to flank him.
Lady Vera gasped as she surveyed the broken pieces scattered around the floor. “What happened?”
“Oh my!” Lady Sara cried as she covered her mouth with her hands. “How did the cat get out of my room?”
“This must be the girl and her dog,” Lady Vera said. “Auntie Eve was just telling us about them.”
Her anger spent, despair settled around Esmeralda. She could have never imagined anything so catastrophic would happen. And all because of a cat. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to tell the duke they would leave immediately, but he spoke first.
“Lady Vera, Lady Sara, this is Miss Swift’s
sister, Miss Josephine, and her dog, Napoleon.”
In the midst of all that happened and with tears in her bright green eyes, Josephine had the presence of mind to curtsy to the young ladies after the introduction and say a greeting.
Lady Vera stepped farther into the room. “I thought you must have been teasing Auntie Eve when you told her their names were Napoleon and Josephine.”
“I was not teasing, and I’m in no mood for teasing right now, Vera,” the duke said. “They will be living here with Miss Swift for the Season. I suppose I should have mentioned it when we were talking earlier.”
“That’s highly irregular,” Vera offered. “That a chaperone would bring her sister and her dog with her.”
“They are here because that’s the way I want it,” he answered.
“Well, all right. I don’t mind.” Vera huffed. “But if Miss Swift could bring her dog to Mayfair, why couldn’t we bring Jasper with us to London?”
Esmeralda watched the duke’s jaw tighten. She was waiting for an opportunity to enter into the conversation so she could excuse herself, Josephine, and Napoleon and get out of the house with the least amount of fanfare as possible.
“I’ve never kept you from bringing Jasper,” the duke said. “If you wanted to bring him, all you had to do was do it.”
“I didn’t think you would allow us to.”
“Why didn’t you ask? He’s as much, if not more, your dog than mine. I would have told you to bring him.” He turned to his other sister and asked, “Sara, is that your cat?”
“Not exactly,” she timidly said, looking at the excited tabby in Esmeralda’s arms.
“Then what, exactly?” he asked pointedly.
“I saw him in the front of our house yesterday, so I picked him up and brought him inside to give him some milk. I was going to put him back out when it grew dark, but instead, I ended up keeping him in my room all night. My maid must have let him out. I’m sorry, Griffin. I should have asked for permission before keeping him, but he was so friendly.”
“He’s clean and looks well fed,” the duke offered, as Napoleon tried to lick his face again. “I don’t think he’s a stray. He obviously belongs to someone, and they are probably looking for him to return.”