Page 86 of Last Night with the Duke
“Still, it’s my own fault I didn’t know sooner.” His gaze traveled over to where Esmeralda stood with her back to him. He knew she heard him, though she gave no indication. Hopefully she knew he was admitting he’d been wrong yesterday to dismiss her before he’d heard a full explanation of what had happened.
Giving his attention back to Josephine, he said, “I found out where Mr. Chambers lives and I went to see him today. I wanted to get Napoleon back for you, but I couldn’t.” Damn, he hated telling her that. “Mr. Chambers had already left to take Napoleon to Manchester. I’m going there to find him as soon as I leave here, but I had to come check on you first and make sure you’re all right. I want you to know I’m not coming back until I have Napoleon with me.”
“No.” She sniffed, looking up at him with her big green eyes. “I can’t let you take him away from another girl. That would make you as mean as Mr. Chambers.”
Griffin tried to swallow, but a lump had formed in his throat. “I don’t mind.”
Josephine’s lashes became moist. “But I don’t want you that mean, Your Grace,” she said softly. “I like you the way you are.”
The lump grew. “I will get him for you,” Griffin promised passionately.
“No,” she said again and shook her head. “She had him first.”
Griffin glanced down at Josephine’s hands resting in her lap. They were small. Clasped. Steady. She had thought through her feelings and knew what she was saying.
“He wasn’t mine anyway,” she continued, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “I always knew he belonged to someone else. I was just keeping him safe until we found his owner. Besides, I don’t want her feeling the way I do right now. She’d probably feel worse than I do right now if she lost him again, because she’d be losing him twice.”
Griffin was never at a loss for words, but Josephine had him mute for a few seconds. She was being more rational and thoughtful than a lot of adults he’d known.
He praised her by saying, “That’s a very brave way to think about this.”
“It’s my fault anyway. I disobeyed you and Essie by going out of the back gate when you told me not to. Mr. Chambers would have never seen Napoleon if I hadn’t gone out.”
“We all do things we’re not supposed to do sometimes. I know I’ve been guilty of it more times than I can count.”
“But it hurts really bad.”
“I know,” he said softly.
She threw his arms around his neck and started sobbing. He pulled her slight body into his embrace and pressed her cheek against the soft velvet of his waistcoat. Her shoulders shook with wracking sobs. She poured her heart out with deep, loud crying. Griffin wanted to find Chambers and strangle him for taking Napoleon away from Josephine.
“Cry as long as you want to,” he whispered to Josephine, brushing her hair with his hand, kissing the top of her head as he would Vera’s or Sara’s. “I’m going to be right here holding you.”
He felt Esmeralda come up to stand beside them and glanced over his shoulder to her. Her eyes were filled with tears too. The only comfort he could offer her right now was compassion for the little girl he was holding, and he hoped she saw that in his face.
A sudden feeling of peace about life swept over him. The reason was standing right beside him. Esmeralda. Without a stirring of doubt, he knew he loved her with all his heart, his body, his mind, and his soul. There had been many women in his life, too many to count, but none of them had ever touched him like Esmeralda had. His love for her was the reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t stop wanting her, couldn’t stop wanting her to want him. She was a part of him. She was his other half. His soul mate. He would find a way to make her believe that he loved her and that she loved him, too. For now, all he could do was hold her sister and let her cry.
Long after Josephine fell asleep, Griffin continued to hold her tightly in his arms. He finally looked up when he heard Esmeralda bend down to whisper, “Put her to bed, and then I’ll show you out.”
Chapter 28
Don’t hesitate to forgive, and then do forget.
MISSMAMIEFORTESCUE’SDO’SANDDON’TSFORCHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS,ANDNURSES
It had been a hellish two days.
It was so unfair that some people went through life seeming to always have so many wonderful things happen to them while others were all too often neglected and left on their own by the cruel hand of fate. Josephine had lost her mother and her father way too young. It wasn’t right that she’d lost Napoleon too.
Esmeralda had been devastated for her sister but had remained strong for her too, just as she had when Josephine’s father had died. When Griffin had arrived half an hour earlier it was easy to weaken, to let go of the tight control she had on her emotions and allow him be the strong one. While Josephine cried in the Duke’s arms, Esmeralda had silently cried too. In those minutes, she’d been overcome by his compassion for her sister. His kindheartedness had filled her with so much love for him it swelled in her chest until she ached.
“She’ll probably sleep through the night now,” Griffin said as they walked back into the main room.
“Probably,” Esmeralda answered curtly, refusing to look at him and walking straight to the door that led to the stairway. If she didn’t talk to him, if she didn’t stare into his blue eyes, she could tell herself she didn’t love him. Every time her gaze caught sight of his, it was impossible to lie to herself and deny it. She hadn’t wanted to leave her heart with him when she left his employ, but that’s exactly what had happened.
Griffin stopped beside her. So close she inhaled his scent, felt his warmth. It made her want to bury her face in his chest so he could console her the way he had Josephine. But suddenly consumed by the unfairness of life, instead of seeking the solace she needed, in a rush of words and emotions too deep to contemplate or understand, she said, “I don’t care what Josephine says. I don’t care how mature she sounded, or how brave you think she is about doing the right thing, I want you to go and get Napoleon back for her.”
A muscle twitched in the side of his mouth. “Esmeralda?” he said softly.
