Page 3 of Last Night with the Duke
Heard?
He smiled again at that softly spoken comment. She wasn’t fooling him for a moment. He felt certain that she read, nodevoured,every salacious word the gossip columnist wrote—and all the other tittle-tattle sheets too. From what he’d been told by his aunt, most all of London did too.
“Miss Truth is obviously very good at what she does,” Miss Swift added confidently.
“No doubt. Since she revived the old story weeks ago, she somehow manages to mention one of us at least once and sometimes twice a month in her scandal sheet.”
“Perhaps that means there are times that neither position nor fortune can shield a man from his guilt no matter the lapse of time.”
Miss Swift had pluck in spades. He’d give her that, and his affinity for her increased. “Well said, Miss Swift. I found out long ago that there is no use in trying to bury the ghosts of one’s past.”
“I am quite willing to admit that can’t be done. The best to hope for is to hide them in the closet.”
He gave her only the slightest of nods. “And then one can only do that for a time.”
“That is probably everyone’s greatest fear.”
Her response caught him off guard and stirred emotions in him he hadn’t felt in a long time. Griffin digested what she’d said, as compassion for her rippled through him with disquieting speed. So were there regrets in her past that she was hiding too? If so, what? he wondered. Emotional hurts or something else?
Silently, he wished she’d said more.
Griffin looked deeper into the depths of her golden-brown eyes and saw clearly that there were unburied ghosts lingering around her. He couldn’t help but wonder if she’d worked as hard to put her demons to rest as he had his.
Instinct and a fair amount of curiosity bid him to question her at length. He wanted to delve into her feelings, explore her past, and determine what haunted her, but he didn’t. The sudden fragile expression on her lovely face caused him to resist the urge. This was not the time for such talk. Perhaps another time would be, but for this day he would repress his acute interest in her past and not rummage into such affairs no matter if she would be willing. He wasn’t looking to become enamored of this young woman, yet one thing was certain—she had evoked more than mere curiosity.
“So that brings us back to my reason for being here in this establishment. I find that I have need of your services.”
“Yes, of course,” she said suddenly returning to her more-detached tone of voice, all vulnerability instantly gone from her face and her deportment. She retreated to the competent woman and glanced around the room before motioning to one of the well-worn chairs. “Please take a seat and tell me how I can help you.”
Griffin didn’t bother to sit down and neither did she. “Though I would rather spare thetonmy presence at all the usual gatherings of the Season, I’m afraid that won’t be possible this year. My twin sisters, Lady Vera and Lady Sara, will be making their debut when the Season starts.”
“Twins. How fortunate.”
“I consider it a misfortune, Miss Swift,” he said sardonically.
“Because they are your responsibility?”
“Yes. No doubt you and all of Society would agree that I’m the last person who should be in charge of young ladies making their debut, but the fate of their future fell to me when I became the duke. And to add to that obligation, I received word just today that my aunt, who was to accompany my sisters to all the events for the Season, is ill and can’t make any of the outings, parties, or balls.”
“That is unfortunate, Your Grace,” she said with quiet resolution.
“And that is why I’m looking to employ a chaperone for them.”
“I don’t mean to sound trite, but while we can’t replace the love and attention your aunt would give your sisters, I’m confident we can help you find the right person to take over your aunt’s duties. We have three well-qualified women with excellent references and credentials who should be available to start at your convenience. May I set up interviews with them for you?”
Griffin realized that the reason he couldn’t figure out exactly what it was about Miss Swift that attracted him was because everything about her did.Almost everything,he corrected his thoughts.He didn’t like the matronly way she wore her hair with the spit of white lace covering her chignon or the unbecoming shade of gray she was wearing, but other than that, he hadn’t discovered one thing about her that wasn’t enticing.
It was obvious she was schooled in manners and conviction and was well-trained to handle anyone who walked through the door. Her speech was faultless and her courage dauntless. Her wit was an added bonus. The way she carried herself and the ease with which she traversed the conversation with him made her appear a cut above her station in life.Well above.She’d obviously learned a lot from being in service in the homes of Polite Society.
If not for the fact he’d mended his wicked ways, he could have easily succumbed to the wanton feelings she created in him—to touch her satiny-looking cheek, to hear her little gasps of breath while he tasted her enticing lips, and to pull the pins from her golden-brown tresses and watch them tumble deliciously around her softly rounded shoulders.
At the thought of kissing her, a warmth of slowly rising passion settled low in his loins. He was tempted to let the primal heat stirring between his legs build and linger, but enjoyment of those pleasant feelings was not the reason he’d walked through the agency’s door today. There were more pressing matters to attend to than his male stirrings for a beautiful young lady. He had to ignore those feelings and change the direction his body was taking him.
Blast it,quite simply, she fascinated him.
Suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted to do.
Grudgingly clearing his head of the wayward thoughts, Griffin moved to stand toe-to-toe with her and said, “No.”
