Page 69 of Project Duke

“Of course,” Calliope answered.

Hold on a little longer, Spencer, she thought. I swear, we’ll find you.

As they walked away from the bar, she squeezed Nathaniel’s hand, bubbles rising in her stomach and playing within her. “Nathaniel! Thank you, thank you!” she whispered.

“I’m so glad, love,” he said as he looked at her so gently. “I can ask that man next week. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Calliope had just opened her mouth to say she could do it perfectly well by herself, that she would need to do this work regularly in her sleuth agency.

But he still didn’t know…

She should tell him. He deserved to know what he had signed up for… When she’d made the deal with him, he had promised her she would have the freedom to do anything…and yet her anything was one thing that would crush him.

How in the world would she ever tell him when, clearly, he was terrified of her being in mortal danger just like his mother had been?

25

“Well,” said Calliope’s grandmother two days later as she stroked the white feline menace on her lap and looked around the sitting room. “I like this change.”

Nathaniel felt a mixture of satisfaction and annoyance. To all devils, the sitting room looked gorgeous. New windows with fresh paint. Smooth walls of a turquoise color made the space feel warm and sunny. Yellow curtains with a cheerful floral pattern. Fresh flowers in vases. Paintings on the walls. Undamaged furniture that made him think of Mama and how good the house used to look, how much care she used to take maintaining it.

Yesterday, footmen from Sumhall had brought in several chairs, more sideboards, a pianoforte, and a new sofa. Calliope had assured him she had borrowed them from Sumhall and would return everything once he could buy his own furniture.

Calliope sat with a cup of tea, quite pleased with herself. Even his sisters, who sat drinking tea with them, looked cared for, with fashionable hairstyles and in new frocks. They even sat straighter and were quieter. He understood—it was hard to misbehave and not feel the cold stare of the dowager duchess on one’s skin…

But when had they started to look like proper little ladies?

But it wasn’t just the external things. His own clothes were regularly washed and smelled better. With the cook Calliope had brought in from Sumhall, food tasted better and had more variety. And Mrs. Nicholson had more time to take care of laundry and other housekeeping duties. His sisters had more books, and Calliope had placed an advertisement for a governess for the twins.

He had grumbled with her about all of it, but at least she’d had the decency to ask him first. And when she did, he didn’t have the heart to refuse. How could he be so cruel as to say no to a better education and better food for his sisters?

So, begrudgingly, he’d agreed, even if it did mean Calliope spending her own money.

For the first time since Mama died, Roxburgh felt like home.

“Yes,” said Calliope as she smiled at Nathaniel. “It has such a great potential. I quite love this house.”

Love…

The word made a dark unease move within him. He’d never wanted to feel anything for her in the first place. She was just a means to an end. A wife to give him an heir.

But she’d become so much more. He felt so much for her…and it terrified him.

“Well, it certainly has the right bones to be a duchess’s residence, doesn’t it?” said the dowager as she stroked Miss Furrington.

“It does,” said Calliope, her eyes still on Nathaniel, making his very bones melt. “I trust it will be in its full glory again one day.”

Trust…

Another word that burned him like flames.

He wanted to trust her, and he knew if he did, happiness would be in his reach. As Calliope’s eyes connected with his again, his goddamn heart softened and drooped like warm wax.

Once they found Spencer, this danger would be done with. And then they’d just be happy together.

Even if she’d never get pregnant and he’d lose his vast wealth to the crown, he’d have her. He’d have his sisters. What else would he need?

“I can just see it,” the dowager said as she looked around. “The grandeur of it. The ceilings. The light. The location. And look at the moldings. Just gorgeous.” She winked at Calliope. “And plenty of space for the next generation to play.”