“If you stay much longer, Duchess, I won’t be able to let you leave.” He forced himself to turn away, to put distance betweenthem before his control shattered completely. “I promised to wait until you asked. Until you begged.”
“You’re sending me away?” Her tone held disbelief, almost challenge.
“I’m protecting us both,” he said, not meeting her eyes. “Because if I touch you again tonight, I won’t stop. And you’re not ready for that yet.”
Silence stretched between them, taut and wild.
She moved toward the door, pausing to glance back once. Andrew caught the soft tilt of her head, the parting of her lips, the unspoken words. “You’re more complicated than I expected, Your Grace,” she said.
“Andrew,” he corrected softly. “When we’re alone, call me Andrew.”
She nodded, and slipped out of the room, leaving him alone with the ghost of her warmth and the certain knowledge that Norman had been absolutely right. He was already undone.
Eighteen
"Good heavens, what is that noise?"
Isobel looked up from her embroidery as a cacophony of barking erupted from the entrance hall, followed by what sounded distinctly like a child's delighted shriek and a man's exasperated curse.
Mrs. Brendan appeared in the doorway of the morning room, slightly flustered. "Your Grace, the Duke and Duchess of Stormglen have arrived. With... companions."
Before Isobel could respond, a small chocolate-colored blur came tearing into the room, followed closely by a black and white puppy of similar size. Both dogs made straight for her skirts, circling her chair and yapping excitedly.
"Darling!" A small girl with auburn curls came running in next, her face lit with joy. "Darling, come back!"
Darling nudged her palm as Isobel lifted her up, warm and insistent. Isobel huffed a quiet laugh. “You remember me, don’t you?”
Andrew glanced over, surprised. “She remembers everyone who feeds her.”
“That is not how she knows me,” Isobel shot back, scratching behind Darling’s ear. “She nearly bowled me over the first time we met. Right outside that dreadful alley.”
A slow smile spread across Andrew’s face. “Ah. So, youdoremember.”
“How could I forget?” she muttered. “The dog found me, and then you appeared like some overconfident highwayman with a smirk and an apology that was hardly an apology.”
Andrew leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You held her for a full minute before you even looked at me.”
“I was trying to cuddle her,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And she was heavier than she looked.”
Darling pressed closer to Isobel’s skirts as if in agreement.
Isobel softened. “She was sweet, though. Even then.”
Andrew watched her quietly, something almost vulnerable flickering across his expression. “She liked you instantly.”
Isobel’s fingers stilled on Darling’s fur. “Yes.” She dropped the dog down and watched it run around again with the child pursuing it. When Isobel glanced around to share another long look with her husband, she saw that he had mysteriously slipped out of the room.
"Penelope Brooking, you will walk like a lady, not a hoyden!" A tall man with dark hair and the burr of a Scottish accent followed. He carried a squirming infant in his arms. He caught sight of Isobel and stopped short. "Apologies, Your Grace. My daughter has yet to master the concept of indoor voices."
"Or indoor running," added Eleanor who was sweeping in with grace. "Really, Ramsay, must you encourage her?"
"I encourage nothing. She's a force of nature, like my wife." Despite his words, Ramsay's expression softened as he looked at his wife.
Eleanor rolled her eyes, though a smile played at her lips. She turned to Isobel with an appraising look. "Isobel, how lovely to see you again. I hope you don't mind the invasion. Andrew did promise Penelope he was going to visit Darling, and I'm afraid my daughter has quite the memory when it comes to promises involving puppies. So, we decided to come to bring the puppy to visit instead."
"Of course not." Isobel stood, trying not to trip over the dogs now tangling themselves around her feet. "Though I confess I'm surprised to see two puppies instead of one."
"Ah yes, about that." Eleanor's smile turned mischievous. "Where is my dear cousin? My gift is finally ready to be delivered!”
