“I… might be…”
“Time to prove it then.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “You can hide first, and I will seek you. The rules are that you cannot leave the garden. And if it takes me longer than ten minutes to find you…” She bit into her lip and considered what the prize would be. “Then we will sneak into the kitchens and steal ourselves a treat.”
Hugh’s smile grew. “What if you do find me?”
“Then it’s my turn to hide, of course.”
What brought Yvette the most joy was seeing how excited Hugh became. All morning, he had been a bundle of nerves, even depressed, as if his world was ending and he had no idea howto stop it. And had they stayed indoors and continued in their lessons, she had no doubt it would have gotten worse.
Finally, he was starting to look comfortable, and Yvette had no doubt that a day of games would be enough to see the boy relax so that come tomorrow, they could start their lessons for real. All he needed was to trust her…
“Go on then.” She waved him away. “I will count to one hundred.”
“Wait!” he cried out and jumped on the spot before sprinting through the garden. “No looking!”
She laughed as she covered her eyes and began to count…
When she reached one hundred, she dropped her hands and spun about. “Ready or not, here I –” Her words died in her throat.
Standing just down from her, arms folded, a look of pure vengeance on his scared face, was the Duke. His eyes were narrowed, his lips were pressed tight, and even the sun in the sky seemed to dim and then dart behind a cloud as if it too was trying to hide.
“What is this?” the Duke asked coldly.
“Your Grace!” Yvette cried out in surprise. “I did not see you there.”
“Hard to do when your eyes are covered.” He walked toward her, each step taken with such force that the ground shook beneath him.
“I… I…”
The Duke reached where she was standing, and, if it not for the fountain right behind her, Yvette would have taken a step back… likely a couple. He was just so much bigger than she remembered, so much more powerful and commanding. With those broad shoulders and that thick neck, he blotted out the world so that she had nowhere to run. And he bore down on her like a mountain.
“Remind me, Miss Norleigh, why you are here.”
She swallowed. “You asked me to act as a governess for... for Hugh.”
“Tell me then, how is playing games achieving this aim?”
“Yes, well… I can see how it might look odd…” She started to sweat and tremble. And when she tried to meet his eyes, she balked, even winced, because there was a fire behind them so hot that it burned. “But I assure you that it is with purpose.”
“Enlighten me.”
He folded his arms as he bore over her. Whether he meant to scare her or not, Yvette could not say, but the effect was exactlythat. He stood less than two feet away, he fixed her in his cruel gaze, and Yvette tried to look away but was captivated and held steady by those dark blue eyes.
She was not used to feeling this way. Most of the men she dealt with were farmers, common folk, and they all looked up to her father, and her by extension. They were not men of power; they were not used to being obeyed in everything, and they certainly were not the type who expected to get their way no matter what.
“It’s about trust,” she stammered.
“Meaning?”
“Well… I… earlier, we were studying, and I noticed… Hugh was struggling to concentrate and… and…” Yvette’s tongue felt thick in her mouth, and it was all she could do to string two words together.
He was just so intimidating! The way he stood there, as still as a statue. The way he glowered. And the scar on his right cheek! Yvette had never felt so powerless before, and she hated the fact.
She tried to remind herself of what Lucinda had told her earlier. She tried to search the Duke for his softer side, the kindness that she was promised would be there. But in that moment, all she saw was the same cold, dispassionate man who had abandoned his son, who now demanded the world from him, and who acted as if everyone else was to blame.
“Miss Norleigh!” Hugh’s voice cried from somewhere in the garden. “You’re not looking!”
Yvette’s eyes widened, and she spun about at the sound of Hugh’s voice. She did so quickly, without thought, and with the Duke so close, she stumbled and then tripped on her own feet.
