Her body spun, she gasped when she saw the fountain open before her, and she cried out and threw up her hands as she braced for her body to plunge into the cool water.
Something firm and solid wrapped around her body.
Something powerful and strong lifted her in the air.
And something confident and forceful, filled with command, placed her back on her feet, all in the space of a single breath.
Yvette’s eyes were still wide, her breath was held, and she stood stiff and frozen as she registered the Duke’s arm around her waist. He held her body close to his, a vice grip that she could not break. She looked up and met his eyes, and for the first time ever, it was not fear or trepidation that she felt.
In fact… from the way that her heart raced… from how warm her body suddenly turned… and from how heavy her breathing was… fear was the exact opposite of what she felt.
Oh no…
The Duke continued to hold her. He continued to look down at her. As much as Yvette wanted to push him back, to look away, to hide from embarrassment, she was trapped by his eyes, just as she felt strangely comfortable, even safe in his arms.
He held her for a second longer than he needed to, the world around them vanished, and they were so close that she could feel his heart thundering against her own. She could even smell his musk so that her knees trembled…
That was when her eyes strayed to the scar on his cheek and the one she could see rising from his neck.
“Careful,” he said deeply, almost a growl. “We would not want you hurting yourself on your first day.”
“I… I… thank you.”
He exhaled sharply from his nose and released her.
Yvette gasped and took a deep breath, stumbled again, struggling to collect her thoughts as her mind whirred and her cheeks reddened. She dared to glance at his scars again and then looked away with embarrassment but could feel the Duke watching her the whole while.
Did he feel that? Was there anything to feel? Or am I imagining things…
“You are to see me this afternoon,” he said, his voice cold again. “In my office, once your lessons are finished for today.”
“See you?” her voice cracked. “Wh – why?”
The side of his lip twitched. “To discuss my son, and why you are intent on wasting both his time and my own.” And then, without another word, he turned and strode from the garden.
Yvette stayed right where she was, watching the Duke go, trying and failing to recollect her thoughts and gain control of her body. For all her preconceived notions of the Duke, how she felt about him versus how she wanted to feel about him, she questioned now if she had been wrong. About everything.
More than that, she wondered if this was such a good thing.
.
CHAPTER SIX
Alistair stumbled inside, caught completely by surprise by what had just happened. To the common observer, it might have looked like nothing. Indeed, Alistair tried to confirm within himself that it was nothing and that it did not require any extra thought.
If that is the case, then why do I feel this way? Why is my body… my mind… what was that?
He had only meant to scold Miss Norleigh over the way that she had decided to conduct her lesson for today. It was her first day with Hugh, and she had chosen to play games. Absurd! The woman was hired as a governess; she was meant to be teaching him, but there they were, in the garden, playing hide and seek.
What followed his attempt at correcting her actions was the cause of his current confusion. He could not explain it. He did not understand it. All he knew was that it was wrong.
His mind flashed back to the moment when Miss Norleigh had tripped and fallen. On instinct, he grabbed her, pulled her back to her feet, and held her to his body as she regained her balance. Nothing strange or inappropriate… but if that was the case, why were his hands shaking? Why did he sweat? And why could he not stop thinking about the way that she looked at him, how it made him feel, and why her body could still be felt in his arms?
Alistair stopped outside his office and took a deep breath. And then another.
There could be no denying that Miss Norleigh was attractive. She had thick, dark brown hair that fell in curls, bright green eyes that were as determined as they were stubborn. A dusting of freckles across her button nose, full lips, and a womanly body.
That she was attractive should not have mattered. What did Alistair care about the looks of a mere vicar’s daughter? He did not!
