The two servants bowed and walked out quickly; they did not need to be told twice.
In the peace of their departure, Dominic turned in his chair and gazed out an overcast morning. Gray and gloomy, the new spring leaves rustled by an undoubtedly chilly breeze. He had meant to ride this morning, but he was no longer in the mood.
A few minutes later, the door to the breakfast room opened and Miss Bright stepped inside, her head bowed, her hands clasped in front of her, as if she were meeting the archbishop, not Dominic.
She did not speak.
“Miss Bright?” he said.
The maid did not raise her gaze. “Yes, Your Grace?”
She sounded awfully nervous, her voice tight.
“I wondered if you could tell me where Lady Frances is this morning?” he said. “Neither she nor my daughter have come down to breakfast.”
The maid cleared her throat. “Lady Frances has a terrible headache this morning, Your Grace. She means to spend the rest of the day recuperating. Harriet was informed, and decided to return to her bed.” She paused. “I do believe that Lady Harriet had breakfast in her chambers, though.”
So, Frances is avoiding me… I can hardly blame her.
Dominic nodded slowly. “Thank you, Miss Bright. That will be all.”
The maid finally lifted her head. She seemed surprised that that was all he wished to say. Perhaps she had thought he was going to cast her out, seeing as she was not one ofhisstaff.
“Thank you, Your Grace.” She dipped her head, so eager to leave the room that she had a brief battle with the door, pushing where she ought to pull.
Dominic thought about offering assistance. Before he could, she figured it out, muttered an apology, and scurried off into the hallway. Leaving him alone, as he likely deserved to be.
Why did you do it, you fool?He still did not know the answer. Dancing in front of guests was one thing but taking hold of her in private; that was quite another.
It would be a miracle if she did not pack what meager belongings she had and headed back to London, preferring to face the scandal rather than stay a moment longer with him.
Harriet will never forgive me.
The temptation to go directly to Frances’ chambers to try and remedy this without delay was a powerful thing. But, just as he had not chased her last night, he would not do anything to scare her today either. He would just have to be patient and wait for a moment where they could talk in private.
Whether that was today or tomorrow or a week from now, he would let her come to him, let her decide when she was ready to see him again.
“Will you be dining downstairs this evening, my lady?” Catherine asked with a knowing smile, barely raising her gaze from her embroidery.
The lady’s maidhadto know that Frances was on the brink of losing her mind after being cooped up in one room all day. When it came to relaxation and leisure, Frances was a complete novice: she did not know how to sit still, how to do nothing, how to occupy herself when she did not have other people to care for, nor a long list of things to get done.
It was maddening.
“I cannot understand how Juliet and Lucinda do this,” Frances groaned, somewhat embarrassed that Catherine had caught her out. “Both of them would gladly stay in their chambers all day, and I have often wondered what it is they do. Lucinda has her books, but I am not certain Juliet does anything but laze about, daydreaming.”
Catherine chuckled. “Perhaps, you could learn something from them.” She hesitated. “Might I askwhyyou’ve spent all day in here? I know you had a headache this morning, but you seemed well by the afternoon.”
Frances quickly stared down at the embroidery she had been trying to complete, so as not to give herself away. “I did not want to risk it coming back.”
“So, it hasn’t got anything to do with His Grace?”
Frances swallowed. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you danced with him last night, you retired long after the guests had already departed, and you have not been yourself since,” Catherine replied, annoyingly sage.
It was easy to forget that there were eight years between them, and that those eight years, in Catherine’s case, counted for a great deal. Nothing ever escaped her notice.
“I thought I would give Harriet a day to herself,” Frances said, choosing a half-lie. “And I did not want to cross paths with the duke in the meantime.”
