Page 13 of An Offer By the Beastly Duke

I cannot possibly be attracted to her.

At least not in the way one might think. It was something else, something more elemental. The need to be closer to her—the urge to order her off his lands again, while wondering if she would return on the heels of her son another night… It made no sense to him. Malcolm never desired company. Solitude had been his comfort for years, and this lady, with her unkempt hair and steel gaze, irritated him.

So why could he not look away?

Before he could speak again, Hector, as if on cue, darted forward, his tail wagging as he bounded toward Nicholas. The child squealed in delight, bending down to pet the dog, his earlier grumpiness forgotten in an instant.

Malcolm’s jaw tightened. He could see it now. The boy was not afraid. In fact, he seemed far more at ease with Hector than he had been with Malcom, or even with his mother.

“See?” Nicholas said, turning to Lady Romwich with a wide grin. “He’s fine, Mama!”

Penelope’s heart hammered in her chest as she stepped forward, instinctively moving closer to Nicholas.

Her body tightened with fierce protectiveness. Her eyes flicked from the Duke to Hector, who had bounded away from his master to nuzzle at Nicholas’s side.

Her fingers twitched, ready to grab Nicholas at the first sign of trouble.

She didn’t trust the Duke.

He may have been kind to her son earlier, but there was something about him that set her on edge. The way he stood there, commanding the dog with such authority, the coldness in his eyes as he assessed Nicholas, made her stomach churn. She couldn’t let her son be left alone with someone like him, no matter how affectionate the dog might seem.

Penelope’s breath quickened, a surge of maternal fear rising in her. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew deep in her gut that she wasn’t safe with him. Not here. Not now.

Amelia’s warning echoed in her thoughts once more.

“Nicholas,” she said, her voice tight but firm. “Come away from Hector. Now.”

But Nicholas only laughed, oblivious to the rising tension. He crouched down beside Hector, his hands stroking the dog’s head as Hector licked his face with eager affection.

Penelope’s pulse spiked with frustration, but she held herself together. She forced a smile, despite the cold knot in her stomach.

“Come, Nicholas, we’re leaving,” she repeated, taking another cautious step forward.

But before she could take another breath, the Duke’s voice rang out, interrupting the fragile peace she was trying to maintain.

“Hector!” he growled, low and sharp.

The command was firm, like a soldier’s order. Hector paused mid-lick, ears perking up at the tone, but didn’t budge immediately.

The Duke’s jaw clenched as he strode forward, his boots crunching softly on the grass. The dog slowly retreated to his side, tail drooping slightly in submission.

Penelope’s chest tightened, watching the dog obey so effortlessly. The image of the Duke standing there—domineering, his body tall and broad, exuding power with each step—made her heart race for all the wrong reasons. She could see the way he carried himself, how much he relied on his sheer presence to command respect, to bend things to his will.

And she hated it. She hated that he could hold that much control over something so simple, so innocent as his dog. But Nicholas wasn’t a dog. And she wouldn’t let him fall under that spell.

She couldn’t trust him. Not like that.

Her voice came out sharp, almost too sharp, when she spoke.

“Watch your dog, Your Grace. He’s too close to my son.”

The words hung in the air between them like smoke. Her eyes flashed to his, locking in a tense moment.

He paused, brow furrowed, his expression unreadable. But there was something in his gaze, a flicker of surprise, perhaps, mixed with a stubbornness that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

The Duke didn’t respond immediately, his lips pressing into a thin line. He was studying her, his eyes dark, almost contemplative. A shift seemed to happen in the air, like a storm cloud gathering just above them.

“You’re worried about Hector?” he asked, his voice gruff but calm.