Page 22 of Stolen and Seduced By the Duke

Pierce exhaled slowly. "The wedding would have to be arranged quickly."

Because if he was already struggling to keep his hands off Margaret before they were married, he suspected the wedding night would test every ounce of restraint he possessed.

* * *

The following morning, Pierce entered the nursery and found Mrs. Norris standing beside the cradle with Hugh in her arms. The room had been transformed almost overnight, because Pierce had ordered the servants to prepare it the moment he discovered the child was alive.

Pale blue curtains framed the tall windows, a small fire burned in the grate, and a small bed sat in the corner.

Mrs Norris looked up as Pierce entered and smiled.

"Good morning, Your Grace," she said, shifting the baby comfortably against her shoulder. "His Grace the Younger has been awake for nearly an hour, and I assure you he has very definite opinions about breakfast. He has loved the apple slices the most."

Pierce approached and held out his arms. "Give him to me."

Mrs Norris raised an eyebrow but obediently transferred Hugh into his father's embrace.

Pierce adjusted the child awkwardly until Hugh settled against his chest, staring up at him with those extraordinary mismatched eyes. The sight still unsettled him. One green eye and one blue, exactly like his own, staring back from a face that should not have existed according to everything Pierce had been told.

"Where have you been?" he asked quietly, looking down at him. "Who kept you safe after your mother disappeared?"

Hugh merely blinked.

Pierce frowned at the silence. "That was not very helpful."

Mrs Norris suppressed a smile behind her hand. "He is rather young for an interrogation, Your Grace."

Pierce glanced towards her. "I am aware of that."

He looked back at the child. "Nevertheless, he could make an effort."

Hugh responded by grabbing hold of Pierce's cravat and pulling it with surprising strength. Pierce stared at the tiny hand. "Apparently, he has decided the interrogation is over."

Mrs Norris laughed softly, and Pierce found himself almost smiling.

The amusement faded as quickly as it had appeared. Pierce looked down at his son and felt a weight settle inside him that no amount of wealth or authority could remove.

He had spent his life solving problems. This was what he was good at: finding the source of a difficulty, identifying the necessary action, and ensuring the matter was resolved. Yet Hugh presented him with a problem he could not solve simply by issuing orders. Pierce did not know who had cared for the boy, where he had lived, or why Augusta had allowed him to remain hidden for so long.

Worse, I do not know how to comfort him when he begins to cry.

As though summoned by the thought, Hugh made a small unhappy sound and wriggled against his father's chest.

Pierce stiffened. "What is wrong?" he asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

Hugh's face crumpled. A moment later, he began to cry.

Pierce glanced helplessly towards Mrs Norris. "He was perfectly content a moment ago."

"Babies are unpredictable creatures," she said with great dignity. "You may discover, Your Grace, that they do not respond particularly well to military discipline."

Pierce frowned at the child. "I have no intention of applying military discipline to him."

Mrs Norris's expression suggested that she was reserving judgement.

Pierce tried rocking Hugh gently, but his efforts were stiff and uncertain. "There," he murmured. "There is no cause for distress."

Hugh cried louder. Pierce looked increasingly offended by the child's refusal to be reasonable. "I am attempting to reassure you."