Thawing A Duke's Heart (Faces of Love Series #1) (4 page)

* * *

A
few days later
, I was sitting alongside Elisabeth in her carriage as we made our way to Regent Park. Clarisse, whom Dunlop had insisted I bring with me, was snoozing on our hems. Elisabeth had seen Dunlop every day since their first meeting. First, it was tea, then a ride in Hyde Park that same evening and the following, then a picnic lunch. Though they had been allowed to ride through the park on their own, the Duke had insisted on coming to the picnic lunch. Therefore, I had to come along too. I told Elisabeth rather reluctantly that I would be willing to entertain and distract the Duke only because she was such a dear friend of mine. In addition, I made her promise that her firstborn daughter would be named after me.

The picnic with the Duke wasn’t as horrid as I had expected it would be. I was finding moments when I almost warmed up to the Duke. Mostly, it was because we were stuck together any chance I could get Dunlop and Elisabeth alone. It hadn’t been too bad though. I had even found myself enjoying our conversation as the picnic lunch came to an end.

He had been sharing stories he had heard of our fathers. Apparently, they were quite the troublemakers together. Much like Elisabeth and I, I supposed. I had never seen his face so animated and alive than the way it was when he spoke of his father. It was easy to see that he respected and admired him very much. He had even smiled twice. I couldn’t believe how glorious of a thing it was to behold. He still, of course, had all his sharp features when he smiled, his square jaw and long nose. However, his green eyes, which always seemed to be glaring in disappointment, almost glinted. It was like light reflecting off of a green field. Both seemed so completely impossible and beautiful at the same time.

He had also been warming up to Dunlop and Elisabeth spending time together. It was clear to the ton that the two of them only had eyes for each other. I knew in my heart that it would only be a few more weeks until their engagement from the road they were heading down at present. I don’t know if Gaffton was just succumbing to the inevitable or if he truly was befriending Elisabeth, but he didn’t seem to mind allowing them time alone.

We arrived at the park and were helped down by Dunlop. Duke Gaffton, of course, greeted us stiffly and formally. I was also getting used to his very rigid and proper manner. This was why all of our mouths dropped open when Clarisse lumbered out of the carriage behind us. Gaffton dropped to his knees and called her to him.

She sniffed him tentatively before wagging her tail and making her way toward him. Now when I say
tail
, I use this term very loosely. Clarisse had a small corkscrew that lay tightly on her behind so that when she wagged, she tended to wiggle the entirety of the back half of her body.

“What a good girl you are,” Gaffton cooed as he scratched and petted her all over. “Though you are quite an ugly thing. I suppose you are the reason breeds shouldn’t be mixed. You look to have gotten the worst of both parents. A huge head and short fat legs. It is kind of charming in a way, though.”

We all stood stunned as Gaffton continued to coo and pet while Clarisse snorted and wiggled in excitement. He was practically sitting on the ground now, letting her crawl into his lap. He gave out a laugh when she kissed him on his cheek.

“Having a good time down there, chap?” Dunlop finally said.

It was almost like Gaffton realized where he was. He stood quickly, brushing the hair from his hessians.

“Interesting little thing,” he said, trying to play off what we had all just seen.

Dunlop held out his arm for Elisabeth to take and they turned to begin a walk of the garden. I was still staring at Gaffton open-mouthed.

“I like dogs, okay,” he finally said, offering his arm for me to take. I could tell that he didn’t want to say anymore on the matter.

Without a moment’s thought, I naturally slipped my arm into his. He turned to lead me down the path behind Dunlop and Elisabeth. I pulled back with my arm. I had wanted just to pause for a moment to give them a head start and some privacy. I pulled too hard though, and instead yanked Gaffton so that we were facing each other.

I still had my arm interlocked with his and our chests were nearly touching. He looked down at me with concern in his eyes. For a quick moment, I couldn’t remember why I had stopped him. I had no words in my mouth to answer his questioning brow.

“I just wanted to give them a head start,” I finally said. His warmth was enveloping me. I had a sudden desire to take that half step closer to him and completely close the gap between us. The wind rustled his long dark hair for a moment and I caught a scent of his soap. It was rich, with a hint of sweet lemongrass.

I leaned in just slightly as I felt the touch of his other hand on my elbow. For a moment, I thought he might pull me toward him. Even more oddly than that though, was the fact that I wanted him to do so. Finally, he turned away, breaking our gaze, and looked off toward the others.

“I think that is a sufficient head start, don't you?” he said, looking back at me.

It took me a moment to find my voice again. “Yes, yes, of course.”

We turned and began our walk, with Clarisse happily trudging alongside me. I had her on a leash, which she wasn’t used to, and we became tangled on several occasions. I would have assumed that it would have been an irritant to him, but Gaffton didn’t seem to mind.

“So, you like dogs then, Your Grace?” I asked after a long silence.

He looked down at me with a half smile. “We had several when I was a lad. Big wire-haired things. Father would take them hunting.”

I loved to see him speak of his father. He was so relaxed and happy. I suddenly had a desire to see him like this always. A half smile on his face, his eyes softly looking down at mine. It was moments like this that I forgot all the incorrigible things he had said. This seemed to me to be his natural self. It made me wonder what had turned him into the serious and stiff Duke he preferred to portray as himself.

I wanted to ask him, but in that instant, Clarisse perked up and then bolted. I didn’t even have time to think or see what she was chasing after, because my hand was wrapped around her leash. I was yanked out of Gaffton’s grip and helplessly tore down the path behind Clarisse.

“Lady Mary, let go!” I heard behind me. I couldn’t think though, as I could barely keep one foot in front of the other. Clarisse may have been short in stature, but she was thick in muscle and strong. I heard Elisabeth gasp as I whizzed past her.

Then Clarisse took a turn off the path. I realized that she was chasing a brown rabbit. It was headed down a steep hill. It only took me a second to realize that Clarisse was going to follow, and I along with her. I did my best to struggle with the leash around my wrist.

“Mary!” I heard Gaffton’s deep voice calling again from behind me. I was relieved to hear that he wasn’t too far behind me.

I finally released the leash from around my hand just as I came to the steep slope of the hill. Clarisse continued to run without a moment’s hesitation. I did my best to stop myself, but still felt the momentum of the run throwing me off balance and over the hill. Just when I was certain that I was going to fall, I felt two hands wrap around my waist and pull me back to safety.

He pulled me against his strong body and we both fell backward in the other direction. Gaffton took the brunt of the fall, with me landing on top of him. I heard the deep sound of the wind I must have knocked out of him. I could hear the footsteps of Dunlop and Elisabeth approaching from behind us.

Before I had a moment even to register what had happened, Gaffton spun me around in his lap. He was heaving, out of breath, when he placed both of his hands on either side of my face. We were mere inches from each other. I too was out of breath from the run.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Before I could answer, he began to inspect me. First, with his hands on my face, then he brought them down to my shoulders, and ran them alongside my arms. I could only assume that he was looking for breaks or injuries, but I was completely paralyzed by his touch. Finally, he grabbed the hand that had been attached to the leash and inspected it.

I followed his eyes down and inspected my own hand. Up until that moment, it hadn’t hurt. Seeing the red welts left by the rope instantly sent shots of pain up my arm. Gaffton quickly pulled a cotton handkerchief from his jacket pocket and tore a strip off of it. Without saying a word, he began wrapping it around my wrist.

Elisabeth and Dunlop reached us about the same moment that Clarisse came happily trudging back up the hill. She proceeded to lay down next to me, completely unaware of what had just happened, and apparently exhausted from her run.

“Mary, are you alright?” Elisabeth managed to say, out of breath herself.

I looked up at her and then back down at Gaffton, and then back up at her again. It had all happened so fast. I was so flustered that I couldn’t form any words. “Yes, yes. Of course I am,” I finally said.

Elisabeth gave me her hands and helped me off Gaffton’s lap. I wasn’t quite as steady as I thought I would be and swayed a bit. In a flash, Gaffton was on his feet too, his two large hands around my waist again to steady me.

Resounding in my head was the sound of his voice calling my name.

“I think it would be best if I took Lady Mary home,” Gaffton said, straightening up and taking my unhurt hand securely in the crook of his arm.

I looked up at him to see his cheeks flushed from the run, his hair loose from its strap and fallen around his face. He was looking down at me with a concerned furrow.

“I promise you that I am quite alright. Just scared me, that’s all.”

“Nonetheless,” he said matter-of-factly. He used that
the Duke has spoken and that is final
tone. I honestly didn’t have the energy to argue.

“We’ll all go home,” Elisabeth said. “We can walk back together. We can see the gardens another day.”

“No, please don’t leave on account of me.”

“I agree,” Gaffton chimed in. “Please, you two continue your evening. I will see Lady Mary safely home.”

Elisabeth hesitated for a moment, and then decided it was for the best, and she and Dunlop continued to the path and onward.

Gaffton reached down and grabbed Clarisse’s leash. She sat up, preparing to go on with our walk.

“Are you able to walk?” he asked me.

“Of course, don't be silly,” I waved him off with my free hand. It hurt to bend my wrist. I tried to loosen my hand from his arm, but he only squeezed it tighter. He grabbed the leash tightly with his other hand.

“I believe I will hold Clarisse,” he said with a smile.

“I think that is the closest I have ever heard you come to joking, Your Grace.” His look turned to a frown. It was almost as if he didn’t understand why I would think him such a serious man. He opened his mouth to respond and then thought better of it.

He instead turned his scowl to Clarisse. She was still sitting patiently, waiting to begin her walk again. “And you,” he said and pointed a stern finger at Clarisse. “Very bad girl. Shame on you. You could have seriously hurt your mistress.”

Clarisse actually looked remorseful. She walked dutifully beside Gaffton as he led me back to the entrance of the park. We walked in silence, his arm tightly joined to my hand, with Clarisse huffing next to us. I couldn’t help but watch Gaffton the whole way. He was the serious Duke again, but there was something different about it this time. It made me question whether I had been seeing him wrong this whole time.