When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) - Olivia Drake Page 0,69

act as a shield against folly.

Her folly, not his.

Just then, Carlin lifted his head. His gaze met hers for a long moment before making a slow downward trek to her hem and back up again, lingering at her bosom and returning to her face. Admiration flashed in his dark eyes.

She was suddenly very glad that she had come.

He set down the magnifying glass and rose to his feet. “You’re looking exceptionally fine, Tessa. Is there a ball here tonight that my aunt failed to inform me about?”

“Even if there was a ball, the governess wouldn’t have been invited. But thank you, anyway.” Feeling a little shy under his scrutiny, she strolled to the desk to give herself something to do. “Am I interrupting? You appeared to be very engrossed in that book.”

“It’s your book, the one on heraldry. It arrived from Greyfriars this afternoon. I’ve been looking through it this past hour or so.”

Nothing could have been better designed to capture her attention. Tessa craned her neck to peer across the desk, catching a glimpse of mostly printed text along with a few illustrations. Somewhere in there must be the one nugget of information that would grant her the means to achieve her dreams. Yet any sense of excitement about that prospect seemed to have deserted her.

She forced herself to ask, “Have you identified my father’s coat of arms, then?”

The duke shook his head. “I’m afraid I couldn’t recall all the details. Many of these family arms look remarkably similar. That’s why I called you down here, so I could take a closer look at your pendant.” He paused, a hint of firmness to his masculine features. “At least that’s partly the reason.”

Tessa braced herself. Lud, he was going to announce her departure from this house. To forestall him, she said, “I hope you’re referring to Lord and Lady Norwood. They came to call today while you were out.”

“So I heard.” His jaw clenched, though whether at the visit or her mention of it, she didn’t know. “None of the servants could tell me what happened, except that a large number of tarts were consumed, Sophy had a fit of sobbing, and my in-laws left in a huff.”

Tessa bit her lip. Since it was her duty to watch over his daughter, she hoped he didn’t hold her to blame. “That’s a fair summary. However, a few key details have been left out.”

“Ah, I had suspected as much. Come, you must fill me in on what’s missing.” Carlin waved her toward the chaise by the fireplace. “Would you care for a glass of wine?”

“Er … yes, please.”

Seating herself, Tessa hesitated to mention that she’d never tasted wine before. Or any other type of liquor, for that matter. She had never felt inclined to squander her hard-earned coin on ale or gin, as folks in her old neighborhood were wont to do. But apparently ladies often partook of wine, as they’d done at the reception after the lecture. And a part of her did so long to be a lady so that she might win the affections of the duke.

Carlin went to a table that held an array of crystal decanters and filled two glasses, then came to press one into her hand. At the brush of their fingers, a thrill tingled over her skin and she wondered if he felt it, too. But aside from an intense look, the duke gave no indication of it.

As he sat down beside her, she sampled the ruby wine and found it smooth and rich to her tongue. There was so much about his world that remained a tantalizing mystery to her. How lovely it would be to experience it all, to partake in every aspect of his life, to be allowed to enjoy his kisses as she had that one night in the library.

“Now,” he said, “tell me what happened.”

She blinked to chase away the lovely fantasy of him drawing her into his arms again. “Lord and Lady Norwood read about the burglary in the Brighton newspapers, so they returned to London. They said they were afraid that Lady Sophy might have come to harm.”

Carlin swore under his breath. “They spoke of this in front of my daughter?”

“Just a little. I interrupted before Lady Norwood could finish. I knew you wouldn’t want Sophy to be frightened of robbers roaming the house.”

Tessa took another drink of wine to steady her nerves. She must keep in mind that the Norwoods were the parents of Annabelle the