When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) - Olivia Drake Page 0,88
with elegant gents on the high wire, bowing and dipping and twirling.
When one couple teetered, having to catch their balance, Sophy scrambled onto his lap, much to his surprise, and hid her face against his coat. “Ooh, Papa, they’re going to fall!”
His heart melted as she wrapped her small arms around his waist. In wonder, he held his daughter close, acutely aware that this was the first time she’d ever shown any true sign of trusting him. How he longed for her to turn to him for comfort—always.
“Never fear,” he said soothingly, “they’ve practiced for hours and hours. And I daresay the rope is much sturdier than it appears to us from a distance.”
Sophy considered that for a moment and then peeked back at the stage to watch with restored confidence.
Stroking her silken dark hair, already untidy, he glanced over to see Tessa observing them. A soft smile curved her lips. As their eyes met, the smile lessened somewhat, though it didn’t quite disappear, either. What did vanish was the crowd, the whistles, the applause, and the show itself until it was just the three of them, joined together as a family.
The allure of her held him spellbound. His brain addled, Guy knew he ought to say something to advance his suit, yet no words rose handily to his tongue. Her gaze sparkled, her cheeks were flushed, and he hoped it was as much for him as the entertainment. No other woman had ever tied him into such knots. He had the unsettling thought that this fascination he had for her might surpass mere infatuation.
The crash of cymbals shattered the moment, and she returned her attention to the stage. As the tightrope walkers shinnied down the ropes to a wild ovation from the crowd, Guy took a deep, restorative breath. Tessa wasn’t entirely indifferent to him, that much was certain. No doubt she was still miffed with him, yet there had been a glow in her eyes, too.
“Look, clowns!” Sophy exclaimed.
She slid off his lap and went to the wooden ledge, leaning on it to get a better view of the riders that came trotting into the ring. They were garbed as jesters with masked faces and garishly striped clothing, and the full-grown men looked ridiculous mounted on little ponies.
Taking advantage of their momentary privacy, Guy edged closer to Tessa and murmured for her ears alone, “I’ve you to thank for taming the feral kitten. How, pray tell, did you achieve this miraculous change?”
“By citing your better qualities these past few days. It is what you hired me to do, after all.”
A cool veil had come over her face, so he attempted a jest. “In light of that clumsy offer, I’m pleased you could find something good to say about me.”
“I would never let our quarrel stand in the way of Sophy’s happiness. Like any child, she deserves to know that her papa loves her. Now do let us enjoy the show.”
As she returned her gaze to the arena, Guy was stymied by her abrupt end to the conversation. How was he ever to win her if she wouldn’t speak to him? Then he reminded himself that now was hardly the time or the place to woo Tessa. He’d already made that mistake with his misbegotten proposal.
Stifling his frustration, he watched the performance and found himself enjoying it. He chuckled along with everyone else as the pony-mounted jesters engaged in a chaotic battle, riding in circles and shooting at each other with toy pistols. To make the spectacle more real, there were occasional flashes of gunpowder that elicited shrieks of thrilled alarm from the audience.
Years ago as a young man, newly wed to a lady who preferred ballrooms to circuses, he would never have attended such a silly display. But seeing it with Tessa and Sophy changed all that. It transported him back to his childhood when he’d come here with his grandmother, who’d had the same fun-loving spirit as Tessa.
Just then, he noticed that Sophy was leaning too far over the ledge for his comfort. He bent forward with the intention of drawing her back to safety. At the very moment he moved, a sharp jolt struck his upper arm.
Knocked off balance, he bumped into Tessa and nearly jarred her from her seat. An instant later, a starburst of hot pain permeated his shoulder.
Glancing down, he saw a neat hole in his blue sleeve that was rapidly turning dark with blood. Good God, he’d been shot!