Page 13 of The Duchess’ Little Miracle

“Vasomotor activity?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Yes. Your sudden and entirely unnecessary proximity restricted the ambient airflow between us, causing a minor thermal imbalance. My cutaneous capillaries merely dilated to regulate the surface temperature of my skin. It is basic human physics, not... swooning.”

William’s hand hovered in the empty air for a fraction of a second before he dropped it back to his side. “Physics? You are blaming a blush on atmospheric conditions?”

“I am stating a physiological fact,” she countered. “When an individual is suddenly crowded by an exceptionally large, overbearing object, the body prepares for a threat by accelerating the pulse. A startled horse flushes in the muzzle for the exact same medical reason, yet I highly doubt it is swooning for the rider.”

“A horse, Miss Seraphina?” William let out a short, low laugh, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You are comparing me to a horse? If your pulse accelerated, it was not out of fear. You are far too stubborn to be afraid of me. But if it pleases your pride to believe your blood vessels are merely obeying laws of biology, far be it from me to dismantle the illusion.”

“It is not an illusion; it is mechanics,” she snapped, her chin tilting upward. “But I did not come down to your study to debate the laws of circulation. You requested my presence.”

The amusement that had been in his eyes withered and he looked serious so suddenly. He cleared his throat and walked back over to his desk to lean on it. “Right. Alice. Tell me of your time in the nursery. Did you manage to establish any form of rapport?”

Seraphina felt a distinct tightening in her stomach, the lingering heat of her blush instantly replaced by a cold wave of dread. “I am afraid I could not do much for the girl today. But she spoke to me.”

“She did?” he asked, seemingly surprised.

“Yes.” She answered, not wanting to go into any details about how Alice questioned if she was well.

“Tell me, Miss Seraphina, do you even possess any actual experience with children? I realize that I did not ask you that.”

Seraphina hesitated, her tongue catching against the roof of her mouth. The proud, defensive urge to lie was overwhelming, but she knew an outright fabrication would tumble down the moment he asked for specifics.

“I have... observed children,” she began.

“Observed them?” William countered. “Like a specimen under a glass? That is not experience.”

“I did my research before coming here, Your Grace,” Seraphina defended sharply. That much was true. “I read books for half of last night. I am well aware that I do not possess a maternal disposition, but I understand logic. Let’s say Alice has suffered a tremendous, destabilizing shock pending when you give me actual details on why she is screaming at night. The human mind does not simply reset itself because a new face enters the room. Healing requires a predictable environment and a great deal of time. I cannot perform miracles within the span of twenty minutes, and it is entirely unfair of you to expect them.”

“I do not expect miracles,” William said back. “I expect progress, though. I expect some indication that she is not slipping further away into that terrifying silence. If you are entirely out of your depth, you should have stated so before we struck our bargain.”

“I am not out of my depth,” Seraphina responded, hesitating to continue talking. “But she did fall asleep while I was speaking to her. I don’t know... I might have bored her. But that only means that I know what not to say when I try again. No more talk about Isaac Newton. “

William crossed his arms and scoffed. “She... what?” William whispered.

“She fell asleep,” Seraphina repeated, lowering her voice, though her heart was still beating violently. “Right there on the window seat. Her head slumped against the framework, and she drifted off entirely.”

William stared at her, stunned. He looked at Seraphina as if she had just spoken to him in a foreign language. “She has never done that before,” he said.

“What? Fallen asleep? That’s impossible.”

“She doesn’t sleep when people are in the room. That is what I hear,” he explained. “She just stares at them until they leave. She only sleeps when no one is watching her. Even the faintest noise wakes her up. She is hyper-vigilant, Miss Seraphina. If a maid so much as adjusts a curtain or walks within five paces of her room, Alice bolts upright in terror. Her mind is always on guard.”

He took a slow step toward her, his gaze searching her face so intensely that it made her breath hitch. “It is interesting that she fell asleep with you in the room. How did you manage it? What did you say to her?”

Seraphina’s throat went entirely dry. She could not possibly tell him the truth. She could not look him in the eye and admit that she had bored his deeply traumatized ward into a state of absolute unconsciousness by delivering a dry, aggressive lecture on the most stupid thing she had done in weeks, and how it tied to Newton’s law.

“That...” Seraphina said. “... is a trade secret.”

William’s eyes narrowed. “A secret? We are partners, Miss Seraphina. You are required to share your methods if they are yielding results.”

“Our partnership is built on a mutual exchange of information,” Seraphina countered smoothly, crossing her arms and offering him a cool, challenging smile. “I will gladly exchange the exact details of my nursery methodology the moment you provide me with something substantial regarding the blackmailer. Just one clue, Your Grace. Give me a name, a direction, or a piece of evidence your professionals uncover, and I will tell you exactly how I put Alice to sleep.”

William stared at her for a long moment before a small, begrudging smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Very well,” William murmured, dipping his head in a shallow bow. “I accept your bargain. I shall have some answers soon. See that you are prepared to deliver yours.”

“I am always prepared,” she replied.