Page 16 of Stolen By the Duke of Stone

The duke stared at Kate, then at the dog, and Jessamine closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable cruel set-down.

Instead, the duke crouched, looking seriously up at Kate. “Will you now?”

“Oh yes. Button has a mean bite,” Kate assured him.

“Kate!” Irene scolded.

“No, no, ma’am, it’s quite all right.” The duke told Irene before turning back to Kate. “It’s important I understand the possible consequences. But you have my word that I will do everything in my power to ensure that I do not hurt Jessamine. Does that suffice, my lady?”

Openly delighted at being addressed in such a way, Kate pretended to think about it for a moment, then nodded. “It shall suffice, Your Grace. Thank you.”

“Capital,” he said, just as gravely. Jessamine found that the way he had spoken to Kate, rather unexpectedly, made her chest warm a little.

“Thank you,” she said quietly to him as Irene led Kate away to the buffet table. “She and I have gotten close since I moved to London, and I know she only wants the best for her.”

Andrew nodded, the movement crisp, offering no explanation or commentary. All the gentleness and ease he had adopted for Kate’s sake evaporated, and all Jessamine could think was that they were married, and everyone in the room expected certain things from them.

Things she had no intention of giving.

All too soon, the wedding breakfast came to an end, and the guests began to leave. Temperance pulled Jessamine into a hug, and Lady Marwich rested a hand on her shoulder. “Remember,” she said, her gaze drilling into Jessamine. “You are a duchess now. Don’t forget it.”

Button barked his farewell, and the butler shut the door on the remainder of the guests.

They were alone, in a house full of servants Jessamine didn’t know. Fortunately, at that moment, the nursemaid arrived with William in his little basket. Relief flooded through Jessamine, and she scooped him into his arms, holding him close. The duke’s gaze was on her, but she did her best to ignore him.

“I ought to officially introduce you to the staff now the boy is here,” he said, and rang the bellpull.

It took a few moments for the staff to assemble themselves along the wall, but they did so, and Andrew stood before them with his hands behind his back.

“This is my wife and your new mistress,” he said, nodding at Jessamine. “You will treat her with the deference and respect her position deserves.”

There was a low murmur of agreement, and the housekeeper, a plump woman with a hooked nose and kind eyes, gave Jessamine a reassuring smile.

“As of today,” Andrew continued, “I have taken my cousin’s son as my ward. As of now, this boy is the heir to the duchy. Both his father and mother are deceased, and the duchess and I will be caring for him as our own. I expect you to treat him as you would treat my blood heir. His name is William Kinley.”

Kinley. Jessamine stared at Andrew. So he had given William his name as well? That was probably safer; once he bore Andrew’s name, no one would bother to look any further, and any questions about his heritage would be answered with that alone. But it proved he was serious about caring for William as his own.

The butler, a stern man named Foxwell, introduced the staff in slow, ponderous terms. Jessamine forgot almost all their names save for Mrs. Bragg, the housekeeper. Lucy, the nursemaid, was to be integrated as a member of the permanent staff, at least until William no longer needed nursing.

“Now then, Your Grace,” Mrs. Bragg said, coming forward with another of her smiles. “Foxwell informs me you don’t have a lady’s maid of your own? Now that you’re a duchess, we’ll find one for you, but until then I will appoint Locke as your maid. She’s a willing worker and has an eye for the aesthetic. Shall we take that young boy upstairs? I’ll show you where everything is.”

“Yes, thank you,” Jessamine said, relieved. “I should very much like to get along.”

“That we will, Your Grace; you need not worry about that. It’s been far too long since this house has had a woman in charge, and let me tell you, I have felt the deprivation sorely.” She climbed the stairs and led Jessamine to what she called the west wing, in which the duke and duchess’s suites were located.

“You have a bedchamber, a dressing room, and the duke instructed the nursery be moved right next door, here,” she explained, opening the door to the nursery in question, with a small crib, a bed for the nursemaid, and everything they might need.

And the duke had requested it be brought here, so she might access it more easily from her room.

“Thank you,” Jessamine said.

“We want to do everything we can to ensure both you and the young master are comfortable here,” Mrs. Bragg said. “If there’s anything else you need, all you should do is tell us.”

“I will, thank you.”

The remainder of the house tour took some time and revealed very little. Like many other townhouses, there were several floors, and the house contained a parlor, a drawing room, a dining room, a library, a small study, a ballroom and several bedrooms.

Jessamine’s bedchamber opened into the duke’s; theirs was, after all, the duke and duchess’s suite. She eyed the door with disfavor. She’d given up certain expectations of privacy when she agreed to this marriage, and she could only hope the duke would keep his word and not… require anything of her.