Page 29 of Stolen By the Duke of Stone

“So he is a good kisser,” Irene crowed.

“It was a mistake,” Jessamine insisted. “We are both here to take care of William. Nothing more. He said so himself.”

“Jessie, dearest.” Irene put both hands on Jessamine’s shoulders. “You know it is perfectly all right for you to desire your husband, don’t you? Heavens, that’s the preferable way of things. Marriage is supposed to include desire for one’s spouse. I won’t speak for affection, but desire is a very different matter.”

Jessamine sank onto the edge of the bed. “It makes things altogether more complicated than they ought to be. We should be keeping our distance.”

“For what purpose?” Irene asked gently, taking a seat on her left. “You know, what happened to Rebecca was not your fault. And you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened to Percy.”

Jessamine winced. The memory still stung, a splinter that had never quite worked its way out. “Don’t talk about Percy.”

“The world is a cruel place, and we can’t change so many things about it. Percy is one. Rebecca is another. The only things that we should think about are the things we can control. And you are doing just that. You are looking after William and even married into Willima’s family so you can do so legitimately. That is dedication, but make sure it comes from love and not from guilt.”

Jessamine pressed her palms against her thighs, looking down. Thinking about Percy, the baby brother she had gotten to hold just once, made her chest tight. But William was not Percy, and although she would never forget what happened to her late brother, and although she would never quite forgive herself, this was not penance.

At least, not wholly.

“I do love William,” she said, looking up.

“Then allow yourself to be happy, dearest. That is all anyone wants for you. If the duke can kiss you and make you happy, then why should you hold yourself separately from that?”

If it were just about Jessamine and the things she wanted, then there was no reason, but it was not just about her at all.

She hunched her shoulders, and Irene took pity on her, hugging her from the side. “I think,” she said softly, “that no matter what you decide about your marriage, William is extremely lucky to have you as a mother. Just… don’t shut yourself away from the means of being happy, that’s all.”

If the duke was what could make her happy, then she would eat her bonnet.

“William is all I need,” she said, rising. “Come on, shall we check on Kate?”

Chapter Ten

Andrew leaned against the doorframe, watching Jessamine in the library, William in a small basket beside her. She had retrieved a book from the shelves and now read it aloud, animating her voice with so much enthusiasm, Andrew found himself smiling despite his best intentions.

William cooed in response, as though answering her, and she laughed, putting her book down and kissing the baby’s forehead. The domesticity of the picture tugged at something in his chest, making it ache.

“I wish your mother could see this,” he heard Jessamine said. “I will always be your mother, but I won’t hide your real mother from you. When you get old enough, I will tell you all about her.” Her voice caught. “How wonderful she was, and how much she loved you, right until the last.”

The twinge in Andrew’s chest tightened, becoming something rather closer to pain.

“And in her memory, I will always keep you happy,” she said.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Andrew said.

Jessamine’s head snapped up, eyes wide as she took him in. Red tinged her cheeks, and just like every other time he had seen her since the kiss, he wanted to take hold of her hair and punish her, lure her, with another kiss. More kisses, until he had his fill of her and no longer wanted her the way he wanted her now. Though it was perhaps not her fault, he still resented this lack of control on his part, the way she had drawn him to her from the very beginning.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Now that you’ve listened to me and agreed to allow him some space, he will get everything he could possibly want. How will that not make him happy?”

He advanced to sit beside her. “As a baby, perhaps that will suffice. But as he grows older, things will change. No matter what you offer him, he will test the boundaries and seek something different. He may even grow angry and resentful against us both for maintaining those boundaries.”

“Perhaps, if you enforce them in a way that brings resentment, but don’t speak about William as if he will have no sense of reason. Most boys understand that there are certain expectations and boundaries in place for safety reasons. As for other restrictions and expectations, perhaps they are not necessary.”

“They are always necessary,” he said, biting back his irritation. “I have told you before that no one can have everything they want. Do you intend to spoil him?”

“I intend to make him feel loved! I do love him, and I show it every moment I can.”

“He will know he’s loved,” he said. “Unless we’re cruel.”

“Your standards are abominably low.”