Page 69 of Stolen By the Duke of Stone

Chapter Twenty-Three

The day of their promenade dawned bright and cheery, and Jessamine dressed with more than her usual optimism.

Today, she would be seen out with Andrew and William.

When she entered the nursery, she found Andrew asleep in the chair, his head tipped back to reveal his neck. As she watched, he twitched as though in the throes of a bad dream. Her heart twisted when she recalled how he had told her that he also had nightmares.

In the crib, William stirred, but after checking on him, Jessamine moved to Andrew’s side. In sleep, he looked younger than he did when he was awake, his face relaxing, all the harshness softening into gentle lines.

She had seen that expression—that softness—before when he looked at her. Cautiously, she reached up and tapped him on the shoulder.

Instantly, he was awake, eyes flying open and finding hers, alert within the space of half a second. As he registered she was the one to have woken him, he relaxed by increments, settling back into the chair.

She perched on the arm, leaning over him. “Imagining I was the French?”

“Something like that.” His arm came up to slide around her waist. “It’s still early. What are you doing?”

“I came to check on William. I’d expected you to be in bed already.”

“I thought Lucy looked tired.”

He was so caring. Even when he pretended he was, he was.

How could she have ever thought him cruel and inconsiderate?

“How has he been overnight?” she asked, nodding toward William.

“Well,” Andrew said, a little wryly, his arm settling a fraction higher on her hip, “I didn’t get here until late. But while I’ve been here, he has been perfectly fine.”

William chose that moment to break into a squall.

“My angel,” Jessamine called, absently kissing the side of Andrew’s head as she left his arms to pick up the tiny babe. “You should sleep,” she said to Andrew, snuggling William against her chest. “Get at least a little rest before we show off this boy to the world.”

“Ah, yes.” He glanced from her to the baby, then rose, looking as though he had already stiffened from his vigil in the chair. “I take it you’re looking forward to the event?”

“Immensely.”

He smiled, and his hand caressed her elbow as he passed. Jessamine stared at the door long after he had passed through, her heart pounding.

This felt… It felt different.

As though they had passed through some sort of invisible barrier and come through the other side.

“Did you see that?” she asked William, who continued to grizzle, no doubt in need of changing. “Your father—though really, you ought to call him uncle—hasn’t run away from me. Sometimes, I even think he might like me.” She laughed, cradling him closer. “I don’t know what I want, Will. Sometimes I want nothing more than for him to be mine, and other times I think there would be nothing scarier.”

William gurgled up at her, and she smiled down at him.

“Of course,” she said, rocking him, “you come first. You have always come first for both of us. I promise you that we will do nothing that will risk your security or happiness, even if that means we learn to… exist together.”

Now she’d had the taste of what more could feel like; the last thing she wanted was to merely exist together. But for William, if necessary, if she was worried they were getting in deeper than they could handle—and heaven knew neither of them were particularly well-versed in intimacy—then they could still pull further apart.

Go back to how things were, but with a better understanding of one another.

The main thing was ensuring William was well looked after.

All the rest could wait.

Andrew hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect from his first promenade with William and Jessamine, but it hadn’t been the parade of servants accompanying them. Lucy pushed the large perambulator, which looked rather like a carriage in miniature, and Jessamine strolled by his side with one hand tucked neatly in his arm.