Chapter 7 #2
“All I want is to do right by Hugh.” His tone hardened. “Think what you will of me, but know that I have only his best interests at heart. I… I have not been good to him, clearly. I want to change that.”
“You do?” she blinked in surprise.
He sighed and shook his head. “Do you really think so little of me that this surprises you? Or perhaps you do…” He scoffed. “And perhaps I should not be so surprised by this.”
Yvette was stunned by the confession.
Her mouth was open as if to respond, but she did not have the words. Her eyes flicked down to his hand again, which still held her own, and she could feel it burning her skin.
“Hmm…” The Duke noticed his hand still holding her, and he gently let her go. “Sorry about that…” He looked away, for the first time ever, appearing chastised and unsure. Certainly not brimming with confidence and power like he usually did.
In fact, as Yvette looked closer at the Duke, she finally saw in him that side which Lucinda claimed to exist. The softer side. The kinder side. The side of a father who cared about his son.
It made Yvette consider the situation from his point of view, which she could not believe that she was doing!
But Yvette realized that as new as this was for Hugh, it was just as new for the Duke.
And that maybe, as strange as it was to believe, he wanted to do the right thing. Even if he had no idea what that was.
Was I wrong about the Duke this whole time? Is he… is he actually concerned for the well-being of Hugh? That thought alone made her head spin.
“You say that you want to do right by your son?” she asked, softening her tone with sympathy.
“I do.”
“Might I ask what you mean by that? What do you really want?”
His face scrunched tight, but still, he could not bring himself to look right at her. “I don’t know. I wish I had an answer for you. I wish I knew what I wanted. But this is new for me, strange and awkward. Is it not enough to just say that I want what is best and leave it at that?”
She laughed softly. “It’s a good start.”
“What comes next?”
Yvette felt sorry for the Duke. Once she looked past the coldness and past the dispassion, she saw a scared father who was as lost as she was.
Despite herself, she smiled. “Might I suggest getting to know your son better? If you want what is best for him, first you need to know him. How else can you possibly determine what is best otherwise?”
He nodded along. “Getting to know him better…”
“Spend time with him,” she continued. “Build a connection. Be there for him, however that might look.”
“And how does that look?”
She laughed. “I have no idea!”
The Duke smiled, and Yvette felt a pang in her heart. “I will… I will endeavor to get to know my son better. It’s a good idea, Miss Norleigh. Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
“I was wrong too,” he continued. “About everything. I am sorry.”
“I…” She started in surprise. “I am sorry too.”
“What for?”
She had no idea! “For speaking to you the way I did,” she said. “I should not have done so.”
“Done with the best intentions,” he said with a smile.
“I think I can relate to that.” He licked his lips.
“My thinking now is…” His eyes flicked over her quickly.
“That I might need some help, if I am to better know my son. And seeing as you and Hugh are so close… that perhaps you might help me in this? As part of your duties as his governess.”
“Oh.” She blinked, and her heart swelled with excitement that she could not explain. “You want me to help you connect with your son?”
“If you would?”
“I am not sure how I would do that.”
“That makes two of us,” he chuckled.
She laughed too, and she felt the tension between them fade. Yvette found his eyes again, and there was a smile there now, an earnestness that told her that this was the other side of the Duke. What was more, this was a side of the Duke that she might like to know better.
“I think I can help you with that,” she said, even if she had no idea how she would do so.
“Does that mean you aren’t going to quit on me?”
“Does that mean you aren’t going to treat me like a disobedient child?”
He grimaced. “I said I was sorry.”
“I would like to hear it again.”
His smile grew, and he shook his head. “I am sorry for the way I acted, Miss Norleigh, and if you still wish for it, I would like your help with Hugh.”
“I would be honored.”
The Duke smiled at her. She smiled back. The silence that found them in that moment was not tense, it was not heavy, and it was certainly not awkward. If anything, it was comfortable, and as Yvette held the Duke’s eyes, she felt a warmth spreading through her body.
Of course, that just made her nervous and confused once more, and she stumbled back in surprise.
“I should go…” She latched onto the open door and swung it further open. “I need to… get ready for supper. It is late.”
“We will talk more of this later.” It wasn’t a question.
“I would like that.” She hovered in the doorway, he smiled at her as if he could see how awkward she was being, and she forced an awkward smile back before ducking her head and darting from the room.
Once she was in the hallway, Yvette took a few deep breaths and forced calm upon herself. Whatever had just happened… she chose to focus on the positives, while ignoring her heart’s reaction to his softer side.
The Duke and she were finally on the same page, he wanted what was best for Hugh, and so long as nothing changed, she saw no reason that this wouldn’t work. In fact, she knew that it would.
It is a good thing… exactly what I should want…
As she made her way to her room, her wrist continued to burn where he had touched her. It made her arm tingle, it made her heart race, and she had little choice but to admit that things were nowhere near as simple as she would have liked.
Not that she knew why they were not… but that just added to the general confusion of her thoughts surrounding the Duke.