Chapter 8
Eight
Chloe returned to the store an hour later, glad to see that Maddie had closed it early since she was bursting with her news. But she came to an abrupt stop inside the front door, all happiness draining away.
“Gannon,” Chloe said flatly, her eyes tightening at sight of the unwelcome visitor.
Maddie turned to her, her face a mix of relief and worry. Chloe reminded herself that no matter how much she despised the man, she couldn’t allow herself to lash out at him. It would cause Maddie too much distress.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as calmly as she could.
“Merely examining my property.” He gave an oily smile, his eyes gliding over Chloe in the same way they glided over every inch of the store—as if he could consume everything his eyes fell on and still not be satisfied.
She shivered but forced her voice not to shake.
“It’s not your property yet.”
“You intend to meet my terms?” A new layer of greed entered his expression. “How is the matter coming? When can I expect the egg?” His brows rose, but Maddie narrowed her eyes, meeting his gaze without flinching.
“You said we had a month. We still have time. And I’ll thank you not to come by again until either the month is up or else you receive word from us that we’re ready to hand over the egg.”
Gannon hesitated, an unpleasant grin sliding onto his face. But when he spoke, his words were bland. “You can expect to see me at the exact end of the month and not a moment later.”
He left without further farewells, and Chloe kept her posture locked in place, her expression rigid and strong, until she’d closed the door behind him.
She latched it securely and checked the shop’s blinds.
As soon as she was sure he was gone and out of sight, she gave a trembling sigh and sank into a chair.
“Are you all right?” Maddie asked in alarm. “Where have you been?” She eyed the empty basket at Chloe’s feet in confusion.
Chloe bolted upright, unable to believe she had forgotten about Sage, even for a moment.
“Oh Maddie! You won’t believe it!”
Maddie gave a wry grin. “No matter what it is, I already believe it. It’s you we’re talking about, after all.”
“I’ve been chosen by a griffin. A griffin, Maddie! At the duke’s estate.”
This time it was Maddie’s legs that failed her. She staggered sideways, collapsing into the chair Chloe had just vacated. Ammy, who had been hiding from Gannon behind the measuring table, squeaked in distress and raced over to Maddie, running up her leg and burying herself in her lap.
Maddie stroked her with a shaking hand. “You bonded with a griffin. You?”
Chloe grinned, all thought of Gannon banished. “The other griffin riders were even more horrified.” She laughed, their initial concerns made humorous by their subsequent acceptance.
An acceptance that had been forced on them by Harrison, her mind whispered. Of all the men, he had been the one to speak up for her. But she knew she shouldn’t read anything into it. Harrison had done that for Sage’s sake, not hers.
“The other griffin riders,” Maddie repeated faintly. “Because you’re now a griffin rider.”
Chloe laughed. “Perhaps not quite that. I’m still a milliner. I’m not going to be joining the squad or anything. But I will get to ride a griffin!” Her eyes lit up, but a moment later concern made her face fall. “As long as Sage grows big enough. I can tell the captain is worried about her.”
“We’ll have to cook more stew,” Maddie said, her compassion easily stirred. “I saw the rest of it had disappeared, and that bowl you brought back looks empty. She liked it?”
“She gobbled it down,” Chloe assured her with a grin. “And don’t worry about the store. I’ll keep up with my hat orders, even if I have to work half the night.”
“And surely you’ll have a chance to meet the Duke now.” Maddie brightened considerably as she thought it all over. “Bonding with a griffin must greatly increase your chance of being given an egg!”
Chloe nodded. It was basically the same thought she’d had herself. But for some reason, it sat uncomfortably in her belly, although she couldn’t entirely put her finger on why.
She let her mind turn to thoughts of Sage instead, a smile spreading over her face. She never grew tired of thinking of her griffin.
The next day she took another pot of stew to the barracks, and Sage ate it just as greedily. Harrison arrived within a few minutes of her own arrival, and she suspected he had been keeping watch for her.
He gave her an initial lesson in caring for Sage’s feathers, promising to teach her about caring for the griffin’s furry parts the next day.
After that would be paws and claws, then talons and beak.
She would learn about her diet, her necessary exercise regime, and the complexities of griffin social hierarchies.
If she thought of it all at once, it felt overwhelming.
But when she remembered she’d get to see Sage every day as she learned, the thought became manageable.
She soon grew to love her daily visits to the estate, and not only for the time with Sage.
Harrison always waited for her, and she spent hours upon hours with him talking griffins.
Occasionally she still caught him giving her a wary look, but as Sage’s chosen human he accepted her without further question.
And he clearly delighted in the progress Sage was now making daily.
Within only a few days, she had strengthened enough to move to a permanent nest in the mews, and Chloe’s lessons moved there with her.
She even became comfortable with the regal Ranger, since the head of the griffin flock was a great favorite with Sage.
Fletcher often came past as well, although he didn’t usually linger long, merely smiling with satisfaction whenever he caught the sound of Harrison’s laugh.
Really, between him and Ranger, they had an unnatural obsession with their captain’s amusement levels. As far as Chloe was concerned, the man had always been far too easily amused—right from their first meeting when he had seemed to see straight through every one of her stratagems.
It was infuriating more than anything. And she most certainly didn’t feel a spear of warmth through her heart every time she made him laugh.
He was merely her teacher. Her focus remained on the Duke—even if she hadn’t managed to spot him yet.
Was the frustrating man staying away from his own squad on purpose?
But finally one morning she arrived in the mews a little early and saw a new figure standing by one of the nests. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the elaborate jacket and colorful waistcoat. The Duke! At last!
She wanted to run to him but made herself move forward at a decorous pace, pretending not to have noticed him. Her heart beat fast, but it wasn’t from distaste, merely nerves. She was sure of it.
She looked steadily at the ground as she approached him, giving a start when he broke the silence with a surprised exclamation.
She fell back a step, her hand rising to her chest. “Oh! My apologies, my lord! I didn’t expect to find anyone here.”
She should have addressed him as Your Grace, of course, not my lord. But she had long ago decided that the best strategy was to pretend she didn’t know his true identity. It had taken her long enough to manage a meeting, and she needed it to look as unaffected as possible.
“No indeed, the apologies are mine.” He swept her an elegant leg, bowing much more deeply than any of the griffin riders had ever done, despite his higher status. As she had expected, courtly manners were his obsession. “I would never want to cause alarm to any lady.”
His admiring gaze swept over her, settling on her face with a pleased smile. She flushed, noting distantly that when she needed it, the blush had come, after all.
“Your Lordship is too kind.” She cast her eyes downward and curtsied as elegantly as she could.
Thank goodness she had re-pinned her hair before leaving the shop and had chosen to wear Maddie’s newest creation. She hadn’t examined the impulse to wear it too closely—spending time in the mews could be injurious to clothing—but look how the impulse had paid off.
“But you cannot be the young lady bonded to the youngest griffin!” the Duke exclaimed. His voice dropped a little. “Far more elegant than I expected. Far more elegant indeed.”
Chloe’s flush darkened a little, with anger this time, but she kept her expression as bashful as she could, hoping the Duke wouldn’t notice. She didn’t have to like him. She just had to pretend she did.
She should have been pleased that her appearance met his exacting standards, but she couldn’t manage the emotion. Just pretend. She just had to pretend.
“That means a great deal coming from you,” she said, forcing her gaze to look admiring as she glanced at his waistcoat.
He visibly preened, puffing out his chest. “Yes, it’s an elegant waistcoat, if I do say so myself. One of my own design. But I’ll warrant I’m always dressed well enough to impress any young lady, regardless of rank.”
Chloe gritted her teeth, keeping the smile on her face. The Duke stepped forward, and she forced herself not to take a mirroring step back. He held out his arm to her, and she reluctantly took it.
“I would be honored to receive an updated tour of the mews from such fair hands,” he said. “I hadn’t realized how much brighter this place would be with a feminine presence.”
Chloe refrained from pointing out that half the griffins were females. Instead, she ducked her head and smiled, looking up at him through her lashes, even as their entire plan came into sharp doubt in her mind.
She had been playing the required role for only a few minutes, and her stomach was already roiling. How could she possibly pull it off for long enough to properly captivate the vain Duke?
It’s for Maddie, she reminded herself. And Claire. And Ivy. And Flora. Think of little Flora!
Thought of her sisters enabled her to look up at the Duke with what she hoped was a captivating smile. He certainly looked captivated, his eyes widening as he looked down at her, nodding along to her soft words about the griffin in front of them.
As they moved to the next griffin, his arm moved toward his side, bringing her closer to him as well. She swallowed and tried not to stiffen. This was exactly what she had wanted. Wasn’t it?
“Fascinating. Utterly fascinating,” he murmured, looking down at her rather than at the griffin she was discussing. “A griffin rider and a lady. What an interesting prospect.”
Perhaps it would help if she thought of the vile Gannon. Just as long as she didn’t think of—
“Sorry I’m la…” The exact voice she had been trying not to hear in her mind interrupted the Duke’s meaningless prattle, trailing off as Harrison took in the scene before him.
Chloe spun toward him, stepping away from the Duke in the process, her eyes wide, and her heart nearly beating out of her chest.
The Duke also turned, smiling at his newly arrived captain, although Harrison didn’t look away from Chloe’s flushing face.
“Ah!” the Duke exclaimed, “E—”
The captain’s eyes jumped to him at last, and he cut him off roughly. “We need to start our lesson. The griffins are waiting for us.”
Chloe stared at him in astonishment, her own embarrassment forgotten. It was a strangely brusque manner to take with his squad’s patron. The Duke must treat his captain with a great deal of leniency.
“Not the most patient creatures, griffins,” the Duke said with an easygoing laugh. “I’ll get going, then. Your most obedient, my lady.” He bowed elegantly in Chloe’s direction, and she managed to bob a rough curtsy back.
But as he strolled out of the mews, her eyes were on Harrison, not the Duke’s retreating figure. And he was looking back at her, the storm in his eyes once more.