Her Duke of Secrets by Christi Caldwell

Author:Christi Caldwell [Caldwell, Christi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, romance, Regency
Publisher: Christi Caldwell
Published: 2018-06-20T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

“You are not chewing.”

“Because I’m not accustomed to someone watching me chew,” William muttered, glaring at the small piece of sausage he was still dicing.

After two days of the same lessons together, he was very well imagining that she was that poor, breakfast meat carved into impossibly minute pieces.

He speared a piece, but instead of forking it into his mouth, he held it over the side of his chair.

Bear immediately sprinted over.

“William,” she chided.

“What manner of mistress do you have that she’d begrudge you a morning meal?” he asked Bear in gentler tones than he’d ever used with her.

Warmth wound its way through her. Not even her late father had engaged Bear in discourse. Elsie’s lips pulled at the corners, and she repressed the smile. “Oh, come, you’re a duke, William. I trust you’re accustomed to people watching you.”

“Not while I break my fast,” he clarified, dropping another piece of sausage over the side of the table.

Bear snapped his head back and caught it in his mouth. He lingered a moment at William’s side, and when it became apparent that no more offerings were coming, he returned to a more neutral place between Elsie and William.

William returned to mutilating that piece of meat. When he finished, he set his knife down but made no attempt to sample his breakfast. Instead, he glowered at the food on his porcelain plate.

And mayhap she had more of her father’s goodness in her than she’d believed herself in possession of, for the evidence of the pain this man dealt with and the struggle he faced to complete a mundane task such as eating sent pangs to her heart.

As if he felt her gaze, William looked over, and she swiftly smoothed her features. He’d mistake her response for pity, and proud as he was, that sentiment would only send the walls he’d built about himself all the way back into place.

Elsie forced a smile. “Furthermore,” she went on, sitting back in her chair, “I’ve been assessing you for two days now. Three, if one includes the first morning meal we took together.” Though, in fairness, given the fact he’d stormed off without touching a bite, that day hardly counted.

“Watching me,” he gritted and winced, swiftly stabilizing his jaw with his palm.

Elsie picked up her glass and took a slow, casual drink. Among the earliest lessons her father had passed down was never, ever reveal to one’s patient a hint of sadness. Doing so left those men and women scared and oftentimes hesitant to reveal the true extent of their pain for fear of the respective diagnosis.

She’d had all number of patients whom she’d tended over the years, most of the nonhuman sort, but a good number of the two-legged ones. Some had been morose, others angry with their circumstances.

William Helling, Duke of Aubrey, however, was certainly the orneriest of all of them. He was proud, and hurt, and he hated that she, or anyone, would be privy to that. She’d known him only a short while and had ascertained as much about him.

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