Joy to the Duke by Darcy Burke

Author:Darcy Burke
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781944576677
Publisher: Darcy Burke Publishing

Chapter 7

Calder’s brain hurt. He’d thought and reflected and bloody felt more in the past week than he had in the past decade. And what good had it done?

He was allowing the St. Stephen’s Day party to happen at Hartwell, something that would have made his father happy, which made Calder decidedly surly.

Then he’d invited his sisters and their husbands to spend Christmas at Hartwood, something else that would have pleased their father. He’d adored them, particularly Bianca, who was the “very image” of their mother, as their father had said a thousand times. And the hell of it was that they adored him. It was a wedge between him and his sisters, invisible to them and insurmountable to him. He could easily tell them why he despised the man they loved, but why ruin their memory of him?

He could hear Felicity now—See, you are every bit the man I knew you were.

Maybe. Somewhere deep inside. Somewhere he wanted to keep private and unseen.

And now, here he was at Hartwell House to investigate their needs. All because of Felicity.

The afternoon was slightly warmer than the day before, but still cold enough that he’d brought his coach. He stepped out of the vehicle, and Isis leapt down beside him.

Calder frowned at the manor house. It looked perfectly fine. He knew he was being foolish, that he likely couldn’t see its defects. Plus, Felicity had said they needed furniture. He couldn’t decide whether there was a deficit unless he went inside.

He didn’t particularly want to.

Postponing the inevitable, he walked around the house, sizing up the exterior as best he could. He noted a broken window and a potential leak judging from the water marks on the stone.

Calder realized Isis was no longer with him. He looked around, then saw the greyhound dash by. She picked up a stick with her mouth and trotted back around the corner to the back of the house.

Following her, Calder saw the reason for Isis’s distraction. A girl with bright blonde hair patted the dog’s head, then threw the stick again. Hell, she had quite a throw.

“Is that your dog?” she asked as he walked over to her.

“Yes.”

The girl’s mouth drooped with momentary disappointment. “I was hoping she didn’t belong to anyone.” She sighed. “She’s very beautiful.”

“I think so too. Her name is Isis.” He glanced back at the house as Isis came back and the girl took the stick once more. “Do you live here?” Calder asked.

The girl nodded. “I’m Alice.” She threw the stick again, and Isis ran after it like she was a puppy once more. “I wish I could have a dog. But Mrs. Armstrong says there isn’t room for pets. Except her cat, who everyone says is older than any cat should be.”

“How old is that?” Calder asked.

The girl’s brow creased. “Oh, very old. I should say fifteen maybe.”

Calder chuckled. “Is that old for a cat or for people too?”

Isis returned with the stick, and Alice took it. Then she blinked up at Calder.

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