Their kiss had been surprising, but Laura did not, for one moment, regret it. The tenderness, the affection that had been shown to her in that one heady moment had spoken to her heart and made it all the more difficult for her to deny that what she felt for the Duke was, in fact, love.

Lady Alice, she was sure, must have known that something had occurred, given the knowing smiles that were sent in both her and the Duke’s direction over dinner. It was now late evening and, with Elouise safely off to bed, Laura was walking up and down the library, knowing that she had not yet managed to speak to the Duke in private, as they had hoped. He had been called to his study on some urgent business by his steward and had shot her an apologetic look, which she had accepted graciously.

Her stomach knotted as she tried to find a way to calm her mind, her anxiety riding higher and higher the more she thought of what had occurred between herself and the Duke. Yes, she cared for him – loved him, even – and what he felt for her was no longer undeniable, but could there truly be anything more for them than that? What about her orphanage? What of the other girls that were there, waiting for to return? She could not be selfish and only consider her own future, for that would not be fair or right to them – but yet she was desperate to be a part of the Duke’s life. And Elouise.....she had grown so close to Elouise.  She felt as though they were almost related in some way or another, and to return to the orphanage without her would be a great wrench. She was quite certain that the Duke would not let Elouise return there, not when they had become so dear to one another. Most likely, he was making certain that all of the arrangements were in place so that he might ask Elouise if she would like to stay in Royston manor for good. Her heart squeezed with both happiness and pain in knowing that, whatever was to happen to Elouise, she would, most likely, have to say goodbye to her. She could not simply forget the other girls.

“Oh, Miss Smith!”

The door opened, and she turned to see the Duke step inside, looking both awkward and relieved to see her.

“Your grace – I mean, Royston,” she stammered, a little taken aback to see him clad in only his shirt sleeves and breeches, with neither cravat nor waistcoat. “I do apologize if you intended to come in here for some peace. I can retire, of course.”

He smiled at her and closed the door tightly behind him, leaning against it for a moment. “No, my dear Miss Smith, you shall not go. I know this is very late, but we must consider what...occurred earlier today.”

She blushed furiously as he remained where he was, a lopsided smile on his face and a bright look in his eye. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him, to the point that she became more flustered than ever before. She did not know what to say or what to do so chose to sit down by the fire, putting her hands neatly into her lap. Her gaze remained fixed on him, however, aware of just how quickly her heart beat when he was near, aware of just how much she longed to be in his arms again. These thoughts brought another flush of color to her face, which the Duke saw given the fact that his smile broadened.

“Royston,” she began, when the silence stretched out between them. “I am not sure what it is I should say. I confess this is a highly unusual situation and one where I am completely uncertain as to what is expected of me.”

Slowly, he pushed himself away from the door and meandered towards her almost lazily, his smile spreading across his face. “I know, Miss Smith. I will be truthful with you and tell you that I too feel the same. Thanks to my dear sister, however, I have been forced to consider my heart and my feelings towards both you and towards Elouise – although they are very different emotions, you understand.”

Her cheeks were not going to lose their rosy sheen any time soon, she realized, as heat washed over her again. “I quite understand, Royston. Might I ask what it is you are intending for Elouise?”

“Ah, Miss Smith,” he murmured, tenderly, finally coming to sit by her. “You are always so good at considering others before yourself, are you not?” Tugging his chair a little closer, the rug rucking up underneath the legs, he took her hand in his and held it tightly. “You are the most generous-hearted young lady I have ever met, Miss Smith.”

“You are very kind to say so,” Laura managed to say, her throat growing tight as he leaned ever closer. “But these girls are my life. They are all I have that is precious. In a way, they have become my family and it is my duty, nay, my desire to ensure that their lives are as happy and as content as possible, given the enormous loss that they have each suffered.”

The Duke reached up and brushed a finger down her cheek, his eyes fixed on her own. She could almost see into his very soul when she looked into his eyes, aware that there was an intensity within them than she had ever seen before.

“I want you to stay here.”

She closed her eyes, feeling as though she was being torn apart.

“I need you, Miss Smith.”

Her very bones ached with longing.

“I want to stay, Royston,” she admitted, softly, “but I cannot only consider my own wants. It would be unfair to the girls that need me.”

He shook his head, still sitting very close to her. “To consider what your heart wants is not selfish, Miss Smith....Laura.”

The way he said her name sent shivers up her spine. There was such passion in it, such tenderness that she could hardly bring herself to refuse him.

“I cannot stay, Royston.” There was no strength to her voice, hearing it hoarse and cracked as it came from her. Her eyes lowered to the floor, hearing her heart cry out in pain but knowing, nevertheless, that she was doing the right thing.

There was no response from him for a moment and then he rose, in one swift movement, and tugged her to him. Before she could say another word, before she could even take a breath, he had caught her lips in a kiss and, within a moment or two, she was lost.

His hands were tight around her waist and she found herself pressed up against him, her arms around his neck, her fingers twining through his hair of their own volition. This was not a moment she was ever likely to forget, trying her best to show him, through her embrace, just how much she loved him.

“Miss Smith?”

She stumbled back, hearing Elouise’s voice. The Duke stepped away at once, keeping his back to the child as she entered the room.

“Elouise,” Laura managed to say, her voice sounding rather higher than normal. “Elouise, what are you doing here? You should be in bed.”

Elouise rubbed her eyes, looking completely exhausted. “I was scared,” she said, simply. “I wanted to find you but you weren’t in your bedchamber. I had a bad dream.”

Laura, feeling her heart pounding madly in her chest, tried to put on an expression of sympathy but, all the while, felt almost exasperated at the child for appearing out of nowhere and interrupting them both. “Well, come along then. Let me take you back to bed.”

She made to step forward to take the child’s hand but, to her surprise, Elouise took a few steps further into the library, her eyes settling on the Duke who was, by now, looking at them both with dark eyes.

“What were you doing?”

The child’s question brought a heat to her face.

“Elouise,” she said firmly. “You ought not to pry into other people’s affairs. Come now, this is not something you need to talk about any further.”

She tried to take Elouise’s hand again but the girl stepped deftly out of reach, planting her hands on her hips. She made an almost comical figure, dressed in her nightgown with her braided hair flipped over one shoulder, her tired eyes a little defiant.

“Miss Smith, I saw you and the Duke. That only happens with.....” She trailed off, looking a little embarrassed, although her jaw clenched angrily. “With my mother and father. That’s what they used to do and they were married. Is that what you’re planning, Miss Smith? Are you going to stay here with the Duke?”

A flush of embarrassment rose in Laura’s face and she kept her eyes fixed on the child, unwilling to look back at the Duke for fear of what she would see in his face.

“Elouise,” she said firmly, with a good deal more strength. “Your questions are entirely inappropriate. None of this involves you, do you understand?”

She realized at once that she has said this rather badly, seeing Elouise’s lip quiver and her eyes fill with tears.

“You need not think, my dear girl, that you are quite unimportant to me. In fact, quite the opposite! However, I will admit that I care for Miss Smith also”

From the look on Elouise’s face, Laura realized that the girl had very little understanding of what the Duke meant. She could see that Elouise was confused and even a little scared and, despite her own embarrassment at being caught in such an inappropriate embrace with the Duke, wanted to comfort Elouise as best she could.

Finally managing to catch her hand, she smiled and stepped forward, closer to the girl before bending her knees so that she might look into her face.

“What the Duke means is that he cares for you very much, Elouise, as do I. There is nothing to worry about, nothing to be afraid of. We both care about you a great deal. Everything is going to be wonderful, I promise.”

Elouise looked back at her for a few moments, before wrenching her hand out of Laura’s.

“The only person you care about is yourself, Miss Smith!” she exclaimed, stepping backwards towards the door. “You say you care about me but all the time, you’ve just been wanting to stay here with the Duke yourself. What about me? Am I going to be sent back to the orphanage while you stay here?”

“That is quite enough, Elouise.”

The Duke’s voice was loud and firm, his voice bouncing off the walls and echoing around the room. Elouise stopped dead, her eyes wide as she turned her face towards the Duke, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“You are not to speak to Miss Smith in that way,” the Duke said, sternly. “She is only trying to help you and you ought to show her more respect.”

A sob ripped through Elouise’s chest, tearing at Laura’s soul. She stayed exactly where she was, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to go to Elouise but didn’t know what to say, aware that the Duke’s voice had only made things worse than before. It was clear that Elouise was confused by what she had witnessed and had let that confusion turn into anger and upset, to the point that she refused to believe that Laura had her best interests at heart.

“You only care about yourselves!” Elouise shouted again, one hand reaching for the door handle.

“No, that is not true!” Laura exclaimed, but it was much too late. Elouise, tears now running down her cheeks, threw open the door and ran out, the sound of her sobs echoing down the corridor.