Excerpt from
The Duke’s Marriage Mission
A BLAZE OF protective anger seared through Hayden Latimer when he spied a strange woman prancing about the nursery with his frail son clinging to her back.
Who on earth was she and what did she want? She had bluffed her way into his house by pretending she’d been engaged as Kit’s governess. But that was a wicked lie.
When he heard her threaten to throw the child, paternal instinct overcame his manners. “What are you doing with my son? Get him back into his bed this instant!”
He moved toward her just as disaster struck. The woman reared like a real horse that had been reined in too hard. She lost her balance and fell backward.
Hayden lunged forward, catching her and Kit before they hit the floor. A wave of relief crashed over him when he realized he had averted one of his most feared calamities. But it did not quench his dread of what could have happened or his rage at the person who had put his son at risk. He despised the flicker of satisfaction it brought him to have his arms around a woman again after so many years. He had no business thinking of anything but keeping Kit safe.
Resisting the despicable urge to linger near her, Hayden wrenched his son away and cradled the child in his arms. “Do you hurt anywhere, Kit? What did this woman do? Did she frighten you?”
Before his son could answer, the woman spun around to confront Hayden. “I could not have frightened him half as badly as you did with your shouting. And I would not have lost my balance if you hadn’t startled me.”
In a grudging tone she added, “I am grateful to you for catching us, though.”
As Hayden bore Kit back to the safety of his bed, the woman straightened up and smoothed out her skirts. They were white, sprigged with pale green that matched her fitted spencer. Her rich, dark brown hair was gathered in a wild cascade of curls, some of which had come loose when she fell. With a traitorous pang, Hayden noticed she was quite pretty, in a lively, vibrant way he wished he did not find so appealing.
Her accusation unsettled him nearly as much as her appearance. Had his actions placed his son in jeopardy? His conscience forced him to admit it was possible.
Guilt made him defensive. “How else was I supposed to react when I found a strange woman in my son’s nursery, cavorting with him in such a dangerous manner?”
The poor little fellow was clearly shaken by the experience. His eyes, so much like Celia’s, looked larger than ever and his pale cheeks were flushed. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly beneath his nightshirt.
“Please, Papa.” The child shrank from him when Hayden ruffled his hair in a reassuring caress. “Don’t be angry with us. Miss Leah only wanted to show me how fine a day it is outside.”
“You see?” The woman’s tone roused Hayden’s antagonism. “I am not responsible for frightening him. The two of us were enjoying a pleasant activity until you barged in, snapping and snarling. Don’t fret, Kit. Your father is not vexed with you.”
The gall of her! Offering his son words of comfort as if there could be any possibility his anger was directed at the child.
“Of course I’m not angry with you, Kit.” He tucked the bedclothes around the child. “I was only worried that some harm might come to you, as it nearly did. And I was shocked to find a stranger here with you instead of Tilly.”
“Miss Leah isn’t a stranger,” Kit protested. “She is my new governess. She’s going to teach me here at home because I cannot go to school.”
The note of eagerness in his son’s voice struck Hayden a blow. Even if the child were strong enough to undertake a course of study, this woman possessed none of the qualities he would require in a governess.
“We’ll see.” Hayden knew better than to deny Kit any odd thing that took his fancy. The child had inherited a measure of his late mother’s willfulness and could make himself ill with fretting when thwarted.
Hayden had received enough warnings from the doctor about keeping his son calm and quiet. Over the years he had learned to delay giving an answer until Kit forgot his request. Now, much as he wanted to insist that pigs would fly before he allowed this heedless creature to teach his invalid child, he resorted to the usual evasions.
“Miss Leah and I should talk it over.” It felt odd to refer to this provocative stranger in such a familiar way—sweet and sour at the same time. “Did you get any sleep while I was away meeting with Mr. Forster?”
Kit shook his head. “I wasn’t tired. The time dragged until Miss Leah came.”
“Then perhaps you should try to sleep now,” Hayden suggested, “while I talk to… her. By the way, where is Tilly?”
What had possessed the nursemaid to desert her post at such a time?
“She went to get us some biscuits,” replied Kit. “We were hungry.”
“You were hungry?” Hayden doubted that. His son never had much appetite. It took every ounce of persuasion he could muster to get the child to swallow a few spoonfuls of broth or porridge.
“Only a little,” Kit admitted. “But I wanted to keep Miss Leah company. She is hungry after her long drive. Perhaps I should go for a drive so I will be hungry, too.”
A drive? This fragile child jolted about in a carriage pulled by large, temperamental horses that might bolt without warning? The mere thought gave Hayden chills. This woman was filling his son’s head with all manner of dangerous fancies. He must get her away from Kit before she suggested the boy should slide down the staircase on the butler’s tray!
Just then Tilly returned with the refreshments she’d gone to fetch. Hayden supposed he could not blame the girl for being caught off guard by the stranger’s sudden appearance and taken in by her flagrant deception. He would have a word with the young nursery maid later and make it clear she was not to leave Kit alone after this, except on his express orders.
“Tilly, I need you to sit with my son for a bit longer. He may have something to eat if he wishes, though nothing that will upset his digestion. Meanwhile I shall take this lady away for a private… chat.”
He scowled at the interloper and gave a curt nod toward the door. She had the temerity to smile at him, her hazel eyes dancing.
As he strode toward the door, Hayden heard Tilly ask what Kit would like to eat.
“Nothing for now.” The boy sounded far too cheerful to suit his father. “I shall wait for Miss Leah to come back. Then we can eat together.”
His son would have a very long wait, Hayden reflected as he held open the nursery door for the woman who had thrown his calm, orderly household into turmoil. He intended to send her packing, with a warning never to darken the threshold of Renforth Abbey again!
Irrepressible Leah Shaw arrives at Renforth Abbey to teach the Duke of Northam’s invalid son for one year, the longest she ever stays in one position. At first His Grace, Hayden Latimer does not want Leah to stay for a single day, let alone a year. He fears she will endanger the boy by allowing him too much freedom. But when Kit grows healthier and happier thanks to Leah’s care, Hayden changes his mind and desperately seeks a way to keep her at Renforth Abbey. Marriage might be a solution, but Leah is not tempted by the duke’s title or fortune. Her hard-won independence means more to her than anything... except perhaps love? Leah fears her heart may be entrapped by her growing feelings for Hayden and Kit. Or will she be free to love at last?