Dukes By the Dozen

There it was again, she thought, the tears curdling back into pain. She had to tell him. Certainly before her father did.

“Adam...”

“In fact, I have an idea how I can not only help you, but you can help me,” he said, reaching out to stroke his fingers along her cheek. He so distracted her that she almost didn’t hear what came next.

“Marry me.”

She knew she should say something. She knew he’d said something important. She couldn’t seem to get past the look of surprise in his water blue eyes.

Suddenly his words sank in. Her heart stumbled around like a drunk lord.

“Did you really mean to say that?” she found herself asking.

His grin was bright. “Actually, yes.” Reaching down, he claimed her other hand as well. “Think of it. I could protect Lully even when I’m not close by. My title alone will guard her. And you. After all, who is going to question a duke about his daughter? Who better to represent her than a man of the same status? There aren’t a lot of us out there, you know. As we have already established, I outrank your father.”

The pain swamped her, the shame. The futility. He had no idea that he was holding her up when she felt his words would shatter her.

“What a lovely offer to make,” she said, her voice as thin as her courage. “But I couldn’t think of imposing on you that way. And I believe I need to sit again.”

He sat her down and handed her the brandy again before sitting himself.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, seeing the reflexive pain in his eyes as he bent his knees. “I promise to stay in one place.”

“Do not consider it,” he said, settling once again.

How could she feel worse? She did, staring into her glass as if the answer to her dilemma was swimming about before her. She fought back another bout of tears, because she didn’t deserve them. She should have ended this a long time ago. She should have shown the same courage she had when she’d taken the children and hidden out in the wilds of Cornwall.

But hiding was so much easier than the truth.

“It would not be imposing,” Adam said. “I must marry sometime. Heirs and all. I like you quite a lot, and I consider Lully a gem. Can you say your life would be worse married to a duke? You could help me so much. After all, I cannot imagine the marchioness raising you without extensive training in how to be married to a peer. We could make the title what we wanted. And we could cushion Lully and help her grow into her own title. Who else can better raise her to fulfill her responsibilities? After all, I shall be growing into my title the same time she grows into hers. We can help each other.”

She couldn’t bear it a minute longer. She downed her second glass of brandy as if it had been a cordial and braced for the renewed fire. She should be stumbling in her altitudes about now. She didn’t feel a thing. Certainly not the courage people said resided in the stuff. Certainly not peace of any kind. She just felt worse, because she had come not just to respect this man--heavens, she had respected him all along, ever since Jamie had spoken of the cousin who had nurtured him and encouraged him to be the man he was. No, now that she had finally met him, she had to admit that she had built a far more thorough fondness for him out of no more than stories and smiles. And now? Now.

“That is the problem in its entirety,” she blurted out, staring unblinking at the empty snifter in her hands, knowing that if she didn’t tell him now, her father would. And he would make it so much worse. “She isn’t.”

There was a pause. “Isn’t what?”

Georgie took a shuddering breath. “A duchess.”

Silence. Her heart seemed to crack and flake apart. She was about to shame herself before this kind man. Worse, she was about to shame Jamie and Lully. But there was nothing else to do.

“Is she not Jamie’s child?” he asked in a very quiet voice.

That brought her head up and fire into her heart, just in time to prevent it dying. “Did you not take a good look at her?” she demanded, truly outraged. “Did you not see Jamie in her smile? In her whimsy and, sweet lord, her beautiful hair? All she got from me were her eyes and her reserve.” Without her permission tears collected again in her eyes. “If she had received Jamie’s personality, she would have taken you under her wing and patted your hand like a puppy. She would have dragged you outside to play and fed you scones in the kitchen.”

She wasn’t as astonished as she should have been to see Adam’s eyes brighten with his own tears. “I know. “He cleared his voice and dipped his head. “It is her smile most of all. That is the imp of Jamie as sure as I’m born. My apologies, Lady Georgiana. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Yes you do,” she admitted, sinking back into her seat and wishing she had yet another few fingers of brandy. “And you had every right to ask. No. There is no question who Lully’s father is.”

“Then what is the problem?”