Collin was standing there.
Erienne’s heart pounded so heavily her chest hurt. The tall, dark-haired man faced away from her, his broad shoulders blocking Lucy from her view, but she could hear the duchess’s voice coming from the other side of him. Wait. No. It wasn’t Collin. She closed her eyes and expelled her pent-up breath. It was Derek. Of course it was Derek, not Collin, standing there. The two brothers simply looked so much alike. She took a fortifying gulp of air for good measure and straightened her shoulders.
“Your grace?” she called softly.
Lucy stepped around her large husband, a wide smile on her face, as Derek turned to Erienne.
“Ah, here she is now. I was just telling Derek about you,” Lucy said.
Erienne lowered her chin, but forced herself to meet Derek’s eyes, which instantly widened. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been perhaps seventeen years old. On leave from the army, he’d come home to visit his family. He’d been a tall, handsome young man, and now he was larger and even more handsome. Except for his dark eyes, he looked so much like Collin.
Her knees nearly buckled. Why had she done this to herself? Was the money and the suite of rooms truly worth this constant reminder of Collin? She pressed her lips together. Hard.
Lucy hurried over to her side and threaded her arm through Erienne’s as she’d done so many times before. “Derek, may I present Miss—”
“Stone,” Derek finished, his dark gaze narrowed on her. His face was completely devoid of emotion, but his nostrils flared.
Erienne concentrated on controlling her erratic breathing. She’d no idea if Lucy had told Derek that she’d hired a governess from Brighton whom he’d once known. Likely the duchess had, given the fact that Lucy had already known what Collin once meant to Erienne. Where else would Lucy have learned about her past with Collin if not from Derek?
But Erienne had also assumed that Derek had agreed with Lucy’s decision to hire her, or she would not be here. Now, looking at the obvious frown on the duke’s face, Erienne realized she’d made a grave mistake. She should not have assumed Lucy told her husband she’d hired the girl who used to love Collin. Drat. Drat. Drat. This was dreadfully awkward.
“Good afternoon, your grace,” Erienne said belatedly, dropping into her most formal curtsy.
A muscle ticked in Derek’s jaw. “Miss Stone,” he intoned. “Lovely to see you again. It’s been, ahem, many years.” He clasped his hands behind his ramrod-straight back. It was obvious the man had spent many years in battle. He commanded attention even simply addressing his new governess.
Erienne had to squelch the urge to hide behind Lucy. “Many, many years,” Erienne echoed, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her.
Anna, the nursemaid, was doing a fine job keeping the children occupied in the corner, so Erienne couldn’t even use that as an excuse to run off and perform her duties. Instead, she stood there, still as a statue while Derek turned to his wife and said in a tone clearly laced with anger, “Lucy, may I have a word with you? Privately.”
Chapter Six
Lucy patted Erienne’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile before following Derek out of Mary’s bedchamber. They walked down the corridor and around the corner where they wouldn’t be overheard by the two servants or the children.
The muscle continued to tick in Derek’s jaw when he turned to her and said, “You promised me you wouldn’t choose a governess based on her past relationship with Collin.”
Lucy nodded. “And I didn’t. I met with Miss Stone and spoke to her former employer, as well as the woman who recommended her from the employment office. Miss Stone is highly qualified. She speaks fluent French and—”
“Lucy,” Derek’s voice was low and agitated, a tone she didn’t often hear him use. “You promised—”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I never promised not to hire Miss Stone. I only promised not to hire Miss Stone only because of her connection with Collin. And I assure you, I have not.” She ended her sentence with a firm nod.
Derek scrubbed a hand through his hair and blew out an obviously frustrated breath. “But you are intending to play matchmaker with Miss Stone and Collin, aren’t you?”
Lucy lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “If it ever comes to pass that they see each other, I cannot help it if the two of them still have unresolved feelings for each other.”
Derek narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, if it ever comes to pass? Of course it will come to pass.”
Lucy pushed a curl behind her ear and affected a thoughtful expression. “It’s true. Miss Stone was concerned about the possibility of encountering Collin, of course, but I assured her that we rarely see him.”
Derek cursed under his breath and strode toward a nearby window, where he looked out across the meadow. “Damn it, Lucy. Collin is here.”
Her eyes went round as saucers. “What?”
Derek gave one curt nod. “He arrived this morning. He wrote me a letter not a sennight ago telling me Treadway had ordered him on holiday. He’s here for the next fortnight.”
Lucy pressed her lips together to keep from smiling and tilted her nose in the air. “Well, you cannot blame me for orchestrating this, as you somehow saw fit to not inform me that Collin was coming.”
Derek pounded the side of his fist against the wall. “Damn. Damn. Damn. It slipped my mind. Besides, I knew you’d be nothing but pleased by a visit from Collin.”
“Of course I am. I adore Collin.”
“Yes, but now you will use his visit to play matchmaker. I can tell. Your eyes are already sparkling with joy and mischief, not concern as they should be.”
Lucy waved a hand in the air. “I cannot help how my eyes sparkle, darling. But I admit, I am pleased. Even more pleased now, to be honest.” She rubbed her hands together.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Derek warned, his eyes narrowed on her. “You don’t get your way that easily.”
Lucy gave an innocent blink. “I don’t see how you can blame me. I didn’t invite Collin here. He came of his own accord. This has nothing to do with my machinations, even though I freely admit it’s a positively delightful turn of events.”
“Damn it, Lucy.” Derek grimaced and turned back toward the window. “Why do these things always seem to happen when you’re up to your matchmaking tricks? If you hadn’t hired a governess you knew Collin had a history with, we wouldn’t have to worry about the impending awkwardness.”
“You’re thinking of it all wrong, darling,” she said with a sigh, laying her hand on his back and patting him. “The world has a way of making things happen just when they are meant to. Far be it from me to interrupt the natural order of such things.”
Derek turned to face her and rubbed his jaw. “I suppose we could attempt to keep them separated while Collin is here …”
“Nonsense. Why should we do that? Clearly this was meant to be.”
“Not everything is meant to be,” he said dryly. “Some things are mistakes and should be avoided at all costs.”
Lucy wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist and squeezed him. “I believe you’re forgetting how we met, darling. I was trying to keep you from courting my closest friend, who wanted nothing to do with you, and you were trying to convince me to leave you alone. If our courtship wasn’t meant to be, I daresay Mary and Ralph wouldn’t be here now.”
“That’s different.” His stern expression softened as he gazed down at her and tucked an errant curl behind her ear. “That was … us.”