Reluctantly, she put her hand on his arm and allowed him to escort her inside—like the good boy he was.
***
DUNCAN WOKE UP THEnext morning with a single thought:Of course, she liked scoundrels.
Nothing in life could be easy, and his attraction to Lucy Galloway couldn’t be either. He should have known or at least worked it out before, but as he’d been all but sequestered with her at the Farm, he’d had no idea what sort of men she was attracted to.
And it had to be the one sort of man he couldn’t be.
Yes, it was his habit to follow rules and treat women with respect and arrive punctually. He’d cultivated those traits over the years, but they hadn’t come naturally to him. Oh, no. If only she knew how hard he’d worked at becoming the man he was.
He could go back...
It was ridiculous to change for a woman, but was he really changing or just allowing himself to be who he’d always been?
A man he didn’t much like, he reminded himself.
But then Lucy might like that man, and Lucy wasn’t just any woman. She was, well, she was Lucy. But more than that, he knew, he bloody wellknew, there was something between them. Last night he’d felt the sparks of attraction more intently than he’d ever felt them before—and there had been plenty of times before where he thought, given a few moments alone, they might have torn into each other—in the best way possible.
She just needed to give him a chance. One kiss and she wouldn’t be able to continue to deny her feelings. He knew a thing or two about seduction. He was far from a perfect gentleman in bed. He just hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on the possibility of taking Lucy to bed. Every time he did so, he thought of her brother and how Will would punch Duncan in the face.
But Duncan could kiss her. She just had to give him the opportunity. He had to prove to her that he could be a scoundrel. No matter that he’d been trying for yearsnotto be a scoundrel. He could revert back. Temporarily.
Once he kissed Lucy, once he proved there was something between them, she’d have to admit she wanted him even if he were punctual and polite.
James and Thomas were already up, and Duncan began to hurry. Then he remembered he was a scoundrel. Scoundrels arrived late to meals. He took his time dressing, even when James pointed out that if he were late, all the best options would be eaten. He’d have to make do with porridge or the burnt pieces of toast.
Duncan’s belly rumbled, but he was the last servant to arrive to the servants’ hall. Molly waved at him when he entered and pointed to a chair beside her. Duncan almost smiled at her, before he remembered scoundrels only scowled, and he gave her a scowl before sitting beside her. Predictably, that made her try even harder to win him over.
“I made sure to save you a scone and the last of the tea,” she said, handing him a plate and then a mug of steaming tea prepared just how he liked it. He took the offered dishes without giving thanks. It was almost alarming how easy it was to slip back into this familiar behavior. He felt so uncomfortable about it, he leaned over and whispered, “Thank you.”
Duncan had done no more than take one bite of the scone before McAlpin appeared with Lucy in tow. Duncan slouched down and scowled, looking away when she glanced at him.
“Most of ye have met Duncan Smith our new footman. I havenae had the opportunity tae introduce his sister Miss Lucy Smith, the new nanny for Master John.”
Lucy gave a quick curtsey, and there was a chorus of people who called out welcomes. “Thank you,” she said. “I will try to keep Johnny out of the way when you are cleaning or working. And I do apologize for the state I left the school room yesterday.”
“You leave the school room to me,” Ada said. “Happy to tidy it for you.”
Lucy smiled, showing her dimples. God, Duncan loved those dimples.
“Tidying is one thing. Complete and utter destruction is another. Master Johnny and I will do better today. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a reading lesson to begin.” She curtseyed again and retreated toward the school room. Duncan was still staring at the door where she’d exited when a maid whose name he didn’t know said, “Isn’t she the sweetest thing? No doubt she has her hands full with Master Johnny, though she’s so pretty he’ll probably fall in love with her.”
“He’s too young for that,” Thomas said. “I, on the other hand, am already half in love.”
“I’m sure Duncan doesn’t want to hear everyone fawning over his sister,” Molly said. “Besides none of us will see her very often. She seems to like to keep to herself. She didn’t dine with the family last night.”
That was true. Duncan had served at dinner and Lucy had not been there. He didn’t know if she hadn’t been invited or if she’d taken her meal alone or with Johnny. She looked much improved this morning compared to yesterday in the wilderness. She had color in her cheeks and her eyes hadn’t been shadowed.
A bell tinkled and Lord John’s valet rose and excused himself. McAlpin waited for him to go then began giving assignments for the morning. “Thomas and James, go to the kitchen and start carrying trays to the dining room. Molly, strip all the beds and replace the sheets with those laundered earlier this week. Duncan, you clean all the oil lamps and trim the wicks.”
The staff rose and scattered as the scullery maid cleared dishes for washing. Duncan went to the closet to find the cleaning materials and heard the door close behind him. He turned and saw Molly leaning against it. He raised a brow. “I believe the bedding is in the linen closet.”
“I’m not looking for the bedding.”
She moved closer and Duncan took a step back, his shoulder jostling the shelf behind him. He hadn’t been trying to attract her, but he couldn’t say he was surprised. She’d been giving him hints since he arrived. He’d ignored them. Of course, some women liked to be ignored. It made them bolder.
And he hated that he knew that, but this time he hadn’t been using that to his advantage. He hadn’t been trying to attract Molly.
