Richard shook his head quickly. “No, it’s all right. His training seems to be paying off.”
Nancy smiled and bent over to lift Dash into her arms. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll take him away now, so you can rest,” she said and then turned around.
But before she could walk away, her husband stopped her.
“Duchess,” he said gently, his voice sending shivers down her spine.
Nancy faced him once more, not expecting the words that followed.
“Would you like to have a drink with me?”
ChapterEleven
“I… I suppose I could. For one drink.”
The uncertainty Nancy felt was slight, but she paid it no mind as she stepped back into her husband’s study.
She lowered Dash to the floor gently, smiling softly at the puppy, only to tense up as Richard reached around her and pushed the door shut.
She hadn’t realized he was so close, pinned down by his dark stare as he gazed down at her. She nearly expected him to change his mind and send her back to bed.
Instead, he stepped back slowly, gesturing towards a settee by the fireplace. “Make yourself at home. I will pour you a drink.”
She nodded, wrapping her arms around her middle. “All right… thank you,” she replied softly.
He nodded, curt and quick, before walking away from her and Dash.
Nancy looked down at her puppy once more and inhaled deeply, silently hoping for things to go well, as unexpected as this opportunity was.
“Come along, Dash. Let us sit by the fire,” she prompted, walking ahead of her dog.
Dash followed her eagerly but overtook her shortly, settling on the elegant rug by the fire with what looked like a content expression. She chuckled softly and sank down into the plush cushions of the settee, sighing softly as her body seemed to relax into the seat.
Richard joined her moments later, holding out a glass with a dark liquid inside it to her. She took it with words of gratitude, only to stare at its contents with suspicion. She glanced up at Richard warily, startled to find him watching her already.
“If you do not wish to drink it, you do not have to,” he stated simply, reaching for her glass.
“N-No.” Nancy held it out of his reach. “That’s not—I will. I will drink it.”
Richard huffed with a slight smirk, seemingly amused by her antics.
With a nervous inhale, Nancy lifted the glass to her lips, closing her eyes as she took a sip, oddly calm as the familiar burn of whiskey flooded her senses when she lowered the glass.
“I did not think you would be able to handle it,” Richard remarked, impressed.
Nancy shrugged. “My father had no sons or nephews to converse with over a drink. At some point, I took on the role—though most of what I was given was sweet wines. He did offer me whiskey on special occasions.”
The Duke’s lips curled into a small smile. “He sounds like a special man.”
Nancy took another sip, forcing herself to bear the burning sting of the drink, and nodded afterward as she said, “He was.”
Richard nodded as he lifted his glass to his lips, downing more than half of its contents.
The silence that filled the air was not uncomfortable but more of a gentle, warm blanket that had settled over them. Even Dash seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere, already asleep where he lay, and Nancy could feel herself relaxing even more—likely because of the whiskey in her veins.
She took a moment to observe the study Richard spent most of his time in, noting that while the room was generally organized, the desk was cluttered and messy, covered in what appeared to be documents and books of different sizes.
Just as she was about to look away and tease him for his disorderliness, her eyes caught something hanging on the wall above his desk.
