If he wanted to embrace the housekeeper, who had been in the household since his childhood, he would. He was a duke, after all. No one would have the gall to tell him what he could and could not do.
After Lydia’s death, he developed a new respect for those pleasantries. Once a curse, propriety was now a shield. It was a means of quelling the worst of the rumors, or at least ensuring that they would not reach his ears.
It was the only guide he possessed for how to conduct himself in the face of such unfathomable grief. This small breach in etiquette brought all the turmoil of the past five years bubbling to the surface, and his breath hitched rather unbecomingly.
“I am so sorry,” Mrs. Gunderson said softly. “I can scarcely imagine how it wounds you being here.”
The housekeeper released him, and Leo took an awkward step back. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back, trying to adopt something of a ducal posture. “Yes.”
“I have been very worried about you.”
Leo laughed bitterly. “You appear to be the only one in this household who has held concern for my health. The rest appear to be either frightened of me or else recent additions to the staff.”
“Most of the staff do not know you like I do,” Mrs. Gunderson said, her voice infinitely patient and kind. “If they did, they would not dare think ill of you.”
Leo sighed. He returned to his seat and gestured across from him. “Sit. I suppose you ought to tell me about the estate.”
“Would you not prefer to hear of it all in the morning?” Mrs. Gunderson asked. “I have requested that a supper tray be sent for, and I have ordered that a bath be drawn for you. After such an arduous journey, I think it would be far better to spend the evening tending to your own needs. In the morning, I can recount to you the state of Groveswood.”
Leo pressed his lips into a thin line and studied Mrs. Gunderson carefully. “I am not a child, Mrs. Gunderson.”
“You have not been one for some time,” she replied, “and it is not my intention to act as though you are one. Even men need rest, however, and you are among that especially stubborn variety of man who believes that he can simply charge through any obstacle.”
“Careful, Mrs. Gunderson,” Leo said. “You are beginning to sound as though we are social equals.”
He meant it in jest, and Mrs. Gunderson knew him well enough to realize that. The housekeeper shook her head. “No,” she said. “I am ensuring that the dukedom continues to thrive, which it can only do if its duke is likewise in good health and hardy.”
“Clever.”
A knock came at the door. “Enter!” Leo called.
The door timidly opened, and a maid peered inside the room. She was a slight creature with blonde hair and wide, green eyes. “Ah, Anna,” Mrs. Gunderson said.
The maid, Anna, curtsied and entered. In her hands, she carried a silver tray laden with two decanters of brandy and two glasses. “I brought the brandy that His Grace requested,” she said. “We were unsure which variety would be preferable, so I was told to fetch both.”
“Very well,” Mrs. Gunderson said. “His Grace can decide.”
Anna crossed the room quickly and placed the tray at the edge of Leo’s desk. He forced a smile, but Anna did not seem to notice the attempt at friendliness. She curtsied quickly and left as soon as she could, discomfort clinging to her. Leo sighed and let his chin rest in his hand.
Mrs. Gunderson smiled sympathetically. “Which variety, Your Grace?”
“It hardly matters,” Leo replied. “All brandy tastes the same, regardless of where it comes from.”
Mrs. Gunderson chose a decanter and poured the amber-brown brandy into one of the glasses. Leo took it, swirling around its contents. “Thank you. If you like, pour yourself a glass, also. I understand your concern about my health, and I appreciate it. However, if I do not discuss the dukedom tonight, I know that I will be unable to sleep tonight. I will lie awake in my bed and worry about it.”
She poured some of the brandy into the other empty glass. “If you are certain, Your Grace.”
“I am.” He took a heavy swallow of the brandy, savoring the burn of the alcohol against his tongue and the richness of its taste. “Has anything changed? The estate looks quite the same, and I did not notice anything unusual on the road.”
They both knew that he was notreallyasking about the road or anything else in the county of Essex. Mrs. Gunderson’s face softened, and she traced a finger around the rim of her glass. Leo swallowed hard, fighting down the lump which rose in his throat. He knew to expect the worst.
“Nothing much has changed, Your Grace,” she replied. “I am terribly sorry that I must relay that news to you. I wish so much that it was not so.”
Leo sighed and placed the glace on his desk. “I suspected that, but still, I hoped.”
Mrs. Gunderson seemed hesitant. She curled her hands around her glass and seemed to silently deliberate something in her head. At last, she reached out and curled her hand around his. “Your Grace,” she said softly.
“I regret to inform you that your return will likely make the gossip worse. Those who do not know about Her Grace already will hear from others, and they will tell more still. If you intend to stay in Groveswood, you must not let such rumors upset you.”
