Desperate and Daring 01 - Desperate and Daring Read Online Free PDF Page B

absently.
    “Have you always worn spectacles?” she asked curiously.
    “Since I was a boy.” He looked up and answered. He leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk. “Feel free to ask me any questions you want.”
    Heather looked down at her hands as she thought about what to ask. She looked up and met his gaze. “How long have you worked for the duke?”
    He tilted his head to the side in thought. “Two years. I worked under my father until he passed and then took his place.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said with feeling.
    He nodded but said nothing.
    “Did you always want to be a steward?”
    His eyes cut to the side and he pursed his lips. He looked back at her and smiled. “I don’t know how to answer that.”
    “Simple honesty will do. I promise not to tell.” Heather couldn’t help smiling in return.
    “It has its good days and bad days. I don’t think I considered my life taking any other direction.”
    Heather nodded and bit her lip. She was feeling mischievous and spiteful, especially after the havoc he played on her senses at dinner. “Are you in love, Mr. Calder?”
    “I beg your pardon?” He sat up straighter in his chair.
    “Are you in love with anyone? You asked it of me and now I’m asking you. Is there a woman who holds the key to your heart?”
    He looked very uncomfortable, and perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Heather swore she saw color creeping up his neck. Even when bashful he was gorgeous.
    He cleared his throat. “When I asked if you had questions, I meant about the duke.”
    Heather grinned. “Answer the question.”
    He thrust his chin out and pulled at his cravat. “No, not at this present time.”
    Heather looked down to hide her smile. She felt a curl of pleasure in her stomach and her cheeks felt warm. She needed to change the subject quickly.
    “Do you like working for the duke?”
    “Of course.”
    She didn’t buy it for a second. “Truly? I’ve heard he can be somewhat… difficult.”
    “That can describe most of the upper echelons of society, Miss Everly. You will have to clarify.” His gaze was penetrating.
    Heather felt the previous moment of pleasure slip away. Like a dark cloud sitting over a picnic. “Is he… is he a mean man?” she asked finally.
    Mr. Calder was silent. “He’s never struck anyone to my knowledge. He has rigid expectations of everyone he employs. They are paid fairly and treated adequately. If you are asking how he would treat a young wife, I can’t rightly say. He has a reputation that is well-deserved. I’ve been out of society for so long I can’t tell you how much is true or untrue.”
    Heather bent her head and closed her eyes against a wave of sorrow. She was trying to be strong. She shook her head and looked up. “Does he have any family?”
    “None that care to know him,” he answered without feeling.
    His eyes watched her and Heather had a feeling he saw everything. Was it as painfully obvious to him as it was to her that she didn’t want to marry the duke? She tried to rally her courage. “Do you think the duke will wish to marry me?”
    “I can’t imagine any man not wishing to marry you, Miss Everly.”
    He said it with such conviction that Heather forgot how to breathe. “Thank you,” she said, but it was so quiet she wasn’t sure he heard her.
    “Why would you want to marry a man like the duke?”
    “It isn’t a question of want, Mr. Calder, but a question of need. I need to marry the duke. For my sisters and my mother.” She looked up into his eyes, her own burning with the painful admission. His eyes looked right back at her, probably seeing her for the desperate creature she was. But his eyes were not hard and judging, but soft and sympathetic. It stung more.
    “I don’t need any one’s pity.” Heather pushed out of her chair and turned. It was a small room, two steps and she was already before the fire, her hands shaking, her lashes brimming with shameful tears. She tried to catch them