Ducal Encounters 01 - At the Duke's Discretion Read Online Free PDF Page A

man was no longer in the first flush of youth, and there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about that.
    “I suppose Chesney was a little too defensive when I asked him about his eyesight, which got me wondering.”
    “No one likes to acknowledge they’re getting old. Take it from one who knows.”
    “Quite right, old man.” Amos sent his brother a roguish smile. “But there was more to it than the toll of advancing years, although I can’t seem to put my finger on precisely what.”
    “Perhaps you are seeing shadows where none exist.”
    “Perhaps I am, but there can be no mistaking the fact I took an instant dislike to Reece, his assistant. The man was dressed in the fashion of a gentleman, which he most decidedly was not, and he had soft hands.”
    “You held his hand?” Zach asked with a wicked grin.
    “Don’t be such an ass.” Amos grinned as well. “I happened to notice his hands. I was immediately suspicious of him because he seemed so out of place in that shop, and Chesney seemed uncomfortable in his presence. That would not be the case if they worked together and Reece enjoyed Chesney’s confidence.”
    “Hmm, even so. I wouldn’t imagine making jewellery to be hard on the hands.”
    “Oh, all right then, his hands were too clean, and the knave was too smooth by half.”
    “You don’t like the man, I understand that much,” Zach replied, idly fiddling with a silver paperknife, “but if Chesney is happy with his work, who are we to interfere?”
    Amos stood up and paced about the room. “I wish I knew why I felt so uneasy about the entire incident.” He ran a finger along the spines of a shelf full of books. “There was something else odd about the business. I left the shop, then remembered I hadn’t asked about the necklace Mother ordered for Portia’s come-out. As I turned back I glanced in the window and saw a lad come out of the workroom at the back of the shop.”
    “What of it?” Zach frowned. “Have you fallen from the irascible stallion of yours and taken a knock to the head. You are making no sense.”
    “It was almost as though the lad had been listening to our conversation.”
    Zach shrugged. “I dare say Chesney has an apprentice. What’s so odd about that?”
    “Nothing, but there was something very odd indeed about the actual apprentice. Prettiest lad I’ve seen in many a long year−”
    Zach waggled his brows. “Don’t tell me your tastes have changed.”
    Amos fixed His Grace the Duke of Winchester with a withering glare that made its recipient roar with laughter. “What else am I supposed to think if you’ve taken a fancy to a lad?”
    “The lad in question seemed to have a great deal to say for himself in front of his employer.”
    “But what did he have to say when you went back into the shop? No doubt the sight of Lord Amos Sheridan in all his splendour gave him pause.”
    “I didn’t go back in.” Amos shook his head. “Damned if I know why, but something stopped me. It felt like I would have been intruding.”
    “And it sounds to me as though you don’t have enough to do with yourself, if you’re still fretting about an incident that happened a week ago.”
    “On the contrary, the stud is keeping me fully occupied. The services of our stallions are increasingly in demand.”
    Faraday entered the room. “Mr. Chesney is here for his appointment, your grace.”
    “Very good, Faraday. Show him into the drawing room. We’ll be there directly.” Zach stood up. “Well, little brother,” he said. “I shall take a look at this assistant who so bothers you and see if I share your concerns.”
    Amos and Zach strolled the length of the vestibule and entered the drawing room. Amos drew in a sharp breath when he was met by Chesney and not Reece but a young lady in a pale green muslin gown and a straw bonnet placed on top of an array of chestnut curls. He and Zach exchanged a glance. Zach moved forward to greet Chesney but Amos remained rooted to the