Page 12 of The Duke Steals a Bride (Stolen by the Duke #5)

Chapter Twelve

“P lease, Papa,” begged Isabella, tears streaming down her face. “Do not take away Sooty and her kittens! I am sorry!”

Christine’s heart dropped at the little girl’s teary entreaty, and she turned to the duke. His face was implacable. He had the appearance of granite—hard and unyielding.

Quickly, he walked to the chair where Miss Mayhew was seated, handing the governess her stolen spectacles, which had been resting beneath the mother cat. They were covered in fur but luckily still in one piece.

Mrs. Bell rushed over, taking them out of the governess’s hands, cleaning them hastily on her apron, before passing them back to Miss Mayhew. The governess placed them on her nose, smiling tentatively.

Christine gazed down at her feet, suppressing a smile.

It was just a silly trick. And the hiding place was rather good. I would never have thought that the missing spectacles would be hidden in the cat’s basket, let alone under the mother cat.

“Please, Papa,” implored Beatrice, rushing over to him, winding her arms around his legs and gazing up at him imploringly. “Please, do not take them away!” Her bottom lip was wobbling again. “We love them!”

“I know how fond you both are of that cat and her kittens,” snapped the duke, “And that is the sole reason I am taking the animals away. But these are the consequences of your actions, and you must accept them.”

The girls started sobbing louder.

“Oh, come now,” said Christine suddenly, her heart missing a beat. She looked at him. “I think the girls know they did something wrong. They are truly sorry. There is no need to take away their pets.”

“Yes, we are very sorry, Papa!” implored Isabella, wringing her hands.

“We will never do anything like that again!” cried Beatrice, nodding vigorously.

“The trouble is you are always sorry and promise to never do it again,” barked the duke, glaring at them. “And yet, here we are, despite it all! Being denied dessert or going outside to play is not working, is it? Perhaps if something you value is taken away, then you will both realize how serious I am that this behavior must stop!”

The girls rushed to him, winding their arms around his waist, pleading with him anew. But the duke stood like a tree—tall, immovable, and resolute. His eyes were hard, unyielding. Yet she saw the tension in his jaw, the way his hands curled slightly at his sides, as though resisting the urge to soften.

“There is no need to take away their pets,” repeated Christine, her voice soft. “It is a cruel punishment. Taking away something they both love will only hurt them. There are other ways to make your point, Your Grace.”

He spun around, glaring at her. She resisted the impulse to take a step back, instead raising her chin and squaring her shoulders, meeting his gaze. Her heart was racing now.

“My word is final, madam,” he growled. “And that is the end of it,” he turned to the housekeeper. “Make sure that the cat and its kittens are taken to the kitchen at once, Mrs. Bell. And my daughters are not allowed to visit them.”

Isabella and Beatrice were weeping quietly, now. They both looked so woebegone and heartbroken that Christine’s heart bled for them. She didn’t condone the trick they had played upon their governess, but neither did she think it warranted such harsh punishment.

Mrs. Bell, looking troubled, nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”

The duke nodded, then turned and marched out of the room without another word. There was a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of the girls’ weeping.

Christine stepped back, her heart heavy, as Mrs. Bell called a footman to arrange for the removal of the animals. The twins didn’t react as the basket containing the cats was taken away—they just stared, teary-eyed, looking bereaved.

When the task was done, Christine turned to both the housekeeper and the governess.

“Could you give us some privacy, please?” she said, in a soft voice. “I wish to speak to the young ladies alone.”

They both nodded, curtseying, before leaving the room.

Isabella and Beatrice were seated on the mat in front of their dollhouse now, staring at it glumly. They didn’t look at her as she crouched beside them.

“I am sorry about the cats,” said Christine, in a gentle voice. “I know that you both adore them—especially the new kittens.”

“Will it be forever?” cried Beatrice, wide eyed. “Will Papa keep them from us forever? Will he give them away?”

“I think that depends,” replied Christine, in a thoughtful voice. “I believe that if you show that you have listened to him, and do not play any unkind pranks on people again, then he might reconsider his decision.” She stared at them levelly. “You do understand that it was an unkind thing to do to your governess? She cannot see without her spectacles. She must have been very scared. It is a terrible thing to not be able to see.”

They both looked ashamed. Isabella pursed her lips. Beatrice’s eyes glimmered with tears again.

“Papa is mean,” declared Isabella abruptly, a look of defiance on her face. “He did not have to take away the cats!”

Christine sighed heavily.

“Let us focus on what you both did, rather than how your father responded to it to start with,” she said eventually, in a firm voice. “Do you both acknowledge that it was very wrong to steal and hide Miss Mayhew’s glasses?”

“Yes,” said Beatrice, in a small voice, her face twisting. She looked at her sister. “I told Bella not to do it, but she went ahead and did it anyway. I knew it was wrong.”

Christine turned to Isabella, who was still looking mutinous.

“Why, Isabella?” she asked, in a quiet voice. “Why did you do it?”

Isabella’s big blue eyes flickered. Her mouth tightened. Christine’s heart sank.

Christine opened her mouth, then abruptly closed it again. She waited, staring at Isabella. Suddenly, the girl stood up, her hands balled into fists at her side.

“She told us we were not going outside to play today,” she burst out. “She said that we had to stay indoors and do boring sums for the entire day!”

“And I know you do not like doing sums,” said Christine, in a calm voice. “I know that you much prefer running around outside.” She paused. “I can understand why you were frustrated.”

“You can?” The little girl’s voice was filled with incredulity. “Really?”

“Truly,” said Christine, inclining her head. She paused for a moment. “Do you think that stealing and hiding Miss Mayhew’s spectacles was the correct way to deal with that frustration, though?”

Isabella’s eyes flickered again. Then she slowly shook her head.

“No, I suppose not,” she said, in a grudging voice.

“I will talk to Miss Mayhew,” said Christine, in a pensive voice. “Perhaps I can make a routine with her, that if you both apply yourselves fully to your schoolwork during the day, then you can have an hour of outside play in the late afternoon—every day of the week.”

Isabella’s eyes lit up. “Today?”

Christine shook her head. “Not today. It is too soon. Your father would never allow it.” She hesitated. “But if you do as I say, and settle to your work and not play any more silly pranks, then it is something that we can work toward. How does that sound?”

“It sounds…good,” said Isabella, smiling slightly.

Christine turned to Beatrice. “What do you think, Beatrice? Is that something you would like?”

Beatrice shrugged, but she looked pleased. “Yes. Although I do not care as much about running around outside as Bella.”

“All right,” said Christine. “It is settled. I promise to speak to Miss Mayhew.” Her eyes slid to Isabella. “And in future, Isabella, can you promise to talk to me if you are feeling frustrated, before resorting to pranks? I cannot promise that I can always solve the situation, but I can try.”

Isabella nodded. “Yes, I can do that.” She hesitated. “But what about Sooty and her kittens?”

“I promise to talk to your father about them,” said Christine, her heart flipping. “I think I may be able to persuade him to let the cats come back to the nursery, eventually.” She paused. “But in return, you must behave yourselves and show him you are worthy of his trust. It is very important. Do you both agree?”

The two little girls nodded solemnly.

Christine felt a pang of satisfaction. She had no idea, of course, if they were being sincere, but they appeared suitably chastened and agreeable for now. They looked like they were starting to trust her. It was a small win, but a win, nonetheless.

“There is something else,” she continued slowly. “I am hosting a small tea party for the ladies from the village church committee the day after tomorrow at Ironstone.” She hesitated. “It is part of the duties of being the duchess. There is quite a lot to do for it. I would value some help with it.”

They stared at her, looking astounded. Clearly, they hadn’t been expecting that. They had probably never been asked to do anything around Ironstone—nothing that was meaningful.

“What kind of help?” asked Beatrice eventually, in a curious voice.

Christine shrugged. “There are many things to do. You could help me arrange the flowers. Or give me your opinion on the menu.” She hesitated. “And in return for your help, you may both attend the tea party—if you promise to be on your best behavior for it, of course.”

There was a moment’s silence. Christine waited.

“I suppose I could do it,” said Beatrice, trying to look nonchalant. “If you truly need help.”

“Wonderful,” smiled Christine. “Thank you, Beatrice.” She turned to Isabella. “What about you, Isabella?”

Isabella wrinkled her nose. “It sounds boring,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It will just be a lot of old ladies gossiping!”

“Perhaps we could think of ways to entertain them,” said Christine, stifling a laugh. “You are both good at that. Your doll theatre performance was wonderful. Perhaps you could organize a short performance for the ladies? We do need some entertainment.”

Isabella’s face flushed with pride. “You would let me do that? Really?”

“Truly,” said Christine, smiling widely. “Well? What do you say?”

Isabella raised her chin, gazing straight at Christine. “All right,” she said eventually, in a neutral voice. “I suppose I can help with the entertainment.”

“Good,” said Christine, in a crisp voice. “I will send for you both when I need you. In the meantime, please remember our agreement about Miss Mayhew. I will send her back into the nursery now.”

The girls nodded. Without another word, Christine swept out of the nursery, her heart full to bursting.

She truly felt as if she had made a breakthrough with them. But only time would tell, of course.

Had she done the right thing asking them to help her with the tea party? Or would they use it as a ploy to play one of their pranks again and embarrass her entirely?