Page 30 of The Duke’s Sharpshooter (The Duke’s Guard #14)

T he duchess beamed. “You are going to be a beautiful bride, Temperance.”

Maddy bounced on her toes. “Me too?”

“You’ll be the most beautiful daughter of the bride, Maddy,” the duchess replied.

Maddy giggled. “I know.”

“I have a feeling I know who may have already told you that,” Francis said.

Maddy twirled across the upstairs sitting room and landed at her mother’s feet. “Just Flaherty told me. And you know what?”

The three women were smiling when Francis asked, “What?”

“I heard him tell Mum that she would be as lovely as a May morning, and taste just as sweet.”

Temperance covered her mouth with her hands, but it was too late—the duchess, the maid, and her daughter heard her inelegant snort.

Highly embarrassed, she told Maddy, “You should not be listening to other people’s conversations.

” When her daughter opened her mouth to speak, Temperance frowned.

“Nor should you repeat private conversations.”

“But he said he’s going to be my da—that’s the same as a papa, right?”

“Yes, darling, but you cannot—”

Maddy interrupted, “But you aren’t a scone or teacake. So why would say you’d taste sweet?”

Temperance felt her face flame, but she ignored it. “I shall tell you when you are a bit older. Then we shall have a serious talk.”

“Mum and papa stuff?”

“Exactly.”

Maddy sighed. “All right.” She was quiet for a few minutes, and Temperance wondered if that would be the end of her daughter’s embarrassing questions.

“How much older do I have to be before we talk?”

Apparently it wasn’t.

“At least five years.”

“But I’ll be nine by then.”

“Just the right age to have that talk with your mum, Maddy,” the duchess remarked. “Why don’t you go with Francis? She will help you change out of your new dress. You’ll want it to be nice and clean for tomorrow afternoon.”

“’Cause Mum and I will marry Just Flaherty tomorrow?”

Temperance opened her arms, and Maddy flew across the room into them. “Because Rory and I will be married tomorrow, and we’ll be a family.”

“I’ll have a papa?”

“Yes, Maddy. Now go along with Francis. I’ll be there shortly.”

As soon as the door closed behind Maddy and Francis, the duchess burst into laughter. “Is this what I have to look forward to in a few years with Abigail and Richard?”

Temperance brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and shrugged. “This was a first for me. I hadn’t even thought of having a talk with Maddy about marriage and babes yet.”

“You’ll need to have the conversation about her monthlies by then, too,” the duchess advised. “I still remember how awkward it was when my mother shared that information with me. I plan to make it less so when I talk to my daughter.”

“I cannot even begin to imagine having to describe the marriage bed and birthing babes,” Temperance admitted.

The duchess sighed. “I hope I’ll be able to impart more information than my mother shared with me. As it was, I had to muddle through, but thankfully my husband was understanding.”

Temperance confided, “My mum told me to close my eyes and it would be over in a few minutes.”

They were still laughing by the time Temperance had changed into her gown. They arrived in the nursery sitting room in time to find their tea was ready and waiting for them.

Temperance was sipping her second cup of tea, and Maddy eating her third—and last—iced teacake when the duke appeared in the doorway. “I thought I’d find you ladies here. Temperance, Flaherty needs to have a word with you before he leaves.”

“Leaves? Where is he going?”

“We’ve organized search parties. He wanted to speak to you before he heads out.”

Worry filled Temperance. “Is it another lost child?”

“In a way, but no, not really.”

At the duke’s oddly evasive answer, Temperance told Maddy to stay with Francis and the duchess and followed the duke to the servants’ staircase. “He’s waiting for you at the foot of the stairs.” The duke paused before adding, “He’s leading one of the teams from the village.”

“I see. Thank you for telling me, Your Grace.” She placed her hand on the railing, lifted her hem so she wouldn’t trip, and descended. The door opened before she reached the bottom step.

“Ah, lass. I was wondering what kept ye. Did the duke tell ye I’m needed?”

Temperance noticed the wound slashing across his cheek. “You’ve been hurt.”

“’Tis but a scratch.”

She counted five stitches. “It must have bled quite a bit.”

“Wounds to the head and face always do. I need ye to listen.”

Temperance stared at his injury, fighting to hold on to her composure. “I’m listening, Rory.”

“What else did the duke say?”

“He mentioned that you’re leading one of the search parties.”

He inclined his head. “I am. She’s been gone nearly four hours now. Her brother is worried sick.”

“Her poor brother. How old is she?”

Flaherty sighed. “He didn’t tell ye who’s missing, did he?”

“His Grace only said it wasn’t a child.”

“She most certainly is not.”

A shiver raced up her spine. “Do I know the woman?”

“Aye, and ye know of her—’tis Miss Harkness.”

Aghast, she tried to keep from raising her voice, but it was a struggle. “The woman who said vile things about me and hinted that Maddy was born out of wedlock?”

“Aye. But that isn’t important now. The length of time she’s been missing without a hint of what happened is vital. She could have been abducted—”

Temperance felt the hold on her temper slip. “Like she said I abducted my own daughter?”

Flaherty tucked a wayward curl behind her ear and traced the tip of his finger along the curve of her cheek. “Aye, lass. Try to let go of yer anger and say a prayer for her. I’m thinking she’s a lost soul.”

Chastised, temper simmering, the best Temperance could do was choke out, “I’ll try.”

“The sooner I leave, the sooner we’ll find her. Her brother is worried sick.”

“You said that already. I understand his worry, but not the reasoning behind her destructive words or deeds.”

The intensity in Flaherty’s steady stare had Temperance letting go of her anger.

She accepted that this was most likely how the rest of her life would be—Flaherty in danger, getting shot at, then leaving to find lost children or, Heaven help her, women.

She closed the distance between them and slipped her arms around his neck.

“You’d best kiss me like you mean it, so I have something to hold on to while you’re gone. ”

His blue eyes darkened with desire. It was a heady feeling that her words would have such an immediate effect on him. He bent his head until their lips were a breath apart. “Make it count, mo ghrá . We could be gone for a few hours.”

Temperance poured everything she had been feeling for him into her kiss. When he parted her lips to taste her fully, she melted into his embrace.

“Ye’ll be the death of me, lass. One taste of ye will never be enough.”

She slipped out of his arms and cupped the side of his face. “I’ll be waiting for you. Be careful, Rory.”

“Count on it, lass. I have two beautiful women to come back to.”

Unable to stop herself, she followed him to the door, watching as he signaled to a group of riders and rode off. She sighed, then rasped, “I’d best get used to his coming and going and make myself useful while he’s gone.”

But Temperance was also thinking of the kiss she planned to share with Rory when he returned.

She ascended the stairs and returned to the nursery sitting room.

“That took longer than expected,” the duchess remarked.

Maddy was quiet, and had a look of concentration on her face before she blurted out, “Did Just Flaherty taste you more than once?”

The musical sound of the duchess’s laughter eased some of Temperance’s embarrassment, but not quite all of it. Needing to have the last word, she replied. “Yes, Maddy dear, he did.”

Satisfied, Maddy asked, “Can I have two more teacakes?”

*

Flaherty wondered if Garahan was having any luck finding Miss Harkness.

He and the men he’d been assigned to lead had been searching between the village and Wyndmere Hall for hours with not a sign of the irritating woman.

He dug deep to find some sympathy for her, but she had been the cause of so much heartache for Temperance and her daughter.

Flaherty settled for accepting her as someone he was tasked to rescue, and by all that was holy, he’d been doing his damndest to find her!

It was time to join Garahan’s search party to see if his cousin was having any better luck.

Pulling on the reins, Flaherty looked over his shoulder and whistled to get the attention of the men.

They immediately responded. Those that had dismounted and were searching alongside the road, in the wooded areas, turned toward him.

The two others on horseback—one man riding out front, the other bringing up the rear—did as well. Every man stopped in his tracks.

“Did you find her?” one asked.

Flaherty shook his head. “We’ll ride into the village, and join Garahan and the men who are searching on the other side of it. He may need our help, if he’s found her.”

One by one, the men nodded—or shrugged—leaving Flaherty to realize that they were only there for the sake of Harkness, who was well liked among the villagers and tenant farmers.

His sister had been a troublemaker from the moment they’d taken over the running of their parents’ inn.

While the locals were always up for a bit of gossip, he couldn’t think of more than a handful of women who claimed to be friends with Miss Harkness.

Riding through the village, Flaherty let his mind wander—just for a minute—to what Temperance and Maddy were doing right now. ’Twas past teatime. Were they helping with the evening meal? Were they worried about him?

“Flaherty!” the man riding ahead called out.

His mind snapped to attention and he heard raised voices in the distance. “Aye. Sounds like Garahan’s run into trouble—er…found the woman. Follow me!”