The Duke and I Read Free

about that? How couldyouhave assumed the boy was dead if his father was not in mourning?"
     
     The butler shrugged. "His grace frequently wears black. Mourning wouldn't have altered his costume."
     
     "This is an outrage," Nurse Hopkins said. "I demand you summon his grace at once."
     
     Simon said nothing. He was trying too hard to get his emotions under control. He had to. There was no way he'd be able to talk with his father while his blood was racing so.
     
     The butler nodded. "He is upstairs. I'll alert him immediately to your arrival."
     
     Nurse started pacing wildly, muttering under her breath and referring to his grace with every vile word in her surprisingly extensive vocabulary. Simon remained in the center of the room, his arms angry sticks at his sides as he took deep breaths.
     
     You can do this,he shouted in his mind. You can do this.
     
     Nurse turned to him, saw him trying to control his temper, and immediately gasped. "Yes, that's it," she said quickly, dropping to her knees and taking his hands in hers. She knew better than anyone what would happen if Simon tried to face his father before he calmed down. "Take deep breaths. And make sure to think about your words before you speak. If you can control—"
     
     "I see you're still mollycoddling the boy," came an imperious voicefrom the doorway.
     
     Nurse Hopkins straightened and turned slowly around. She tried to think of something respectful to say. She tried to think of anything that would smooth over this awful situation. But when she looked at the duke, she saw Simon in him, and her rage began anew. The duke might look just like his son, but he was certainly no father to him.
     
     "You, sir," she spat out, "are despicable."
     
     "And you, madam, are fired."Nurse lurched back."No one speaks to the Duke of Hastings that way," he roared. "No one!"
     
     "Not even the king?" Simon taunted.
     
     Hastings whirled around, not even noticing that his son had spoken clearly. "You," he said in a low voice.
     
     Simon nodded curtly. He'd managed one sentence properly, but it had been a short one, and he didn't want to push his
    luck. Not when he was this upset. Normally, he could go days without a stutter, but now...The way his father stared at him made him feel like an infant. An idiot infant.And his tongue suddenly felt awkward and thick.
     
     The duke smiled cruelly. "What do you have to say for yourself, boy? Eh? What do you have to say?"
     
     "It's all right, Simon," Nurse Hopkins whispered, throwing a furious glance at the duke. "Don't let him upset you.You can do it, sweetling."
     
     And somehow her encouraging tone made it all the worse. Simon had come here to prove himself to his father, and now his nurse was treating him like a baby.
     
     "What's the matter?" the duke taunted. "Cat got your tongue?"
     
     Simon's muscles clenched so hard he started to shake.
     
     Father and son stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, until finally the duke swore and stalked toward the door. "You are my worst failure," he hissed at his son. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but God help me if I ever lay eyes on you again."
     
     "Your grace!" Nurse Hopkins said indignantly. This was no way to speak to a child.
     
     "Get him out of my sight," he spat at her. "You can keep your job just so long as you keep him away from me."
     
     "Wait!"
     
     The duke turned slowly around at the sound of Simon's voice. "Did you say something?" he drawled.
     
     Simon took three long breaths in through his nose, his mouth still clamped together in anger. He forced his jaw to relax and rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to remind himself of how it felt to speak properly. Finally, just as the duke was about to dismiss him again, he opened his mouth and said, "I am your son."
     
     Simon heard Nurse Hopkins breathe a sigh of relief, and something he'd never seen before blossomed in his father's eyes. Pride.