An Unexpected Pleasure (The Mad Morelands #4)(42)
He shook his head. Obviously, he was going to have to get some answers. And until he did, he would be keeping a close eye on the duke’s collection room…and on Miss Henderson.
A faint smile touched his lips at that thought. It would be no burden to keep an eye on Megan Henderson.
*
MEGAN KEPT HER GAZE on the floor as she went down the stairs to the dining room the next morning, searching for any sign of the key she had dropped. She saw it nowhere, either then or on her way back up the stairs after she and the twins ate breakfast.
Worry about the key gnawed at the back of her mind all through the boys’ lessons. While the twins were taking their play break in the morning, she hastened downstairs to the duke’s study, but much to her chagrin, the duke was seated at his desk, reading a book, so she had to beat a hasty retreat. Later, after the boys had gone for their science lesson, she once more started downstairs, but before she even drew close to the study, she heard Theo’s voice in the hallway, so she whirled and ran back up the stairs.
The last thing she wanted was to run into Theo. She had the awful feeling that she would blush as soon as she saw him, remembering how she had acted last night. Indeed, she hoped that he would not be at the table that evening at supper.
Her hopes were dashed as soon as she walked into the dining room with the twins. Theo was standing near the end of the table, chatting with Reed and Anna. The three of them glanced over when the twins clattered into the room, Megan right behind them, but only Theo’s gaze went straight to Megan’s face.
Just as she had feared, a flush rose up her throat, and she looked quickly away. She could not deny, however, that even in her embarrassment, she had felt a flash of heat ripple through her abdomen in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with desire.
Megan dug her fingernails into her palms as she made her way to the table, determinedly not looking over again at Theo. She refused to allow him to unnerve her, she told herself. Whatever strange and awful power he had over her, she would fight it and win. She had to.
She was on edge, worried that Theo would come over to try to talk to her, alert every moment to where he was and what he was saying. So conscious was she of him that she could scarcely pay attention to the story Thisbe was telling her about Con and Alex’s successful experiment this afternoon.
The duke and duchess finally entered the room, the signal for everyone to sit down and begin the meal. Megan took a seat between Thisbe and Alex. At the Morelands’ unconventional table, no one bothered with the rules of social seating or the precedence of titles, but simply took their places wherever they wanted to. Tonight, much to Megan’s dismay, Theo sat down in the chair directly across the long table from her.
“Miss Henderson,” he said with a smile that would have melted a heart of stone. “How are you this evening?”
Megan tilted her chin up, determined not to appear disturbed by Theo’s presence. “I am fine, sir. And you?”
“Never better.” His eyes lingered on her face for a moment longer before he turned his attention to Anna, on his right.
They were a smaller group than they often were at supper that evening. Neither Kyria nor Olivia nor their spouses were dining with them this evening, and as a result, the family was all grouped at one end of the long table in a more intimate setting that encouraged conversation among all the occupants of the table together, rather than the scattered and noisy multiple conversations that normally reigned at the Moreland table.
A lull opened up in the conversation as they were finishing a delicately poached fillet of sole, and Theo tossed into the silence, “Father, Miss Henderson has not seen your collection yet. I am surprised you have been so remiss.”
Megan’s gaze flew to Theo in astonishment. He was watching her, his eyes unreadable, the faintest trace of a smile hovering about his lips. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. He knew!
Her mind raced. Had he seen her at his father’s desk last night? But why had he not said anything then? And even if he had seen her slip the key into her pocket, how had he known which key it was? There had been several in the drawer.
The duke’s head came up, and he looked at Megan with interest. “Is that so? Are you interested in Greek and Roman art, Miss Henderson?”
“Yes, of course,” Megan lied. She imagined that there were few who could admit their disinterest in the face of the duke’s gently pleased countenance. “I—I am afraid that I don’t know much about it, though.”
“I think you should show Miss Henderson around your collection room,” Theo went on, his gaze steadily on Megan. “After supper, perhaps.”
“Why, of course. I would be most happy to, if you wish, Miss Henderson?” The duke’s voice rose slightly at the end of his sentence, making it a question.
“Thank you,” Megan responded through stiff lips. “That would be very generous of you.”
“I think you will find the collection fairly extensive for one of its kind,” the duke went on happily and started to describe some of the pieces.
Megan scarcely heard him, though she kept a pleasantly interested smile plastered on her face. She could feel Theo’s gaze on her as his father talked. She sneaked a glance at him and saw the challenge that lit his eyes.
She was certain now that he had seen her taking the key from the desk. She had underestimated him. Doubtless she had been right in thinking that he would not want to tell his father what had happened, as he wouldn’t want the good duke to know exactly how Theo had happened to discover what Megan had done. But he had neatly manipulated it so that his father would discover that the key was missing. There would be questions asked. It wouldn’t be at all unlikely if suspicion fell on her, the newest addition to the household. No doubt Theo presumed that the key was still in her possession, and, if they should institute a search of the place, that the key would be discovered there.