The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior Read Online Free

pastry-eating waif. To females of all ages, she had to admit. Never mind that she wished she had a pastry herself. But that he knew
enough to use a softer tone surprised her. She wasn’t accustomed to gentlemen being anything but demanding. Especially at her last unfortunate position.
    He could never know of that particular item on her list of prior positions. Not if she wished to keep her current one.
    â€œHer name is,” he continued, still in that soft tone, “. . . what is your name?” he muttered, sounding impatient.
    Lily swallowed. “Lily Russell, Your Grace, but you can just call me Miss Lily.”
    â€œMiss Rose, this is Miss Lily.” He chuckled, an entirely unexpected sound. “Perhaps I should be called the Duke of Gardening instead of Rutherford.” The joke was even more unexpected than the chuckle, but Lily couldn’t spare a moment to think about how Dangerous a witty duke might be.
    â€œHello, Miss Rose.” Lily spoke softly, as he had, already aware she had to be gentle toward this obviously frightened girl. She could definitely sympathize—she was frightened as well, frightened she wouldn’t suit, frightened she would end up like so many of the unfortunate women the agency hadn’t helped.
    Frightened she couldn’t help this girl as she wished someone had helped her.
    â€œIt is a pleasure to meet you.” She knelt down and extended her hand toward the girl. “I would like to stay here and teach you. Would you like that?”
    Rose looked at Lily’s hand, then nodded as she
took a few steps, reached out and held it. “Yes,” she said in a whisper.
    Lily heard the duke exhale behind her. “She’s just barely arrived,” he said, “and hasn’t spoken a word yet.” He was not at all the commanding duke who’d demanded her references, not now. Now he seemed almost . . . anxious. “Not even once, during our tea. I was worried that she was mute.”
    Interesting. So he’d just met his charge? Not that it was any of her business, of course, prim, methodical Lily reminded that other curious, yelping part of her. But still. Interesting.
    She smiled at Rose, who returned the smile, albeit shakily. “I believe Miss Rose and I will have plenty to discuss.” She turned her head to look at the duke. “May I assume I have the position, then?” she asked.
    He glanced quickly at her, and the heat of his gaze seemed to penetrate to the fraud within, the woman who’d never really been a governess, just a young lady with a sister. Her stomach tightened in both hunger and anxiety.
    â€œYes,” he said at last. He barked out an order, and both Rose and Lily jumped. “Thompson, take Miss Rose and Miss Lily to one of the guest bedrooms, it doesn’t matter which one. That will be the schoolroom.”
    The girl’s fingers were trembling, and Lily wished she could tell her that it was all right, that trembling in the presence of such a pink room and an arrogant duke was a perfectly normal reaction, only she didn’t think it would be good for
the child to know her new governess was a ninny who yelped and pondered noses and wan begonias and a vast number of rooms rather than concerning herself with proper conduct.
    She would save all that for a lesson sometime in the future, when the topic was Foolish Things Your Governess Thinks of and Does when Panicking.

If a duke does happen to do something that might fall outside the bounds of what most people in Society would consider proper behavior, it is incumbent upon the duke to behave as though not doing that thing would be scandalous. People in Society will then assume the behavior is faultlessly correct .
    â€”T HE D UKE ’ S G UIDE TO C ORRECT B EHAVIOR

Chapter 3
    T he door shut behind them, all of them, and he was alone, wondering just what in God’s name had he just done—although he could answer that, couldn’t