The Duke I’m Going to Marry (Farthingale Series Book 2) by Meara Platt Read Free Book Online

doing a dismal job of it. He, of course, looked stunning. Dressed to perfection, yet still too big and broad shouldered to carry off the foppish appearance of society elegance. His look was one of dangerous elegance.
    His eyes were even more beautiful than she remembered, a misty, summer green flecked with hints of deep gray. They were a true representation of Ian, incredibly handsome and at the same time haunted. The gray was the shadowed part of Ian, the part he always kept hidden. The part that made her want to throw her arms around him and hug him tight. Instead, she shook her head and laughed softly. “Meet my stylist. Her name is Ivy. She’s very much in demand. Do you have a smile for His Grace?”
    Surprisingly, she did. A sweet, open-hearted, ear-to-ear smile that stole Dillie’s breath away. And that’s when she saw it, the look of indescribable pain in Ian’s eyes. It was only there for an instant. Had she blinked, she would have missed it.
    But it had been there.
    She’d thought to toss off a cleverly cutting remark to continue their usual wry banter, but her heart was still struggling with that glimpse of his pain. She couldn’t jest with him now. In truth, all she wanted to do was put her arms around him and draw him close. “You look wonderful. How do you feel?” She hugged her niece instead. It was safer. Ivy responded by letting out a gurgled coo , and then began to contentedly gnaw on Dillie’s chin.
    “I’m in the pink. Stab wounds have all healed. Are you going to let your niece chew the flesh off your chin?”
    “She isn’t a cannibal. Honestly, Ian.” She rolled her eyes when he continued to stare in fascination, as though infants were unfamiliar creatures to him. They probably were. During their week together he’d never mentioned brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews. She suddenly realized that she knew nothing of his family. Or if he even had one.
    Odd that no one had ever mentioned his relations, considering the constant gossip one heard about him. “She’s only teething. The pressure against her gums helps soothe her ache. It doesn’t hurt me.”
    “You’re remarkably at ease with her.” He was still studying her and Ivy, taking them in as though they were a portrait hanging in an elegant hall, his gaze following each line and curve to determine how child and woman flowed together.
    “How can I not be? Besides growing up with all my Farthingale cousins, I now have a slew of nephews and nieces to adore. They’re all perfect. I melt whenever they look at me with their big, innocent eyes.” She paused a moment, realizing that Ian had never once called out for anyone dear to him, even when he had been delirious in those first days after the attack when his survival had been in doubt. She silently berated herself. Because of her thoughtlessness, he might have died alone in her bed, no loved ones beside him.
    She resolved to find out about his family. What if he were attacked again? It wasn’t a matter of snooping. She was simply being thoughtful. However, she couldn’t ask him straight out. He would have spoken of relatives if he’d wanted to during those hours they’d spent together. No, she’d pry the information out of her elderly neighbor, Lady Eloise Dayne.
    Eloise, who knew everything about everybody, was a kind and sensible woman, not the sort ever to lie or twist the truth. Indeed, Eloise would be the perfect source since she was practically a part of the Farthingale family. Her grandsons, Gabriel and Graelem, were married to Dillie’s sisters.
    Ian continued to watch her and Ivy, drinking them in with his gaze. Ivy was still suckling her chin and her little hand was no longer fisted, but open and resting on Dillie’s cheek, stroking it lightly.
    This felt nice, standing here with Ian, cradling Ivy in her arms.
    Her heart skipped beats again, as it always did when Ian stood close. She could feel the subtle heat and power radiating off his body.
    She shook out of