The Guardian Duke: A Forgotten Castles Novel by Jamie Carie Read Free Book Online Page A

quite make it out so he only nodded again. "I must be on my way. Until next time." He didn't wait for a response, just turned to go, hoping the man didn't say anything else. Hoping he wasn't being too strange or rude.
    What had just happened? He hardly knew what to think of it. And thinking of it sent prickles of a new kind of fear down his spine. He squeezed the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and then concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other instead of standing like a buffoon on the front lawn.
    The air was crisp and windy, drying the sweat on his face as he walked back to his house. On most Tuesdays he would stop in to his club to gather the latest news after his fencing lesson. Impossible now. How long would he be able to keep up this charade? He should leave London for a while. Go back to Bradley House in Wiltshire and hide out until his hearing returned.
    What if it doesn't return?
    He ignored the question, thinking instead of his favorite room in Bradley House: the music room. Over the years he had hired some of the most famed composers, from Beethoven to Clementi and opera singers from around the world to come and play for him. It was the one thing he'd never been able to master—music. He'd tried to learn to play the pianoforte and the violin to no success. He'd taken extensive voice lessons from famous teachers—and watched their faces wince and grimace. The one thing he loved above all else and he was miserable at it. He could manage to keep a beat, but not much else.
    Thinking of beats he felt the cadence of the sword fight rush over him. Those streaks and dots of color. What were they? Should he ignore what had happened? Anxiety gnawed at his stomach. The fact that it might have something to do with his brain didn't escape him. The doctors were worthless, the lot of them. He'd studied biology and every other branch of science known to man. Something was wrong with his brain, not his ears. He was certain of it . . . in his gut. But he didn't want to be. Big, deep breath. Just keep breathing. No sense conjuring up demons bent on making him mad!
    He picked up his pace as his brownstone came into view. Then he saw his mother's carriage in front of his house. So, the dowager duchess was here to check on him. It was a wonder he had dodged her this long. She was bound to have heard of the tragedy from the grapevine of servant gossip at the very least. Wonderful. Just what he needed.
    The idea of turning around and heading to his club, or anywhere else, entered his mind but he took a bracing breath and trudged forward. May as well get it over with.
    Moments later he walked through the great hall and handed over his hat and cloak to his butler. "Her Grace has called?"
    Hanson bowed and nodded his head. "She is in the front salon." He pointed in the general direction of the room and spoke slowly so Gabriel could read his lips. "Would you like tea brought in?" He made the motion of holding a teacup and bringing it to his lips, which he pursed as if taking a sip. It galled him, the way the servants had changed to accommodate his "condition," but it did help him understand them.
    "Yes, of course. Though I suspect she has already rang for it. Check on the refreshments, will you?"
    "Yes, Your Grace." He bowed and marched down the hall toward the back kitchens.
    Gabriel turned toward the salon, took a fortifying breath, and entered. He came to an abrupt stop as his mother rose, her hand to her mouth, her face gone sheet white, as if seeing someone waking from the dead, and his sisters, two of them at least, running and throwing themselves at him. His eldest sister, Charlotte, burst into tears from the other side of the room.
    He was, for a second, glad he couldn't hear them.
    "No need for all this caterwauling," he intoned in his best duke's voice. The sound of his voice only served to incite them, however. Mary clung to his arm while his youngest sister, Jane, looked up from her place at his other side