Pricing The Heart

Chapter 7

"His son?" Eloise whispered, confused as she stared down at the young lad. She supposed there were many things she didn't know about David, but the existence of a child was not something she could have imagined in a million years. Perhaps he also had a wife? Briefly, while he had bargained the cost of her purchase at the tavern, she had wondered about his marital status, and throughout her stay in Oakham Hall, she was certain she had heard nothing of a mistress.

"Indeed," the duke said. "Mrs Taylor, may I present my nephew, Adam. He shall remain in your care until the return of his father."

"No!" Adam blurted, stunning Eloise as he crossed his arm and glared at the duke.

"I'm afraid you do not have a choice in the matter," he said.

Silence fell over the room, causing Eloise to take in the boy's features. Certainly not past the age of seven, Adam stood glaring at the duke, his pistachio green eyes shooting invincible daggers across the room. A messy mass of loose brown curls with blond highlights formed the hair upon his head, contrasting beautifully with his fair skin.

"But grandmother—" he protested, his fingers tugging unconsciously at the sleeve of his green travel jacket.

"Is unwell. The presence of an ill-behaved child shall not in any way aid her recovery. Perhaps it is your presence that helped put her in such a state in the first place," the duke chastised, and Eloise watched the little boy shrink back, his eyelids widening as his face reddened. She immediately felt sorry for him, thinking how cruel it was of the duke to blame the child for the illness of his grandmother.

Adam's rosy lips quivered slightly, and unfolding his arms, he straightened. "Then I shall behave. I shall be on my best behavior..."

The duke raised a hand, silencing him. "That is enough! Take him, Mrs Edward, to his chamber and help him get settled."

"Yes, of course, your grace." Mrs Edward reached for Adam's hand, but he shrugged her off, folding his arms across his chest once more.

"No! I will never live here!"

The duke crossed the room then. Crouching down before Adam, he took both his shoulders in his hands and held his gaze. "You will go with Mrs Edward and get settled, or you will come with me to a boarding school; it is up to you to decide. Nonetheless, I shall be rid of you, for there is no way in Hades I'm taking you back to London with me."

Eloise watched the blood drain from the child's face as he stood staring at his uncle. Then, visibly upset, he shrugged him off and whirled around, forcing Mrs Edward to hurry after him.

Blame games, manipulations, and threats. Eloise was visibly sickened by the duke's antics as he rose to his feet and turned to her, a smug smile on his face.

"You will keep the boy in line until your lord's return," he instructed. "Like you have just witnessed, he shall prove quite the challenge."

I shall treat him with no such cruelty. Swallowing her retort, she curtsied. "I must return to my station, your grace." Without waiting for his response, she excused herself, hurrying from the room.

*

"His Grace has brought ill luck upon us all, Mrs Taylor," Mrs Edward informed Eloise that afternoon, weariness creasing her brows.

Eloise frowned, unwilling to be further burdened by news of the duke. It was bad enough he had decided to remain in Oakham Hall until the return of his brother. There were many things she found unsettling about him, the most prominent being his lingering gaze upon her and his unkind treatment of his nephew. Many times, she had caught herself mid-sentence as her true opinions about him threatened to spew out her mouth.