Chapter fourThe Duke did not arrive back at the Dower House until after nine o’clock.
As his grandmother dined very early and usually in her room, he was afraid that Janeta might have gone to bed.
As he stepped down from his phaeton, his highly polished hessian boots slightly dusty, he said to the old butler,
“Is Miss Scott still up?”
“She’s in the drawing room, Your Grace, and we’ve all been worried in case Your Grace’d had an accident.”
The Duke smiled.
“No, Jackson,” he answered, “it was nothing like that and I have arrived home safe and sound.”
“That’s good news, Your Grace,” Jackson said, who had known him since a boy.
He was leading the way across the hall as he spoke, moving very slowly because he suffered from rheumatism.
The Duke followed him until they reached the door o
