Free The Duke's Marriage Mission by Deborah Hale Page A

so many years behind a protective mask of vivacity and rebellious high jinks. But since he knew, should she risk disclosing more about her past if it might benefit his son?
    “The punishments I received were not the worst thing about the Pendergast School, you know.”
    “There was worse ?” The duke sounded outraged on her behalf, as if he longed to confront anyone who had ever wronged her and bring them to account.
    That notion stirred something in Leah. “Not worse in the way you may think. But I would have happily borne a thrashing every day of my school career if only I had been allowed more freedom to do what I wanted rather than what I was ordered to do.”
    Their footsteps made a steady, soothing murmur on well-worn stones. The duke’s silence made Leah wonder if he could comprehend her feelings any better than the holy brothers who had once tread these cloisters.
    Upon entering the order, those men would have surrendered their freedom to own personal possessions and act contrary to the orders of their superiors. They would have given up even the basic freedom to love. Had it been a constant sacrifice for them to live according to those vows? Or had they found peace and fulfillment in subduing their individual wishes so completely to the will of God?
    That thought troubled Leah. Did it make her any less a child of God because she treasured the freedom she had always considered one of her Creator’s greatest gifts?
    “So you think I am a tyrant like your teachers.” The duke sounded more grieved than angry. “Because I will not allow Kit to do whatever he likes in spite of the consequences he is too young to appreciate?”
    “Of course not.” Leah’s hand tingled with the urge to clasp his and give it a reassuring squeeze. But that was a liberty she did not dare take. Her association with the duke had barely begun to thaw. The last thing she wanted was to give him cause to take offense. “I believe you are an excellent father in a great many ways. It is obvious you care deeply about Kit and would do anything in your power to protect him and make him happy.”
    “Of course I would,” His Grace replied without an instant’s hesitation. “My responsibility for my son is one from which I would never want to be free. It is not a burden but an anchor—a fixed, lasting connection I cherish above all else. Without it I might be free, but that would mean nothing for my life would be empty.”
    When he put it that way, the duke’s argument was most persuasive, Leah had to admit. But how could two people with such contrary beliefs both be right?
    Perhaps the key to working together for Kit’s welfare lay in concentrating on their areas of common ground, however small. “The Lilliputian figures you had made for Kit are the most splendid playthings I have ever seen. How did you think of them?”
    “I hardly remember now.” Her praise seemed to catch the duke off guard, though Leah sensed it pleased him. “Kit loved the book and talked of how he wished he could visit Lilliput. Then it occurred to me that I might be able to bring Lilliput to him.”
    By now, in spite of their leisurely pace, they had reached the archway where the cloisters joined the house. Leah stifled a foolish pang of disappointment that their stroll and conversation must come to an end.
    Then, without seeming to be aware of what he was doing, the duke turned and started back the way they had come. “You make excellent use of those little figures and the book to teach him, Miss Shaw. I never thought I would live to hear a child demanding more lessons.”
    Now it was Leah’s turn to be gratified, nearly to the point of embarrassment. “Learning can be a joy and it should be. Whatever ails your son’s legs there is nothing wrong with his mind. A proper education can bring the rest of the world to him, the way your little figures brought him the land of Lilliput.”
    The duke gave a slow, pensive nod. “I had not thought of it like that. I