Page 5 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

“You may stay inside if you wish,” she told them.

She was not so callous as to turn a blind eye to their fears. She also did not know how she would be able to explain to her mama or Scarlett’s if one of them ever succumbed to the vapors.

“What nonsense!” Scarlett scoffed instead. “Of course, I am going with you!”

“I do not wish to be left alone,” Phoebe chimed in, biting her lower lip. “And if this beast of a duke does intend to devour us, I gather that we stand a better chance with our numbers!”

“That’s the spirit!” Alice smiled proudly at her sister.

“And right now, it feels like it is about to leave my mortal body.” Phoebe shuddered.

Alice let out a little chuckle, sounding much bolder than she truly felt. Before her lay Blackthorn Estate with its immaculately kept grounds and imposing facade. Half a decade ago, a significant portion of it had been engulfed in a horrible fire, claiming the lives of the previous Duke and Duchess.

It was now their son who resided there—a known rake with a penchant for collecting obscene books.

If he had been just another dissolute dandy, then perhaps she might not have felt that foreboding deep within her gut.

If he had been just another foolish nobleman, traipsing around the Continent, casually throwing around his wealth, before coming home to spend even more of it, perhaps she might not have felt that cold shiver running down her spine.

Alice felt as if there was something else lying behind that imposing facade, a dark beast that slumbered away from the public eye.

And she was the one with the plan to just prod it with a proverbial stick.

“I suppose we have seen all there is to see,” Phoebe squeaked from behind her. “That should be enough reconnaissance for one day.”

“I think I have had enough reconnaissance to last me a lifetime,” Scarlett mumbled in reply.

Just then, they saw a tall man with such broad shoulders stalk out from gardens. His long strides, sure and strong, took him back to the front door of the manor while his dark red cape billowed ominously behind him as if he was some sort of malevolent demon. Even from a distance, Alice could make out the strong line of his jaw.

Unbidden, her eyes drank in the broadness of his shoulders, down to his muscled forearms, until she noted that something vividly red dripped down to his long fingers.

“Oh, dear Lord, is that blood?” Phoebe moaned from behind her in horror. “I knew it! I knew that he eats people!”

Her heart pounding in her chest, Alice was amazed she still managed to stand her ground.

“Oh, do not be absurd, Phoebe,” she reassured her younger sister. “Even if he was up to devouring humans, I doubt he would do so in broad daylight!”

At that moment, the man turned to face them, his eyebrows snapping together in a dark frown.

“Run!” Scarlett breathed, tugging at Alice’s wrist. “We’ve done it now! He’s seen us already!”

But even as she felt her friend tugging insistently at her wrist, Alice could not help but gaze back at him. The tall gates of Blackthorn Estate rose between them, perhaps the only thing that stood between her and the beastly Duke. The wind whipped around them, stinging her eyes.

Only then could she bear to look away.

She shook her head as she hurried back to the carriage after Scarlett and her sister, feeling strangely bereft as she did so.

By the time they reached the carriage, Alice’s chest was burning for air. She clutched at the wooden frame as she fought to catch her breath.

“We are never going back there again!” Phoebe declared, breathing heavily and looking pale as a sheet.

“I… absolutely agree!” Scarlett nodded in support. She glanced meaningfully at Alice, her brow furrowed. “I forbid you from ever going to that horrible place again, Alice! Best friend or not, we are never setting foot in that cursed estate again!”

Well, technically speaking, we did not really set foot on the estate, as we were standing outside of it…

Alice did not say anything else as she inhaled lungfuls of air. The Duke of Thorns had looked every bit as fierce as the rumors said. She could feel the heaviness of his stare even from a distance, could feel his mere presence commanding her to stay rooted in her spot.

Logic should have told her that she should stay as far away from him as possible.

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