Page 93 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

Even if they still did make her toes curl whenever she recalled them.

She clenched her hands into fists. In any case, he had already gotten what he wanted out of her, and he had already made himself clear that he had no such intentions of marrying her in spite of all that she had shown him.

It would simply be the height of foolishness if she was to pretend to be gracious to him should they cross paths, and Alice was already done being an absolute mooncalf for Colin Fitzroy.

“Mama, did we invite the Duke of Blackthorn over?” Phoebe asked with a confused look as she walked into the parlor.

“Heavens, no! I just sent him on his way.” Lady Brandon shook her head. “He insisted that I did not need to see him out the door. Is something the matter?”

“Is he back?” Alice asked bitterly.

Phoebe shook her head. “Well, he is still outside…”

Alice swiveled in her seat to face her sister fully, her hand coming down hard on the pianoforte’s keys, resulting in a resounding clang that terrorized her sister’s poor ears.

“What do you mean he is still outside?” she cried.

“See for yourself.” Phoebe smiled, walking over to the windows.

Alice stood up and hastened over to peer down. True enough, Colin was still standing there resolutely. She could vaguely make out something tucked under his arm, but the moment she saw him, she disdainfully turned away.

“I do not see who he is trying to impress with such a display!” she remarked acidly.

Her sister laughed gently and shook her head. “Is it not obvious?” she teased. “He is trying to impress you, of course.”

“Well then, he is simply wasting his time.” Alice sniffed. “Because I have no intention of ever seeing him again.”

“He seems rather resolute, though,” Phoebe remarked with some amazement. “I gather he has been there for quite some time. And it looks like it might rain anytime soon…”

If it rained, then he was going to be drenched and risked the chance of catching a cold. On the one hand, she wanted to tell him to leave before the rain started to fall. However, a part of her was still much too hurt to face him so soon. Alice frowned and clenched her hands into fists.

“If it rains, then he might finally have the common sense to leave,” she told her sister. “I have already told him that I do not wish to see him anymore.”

Phoebe gave her a meaningful look but refrained from saying anything contradictory. “If you say so,” she said gently. “But if you do not listen to him, then you might never know what he has to say.”

There was a part of Alice that did long to go to him and hear what he had to say, but she could not bear to be hurt a second time. That one blow had been enough to wound her for a long, long time to come. She might not survive a second blow.

She had already chosen him over her dignity and her better judgment. This time, she was going to choose herself.

CHAPTER 39

A gentleman could hardly be moved to do so much for a lady—a rogue, even less.

Thus, it was with this adage in mind that Alice convinced herself that there was no way Colin would remain waiting for her outside the manor.

After all, there were a great many more things that could better occupy his time than waiting for me.

It was such a dismal and sobering thought that she apparently required such little effort on his part when she had already thrown herself at him. She would never be so foolish as to do so again.

On that thought, she would also never give her heart to another man for as long as she lived.

“Will there be anything else, M’Lady?”

Alice watched as her maid set the silver-backed hairbrush back on her vanity. Her mama had accompanied Phoebe that night to a private ball, while Alice had stayed behind, claiming to have some dreadful headache that would render her far too irritable to be good company.

A quick glance at the clock on the mantelpiece told her that it was still a little early—as far as these balls went—but it should not be too early for the gentlemen’s clubs.

He is most probably in one of those right now.

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