Page 35 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

Colin did not reply as he stalked off to find the first footman with a glass of wine. He had thought that a kiss would be just the right course of action to subdue Alice—and his inexplicable attraction to her.

Who would have thought that it would only serve to stoke the flames of his desire for her?

He had miscalculated—and grossly at that. Lady Alice Barkley was a force to be reckoned with, and ridiculously enough, she was even mostly unaware of it—and that made her even more dangerous for his sanity.

And his fraying control.

Daniel was right—he was going to need more than two drinks if he was to last the night.

As to how he was going to last the entire month, that was another problem…

CHAPTER 14

What the bloody hell did I get myself into?

At the outset, the plan had been simple. Enter a fake betrothal with some nondescript debutante with a good enough reputation to salvage his own—preferably one that he can control and keep in line—end the said betrothal once Evie had successfully come out in Society, then step back and enjoy the fruits of his farce.

The one error that threw a wrench into his carefully crafted plans? Lady Alice Barkley.

He had thought that she would be biddable. He should have known right from the start that a woman with the audacity to sneak into a man’s estate to pilfer a libertine book would be anything but biddable.

He had thought that blackmail would work. He had thought that enticing her compliance with the book she wanted would get her in line.

Now, he was roiling in the misery of his unfulfilled desires.

He downed the rest of the wine in his glass and set it on a passing footman’s tray before snagging another one.

“Oh dear, if it isn’t the Duke of Thorns himself,” a low, teasing voice sounded from behind him. “You are looking a little frustrated, Your Grace. A pity that your betrothed could not finish what she started…”

He whipped around to find a voluptuous woman in a dress of deep midnight velvet that set off her creamy skin. A heavy necklace of sapphires as large as a baby’s fist was draped around her neck. Her red lips curled into a smile, her blue eyes narrowing as she regarded him the way a panther on a prowl might.

“Lady Pembroke,” he said stiffly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She laughed, the sound low and husky for a female. “Lady Pembroke? I remember that you used to call me by a different name.”

One that was not appropriate in public.

He had been young, then, and so was she. Unlike Colin, however, Lady Esther Swinton had always known what she wanted, and they both acknowledged that it was something that he could not give her.

“Where is your husband?” he asked her casually, noting the brief flash of anger in her glittering blue eyes. “He does not mind my talking to you?”

“Oh, somewhere in the vicinity, perhaps,” she remarked in a droll tone. Her smile deepened as she stepped closer to him. “And why would it concern you if he does mind your talking to me? I seem to recall how such trivialities never bothered you before.”

Colin grimaced as he subtly twisted away from the lady’s advances, earning him a slight scowl. The past was vastly different from the present. He was no longer interested in anything that she had to offer. In fact, it would only serve as a huge detriment to Evelyn if he was to be found consorting with the wife of the Viscount Pembroke, especially since he was already supposedly enamored with his betrothed.

Lady Pembroke let out a soft sigh, a slight pout beginning to form on her lips as she gave him a look dripping with sham sympathy.

“If you ever need something, anything, that your prude of a betrothed cannot provide,” she purred, inching closer to him, “all you really need to do is ask me, Colin. You know that I can give you what you want. What you truly need.”

Colin grasped the hand that had managed to trail provocatively up his chest and dropped it with a barely restrained look of disgust. “I appreciate your generosity, My Lady, but you cannot even hope to compare to my betrothed.”

He turned around and walked away. There was no point in being gentle or mindful of her feelings if she was going to be persistent to the point of disbelief.

“Colin, wait!” Lady Pembroke clutched at his arm, her eyes pleading with him. “Just… stay a while longer with me, please. You have been in hiding for so long, and I have missed you terribly…”

To shake her arm off would be the height of rudeness. If he had not promised his grandmother and Evie that he would be on his best behavior, then he would have had no qualms at all giving Esther Swinton the most embarrassing cut direct of her entire existence.

“Why don’t we talk just a little more,” she offered him. “As friends.”

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