Page 39 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

In the eyes of her sister and the rest of the world, she was marrying Colin, after all.

“And I do not think that is a good idea at all,” Phoebe finished. “I mean, I would much rather find a man who is my match in temperament. I fear that a duke might be too much for me.”

Alice smiled as Phoebe expressed what happened to be seriously valid concerns. Her younger sister had always been the more sensible of the two of them, and she could see that Phoebe had already taken everything into consideration.

“Well,” she said with a soft smile as she idly twirled her parasol. “You truly do not have to marry a duke if you do not want to…”

“Won’t Mama be disappointed in me?”

Alice pursed her lips. “I daresay she cannot be more disappointed in you than she has been with me—although I suppose that I have recovered my favorable standing with my betrothal.”

Truly, at that point, she was certain that her parents would have settled for any betrothal at all.

“Oh look!” Phoebe suddenly exclaimed. “Is that not His Grace and his other friend?”

Alice turned her gaze in the direction her sister was pointing and found Colin strolling leisurely with Ethan by his side. Her heart did an odd flip in her chest as she looked at him—from his dark jacket defining his broad shoulders to his narrow hips. Her gaze lingered on his lips and hands, which had evoked such a fierce longing in her just last night.

Both men appeared to be deep in a serious conversation of sorts, with Colin’s expression looking far graver than that of his friend. But Colin rarely ever stepped out of Blackthorn Estate.

What were the two men doing out in the Park today?

* * *

“I swear she is going to drive me insane!” Colin muttered as he strode down the paths of Hyde Park. If he had remained a minute more in Blackthorn Estate, his grandmother would have dragged him into her preparations for the house party.

Fortunately, after the Salisbury ball last night, most of Society was still loath to emerge into the public, and the Park was far quieter than it was on regular days. It had given him the reprieve he sought away from his own home.

“You have to admit, it has been years since your grandmother had any cause for attending the London Season,” Ethan pointed out to him. “If it was not for Evie, I doubt she would even step out of your country estate—which you should be grateful for, by the way.”

Of course, Colin was grateful for the reprieve he got the past five years. With his grandmother firmly ensconced in the country, preparing Evelyn for her debut, he had been able to mostly avoid her badgering him into marriage.

Naturally, she did not bring it up so soon after his parents’ death, but of late, Lady Wellington seemed to be putting in a greater effort at seeing both of her grandchildren happily married off.

The key word in all this being happily. Colin did not believe such a thing to be possible for him. Not when his father’s blood still ran through his veins.

“Oh look!” he heard Ethan exclaim with more excitement in his tone. “The daughters of Lord Brandon are also out on this fine day!”

The thought of meeting Alice so soon again after the events of last night sent a fierce bolt of desire through Colin. His hands clenched into fists as he looked in the direction that Ethan was pointing to find two young ladies with their parasols out to shield their delicate features from the harsh afternoon sunlight. However, only one mattered to him.

His gaze narrowed in on Alice, who was dressed in a muted peach gown that brought out the rosiness of her complexion. Her hair had been done simply and elegantly, tucked neatly into a bonnet of the same color as her dress. There was a faint flush in her cheeks that looked most becoming on her, but it was her lips that his gaze lingered on.

Those same lips that he had had the most thrilling privilege of sampling just last night had eroded nearly all his capability for rational thought. All throughout the ball, even in her absence, all he could think about were those lips of hers—and how he wanted more of them.

He shook his head as he and Ethan walked towards the two young ladies. At this point, it would be rude if they were to avoid them entirely and most unusual, considering that he was supposedly so enamored with his betrothed that he had run up to her father to practically demand her hand in marriage the moment he laid eyes on her.

Such a whimsical, romantic lie.

But one that the ton had happily lapped up anyway and one that he was content to perpetuate, if only for his sister’s sake.

He watched stonily as Ethan bounded up to the two ladies, greeting them enthusiastically. It was when Alice smiled at his friend in return that something else stirred in him—a most novel yet unpleasant emotion and one that he found himself being constantly subjected to since he had met Alice Barkley.

He had never thought that a betrothal—even a fake one—could be incredibly vexing.

“What brings you two lovely ladies out on this fine day?” he heard his friend inquire of them.

“Indeed,” he drawled, keeping his sharp gaze on Alice. To her credit, she did not even flinch and met his gaze with a defiant tilt of her chin. “I would have thought that my betrothed would be keeping to her bed after the most crippling headache she had suffered last night.”

He caught the flash of anger in her eyes before she masked it with a brilliant smile. “A bit of fresh air has always been beneficial for one’s health,” she replied flippantly. “After all, if one were to restrict oneself to such stuffy accommodations at all times, it would not only be a predisposition to ill health but a nasty temper as well.”

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