Page 40 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

Ethan burst into a guffaw at her words and then promptly shut up when Colin shot him a murderous glare. Still, he could not hide his glee.

“Now, how did you ever come across such interesting information, My Lady?” the Duke of Sinclair asked her genially.

Alice’s response was a saccharine smile. “Contrary to what most gentlemen would like to believe, we ladies do know how to read, Your Grace.”

“Although,” Colin interjected with a devious smile, an eyebrow cocked as he regarded her, “I am most certain that Lady Alice’s preference in reading material is not limited to the spheres of wellness and medicine.”

“Indeed,” she shot back, her smile just as crafty as his own. “When it comes to books, one could say that I can be… insatiable.”

Colin nearly reeled when he heard the word rolling out of her lips, calling to mind the image of their naked bodies tangled beneath the sheets…

Insatiable, indeed! She was going to pay for that insinuation—and dearly.

“In that case, you and Colin are well-matched.” Ethan grinned at her. “He has one of the finest libraries in all of England, and his collection of rare books is second to none.”

“Do not say more, Your Grace.” Alice laughed lightly. “Or else the Duke—Colin—might think that I am marrying him purely to gain access to his collection.”

She glanced up at him—a pointed reminder of yet another clause in their agreement.

Of course, he had not forgotten about that specific part. Hopefully, Alice had not also disregarded the part of their agreement where she could only read that particular book from his collection under his supervision.

His grin flashed in response to her challenge. Already, he was looking forward to their first reading session. He could almost imagine how she would react to the more shocking passages in that novel.

And he would enjoy witnessing all of it. That much, he was certain of.

CHAPTER 16

Who would have thought that an engagement could be so annoying?

Colin watched Alice as she laughed with his sister in the gardens of Blackthorn Estate, her hair turning a deep, burnished gold in the afternoon sunlight. The sound of her melodious laughter floated in the air and shook the very foundations of his soul.

With a grimace, he turned away from the idyllic scene of the four young ladies enjoying themselves. It was the first tea party that his sister had hosted since her coming out, and as their grandmother had advised, she kept the guest list to an exclusive minimum. Even with Alice in attendance, he had not deigned to show himself to the other ladies.

In the five days since they appeared at the Salisbury ball to begin the complicated rituals of courtship, he had attended far more social affairs than he had in the last five years and had not seen Alice at any of them. He had survived simply by indulging himself with the sort of fantasies that would most likely shock his betrothed.

As he wrote letters, he casually ruminated on peeling the numerous layers of clothing off her luscious body. He attended an opera with his grandmother and younger sister, and he decided that he would much rather drink in the music of Alice’s breathy moans as he kissed every inch of her.

And they had not even started on that particular novel she had her pretty little heart set on reading. It was right there in his study, waiting for her to open it and discover the scandalous secrets in between its pages.

By the end of it all, he was completely and utterly convinced that the convoluted rituals of courtship and betrothal of the ton were nothing more than devices by which a man must be tormented before he could join his starving body to that of his betrothed.

Except, of course, Alice was not truly his betrothed, and to cross the boundaries between them would end up ruining her.

Or as his grandmother had warned him, send him to the Archbishop to beg for a special license.

To make matters worse, he had caught the Viscountess Pembroke shooting him sultry looks from over her shoulder at every possible chance she got. Perhaps he had not made himself clear enough to her that he had no intention of resuming what they had before. He would not make the same mistake in the future. After all, it was nothing for a Wolf like him to deliver a crushing setback in response to unwanted advances.

Still, it was enough to drive a man—even a Wolf—halfway to insanity.

But he supposed that he did not have to wait overly long, for Lady Wellington had just announced that the special invitations she had ordered for her house party had finally arrived. Lady Alice Barkley, as his betrothed, would be among the first to receive one.

“You look as if you are about to devour the lady.”

He turned around with an annoyed look to find Daniel looking at him with an arched eyebrow. His friend paused to take a sip from his cup, the subtle flicker in his eyes denoting his displeasure with the brew.

“You might want to compose yourself, Blackthorn,” he drawled with a slight smile. “It would be most unbecoming for a Wolf to regard his betrothed like a starving dog eyeing a piece of meat.”

Colin turned away from his friend with a slight scoff. “You must be imagining things in your old age, Ashton.”

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