Page 60 of A Virgin for the Duke of Thorns

“If he did, then Grandmama would have him scurrying to the Archbishop for a special license posthaste!” Evie affirmed with a nod. “I shall make sure of it myself!”

Alice hardly believed that even the formidable Dowager Countess of Wellington could force Colin to do something against his will, but she just nodded as her two friends expressed their approval of Colin’s restraint.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned slightly to find Phoebe looking at her with some concern. “You… are not disappointed, are you, Alice?”

“Of course not!” Alice replied quickly. Much too quickly, for it drew the attention of the two other young ladies as well. She immediately lowered her voice and leaned in. “I would not have known how to explain why His Grace would be walking with a limp if he did!”

Evie burst out in laughter. “I knew there was a reason I liked you at first glance!” she exclaimed, happily clapping her hands together. “It is a shame regarding your arrangement with Colin—I would so have loved to gain a sister in you, Alice.”

Her words warmed Alice’s heart, and Alice found herself longing for the same things that Evie had expressed. A real betrothal to Colin, however, was nothing but a lovely fantasy. He had expressed early on that he had no such intentions of marrying her—or anyone else for that matter.

A pity. He would have made a young lady exceptionally happy.

And that was definitely not because of what she had experienced at his hands…

The thought of it made her cheeks bloom wildly with color, and she instinctively squeezed her legs shut, as if that simple motion could dispel the memory of his fingers in her most intimate place.

“Alice, are you all right?” her younger sister asked her with a frown.

Alice smiled wanly in reply. “Y-yes, I am. It is probably just the heat and being outdoors…”

Scarlett glanced suspiciously at her. “Eh? But it is not that hot if you ask me…”

Fortunately, it was at that time that a horn sounded, announcing the end of the hunt. An excited gasp arose from the crowd of young ladies. One even let out a faint squeal which caused Alice to wrinkle her nose a little.

The Dowager Countess’s claim that the winner would be able to claim all of a young lady’s dances for the ball that night had ignited something else amongst those in attendance. There were many who had suitors amongst those who participated in the hunt. Besides those, the four Wolves—all of them dukes—had also participated.

The rules of etiquette dictated that a young woman dancing with a certain gentleman twice in one night was showing him particular attention, and practically a declaration that they were soon to wed. Three times would have caused a scandal.

Unlike all the others around her, Alice did not harbor such romantic fantasies. She had seen Colin just earlier, had witnessed firsthand his disdain for hunting. In truth, she was a bit relieved about it, as she hardly found the notion of shooting hapless prey entertaining. In that aspect, she could concede they were well-matched.

In other aspects…

She shook her head and smiled ruefully to herself. It did not really matter if they were well-matched or not. If Colin had no desire to wed, then there was hardly any point to it.

She could only wish that things were different. That he would see her and feel differently about marriage.

As for now, she hardly felt any excitement over the results of this hunting competition.

* * *

Couldn’t Grandmother have chosen something else besides hunting?

Colin trudged miserably back to the picnic grounds with nothing to show for the past few hours he had been wandering aimlessly around in the woods. He had not lied to Alice when he said that he knew this place like the back of his hand, but he truly loathed the concept of hunting overall.

His father had been an avid hunter when he was alive, and whatever the man enjoyed doing, Colin made certain to develop an abject aversion towards it. His grandmother knew this very well, and he was sure that she had some ploy up her sleeve for her to include hunting in the house party’s activities.

She really did not think I would win just to claim Alice’s dances for the entire evening, did she?

Even if he did not win, there were ways he could dissuade her from dancing with any other gentleman tonight.

Like monopolizing her attention.

He shook his head when he realized the direction his thoughts had taken. He was supposed to be avoiding her and the bewitching effect she had on him, not devising ways in which he could monopolize all of her attention!

“That was a rather poor showing of skill right there,” Daniel remarked quietly, falling into step with him.

Colin smiled sardonically at his friend. “As the host, I could not possibly win all the challenges my dear grandmother set forth, could I? That would be the height of injustice, and nobody else would find enjoyment for the rest of their stay.”

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