Page 37 of A Night of Passion with the Duke

Help me, she mouthed.

Edward smiled, winking at her. “All right. I’ll play with you.”

Damn you!

She glared at him.

“But I heard Cook was baking cookies and…”

The children ran off before he finished, and he laughed.

Arabella let out a sigh of relief and looked at him then. “Thank you.”

“You lasted far longer than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

She blushed at the praise. “I barely did.” She laughed nervously. “I thought I was going to have to pretend to faint.”

“It was fortuitous I came around, then.”

“Indeed.”

He smiled.

They settled into a comfortable silence that she wasn’t in a hurry to fill.

“How did your day go?” he asked suddenly.

“Good, surprisingly,” she answered sincerely. “You were right about your family.”

“So, what did you like about my family?”

“Your mother is the absolute sweetest, and she has the best stories.”

“What stories did she tell you?”

Arabella smiled mischievously. “She told me about the time you went to swim in the fountain, naked, in the middle of a garden party she hosted.”

He groaned as she laughed.

“You must have been the most adorable five-year-old.”

“I was. I made a few ladies faint that day.”

They shared a laugh.

“I can imagine how proud you must have felt.”

“Oh, I was,” he answered proudly. “I stood with my legs apart on the fountain, proudly showing off the family jewels.”

“Oh God.”

“Have you taken a turn round the gardens?”

“Not yet.”

He held out his arm to her, which she took.

Edward was very knowledgeable of the flora and fauna in the garden and made the conversation light and fun. She was surprised by the charming side he’d shown her.

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