Page 6 of A Night of Passion with the Duke

“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Edward said, reaching for Sarah’s extended gloved hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

“The pleasure is all ours, Duke,” the Duke of Ridlington said, bowing his head slightly.

Edward returned the gesture.

“Sarah, where is our dear sister?” Lord Thorne asked, almost sounding displeased.

“No need to worry, Brother, she is in the powder room, freshening up,” the Duchess said with a glimmer in her eyes. “Oh, look, there she is now.”

Edward and Lord Thorne turned around to look in the direction that Sarah was pointing in.

Perhaps coming there sincerely was a mistake. When Edward laid eyes on their sister, it took everything in him to control the raging flow of sinful desire poisoning his brain. The woman, who looked to be a few years younger than her sister, was easily the most divine creature at this party.

She wore a yellow, babydoll-styled dress (which was a rather uncommon color to see at such parties) that left much to the imagination, although Edward could tell she was a bit more curvaceous than other young women her age. Her dark brown hair was curled in tight ringlets that hung just above her collarbone, and her skin resembled that of her sister’s, though it was slightly more tanned. Perhaps she enjoyed the outdoors.

As she made her way to the group, her eyes never left Edward’s. He attempted to read her, but her bright blue eyes made it hard for him to come to any conclusions. She seemed almost playful with him in the way her eyes roamed over his body, and it did nothing to quell the burning heat in the pit of his stomach.

“Your Grace, this is my younger sister, Lady Arabella,” Lord Thorne said. “Arabella, this is the Duke of S?—”

“Soulden, I’ve heard,” Arabella interrupted with a small smile. She bobbed a deep curtsy for Edward and bowed her head.

Lord Thorne sighed. “I apologize for my sister’s impertinence, Your Grace. She did not learn that from me.”

Edward let out an amused chuckle and reached for Arabella’s hand. “I find humor is a good quality in a lady.”

He made eye contact with Arabella as he pressed a tender, lingering kiss to her gloved hand, shocking her somewhat, as a gesture this tender was usually kept between engaged couples.

Arabella’s cheeks turned rosy-red, and it was not from the rouge she had clearly just put on.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she murmured, bowing her head again.

Edward was confused by the mix of emotions flooding his system. The primal, animalistic part of him wanted to take her to his bed and ravish her in ways she had probably never experienced before. But the proper side of him wanted the chance to get to know her. He didn’t often feel this way with most women he interacted with, but something about the look in Arabella’s eyes told him that she is worth getting to know, even if it was only for tonight.

He noticed the dance card tied to her wrist by a pale, yellow ribbon. He pointed at it and said, “I sure hope that your card is not full yet.”

Arabella gave a near-mischievous grin and opened her card for him to see. “If you would like, you could be my first dance for the evening, Your Grace.”

“I would be honored, My Lady.”

ChapterThree

“Tell me, Lady Arabella, do you usually turn so many heads at these gatherings?” the Duke asked, turning to face her once they were on the dance floor.

Arabella could barely suppress her jitters, as she had never danced with a man who had gained her attention much like this duke did.

She tried to keep her hands from shaking in his, but her eyes could not stop admiring how his long, elegant fingers held her gloved ones. Her mouth went dry when she noticed one of the tendons in his fingers flex.

As they spun on the dance floor, more heads turned to look at them, and whispers arose around them. Arabella wondered about their continued attention but said nothing.

Her cheeks reddened when she remembered he’d asked her a question, and she smiled.

“Your Grace, surely you are not insinuating thatIam the one drawing the attention? From what I remember, you don’t often come to events such as this.”

She wanted to clap a hand over her mouth at how plainly she’d spoken.

The Duke raised an eyebrow but laughed humorously. “While you may be right about that last part, I do not think I am the one attracting all of the attention from the gentlemen here tonight,” he answered with a small yet playful grin.

Arabella’s heart skipped a beat. His smile was so attractive, his teeth shining white, and his lips full and teasing. She wondered briefly if they’d be as soft as hers. She noticed a light dusting of hair on his upper lip and tried to imagine him with a mustache.

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