Page 9 of Wedded to the Ruthless Duke

When she stared at the Duke, she saw everyone in that moment who had ever said a word against her behavior. She thought of her mother, of the maids that sometimes looked at her in incredulity, and she saw the women of thetonwho couldn’t believe the number of times she managed to drop things in her life or fall flat on her face.

He is just like the rest of them.

Tears prickled her eyes in her anger, but she would not let them fall.

“What I was doing does not matter. Only know that your intervention was not welcome,” she said darkly.

“Well, we both know you never welcome my presence,” he replied knowingly.

“A feeling that I am sure is mutual.” She had often seen him staring at her when she arrived at his house for her meetings with his sister.

She knew the disapproval, the probable outrage at the gowns she wore or the way she behaved. “If you would excuse me.” She turned away, once again intent on making her exit though she did not get far.

“You were trying to kiss him?” There was outrage in his tone as he somehow sprinted in front of her and blocked her path. Grace began backing up as quickly as she possibly could, but he pursued her, moving forward.

“I have never seen you in such a fury.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

“I didn’t need a first for this!” Deciding the bench was her best option to put an obstacle between them once again, she rounded it, and he halted on the other side.

“Why were you trying to kiss him?” he hissed at her quietly, so angry now that his shoulders rose and fell with each heavy breath. “That man? You want to kissthat man?”

“Why should it matter to you whom I kiss?” She tried to stand taller, move her hands to her hips, and adopt some notion of dignity in this mad situation though that feeling evaporated when she saw him scowl.

“Him?” he laughed. “Something tells me you do not know who you were really trying to kiss at all.”

“Why should any of this matter to you?” she challenged again. “Leave me be, Your Grace.” She stomped off from the bench, yet the Duke was even faster this time.

“Why would you want to do it?” he asked, walking forward as she walked backward. They ended up in a strange cat and mouse game around the bench.

“It was a dare, all right? Just a dare. It was just something I was going to do. It doesn’t matter.”

“A dare? Dear God, do not tell me this is one of Lady Celia’s dares again? This game you are all playing is as childish as anything.”

Grace had no answer for such a thing. She didn’t need to feel anymore belittled by the Duke than she already did. After a few seconds though, as she watched him shake his head in despair, she found her voice.

“As childish as your behavior now?” she asked. “Poking your nose into things that aren’t your business?”

“Did you do this dare to please Celia?” He ignored her questions and pushed on with his own. “Or did you want to know what a kiss was like?” He got closer to her. In amazement, Grace backed up.

She stumbled a little on the earth but managed to catch her own balance as Philip pursued her. They abandoned their place by the bench and ended up in the middle of the lawn. “You wanted to kiss a man, Grace? To know what the thrill would be like?”

“No one was forcing me to do this,” she hastened to explain, aware that he had somehow closed most of the distance between them now and that she couldn’t back up fast enough. “Yes, I was curious. I wanted to know something of it.”

“Then why him — of all people!” He waved a hand madly in the direction in which Lord Morton had made his escape.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Your Grace, I do not exactly have men flocking to my side, do I?” She came to a halt, deciding it was time to stop retreating from him. He stopped too, just a few inches in front of her. So tall, he was intimidating in his dominating height over her.

Is this what he is trying to do, intimidate me into a confession?

“That’s your answer?” he spluttered. “He’lldo because there is no other man interested?”

“Enough.” She raised her hands in the air in a surrender position. “Enough, Your Grace, or all your shouts will bring everyone to us.”

His eyes widened. He took a small step back then spun in a circle, plainly checking every gap in the yew bushes that led to their spot in the lawn. He plainly feared their discovery.

“Oh, now I see,” she mumbled.

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