Page 7 of His Unwanted Duchess

“My dear, one does not make a deal with the devil and then argue over the terms,” he said softly. “A favor is what I request. In exchange, I will provide you with information to free you from your engagement. No more, no less. Do you agree?”

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding.

What if I said no? What if I simply got up and walked out, and relied on my own wits to save myself? He wouldn’t chase after me. He doesn’t seem like the chasing type. At least, I hope not.

She shivered, a fact that those sharp green eyes noticed.

“I agree,” she said, her voice wavering.

His gaze lingered on her face just for a moment or two, and she started to worry that she would be the one to look away first.

“Good,” he said abruptly, turning away so sharply it made her jump. “We have a deal. You must not come back here, MissHaversham. If you do, I shall consider our deal null and void. Wait for me to approach you. Now, I shall send you home in one of my carriages.”

He crossed the room to where a velvet bell pull hung, giving it a sharp tug.

Beatrice found her voice. “No, I can’t go home in your carriage.”

“You cannot walk, Miss Haversham,” he responded. “I am not such a blackheart as to send a woman like you out into the London streets at this hour.”

She wondered briefly what he meant by“a woman like you.”Was it a compliment or an insult?

“Well, I cannot arrive home in a carriage withyourcrest on it, can I?”

He paused, tilting his head to the side. “That is an excellent point, Miss Haversham. Nicely done. Well then, I shall secure a cab for you.”

Beatrice found herself rising to her feet, pulling the folds of her cloak more securely around herself.

“I meant to ask before, but… but what if there isn’t anything?”

He frowned. “What on earth do you mean?”

“I mean about the Marquess. What if there aren’t any… any hidden vices or sins? You won’t make things up, will you? If he is an innocent man…”

He chuckled low in his throat. “My dear Miss Haversham, one thing I have learned in my lifetime is that there is no such thing as aninnocent man. I have never had to make anything up. There are always sins to uncover, and from what I already know of the good Marquess, I am fairly confident that wedding bells will not ring out for you and him anytime soon.”

She let out a long, slow breath. “Good. That’s good. And I would like to repay the favor as soon as I can if it suits you. I don’t like to be beholden to anyone.”

The Duke allowed himself a small smile. His smiles, she noticed, never quite reached his eyes. There was a hardness there, a sort of tired determination that spoke of a man too jaded inside to ever be shocked.

Stop it,she scolded herself, giving herself a little shake.This isn’t a novel. This is real life, and in real life, villains are just villains. This was necessary, that was all. But nobody can ever know that you have done this. Nobody, not even Anna.

Beatrice wasn’t entirely sure what made her extend her hand, palm turned to the side for a handshake.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Your Grace,” she said.

The Duke stared down at her hand as if she were offering him something in a closed fist and he was trying to figure out what was inside—a coin or a spider.

Slowly, reluctantly, he extended his hand too. His cool skin pressed against hers, and long fingers wrapped around her hand. She felt the brief icy coldness of a signet ring against her skin, the faintest pressure, and then he withdrew his hand abruptly as if he’d been burned.

She almost felt the burn herself. Her skin tingled and prickled unaccountably at his touch. She tried her best not to think about it.

The door opened soundlessly behind them, and the same tall, blank-faced butler appeared.

“Mouse, hail a cab for Miss Haversham,” the Duke ordered. “A safe one. Pay the driver well, and ensure that she returns home safely. That is all. Goodbye, Miss Haversham.”

Beatrice found herself hustled out of the room and down through the house before she could say another word. When she climbed into a cab on the silent street outside, something made her pause and twist to look up at the house.

Most of the windows were dark, but at least one window was lit. The Duke stood in that window, staring down at her. He watched her until she was inside the cab, and then the driver pulled away, and the house and the Duke disappeared from view.

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