Page 19 of His Duchess' Wicked List

And then, they were gone.

Maddie collapsed into a seat, her heart racing. She felt sick and frightened and enormously excited, all at the same time. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the day. She was certain it was going to drag interminably.

She knew she had made a deal with the devil. She couldn’t even pray for guidance. For everyone knew that if one made a deal with the devil, then the grace of God was lost, perhaps forever.

After dinner that evening, Maddie told her family that she had a headache and that she was retiring for the night. Her heart was beating frantically as Jane undressed her and she slipped into her night attire. It was only after she had dismissed her lady’s maid, firmly locking the chamber door, that she sprang into action.

Frantically, she rifled through her wardrobe, selecting her plainest, darkest gown. She didn’t want to be hampered by it, nor did she want to be seen. She was planning to slip out of the house via the back entrance to meet the carriage in the mews—if she went ahead with it, of course.

Maddie blew out her candle, getting into bed fully clothed so as not to arouse suspicion. If anyone passed her room, there would be no candle burning. They would assume she was fast asleep, and they would not disturb her. The remaining hours, until the appointed meeting time, seemed to crawl by, as if they were years instead of hours. Her mind was racing with frantic worry.

What if I am caught? What if the carriage is not waiting in the mews? But then, what if it is, and I must go through with it?

She stared up at the dark ceiling, feeling sicker by the minute. There was simply no way she could go through with it. She would simply get up and change again and this time really go to bed. She supposed that if the carriage arrived, it would just wait and then leave if she didn’t show up. The Duke would be disappointed, but he must be half expecting that she wouldn’t do it. And she didn’t owe him anything, anyway. He was a rake and must be used to women slipping out of his grasp, from time to time.

If only I had not written that infernal list!

She still couldn’t believe that she had done it, and the unexpected consequences of it. It was written in a fit of high spirits and bravado, a fit of rebellious yearning, chaffing againstthe chains of her repressed upbringing. She didn’t know now whether she had ever intended to go through with it. If the Duke hadn’t found the list, she would probably have ripped it up eventually, throwing it in the fire, for fear that anyone discovered it.

Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.

The cautionary words from Aesop’s morality tale slipped into her mind. She had never quite understood it before. Why would anyone regret their wish coming true? But now, she knew. It was a double-edged sword, indeed.

Just before the appointed hour, she got out of bed, pulling the quilt high to look like she was still within it. Her heart was pounding so loudly that it sounded like a drum in her ears. She put on her cloak and slipped out the door, heading towards the back exit of the house on tiptoe.

All was quiet. It seemed everyone had retired for the evening, even the servants. She almost collided with a dresser, before quickly avoiding it. She only breathed out when she made it to the back door, entering the gardens.

It was a cool, clear night, with a bright full moon lighting the way. Maddie slipped the hood of her cloak over her head, making sure that her face wasn’t visible. She had to push and pull at the small gate connecting the house to the mews before the latch finally gave way.

The mews was quiet, too, and very dark. The only sound she heard was the faint nicker from a horse in the stables. She cast her eyes down the narrow alley.

There was the carriage, waiting at the corner, cast in shadow, looking like a giant black bug in the darkness.

Maddie stopped abruptly, staring at it. This was the point of no return. If she climbed into that carriage, her fate was sealed. She could still return to the house and forget that this had ever happened. That would be the most sensible thing.

Her heart seized with indecision. Oh, Lord, how on earth was she going to make up her mind?

CHAPTER 9

“You came,” a deep voice threaded with amusement said just behind her. “I wasn’t at all sure that you would.”

Maddie started, her heart beating wildly. Slowly, she turned around. There he was, the Duke of Everly, tall and almost fierce in the darkness. She couldn’t even see his face.

She gazed around, blinking rapidly, trying to see. The carriage had deposited her at the side of the house in the mews. It was so dark. The light from the moon wasn’t visible there. It struck her forcibly that this was the most daring thing she had ever done in her life.

“Here I am,” she echoed, squaring her shoulders, trying to sound braver than she felt. “Where?—”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence. He put a finger on her lips, bidding her to be quiet. Quickly, he took her hand, pulling herdown a dark path. She could barely see anything but was sure that they had entered the house through the back entrance.

She could just make out its high wall, the dark windows with the curtains firmly shut. It was as silent as a grave.

Oh, Lord.Selina is asleep in there, blissfully unaware that I am walking hand in hand with her brother. What would she think if she knew? And where on earth is he taking me?

The answer to the last question was becoming evident. She saw a glimmer of light flickering in the darkness. It was emanating from an outbuilding on the property. She balked, pulling up short.

“You are taking me to a-agarden shed?” she stammered, appalled and alarmed.

He gave a bark of laughter. “No, My Lady. Never fear, it is not a common shed where gardeners store their tools.” He stifled another laugh. “Come along. All will be revealed.”

---