Page 21 of His Duchess' Wicked List

“You wish to know how to cheat at cards,” he continued, expertly shuffling the deck. “And I am just the man to show you how to do it.”

Maddie exhaled slowly, filled with relief. This wasn’t so bad. She was fervently glad that she had added a few less scandalous items to the list—although her parents would probably still be appalled to know their darling daughter wished to learn how to cheat!

“We shall play piquet,” he said in an authoritative tone, placing the pack face down on the table in front of them. “It has a complicated scoring system but has the potential for rather large wins. You draw one card at a time, trying to get as close to the number twenty-one as possible, but without going over. Do you understand?”

Maddie rolled her eyes, trying not to giggle. The sip of brandy, combined with the fact of her being here with him like this, seemed to have gone to her head.

“I am not a dunce, Your Grace,” she stated crisply, picking up a card. “I think I can manage to count to twenty-one!”

“I am so glad to hear it,” he drawled, a sardonic look in his eyes. “We will turn you into one of those high society matrons who supplement their income by holding private card parties.”

Maddie raised her eyebrows. “There are no such matrons!”

“Indeed, there are, My Lady.” He laughed, picking up a card. “I have been to many private card parties, in very well-to-do houses all over the Continent. Impoverished ladies, with grand titles but little else, who need to make a little extra income on the side. Who can blame them?”

“That is scandalous,” Maddie breathed, but she was secretly thrilled to hear such enterprise. “If they were discovered…”

The Duke shrugged, picking up a card. “If they are discovered, they suffer a dent in their reputation, but it does not necessarily ruin it. People understand.”

Maddie glanced at him. He was older than her and so well-traveled. He had a wealth of experience that she could only imagine. What she wouldn’t give to be able to travel around the Continent, just like he had, and have a myriad of colorful, exciting experiences…

“What countries did you visit in your travels?” she asked, curious.

His eyes flickered. “A great many,” he replied, smiling slightly. “But I spent most of my time in France, Italy, and Spain.” His smile widened. “The weather is much better in the Mediterranean countries.”

“What was your favorite place?” she added, trying to imagine it, but falling short.

The furthest place she had ever journeyed to was Manchester, in the north of England, where the weather was even drearier than here.

“I greatly enjoyed Italy,” he said, his face softening as he remembered. “The people are very friendly. And there is a wealth of art everywhere. It seems that whatever small church you venture into, in even the remotest place, has a Michelangelo, Botticelli, or Da Vinci painting on its walls.”

“Incredible,” Maddie gasped, her face alight. “Oh, what I would do to see them all!”

He laughed, picking up another card, and glancing at her with amused eyes. “You wish to travel, My Lady? Or do you just enjoy perusing great art?”

“Both,” she said fervently. “One of my greatest dreams is to see the Sistine Chapel in Rome. But I have also dreamt of journeying to the Far East. To Cathay or Persia, perhaps.” She sighed heavily. “One of my favorite childhood books wasA Thousand and One Arabian Nights.”

The Duke put down his cards, gazing at her, an amused glint in his eyes. “You wish to be an adventuress, perhaps? Riding elephants and camels and finding magic lanterns in bazaars?”

She laughed awkwardly. “You are teasing me, of course. I know that I will never be able to do any such thing.” She took a deep breath. “I am the daughter of a marquess, and daughters of thenobility can never become adventuresses. We have no freedom at all.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Ah, and so now I think I understand why you wrote that list, My Lady. It was your act of rebellion against your lot in life.” His eyes darkened. “Alas, I may not be able to whisk you off to Persia on a magic carpet, but Icanhelp you experience many other things… quite delicious things.”

Maddie’s breath caught in her throat. He was gazing at her with such intensity that she blushed, quickly looking away. She knew exactly what things he was willing to help her experience—they were all written on the list, tucked safely in his jacket pocket.

The air between them thickened once again. She put down her cards. It was hopeless, she couldn’t concentrate at all.

“Are you giving up?” he asked in a soft, teasing voice. “But I haven’t even shown you how to cheat yet. How will you ever become one of those high society madams to boost your income?”

She couldn’t help laughing. “I fear I shall never be one of those ladies! As much as I do admire them.”

He picked up his brandy, drained it, and put down the glass with a thud. “Then perhaps we should skip to the rest of the list,” he whispered slowly. “Or, alternately, we could just repeat number three…”

She was staring into his eyes, mesmerized, as if she were falling into a trance.

Before she knew it, he reached out, taking her head in his hands, and pulling her towards him. His lips descended on her own, claiming them, with an almost arrogant confidence. She could still taste the brandy he had just consumed.

She shuddered, her limbs feeling heavy and warm. He prised open her lips with his tongue, tasting her, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

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