Page 13 of Bound to a Wicked Duke

“I could never love a man such as he. I could never marry a drunken gambler who sees women as something to possess.”

A moment of silence stretched between them, allowing Madeleine to realize the full venom of her tone and the feelings that backed it up.

“That is understandable,” he said at last. “I agree that he is not for you.”

Well. At least we agree on that,she thought.

“So, you will do this for me, then?” she asked. He cocked his head, studying her face.

“We will do this for one another,” he replied. “Do not forget that it is also my freedom that hangs in the balance. Your act needs to be just as convincing as mine.”

Yes, she knew that very well. This was not to be a one-sided deal.

“If we follow through with this ruse, are you not afraid that you might fall in love with me?” Percy asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Not bothering with politeness, Madeleine rolled her eyes before she stubbornly shook her head.

“Is that a serious question?” she asked.

“Do you believe such a thing is truly impossible?” he asked, clearly full of himself. “Many more experienced women than you have fallen under my spell. What makes you so different?” The tone of his voice held an almost imperceptible edge.

If Madeleine had not known better, she would have thought that his feelings were hurt by the comment. Nevertheless, she continued, “I know you. I know how evil you can be. I was your victim once, remember? Do you know how long it took my nanny to clean that chalk paste from my hair when I was nine? Mother took to bed for days because she thought she would have to sheer my head!”

A low, dark chuckle crept from Percy’s lips, and he took a single step toward her.

“Do you remember what you had done the day before that happened, my little monkey?”

His question, and the affection that crept through his voice as he said her nickname, caught her off guard. Quickly sheflipped through her memories, trying to recall the time. She only remembered the sounds of two boys snickering from above before she looked up, and from the balcony one floor up, he and her brother had poured the bucket of paste directly onto her head.

“I’m waiting,” he purred.

“I cannot say that I do,” she said with a sigh, “but I am sure you will be delighted to tell me.”

Percy sucked on his teeth as he looked her up and down once more, as if savoring the moment of holding the forgotten memory above her head. His eyes might have well been hands the way she felt them rest on her breasts, and she fought the urge to pull her robe closer around her. Perhaps it was a bad idea to come down in her nightclothes, but she figured it would be easier to explain than a full dress so late at night should she be discovered.

“Horse shite.”

“Ibegyour pardon,” she asked, taken aback by the blatant use of such a foul word in front of her.

Percy snickered and took another step toward her, unfolding his arms, so he could slip his hands into his pockets.

“I was staying with your family at your country house for a week, andyou,little miss innocent, decided to get me back forthe previous summer’s trickery by putting horse shite under my pillowandin the pillowcase.”

Madeleine clamped both of her hands over her mouth to stop her boisterous laughter. Her eyes grew wide, and tears formed as she tried to hold it in, and her entire body began to shake with the pent-up sound. Of course, she had forgotten; he had never said anything! Never went running to her parents; never came to her to scream or chastise as Cecil often did when he was bested alone.

“I do not seem so evil anymore now, do I?” he mused, grinning at her reaction.

Madeleine snorted—snorted!—trying to catch her breath and hold her laughter at the same time.

“It was well deserved,” she managed to get out and was both relieved and surprised when Percy let out another low chuckle.

“I suppose it was,” he mused with a shrug. Then his smile dropped, slowly, and a look of intense contemplation took over his face.

“But we are not children anymore. I will keep my antics at bay if you do the same, and I think you will find that when I am not trying to get even, I can be rather…”

He took the last step, closing the space between them, and he reached up to stroke a lock of her hair back behind her ear.

“Tempting.”

---