Page 15 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke

He clicked his tongue, his fingers still playing with the lace. “I never much liked your friendship with my sister. She is a kind soul, a boon to her name. While you...” He twirled the lace through his hands, his eyes fixed on them as if he could not look away. “You are trouble.”

“I am --”

“Never mind the things you say,” he continued, not raising his voice because he did not have to. “You dress as a man and sneak into town. You blackmail me. You...” He chuckled. “You walk right into danger where most women would run. It is no wonder you have remained single all this time.”

“I am single because I want to be.”

“An easy excuse,” he said. “One that sounds acceptable but only cuts to half the matter. As to the other half...” Again, he clicked his tongue, this time stepping in closer. His eyes lifted from her chest and met her own stare, which he held for just long enough to have her body trembling. “It begins with this dress.”

“And I told you, I do not care what you think.”

“It is too tight,” he continued as his other hand lifted, taking more lace. “You have a beautiful figure, Lady Hawkins...” Her eyes widened and she felt herself blush. “This does nothing for it. Here, allow me to demonstrate.”

“What do you – ow!”

Without waiting for permission, the duke seized both sides of the dresses’ corset and yanked it tightly together. She gasped as the duke pulled her into him, forcing the corset to close. This had her bosom squashed and then pressed up, spilling over the front. Or it would have, was the dress not holding it in place.

“You see...” His fingers held onto the lace, keeping the dress closed. “Far too tight. If you are to meet a man who might deem you worthy of marriage, I suggest you find something more appropriate.”

She didn’t know what to say. Or what she could say! He held her into him, their bodies pressed together. He looked down at her, perfectly calm, no sense at all that he was doing anything inappropriate or scandalous. It was as if they were having a conversation about the weather, such was how composed he was. Aurelia, on the other hand, was trembling.

“You... unhand me,” she stammered, breathing heavy.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“I thought you a gentleman,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

“I am,” he said, still holding her together. “A gentleman who wants what is best for you.”

“I do not want your help.”

He licked his lips as he looked down at her. His eyes then drifted downward, over her lips, to her chin, down her neck, and onto her heaving bosom which struggled beneath the corset of her dress. Again, he licked his lips, and he did not need to speak for Aurelia to know what was on his mind.

That alone should have had her crying for help. Perhaps slapping him across the face because this was beyond inappropriate. Aurelia knew she was in her right to do so. That she wanted to be free of this man! And yet...why can I not bring myself to pull away.

She knew why, of course, not that this made things any simpler. What she did not know was whether the duke was doing it on purpose, or if she was simply reading into his actions. She must have been, as there could be no way that he…he is not like that. Surely, not.

Ultimately, the duke made that decision for her.

He released her suddenly and stepped back. Then, he turned and strode toward the door. “That dress will not do,” he said as he reached it.

“I don’t care what you --”

“I will have one sent to you in its stead.” He threw the door open and turned around. “A more appropriate garment that is befitting of you. Make no mistake, Lady Hawkins, I am invested in your future, whether you like it or not. And where you might not want my help, my help is exactly what you are going to receive.” He raised an eyebrow at her, expecting her to argue.

All she could do was stare.

He smiled then and nodded, pleased that he had managed to bully her into silence. After that, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him, at which point Aurelia gasped.

She had no idea what to make of what had just happened. No way to comprehend not just how the duke had acted, but how she had responded. Common sense told her that the duke was simply toying with her, that he enjoyed making her uncomfortable because she was the only person he knew who had seen the true side of him. And yet...

There is more to it than that. I am sure of it. The way he treats me, the way I react, it is almost as is...

She shook her head and dispelled that notion. For it was ludicrous. His only concern for her was the money her family owned, and thus the husband she found for herself. That was where their relationship started and ended. And if she needed another reason to find a suitor and quickly, the chance to expel the duke from her life fully was an added bonus.

ChapterFive

"Istill cannot believe that dress!" Rosalind said as her eyes moved up and down Aurelia’s body.

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