Page 65 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

By the time Duncan awoke and pushed himself up off of Harlington’s sofa, his recollection of the evening had all but been broken into jumbled fragments that barely fit together no matter how hard he attempted to piece them.

On the other sofa, Fairhaven let out a soft snore, face-down in a cushion as one of his arms spilled down the sofa’s side and onto the floor.

I don't even remember the coach ride that got us here,Duncan sighed.

He swore under his breath when the grandfather clock’s face told him that it was already eleven o’clock. However, he could have guessed as much by the blinding rays that streamed in through the edges of the curtains.

Our drinking bout must have extended well past sunrise.

After gathering his belongings and unceremoniously shoving his boots on, Duncan asked a servant to convey his thanks to Harlington for letting him spend the night.

His head, the sun, and the loudness of the bustling streets all continued to punish Duncan even on the coach ride home.

He felt a measure of relief wash over him as he pushed the front door open and entered the comforting shade, mumbling thanks as Rowley took his jacket.

“I take it that you didn’t get much sleep last night, Your Grace?” a man’s voice called out from the drawing room.

Duncan angled his head slightly and found Mother, Lady Punton, Lady Penelope, and Viscount Gloushire curiously watching him through the partially opened door.

He pushed the door open the remainder of the way and leaned against the frame. “My, my, calling on us again, Lord Gloushire? Isn’t this the third time this week alone? We may have to start charging you for boarding and food,” he retorted.

Mother shook her head in irritation at this ‘joke’, but the other man maintained an innocent expression. “Come now, Your Grace, you know that’s unfair. The dowager duchess was just explaining that you’re barely home these days, so I am simply eating what would have been your portion of the meals here.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Duncan let out bitterly, the heaviness of the alcohol still lingering in his throat. “After all, you already have a history of taking what’s mine.”

“What on earth isthatsupposed to mean?” glowered the viscount, his politeness faltering for a brief moment.

Duncan froze. In truth, he himself didn’t know what he meant by it, nor why his eyes flitted over to Lady Penelope when he said it.

The parchedness of his throat burned so harshly Duncan wondered if he had somehow managed to swallow literal pins and needles in his drunken stupor—if he had, it would have hardly been the stupidest thing he and the others had gotten up to in their revelry.

Bewildered eyes watched his own tired ones, waiting for an answer to Lord Gloushire’s inquiry.

“Tired,” was all Duncan could mumble before turning his back on them, his eyes meeting Lady Penelope’s one last time as he did so. “So tired.”

His wobbly legs dutifully carried him up the stairs but gave out at once when he reached his bed. Tumbling onto it, Duncan sighed into the unused sheets and pleaded with his brain to stop torturing him so.

His brain apparently took pity on him as sleepiness began to fog his vision once again.

So... tiredwas the last thought to cross his mind before he allowed himself to fall into the abyss of unconsciousness.

CHAPTER22

“Here we are!”

Lord Gloushire’s voice startled Penelope in her seat.

“Good heavens, dear! You’re as pale as a ghost!” he gasped, leaning on the edge of his coach seat across from her, reaching a hand to cup her face.

“I’m all right,” Penelope assured him, before intertwining her hands with Mother’s. “But as you can imagine, I am... more than a little nervous,” she confessed.

“While that is completely understandable, there is no need to be so overly anxious. I’m certain they’ll absolutely love you both!” assured the viscount, before turning to Mother. “I do hope you're less worried, Lady Punton.”

“In fact, I’m quite excited, Lord Gloushire.” Mother beamed. “It has been a while since I heard the pitter-patter of little feet.”

Penelope separated her hand from Mother’s so she could place it on her bouncing leg. Despite the reassurance, she was still hesitant to disembark.

It had now been more than a month since Lord Gloushire began officially courting her and everything had been going smoothly. As they grew more comfortable around each other, he eventually revealed that he had two young children.

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