Page 41 of The Duke's Vice

Her skin began to heat despite the breeze.

“It’s from a book.” She took a sip of her punch, hoping to cool herself from the inside.

Graham chuckled. “A book, you say?” He cocked his head to the side. “I read a lot of books, Lady Beatrice. I’m not sure which book you are referencing.”

Beatrice wished for her mother’s fan to hide her face. “It was one of my sister’s, Sarah’s, books. She loves reading stories of love, especially forbidden romance.”

Graham’s eyes darkened. “Forbidden romance?”

Beatrice rolled her lips as she shuffled her feet. For some reason, her body felt foreign to her whenever his gaze focused so intently onto her. Under his microscope she felt exposed and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.

She lifted a shoulder. “Those are her favorites.” Her words came out as a hushed breath.

Graham straightened and swirled the punch in his cup.

“Tell me, are they your favorites, Mouse?”

Beatrice swallowed.

She slowly shook her head from side to side.

“No?” He questioned.

“I like mysteries, adventure.”

Graham nodded absently. “Is that why I always find you in the most precarious places, scurrying around?”

Beatrice could hear the pandering in his voice but was too lost in his eyes to care.

Without allowing her to answer he continued. “So, if they’re not your favorite kind of story, why is a scene from them so stuck in your mind that you wish to recreate it?”

If Beatrice had her wits about her she would have replied that recreating a murder scene would be disastrous for all involved, but her mind played a very different scenario.

All she could see was the words of the opera scene playing out in front of her. A woman and a man alone in an opera box with wandering hands, and long, passionate kisses. Beatrice’s eyes fluttered close as she became lost to the scene.

Graham hummed in interest. “Your face is flushed. What are you imagining, little mouse?”

His pet name for her brought her back to reality.

“The book is ‘To Love a Traitor’ I suggest you read it. It is… enthralling.” Movement from her side caught her eye. “I have to go, my mother is motioning for me.”

Graham tilted his head. “Noted. Farewell, Mouse. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon.”

Graham’s parting words caused Beatrice to misstep. She couldn’t control her body’s reactions to him and something told her that would become a problem the more they see each other.

“Was that the Duke of Graham you were speaking with?” Charlotte said as her fan waved in front of her face.

“It was.” Beatrice tugged at the lace around her neck.

“You danced with him as well.” Charlotte added.

Beatrice shook her head. “Yes.”

Charlotte ran a curious eye over her daughter. “Is there… should I…” Charlotte scrunched her nose. “No. There’s nothing there, right?”

Beatrice laughed. “Heavens, no. I ran into him while I was looking for Jane, hoping she’d remind me of Lord Devlin’s son’s name. I figured since I ran into him on the dance floor that I should accept his offer to dance.”

Charlotte gasped. “He asked you to dance?”

---