Page 22 of Good Duke Gone Wild

But something about the carriage jostled loose in his brain.

He leaned his head back against the wall.

No. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t just the carriage. It was the carriage and his ship.

His blasted ship? He had brought her aboard his pure, magnificent ship?

His head fell to the side, thus casting his line of sight toward the table. Where a single solitary glass rested. A glass she had passed him.

Tearing out of his bed, he frantically looked around. Obviously she wasn’t in the room, he would have felt her presence. Would he have, really? Yes, he would have. But he wasn’t examining that debate and its foregone conclusion now.

Stumbling out of his room and up to the deck, he nearly tripped over his men encircling the Siren. They were sitting there like giddyschoolchildren. She in her mermaid gown, they in their ragged clothes. Her eyes alit and smile glowing, she was regalling them with a tale.

“What is this?” he shouted, making the men jump. “Siren shares a tale? Get to work and get her off this ship.”

And that’s when he noticed his grand mistake—it certainly wasn’t his first error in the situation, but it was the highlight of them all.

Water. Everywhere.

Only water surrounded them until it met the horizon.

“Where the bloody hell are we?”

“We’re on our way to pick up the prin—” Sprat, his first mate answered.

“Blasted!”

“You sent orders to set sail the second you arrived on board. So we did.”

“I did no such thing.”

The defense was instantly deemed futile as Sprat held out a missive in Jude’s scrawled writing. He only recalled now that he had sent it after receiving his orders from Bernard. Damn him for being so efficient.

He grumbled and swayed, knees nearly buckling. After regaining his balance, he stalked toward Agatha. Leaning close, so only she could hear, he hissed, “You did this to me.” Her eyes went wide with fright—no, fire. “My cabin now.” It took every ounce of self control to hold his lips in a tight line and remain silent. He did not need his crew knowing she had drugged him. How would that make him look? He’d lose all respect from his crew.

She gathered her skirts while he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the stairs and down to his cabin.

Only after he closed the door and locked it did he feel comfortable to speak, and even then, in hushed tones.

“You drugged me,” he accused.

“It was only a small amount.”

“You drugged me?” He had thought it was true, but until now he still hadn’t really believed her capable of such drastic measures.

“Oh, I thought you knew. You said—”

“I didn’t know until you admitted it. I can’t believe this.” He raked his hands through his hair, murmuring about how the chit had actually drugged him.

He could have spent all day pacing his room trying to come to terms with the truth that this woman was not to be underestimated any longer, but she broke through his musings.

“You have to believe it.”

Finally, he looked up at her. He could see a small tremble in her lip, and her hands were fisted at her sides, but her spine was straight as she stared him in the eyes.

“What did you say?” he whispered.

“You heard me. Believe it. I’m here to stay.”

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