Page 21 of His Highland Duchess
His head moved forward. His lips found her mouth. His other hand reached up and held the side of her face so she could not pull away. Not that she would have, for the moment their lips touched, Margaret’s entire body seemed to explode in ways she had never felt before. It was like taking a breath of air after having been holding it her entire life. It was like a flower opening to the sun. It was like… it was like…I da nae ken how to describe it. Nor do I care…
Their lips parted, and their tongues danced. A moan escaped her lips. She did not know what to do with her hands, so she kept them by her sides, concentrating fully on the kiss because she did not want it to –
The duke stepped back suddenly. She gasped, her chest seizing from the shock.
“There,” he said with a coy smile. “That is one way to control your mouth, isn’t it?”
“I… that is nae… how dare –”
“Tonight,” he spoke over her. “You will join me and my daughters for supper.” A raised eyebrow, daring her to argue. “Unless you have somewhere else you need to be.”
“N – nae,” she stammered, her mind fractured from her body for she was still stuck on that kiss.
“Good,” he said. “I will see you then.” And with that, he turned and strode from the room, throwing the door open at which point Miss Pinpoint and her helpers swarmed back in.
And as for Margaret? She stood frozen. Mouth hanging open. Eyes wide. Heart hammering. No idea what to make of what just occurred. No idea what she should think or how she should react. The only thing she did know was that she understood her husband about as well as she’d suspected she did. That was not at all.
But then again, it is nae as if I understand myself right now either. A very strange marriage indeed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It would be no exaggeration to say that Lysander’s breath left his body when Margaret appeared in the dining room that evening. She was dressed in a green pelisse that darkened in color the further down her body his eyes drifted. The frills that adorned the skirt were purple. Cinched at the waist, it exemplified her curves in all the right ways. And the neckline, while not plunging, showed just the right amount of skin so that Lysander could not help but gawk.
“Margaret!” Aurelia cried and jumped to her feet. That she had used Margaret’s proper name was a problem, and something he would usually reprimand his daughter for. But he did not have the breath to do so.
“Guid evening,” she said with a shy smile as she waded into the dining room. “I hope I am nae late.”
Lysander’s pulse was rising. Still, he found he could not stop staring at her. Her hair was auburn in color, worn loosely and curled, shimmering in the candlelight. Green eyes thatwere piercing and mischievous. A dusting of freckles across her button nose. And those full lips…kissing her was a mistake. But one I would like to make again.
A shake of the head brought Lysander back into the room, and he forced himself to concentrate. The kiss had certainly been a mistake, not something he had planned on doing, but an impulse that had come upon him because he was beginning to find that where Margaret was concerned, and that sharp tongue of hers too, he struggled to control his most base instincts. Which was a serious problem.
“You are right on time,” he assured her as he rose and gestured to the seat at his right. “Please.”
She continued to smile shyly as she made for the seat. On the way, she touched Aurelia on the shoulder, and his daughter beamed.
“And ye must be Lenora,” she said next to his youngest daughter. “I have so been looking forward to meeting ye properly.”
“Your accent,” Lenora giggled. “Aurelia told me — I wanted to hear it.”
“I hope I da nae disappoint,” she laughed as she sat down.
“I am sure you won’t,” Lysander said, clearing his throat and finding his composure. “That is a lovely dress. I take it to be one of Miss Pinpoint’s?”
“One of the less audacious ones,” she said. “I thought for tonight, it was best to err on the side of caution.”
“A good idea, I think. I know Miss Pinpoint has an…” He chuckled. “Interesting style. But if the rest are nearly half as entrancing as that, then I made the right choice hiring her.”
“Indeed.”
Margaret eyed him curiously. And with great caution. She could not bring herself to look at him directly, but he caught her glancing every few seconds before looking away. No doubt she was still thinking about that kiss and what it meant.As I have been, too, for I am not even certain how it happened.
Lysander was caught in two worlds, and he could see them colliding before his very eyes. On the one hand, he wished to keep Margaret as separate from his life and world as was possible. She would be gone from here soon enough, at which point he could get back to the way that things had been. That was the safe option. The right option, he knew. On the other hand…
He also wanted her to enjoy herself while she was here. He needed this marriage to appear natural, for the sake of the ton and his reputation, if nothing else. He could not keep her hidden away. He could not pretend as if she did not exist. It was a fine line that he needed to tread. One fraught with danger.
On top of all of that, his daughters were already taking a liking to her.
“What is Miss Pinpoint like?” Aurelia asked once they were seated. The members of staff were busy pouring them drinks, and soon food would be served.
