Page 34 of Dueling with the Duke
He had not been able to help himself when the chance arose. He was still unsure if he had made the offer to spend time with an interesting woman or because of the rise he got out of Bridget by teasing her. Perhaps he found enjoyment in both reasons.
He watched Penelope leave to rejoin the others, and then he looked back at Bridget—a woman scorned.
The Duke held up a hand. “Before you say anything, you are welcome.”
“Welcome?” Bridget spat. “Welcome for what?”
“For saving you this morning, for a start, and for promising to accompany you on all future walks. You need not be afraid of anything out in the wilderness, dear Bridget.”
“I was not scar?—”
The Duke interrupted again. “And for not revealing the truth to your mother. I don’t believe she would be happy to know what we were really doing this morning.”
“We did not do anything this morning,” Bridget sniped.
“Did we not? So, I should tell everyone about our ride together and the time alone at the estuary?” the Duke asked.
Bridget looked even more furious but calmed down a little as she thought about it. Nicholas did not want to anger her completely, only tease some emotion out of her.
“You are right,” Bridget relented. “You did help me this morning, and for the very briefest moment in time, you were a complete gentleman. I must also thank you for not revealing the truth to my mother, even if we did nothing. She would only worry about it. How did you know what I had told her?”
“I didn’t, but I guessed it was the right thing to say,” the Duke replied. “Your sister has been talking about it all morning. She finds it very humorous that you tripped and fell into a bush. I can see by your face that you don’t find it as funny.”
Bridget shook her head, and then her lips curled into a small smile. “Perhaps it would have been funny if it had happened. I am glad Margaret is happy. I don’t care what happens to me this weekend, as long as she has a good time.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” the Duke drawled.
Bridget shook her head again, but her anger and frustration were dissipating. The Duke did like a good challenge, and the harder she fought against it, the more he would fight for it. There was nothing much else to do over the next week and a half.
“Are you always this frustrating?” Bridget huffed.
“Some people have claimed so, though many find me absolutely charming.”
“Do they?” Bridget murmured.
“You shall find out on our many walks together over the next week or so.”
“I have gone off walking suddenly,” Bridget replied.
“Or riding,” the Duke suggested. “I saw the way you were on your horse. You love to ride, don’t you? The moors back near London, and the countryside out here. Both are very beautiful.”
“Yes, they are,” Bridget said, and they found something to agree about. “Riding helps me make sense of the world. Sometimes, you just need to escape the world, don’t you think?”
“I do.” The Duke nodded. “Are you starting to feel some of my charm?”
Bridget smiled witheringly, but he could see there was some amusement behind it. She enjoyed the banter.
“Does your brother speak a lot about Margaret?” Bridget asked.
The Duke considered her question. Going by her tone, there was more behind her question.
He decided to tell the truth. “He talks non-stop about her. He is quite taken with her.”
Bridget smiled fully for the first time since they had begun talking. “She has feelings for him. I believe they will be a very good match even if the marriage is an arranged one. She is very happy to be with your brother.”
“And my brother is very happy to be with your sister,” the Duke agreed.
Bridget smiled again, looking toward the main gathering in the garden, and the Duke could not look away from her. Her eyes widened and lit up as she smiled, and her cheeks became rosier. She was more beautiful than she knew, and it was not superficial. She was the most fascinating woman he had ever met, and it made her beauty shine more.
