Page 13 of Duke in Shining Armor
James took a few deep breaths until the feeling tapered off. He was surprised by the intensity of it, but it had been some time since he had been with a woman, and that must be why he reacted like a schoolboy.
Surely that is the only reason.
His frequent visits to Madame Nicolette were in abeyance, and the stiffening in his breeches declared that he must pay her his respects. Madame Nicolette was a vibrant and energetic woman, and he always left her chamber sated. A visit to her would do just the trick.
No sooner did he have this thought then he received another jolt. Lady Catherine was having dessert, and she proceeded to lick the cream from her lips. Catherine’s delight in her dessert was not purposeful, but rather unfeigned. She was innocent and unspoiled, and she was not attempting to beguile him. She knew not that her simple action provoked a reaction.
James’s damn heart hammered, and acute awareness of her as a sensual woman rushed through his veins. He must tread with caution, for he understood her prospects of marriage would be diminished if she took a lover. James frowned, recalling she had mentioned that she had no wish to marry. Perhaps the lady would be open to…No. He closed his eyes briefly and looked away from her unprovoked enticement. Thehaut tonmay say that he is a cad, but he shall not prove them right. The sound of her voice jerked him from his reverie.
“Do you fancy a game of cards, Your Grace?”
“Cards?”
Catherine smiled slightly.
“Edward and I often played. Of course, it was our secret,” she said with a wry smile. “Let me assure you, we played pennies a point, only for sport.”
James chuckled. She did not cease to amaze him. “What game do you speak of?”
“Baccarat.”
“Then baccarat it is, my lady.”
James summoned another maid to remove the trays and the butler to fetch a deck of cards. He moved the table and placed it beside her while he sat on the opposite side of it. They played a few games and he lost, to Catherine’s evident delight. He was sure the beating he took was a result of his mind being elsewhere. He was happy to oblige her, and she was thoroughly entertained.
James was slightly disconcerted when during the card game they had both reached for a card and their hands touched. It was but a fleeting touch, yet his heart pounded with shattering awareness. Nevertheless, he was more aware of her during the ensuing games. He kept his expression closed, and by the end of the game he convinced himself he had imagined that tingling feeling.
When the evening ended, James wondered at the last time he felt this content. He admonished himself as he should not have these thoughts.
But whyever not?
There would be no harm in spending time with her while she recovered. She was unable to move about so she could not join him for meals, and she must follow the physician’s advice. There would be no point in compromising her recovery. She could not leave her chamber, and there was no one else about to save her from complete boredom. He would take meals with her and partake in a game or two. He was not ashamed to say he enjoyed her company.
This is all it must be, he warned himself when he retired for the night.
The following morning James was in the library when he received news of the coachman, or rather lack thereof. He had put his steward in charge of the search, and the other men reported to him.
“I am afraid we scoured the area, and we did not find the coachman’s body, Your Grace,” the steward reported.
James frowned. “What could possibly have happened to him? Lady Catherine is certain he was shot.”
“I believe those highwaymen sold his remains to the resurrectionists. They would do anything for a coin.”
“If that is so, the coachman is lost. I am aware the resurrectionists trade in corpses so they can be dissected for the practice of medicine.”
As James looked on, he saw the steward use his fingers to make the sign of the cross.
“A most peculiar practice, Your Grace, and a desecration of the body. God help us.”
“Thank you for your efforts. I will inform Lady Catherine of this the next time I see her. She will be disappointed and hurt by this, but it must be done. You may go.”
He knew that Catherine would be upset by the news, and he wished that he could protect her. He did not wish to see her distressed or hurt. At that moment James realized he felt something for Catherine. What this feeling was, he was not quite sure. But he could hardly feel affection for her, after all he’d only just met the bloody woman.
CHAPTER5
Catherine and the duke sat in her bedchamber gazing at the checkers board. Catherine stared at her pieces, contemplating how she would move to the other side and triumph in the game. The duke had given her a sound thrashing thus far, and it appeared he was not inclined to let her win this day. She had been studying the game with such concentration that it took a moment for her to realize the duke was gazing at her.
For a moment the breath stilled in her lungs. She glanced up from the checkers board and their eyes locked, and for a moment neither of them moved. His eyes darted away from her face, and she allowed her eyes to drop. Catherine was unsure of how she should react to the intensity of his stare, but she could not control the warmth that she felt throughout her body. She felt the most peculiar fluttering in her stomach. It was a bit of a strange yet pleasant feeling that she had never experienced before.Well, not exactly. She remembered their hands brushed against each other during a card game, and she felt a little shock followed by this same warm feeling.
