Page 18 of A Scarred Wallflower for the Duke
“Because I find you rather lovely,” he replied, as though it was the most obvious reason in the world.
Georgina closed her eyes. A part of her longed to believe him. His words sounded so genuine, so sincere. But she knew she would be a fool to do so. She knew she could not trust the Duke of Levinton as far as she could throw him.
She opened her eyes, forcing herself not to look away from him. “I will thank you not to speak to me in such a way, Your Grace,” she said, injecting as much coldness as possible into her words. “Need I remind you I am being courted by Lord Renshaw?”
The Duke laughed. “Lord Renshaw. Make whatever excuses you wish, Miss Wyatt, but I know there is nothing between you and Lord Renshaw.”
Her eyebrows shot up. Had he truly seen through this ruse so easily? Surely not. “How dare you make such accusations! I care for Lord Renshaw very much. I cannot wait to become his wife.”
The Duke chuckled. He planted his hand against the trunk of a tree, close to her head and leaned in toward her. “You are many things, Georgina Wyatt. But you are not a good actress.”
Georgina’s cheeks flushed from his closeness. At the ease with which he had seen through her deception. Did he know what her plans were, she wondered? Did he know she was attempting to scare him away from her family?
Judging by the way he was leaning into her, his nose grazing hers, she was doing a rather terrible job of scaring him away. She tried to scrabble together some sharp retort, some brutal words that would send him fleeing—or at least send him off to finish the damn game of Hide and Seek—but with his breath tickling her nose, she felt incapable of anything resembling coherent thought.
“You are far too arrogant for your own good, Your Grace,” she managed. “Has anyone ever told you that?”
He chuckled. “Yes. I believe it was you.”
“Well. I am sure I am not the only person to have such an opinion.” She stepped out from under his arm, immediately feeling the loss of his closeness.
What is the matter with me? How can I long to be near such a man?
Georgina knew little when it came to such matters, but it was becoming increasingly clear that, in the case of the Duke of Levinton, her body cared little what her mind thought of the man. It was also becoming increasingly clear that she should not be around him at all. At least not alone.
She cleared her throat. “Well,” she said brassily. “If you are not going to search for Lord Renshaw and my sister, I shall have to do it.”
Lydia has had enough time alone with the Baron.
If she was forced to spend another minute alone in the Duke’s company, she would… Well, she had no thought of what she might do. And that was more than a little terrifying.
She began to stride down the path, suddenly desperate to find the others. When she was around the Duke of Levinton, she felt far too close to losing control. And that was a feeling Georgina neither enjoyed nor was used to.
She began to regret the plan she had set in motion. Began to doubt she had the strength and self-control to see it through. At least it would all be worth it to see her sister happily married to the man she loved.
Tangled up in her thoughts, Georgina was only dimly aware that she had strayed onto the road that cut through the middle of the park. Only dimly aware of the thunder of hooves pressing down on her. And when a firm hand grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the path of the horse and rider, she heard herself yelp in surprise. She and the Duke stumbled forward with the momentum, before losing their balance and tumbling into the grass on the side of the road.
Georgina gulped down her breath. “What…” She had landed squarely on top of the Duke’s broad chest. His hand still gripped her upper arm firmly and her face was inches from his. She could feel her skirts tangled around her calves, their legs intertwined.
“You ought to be more careful,” he said huskily. His breath came loud and fast through his nose. “Marching out into the road like that. Could get yourself killed.”
Somewhere in the back of Georgina’s mind was the knowledge that she really ought to get herself out of this incredibly compromising position. Anybody could come past and see them entangled like this. And Heaven only knew what conclusions they would draw. And yet, whether from shock, or disbelief, or the sheer pleasure of being so close to the Duke, she found herself completely unable.
“Thank you,” she managed.
A smile flickered on the Duke’s lips. “Is that all I get for saving your life?”
Georgina swallowed heavily. Like it or not, this incident left her indelibly indebted to the Duke. She did not dare imagine what might have happened had he not pulled her from the path of the galloping horse. “You will have my eternal gratitude.”
His blue eyes glittered. “I would prefer a kiss.”
Georgina heard her sharp inhalation. Had he truly just said such a thing? The rake! Before she knew what was happening, his broad palm was rising up to cup her cheek, and he was pulling her close. The moment her lips touched his, she felt that same rush of energy she had felt in the sitting room at the masquerade ball. She felt her body give in to him, her lips parting willingly, her hands gripping his firm shoulders. The fire he had stirred within her at the ball burst back to life, heat stirring in her belly and creating an ache between her legs.
All too quickly, Georgina caught sight of what she was doing. She shoved him away and scrambled to her feet. Her cheeks were blazing. “How dare you?” she demanded, still a little breathless. “How could you behave in such a depraved manner! And in a place as public as this! Have you no shame?”
The Duke climbed to his feet, dusting loose dirt from the arms of his jacket. “I do not believe I was the only one acting in a depraved manner, Miss Wyatt.” His eyes were shining, and there was a hint of a smile on his lips. Georgina fought the urge to slap the self-satisfied look off his face.
“I was… I…” She shook her head furiously, wild with anger both at herself and the Duke. “I should never have gone near you. You are a rake and scoundrel! If I did not know better, I would say it was your intention to destroy me and my reputation!”
