Page 17 of Her Cursed Duke
“Yes, dear. That is likely because you are terrible at them, and you always lose,” his godmother scoffed as Silas, who had volunteered for the role of dealer, dealt out the cards.
“Godmother, please. It is merely that I do not enjoy simply sitting in a single place and engaging in a pointless battle of wits that only serves as a means for my wealth to fill the pockets of another. Rather than stare at a handful of cards and lie through my teeth, I’d rather wander into the woods and shoot an animal.” Aiden sighed tiredly, clearly used to her antics.
“This strangely reminds me of the poker game that had been going on during your birthday party. I have never seen my grandmother so excited before—never thought it would be over the prospect of daylight robbery, nonetheless,” Agnes commented seriously, earning a few laughs.
“Who do you think taught her how to play?” Beatrice winked at Martha cheekily.
The first three rounds ended with Aiden losing the most, and Prudence could not help but snort after his third consecutive loss.
“You really are bad at this, Your Grace.”
“Glad to see my defeat amuses you, my lady.” He glared at her playfully, making her laugh.
Midway through the fourth game, Aiden lifted his head and asked suddenly, “Is that a dog? By the lake?”
His godmother rolled her eyes. “Nice try, darling. No one is going to fall for that. You are still destined to lose, I am afraid.”
But Prudence had decided to look for some reason and heard herself say, “Oh dear, it is! He is too close, he is going to fall in!”
Aiden quickly stood up and began to run to the lake, and without thinking too much about it, Prudence followed him. The dog was wandering far too close to the banks, and if he accidentally lost his footing, he could fall and drown. When they were close enough, they slowed down and tried to coax him to come to them.
But the dog seemed far too agitated to trust them, slowly backing away from their outstretched hands as he barked loudly at them. Prudence faltered, worried that they might not be able to get to him as she tried to think of the best possible way to get him away from the edge of the lake.
With an impatient huff, Aiden stepped forward, hoping to catch the dog and bring him far away from the lake.
“Your Grace—” Prudence saw him move too close to the bank and opened her mouth to tell him to be careful, but it was too late.
The Duke slipped and fell into the lake.
Chapter Six
Aiden landed in the cool water with a loud splash.
“Aiden! Are you all right?”
He turned his head to see everyone gathered by the edge of the lake, his godmother waving at him worriedly. He raised a hand to gesture he was fine and began to swim back to shore. When he emerged from the water, he simply lay on the grass and tried to catch his breath.
“Aiden, darling, I know it is a tad warm outside today, but I do not believe it warranted a swim,” Beatrice commented calmly.
“My apologies… Godmother. I was simply overwhelmed by the intense urge to go for a dip and could not be bothered to think too much about it. I will try not to give in to my desires so easily next time.” Aiden sighed, the corners of his lips twitching when his godmother stooped down low enough, simply to flickhis nose in punishment for his cheeky response, then stood once more.
“Perhaps we should call it a day, hmm? I believe we have had enough excitement for one outing. Any more, and my heart might just fail me.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Please, allow us to accompany you back to your carriage,” Agnes offered as Silas helped Aiden to his feet.
They all began to walk in the direction of Fitzroy House, Agnes and Silas continuing a conversation with Aiden’s godmother, leaving the other two by themselves. Prudence shifted closer to Aiden, cradling the dog in her arms. This close, the creature appeared even smaller, likely a puppy that was no more than a few weeks old.
“Have you always been so clumsy, or did your poor luck at cards simply follow you to cause that accident?” Prudence inquired, staring at Aiden innocently.
She could only risk a single glance at him, before looking ahead again. Aiden was already handsome beyond her understanding, but his drenched state added to his natural appeal. His clothes clung to his skin, emphasizing the strong width of his shoulders and the thickness of his arms as he raised his hands to brush his wet hair away from his face.
Every movement caused his muscles to ripple, and for a moment, Prudence wondered if he would feel as hot as she didif she used her fingers to trace each dip and curve of his body. A little horrified at her improper thoughts, she cleared her throat and told herself to keep her gaze ahead, hoping that he would reply with another joke so she could forget the surge of desire coursing through her veins.
“Perhaps I am having an odd day,” Aiden responded curtly, the discomfort over moving in soaked clothes finally settling in.
“Or it could be that you did not attempt to think things through before you charged toward the lake. What if you twisted your ankle or got a cramp and could not swim back up? What would you have done, then?”
“Prudence, I am fine. And you were able to save the dog, too, by the looks of it. How did you do it?”
