Page 39 of Her Ruse with the Wicked Duke
“Rowan. Good morning, my friend! I was surprised that you were not already up.” Xander laughed.
Rowan gave a fake chuckle and eyed Alice, who was trying to shuffle into her dress while still covering herself with the sheet, and failing miserably.
“I came to inform you that breakfast will be served in the garden.”
“Thank you, my friend. I will be down shortly.”
“Do you know if your Miss Snow drinks tea or coffee? Perhaps I should offer that spiced brandy?—”
“I do not know what she would prefer. You should go ask her.” Rowan gave his friend a tight smile, attempting to get him away from the door. “I must finish dressing. I will meet you in the garden.”
“All right.” Xander gave him an odd look, then looked past him into the bedroom, which was a mess of empty glasses on the table, and misshapen throw pillows where they had just awoken.
Rowan closed the door quickly, leaning against it, laughing quietly. “Would you like help, Miss Snow?”
“It is not funny, Your Grace,” Alice huffed, attempting to get the last wrinkles out of her dress and smooth her hair into a presentable bun.
Instead of arguing with him, she just swung the door open and stormed out of the room.
* * *
“So, Miss Snow, did you sleep well? I had to douse the fire long before I went to sleep. It was scorching hot.” Miss Shelley bit into her biscuit, clearing her plate as she stood up.
“Agreed,” Alice said with a small smile, and Rowan snorted from across the table.
He stood up from his seat, walking around the table, and holding his hand out to her. “Would you and your chaperone care to join me for a stroll in the garden, Miss Snow?”
She felt everyone’s eyes on her and did not want to make a scene, so she nodded hesitantly, taking his hand and letting him lead her away from the table.
Once they made it into the sunny hedges of the castle’s grounds, she let go of his hand, stopping in the middle of the path. She looked at Grace, who gave her a knowing look and directed her attention elsewhere.
“What’s wrong?” Rowan asked, looking at her with a sudden wave of concern.
“I apologize for the way I reacted this morning, Your Grace,” she said, standing straighter. “There is a lot at stake, as you are aware. I just could not seem to remember… Oh, my brother is going to be untameable when I return home!”
“I am fully aware of your situation, Miss Snow. It has been sorted with your brother. At least for today. I sent someone this morning. We both somehow got carried away. It is not anything to be sorry for.”
Before she could stop her mind from wandering, she was suddenly in a memory of the night before. The way his fingers ran across her skin and slipped between her lips, hazed by her drunken stupor, flashed through her thoughts, and she was frozen in place.
She shook her head, shooing away the image when she heard Rowan’s boots step closer to her on the gravel path. “So, we are all set, then? You are still willing to help me?”
“Of course, Miss Snow,” he said, giving her a stare that she could have sworn was looking through her.
Alice flushed under his gaze. “We must head back. They are most likely wondering where we’ve gone.”
“Indeed. What a scandal, two acquaintances going on a morning stroll with a chaperone.” He laughed sarcastically.
“I would say that we are more than simple acquaintances now, Your Grace.”
“And what would you call our relationship, then?” He leaned down to her, staring at her lips.
She rolled her eyes at him before he noticed her lips part, and he offered her his arm with a grin, leading her back toward the outdoor festivities, where everyone was giggling and having conversations of their own. It seemed as though they had not even noticed the pair was gone, to Alice’s relief.
They sat down for a while longer, joining in whatever conversations were finishing up before it was time for the group to make their way inside for parting gestures.
“Thank you so much for coming, Miss Snow.” Xander Yarros bowed deeply, his scars illuminated in the daylight. She had not really looked at him well enough to notice, but the few deep cuts on his face added a certain character to him that she did not realize was so captivating. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my dear friend, despite his attitude toward most things.”
“I truly do not understand how you do it,” Cain Ryder added, giving her his usual boyish smile. “I thought you were mad. At least, now that we’ve met, I can say that you are not entirely disturbed.”
