Page 19 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
Those wins fed him and his mother for those weeks when his father refused to attend to their needs, simply because he could.
“Then he lied to me. Which nullifies his wins.”
“I never lied. You dared me to play.”
She crossed her arms. The smooth, creamy flesh on his chest swelled. Distractingly. Victor kept his gaze on the card, even if every fiber of his being wanted to look. “Well,” she said with a grudging tone. “If you had such expertise, you would have mentioned it.”
“Where has that ever been done?” Victor drawled. “You play to your advantage. You owe me now, Lady Daphne. And I will collect my due soon.”
ChapterFive
“Your integrity continues to decline, Your Grace.”
“It seems I am no longer needed here…” Harry said.
“Stay!” she said sharply. “Please, my lord,” Daphne added softly. She needed a buffer with the duke, otherwise she might leap across the table. She had never considered herself capable of such things until she met Victor.
Daphne feared that if she stayed alone with him, she would have to ask about that night. Or spill the pathetic fact that she knew he remembered their kiss and that she meant nothing to him.
“My integrity is unquestionable. Yours, on the other hand…”
Her voice got a little higher. Mostly because of that arrogant smirk. “You did compare yourself to corrupt kings in the past; nothing surprises me anymore.”
Harry suppressed a laugh behind his palm, earning a glower from Victor.
Victor made a chiding sound while shaking his head, “You would even twist my words to squirm out of the agreement.”
Out of the corner of her eyes, Daphne saw that traitor Melanie reemerge. “I am not squirming!” she exclaimed.
Melanie simply made herself scarce again. Amelia could not be held back anymore. She bolted over to their side and almost dragged Daphne from the table. As she left, Victor said, “I will see you soon, Lady Daphne.”
Amelia blocked her off under the staircase.Good, Daphne could finally tell Amelia about the duke antagonizing her. Surely, they could see he was the one at fault. She had not missed the way people stared or that her mother’s face had gone red from mortification.
If she just explained… he sought her out! She did not…
“Are you jealous that I am getting married before you?” Amelia spat.
Daphne reared back. Of all the things she had expected, that was not it.
She made to take her sister’s hand and hers was slapped away. “What? Of course not! I am happy for you!”
“No, you are clearly not! I am not the reason why you have not found a match in four years. Nor did I ever stop you from being married.”
“Wait, Amelia, you are wrong. This is…”
“Sabotage? You want to ruin my wedding because you cannot have yours? We told you to marry Percy. Why would you reject him, only to create trouble with Harry’s best friend? A duke for that matter! Have you lost your mind? What has come over you?”
Daphne’s face paled under the onslaught of her sister’s attack. Her eyes burned, and her body ached. She closed her eyes, attempting to block off those words.
She lowered her head to hide the pain in them, “I am sorry.”
“Sorry will resolve nothing! Just stop this, immediately! You are embarrassing our family, and Percy’s. What if you choose to be married to him and his family rejects you, due to this dalliance with the duke? Does he seem like he is likely to be married? Does he?”
“Amelia!” Melanie called, coming up behind Daphne. Daphne did not even bother to look. She was weak to her bones. Her source of misfortune was seated in that hall having fun. She could not blame her tense sister. She knew her nerves were in a bind, because of the upcoming wedding.
The worst part was that she had allowed Victor to get under her skin again. It was just one kiss. He was right, why did she have to carry the torch for his nonchalant promise?
Melanie slid her hand through hers, “It is not Daphne’s fault. I was there. At dinner, you placed the duke next to her and he kept trying to speak with her.”
