Page 68 of His Scarred Duchess
As he left the room, Adeline was confused by her own emotions. Relief at their reconciliation, anticipation for their dinner conversation, and an undercurrent of something deeper, more dangerous, that she dared not name.
Get ahold of yourself, she silently scolded herself.You’re the Duchess of Holbrook, not some moonstruck girl. It’s just dinner and conversation, nothing more.
But as she made her way to the library, Adeline couldn’t quite shake the warmth that had settled in her chest.
As the afternoon sun filtered through the library windows, Adeline found herself lost in a fascinating tome on crop rotation.
She was so engrossed that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until a familiar voice startled her from her reverie.
“I say, Holbrook, your library is positively labyrinthine. I’ve been wandering these stacks for ages!”
Adeline’s head snapped up, her eyes widening in recognition. That voice… she knew that voice.It was the man who had been with Isabella at the masquerade ball, the one who had nearly compromised her!
A moment later, the man appeared from behind a bookshelf, his eyebrows rising in surprise as he spotted Adeline.
“Oh! I beg your pardon, Madam. I was looking for the Duke.”
Adeline stood up, smoothing down her skirts nervously. “He’s not here at the moment. May I help you with something?”
The man’s surprise gave way to a charming smile. “Ah, you must be the new Duchess of Holbrook. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Grace. I’m Daniel Sterling, the Viscount Ravenshaw, and a friend of Edmund’s.”
Adeline curtsied, her heart racing. “Lord Ravenshaw. I believe we may have met before, though not formally.”
Daniel’s brow furrowed for a moment before understanding dawned in his eyes. “The masquerade ball! Of course, you were with… oh dear.” He had the grace to look sheepish. “I do hope you’ll forgive my behavior that night. I assure you, I had no intention of doing anything ungentlemanly to your sister.”
Adeline felt a blush rising to her cheeks as she remembered their encounter at the masquerade ball.
“It is in the past. Though I must say, I’m surprised to find you here, my lord. I wasn’t aware we were expecting guests.”
Daniel’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Ah, well, I do have a habit of dropping in unannounced. Keeps old Edmund on his toes, you know.”
As if summoned by his name, Edmund appeared in the doorway. “Daniel? I thought I heard your voice. I see you’ve found my wife.”
“Indeed I have.” Daniel grinned. “And what a delightful surprise it is. I was just telling Her Grace how I got lost in your labyrinth of a library.”
Edmund rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Perhaps if you visited with books in mind rather than mischief, you’d find your way more easily.”
Adeline watched the exchange with growing amusement. The ease with which her husband comported himself around his friend was a side of him she hadn’t seen before.
“Well,” Edmund said, turning to her, “since Daniel has taken it upon himself to invite himself to dinner, perhaps we should adjourn to the dining room?”
“Splendid idea!” Daniel exclaimed. “I’m positively famished after my grand library adventure.”
As they made their way to the dining room, Adeline found herself stifling giggles at Daniel’s dramatic retelling of his “harrowing” journey through the Holbrook library. Edmund caught her eye, an amused smile playing on his lips, and she felt a warm flutter in her chest.
Once seated at the dinner table, the conversation flowed easily.
Daniel leaned forward, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You’ll never believe what happened at Lord Godfrey’s last week,” he began. “Lord Fairfax, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to wager that he could drink an entire bottle of port while standing on his head.”
Edmund chuckled, shaking his head. “Let me guess, it didn’t end well?”
“Oh, it was a spectacular disaster.” Daniel grinned. “He had chugged down half the bottle before toppling over, right into Lady Beatrice’s lap. I’ve never seen a woman turn quite that shade of purple before.”
Adeline gasped, torn between horror and amusement. “Oh, the poor woman! Was she very upset?”
“Upset?” Daniel laughed. “My dear Duchess, she was positively apoplectic. Started beating poor Fairfax with her fan while screeching about ruined silk and impropriety. It was the most entertainment we’ve had in months.”
Edmund’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. “I can just picture it. Though I must say, Daniel, I’m surprised you weren’t the one attempting such a feat.”
