Page 46 of Never Dare a Duke
“So you like being in disguise?”
Her mouth fell open.
Wearing a wicked grin, he said, “Remember to wash the dirt from your face.”
Gritting her teeth, she closed the door firmly in his face, then hurried to her room, determined to pretend that the kiss never happened. But why had he mentioned a disguise? she wondered in growing fear.
Though his rooms were in the next wing, Christopher made it a point to return to wash his own face. He used cold water, splashing it over and over as if he could splash some sense into himself.
What did he think he was doing?
He kept telling himself that Abigail had fallen right into his arms, that no sane man could have resisted those soft curves, that luscious mouth.
And she had tasted as incredible, as decadent as he’dhopedshe would. It had taken everything in him not to seduce her, forgetting all his own rules for scandal-free conduct.
She hadn’t resisted him, and the cynical part of him was not surprised.
He should send her away, but he knew he wouldn’t. If he did, he would never get the answers he wanted. And he’d be left to the tender attentions of the Ladies May and Theodosia. He preferred Abigail to them, even if shewaslying to him. What had he seen in her expression when he’d mentioned a disguise?
He wiped his face with a towel. Someone knocked at his door, and absently he called, “Come in.”
Elizabeth leaned in. “So there you are! I thought you went to look for Miss Shaw and Lady Gwen. I found Lady Gwen.”
“And I found Miss Shaw. We went for a walk.”
Her grin widened with delight. “How wonderful.”
He held up a hand. “You don’t need to look like that. It was a walk. We talked about books we’ve read.”
She shuddered. “How boring you’ve become.”
“I like books,” he said, trying not to feel indignant. How could anyone not like to read?
To his dismay, he saw their mother appear behind Elizabeth.
“Did I hear you say you went for a walk with Miss Shaw?” his mother asked.
Elizabeth giggled. “Maybe you should ask him what his intentions are.” With a wave, she hurried out of the room.
The duchess came in and shut the door. She arched a black brow and simply looked at him in that way that had once cowed him, and made him confess everything. But he was not that young anymore.
“It’s not what you think,” he assured her.
“And what do I think?”
“That I am interested in her. I am not. We are simply friends.”
“Friends?”
The doubt in her eyes made him realize that he wasn’t ready to have his…relationship with Abigail taken apart in detail. But obviously he was doing a poor job of hiding what he felt. If he gave her some of the secret, perhaps that would satisfy her.
“She is helping me,” he said at last.
“With the mystery of the ghost?” she countered in disbelief.
“No, helping me remain free of the cloying Ladies May and Theodosia.”
The Spanish passion rose dangerously in her eyes. “The women you were considering as your bride? And how is she doing that?”
