Page 59 of Never Dare a Duke
She saw the hesitation in his eyes before he masked it. He had a temper. It no longer controlled him, but it must have once. What had he done when he was angry? And to whom?
He rose to his feet, and she did not allow herself to back away.
“My compliments,” he said. “You have already learned the art of resistance. Many women would use that to lure a man even further.” He cupped her cheek, raised her face to look at him. “But with you I don’t sense that.”
They looked into each other’s eyes for that moment, and it would have been so easy to be lost there in the mystery of him, in the very maleness of him.
“A kiss to remember me by,” he murmured, and lowered his mouth to hers.
No gentle kiss was this, but hot and full of frustration—and his obvious need to show her what she was missing. She gladly melted into his embrace, let his arms hold her tight to him. Somehow, she trusted him to respect her wishes.
Wearing only a thin garment, she could feel the heat of his muscles, the arousal as he pressed his hips into hers. And then her will began to fade as need surged to take its place.
He backed away, wiping his mouth, not even looking at her as he strode to the door. He listened intently, opened it a crack to peer out, then left, silently closing it behind him.
With a groan, she sank back on the bed and covered her trembling lips with her hands. How much more would she have to do to discover his secrets?
Or would she betray all of hers if she weren’t careful?
Chapter 16
At luncheon, Abigail had to listen to Elizabeth praise her archery skills to everyone in attendance, and before she knew it, the men had decided to plan a tournament for the following morning. They were deep into their discussion of the rules when Elizabeth suggested to the ladies an outing to visit the village shops. Abigail would have rather avoided the afternoon—she really did have an aching head after the stress of dealing with Christopher—but Gwen squeezed her arm with such excitement.
“Perhaps I can see Mr. Wesley!” Gwen whispered into her ear. “He mentioned he was visiting an ill parishioner today. I would so love to see him minister.”
Abigail hid a smile.
She felt Christopher’s gaze briefly linger on her, but she did not meet it. She was certain a riotous blush would betray her thoughts of him and what had just—almost—happened between them.
And how close she’d come to being discovered. The fact that he hadn’t insisted on reading her notebook was a true miracle. How much longer could she hold his suspicions at bay?
In Comberton, Abigail and Gwen strolled arm in arm past the little shops until the Cabot guests had dispersed.
At last, Gwen craned her neck. “I don’t think anyone is watching. Are you certain you don’t mind if I leave you? Mr. Wesley told me he would be at Rose Cottage with an elderly couple today, and he thought they would enjoy my company. I am so looking forward to helping him!”
“Go,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “I’ll come to find you before we leave.”
Gwen kissed her cheek. “You are a dear!”
After spending an hour browsing in the bookshop—and looking for anything on Madingley Court—Abigail was startled when she heard her name.
Elizabeth was coming in the open door. “Miss Shaw—Abigail,” she amended quickly, smiling. “You will never believe what just happened! Our little ghost party is garnering notice.”
“Notice? I’m certain the villagers think we’re amusing, but—”
“No, no, not the villagers, a journalist. And from London, at that!”
The stuffy little shop took on a sudden chill, and Abigail had to force away a concerned frown. “A journalist?”
“Yes, and from theTimes,no less! His editor heard about our local ghost and our effort to find it. He sent his writer to interview us, so that he can write an ‘amusing article for the womenfolk,’ or so he said.”
Though Abigail wanted to believe that, the fact that she was investigating the duke led her to believe that she was no longer alone in her pursuit. What had happened?
“Elizabeth, are you certain he is not simply intending to amuse his readers at our expense?”
“I cannot believe that—and if so, we will simply look like we are having a silly, amusing time. I invited him to join us at the house tomorrow morning!”
Abigail wanted to ask if she’d thought of her brother’s reaction, then decided against it. It was already too late, and she didn’t want to upset Elizabeth needlessly. Abigail had a feeling that Christopher’s reaction would do that.
