Page 3 of The Duke Who Dared Me
“Your parents can well afford it.”
“It’s impolite to talk about money.”
“Finishing school is serving you well.”He raked a hand through his wet obsidian hair.An errant curl sprang free and hung down across his thick brown eyebrows.“You are from a well-off family, and we all know I am no pauper.”
“No, but you certainly have a healthy ego.”
“It’s a curse, I admit.”
The other boys all laughed, and again, her cheeks burned.She despised being Percy’s little sister.Hated the way she was looked down upon and dismissed and made to feel as if she didn’t matter beyond her dowry.
“What a terrible burden to bear.”
“You’ve no idea, Bug.”He hauled himself out of the water, gripping the stone and drawing her attention to his forearms.They were fine and toned, and it only made her wonder what he did with his days now.He loved to ride, and so did she, though she refused to ride together when he was home from school because he also loved to race.And two summers ago, she jumped a wall she shouldn’t have, and her pony went lame.
Blast him and his forearms and whatever wicked charm he developed while away at school these past months.She hated him.Would always hate him.
Verity refused to retreat, to give up ground.Still, she wobbled, nearly losing her balance on top of the rock.
“I hate when you call me that.”
“And I hated those miniatures.”
Shock gushed from her mouth in the most hideous squeak before his hand wrapped around her ankle, and he tugged until she toppled off the rock and flailed into the water.She struck the flat surface with a clumsy smack before water gripped her skirts and pulled her toward the mucky bottom.She tried kicking for the surface, opening her eyes only momentarily to see the outline of his body standing nearby in the murky water.She waved her arms, kicking, the lack of air burning her lungs until finally his hand gripped her waist and hauled her upward.
Verity vaulted through the surface with a gasp, shaking off his grip.
“Let me go, you disgusting excuse of a… you…” Words failed her.They never failed her.She swatted away the lily pad perched on top of her head like a misfit’s crown.
But his mocking grin slowly fell from his face, and she was left staring at his piercing blue eyes.Another time, she could think of all the reasons why she hated that color.But right now?
“You could have killed me,” she sputtered, still coughing up water.She chucked the lily pad at his face.
“The pond isn’t that deep.”His voice was low, tinged with a hint of disbelief, as he dodged it.
“Funny how you can find an excuse for your bad behavior so quickly.Must be habit.”
“You think so poorly of me that you believe I would watch you drown?”
She arched her brow, trying her best to find a shred of dignity, even as the side of her body stung from her impact against the pond’s surface.
“Right.”He quickly pushed her forward through the water, then let go, causing her to stumble to shore.
“Verity, leave us alone,” her brother repeated.“You don’t belong here.”
She stood tall, brushing her hand over her skirts, her eyes glaring at the collection of boys who had already moved on, playing some other ridiculous, childish game.
One day, she would have their attention.And she was determined that Alistair Rutley, the future Duke of Tunstall, would be all the sorrier for it.
CHAPTER1
Briggs House,London
1824
When Miss Verity Baxter dared a duke to fall in love, the only real surprise was that he said yes.
- The Polite Observer
