Page 42 of The Duke Who Dared Me
She rolled over slowly, her muscles deliciously sore, her sheets cool against her skin.A lazy smile curled at the corners of her mouth as her hand reached toward the space beside her.
It was empty.
Her brow furrowed.She sat up, tugging the coverlet to her chest.
Alistair was gone.
His boots were no longer by the edge of her bed.Nor his shirt, great coat, or buckskins.
He’d left her.
She sank onto the edge of the bed.It wasn’t as if she’d expected much.When he climbed into her room only a few hours earlier, she knew it was a fleeting moment.But she didn’t appreciate being a hushed secret either.Verity craved for some acknowledgement.A quick note, perhaps.Anything to prove what had happened between them had meant more than a sordid tryst.
Verity was bold, but she never considered she would be so scandalous.
If she had, she would have bet on it feeling better at the very least.
“Is that all?”she asked herself, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.She scoffed at how ridiculous she was.Once, she had vowed never to be sentenced to Newgate for a man, but after this morning, being sent to live with Aunt Francis sounded like a suitable punishment.
She dressed, sat down at her vanity to pin up her hair, then froze.
The porcelain figure sat there, untouched from when she placed it down last evening.
She closed her eyes, feeling the ghosting touch of his fingers skimming across her collarbone.She could still hear his whispered praise, the pressure of his lips at the base of her neck.
How long had she been in love with him?
Verity opened her eyes, tossed down her hairbrush, and groaned.Too long and not long enough.
Was she expected to parade around London now, still hopelessly searching for a husband?It wasn’t as if Alistair had made any promise to her.One failed proposal for an evening was enough.Everyone was expecting her to lose the wager, and they would see their payday it seemed.
She sat at her desk next, wrote a quick note, and proceeded down to the morning room where Percy sat with Marina.Baby Colin was with the nurse, playing on the floor.
“What are you doing up?”Percy asked.
She handed her note to the footman and asked for it to be posted immediately.“Do I need permission to break my fast?”
“No.”He buried his face in his hand, and Marina snickered.Her floppy lace cap looked silly, but Verity held her tongue.No point in causing a scene.
“I know we must economize.I shall only have one piece of toast and tea without sugar.”It came out more biting than she expected.
“Now that you have no marriage prospects,” Marina added, taking a not-so-subtle bite of ham off her plate.
Percy reached for his wife’s hand and smiled, gazing at her in such a way that it made her stomach turn.“Economizing?True, Colin will be a big brother by the end of the year.”
Verity choked on her tea.Her eyes popped wide as Percy and Marina stared back at her, horrified by her reaction.
“Congratulations?”she added meekly.
“There was no need to tell her,” Marina whispered harshly, throwing off Percy’s touch.
“Soon, you’ll be increasing, and there will be no secret, dear.”
“I was hoping she would be gone by then.”
Verity laughed, her disbelief too large to hide.That had always been the plan, hadn’t it?It wasn’t solely that she needed a husband because of her father’s past debts.It wasn’t even Percy’s terrible managing of finances.It was Marina.She couldn’t tolerate another woman in the house.
“Well.”Percy glanced between his sister and his wife, then slumped back into his chair.“I’ve tried my best.No one will marry Verity.”
