Page 20 of A Duchess Bound
Bridget gasped. “His door? Has the Duke of Greenway sent you a letter?”
“Yes,” Dorothy said between clenched teeth. “Doubtlessly, he means to mock my efforts. That is to be expected of a man like him. After all, he can hardly understand how difficult it is to secure a respectable marriage for a young lady.”
“Or maybe he is besotted with you,” Bridget suggested, her eyes gleaming. “Maybe he just has difficulty expressing his feelings.”
Given how he had handled her in the gardens, His Grace certainly didnothave any difficulty expressing his feelings. If anything, the man was in sore need of restraint.
“That man does not know what it is to be besotted,” Dorothy said heatedly.
If she pretended that the thought of him beingbesottedwith her did not make her feel so alive, maybe that feeling would vanish.
“He only feels base desires,” Dorothy added. “And I cannot imagine that he even feels those towards me. I am a spinster, after all. No man in the tonwould find me desirable, especially not when there are beautiful, unwed misses like you.”
Her protests felt like lies. She had noticed how he looked at her with that dark heat in his eyes. His Grace gazed at her as if she was something he sought to devour, and worse, Dorothy had nearlylethim. What would she have done if their encounter in the garden had not been interrupted by those ladies? Would she have let him do more than touch and kiss her?
“Are you going to respond to him?” Bridget asked.
That would be a terrible idea.
“I am undecided.”
She was tempted, though. His Grace had said that his door was open to her. What would the man do if she simply entered his townhouse, stormed into his study, and just began arguing? Such brazen actions were not expected of a lady, and she might manage to catch him unaware. How satisfying it would be to remove that oily smirk from his face!
“Maybe you should tell Elias,” Bridget said. “I am certain that he could speak to His Grace, and maybe then the man would leave us both be.”
That was an entirely reasonable solution to Dorothy’s dilemma, but it was also one she had no interest in pursuing.
“I do not want that.” Knowing that Bridget would want an excuse, Dorothy added, “Elias is already so busy managing the dukedom and attending parliament meetings. I can manage a rake on my own.”
That was a plausible explanation, wasn’t it? Dorothy glanced fleetingly at her sister, searching Bridget’s face for any sign that she doubted the offered explanation. If her sister thought she was being lied to, she gave no indication of it.
“Very well,” Bridget said. “If you are certain about this, Dory.”
“I am,” Dorothy said. “Quite certain.”
Besides, it would not really be fair of her to send Elias after the Duke of Greenway when Dorothy herself had not behaved appropriately around him. How hypocritical would that be?
Yes, Elias, this rake is tormenting me. I did, admittedly, let him kiss me, but we can just overlook that.
“I will decide how to manage our rakish duke in the morning,” Dorothy said, standing.
She stretched her arms above her head, wincing as the muscles in her back protested from the sudden movement after a long period of remaining seated.
“That is probably for the best,” Bridget said. “I know you have not said it, but you must be very tired. It is best to make decisions when one is well-rested and awake.”
“That is entirely true.”
Dorothy doubted that she would wake well-rested, though. Already, she foresaw a long and painful night, her mind awhirl with thoughts of the devilishly handsome and cruel Duke of Greenway. She felt instinctively as though that man would be her ruin.
Worse, she was not immune to his charms. If she was, she would not let her thoughts linger on him. The kiss and the arguments would have already faded into the recesses of her memory, as her interactions with gentlemen often did.
The garden could not happen again, though. She must assert herself and show His Grace that she would not be swayed by him. Dorothy would never give in to that man, no matter how hard he tried to seduce her. She would go to his townhouse straightaway and give that wretched man a piece of her mind. Dorothy would ensure that man never interacted with her or Bridget ever again.
CHAPTER 8
Gerard rubbed his jaw, considering the ledger again. He had made the most foolish error: writing a figure rather quickly and clumsily. Now, he could not discern what that cluster of ink was meant to be. Hethoughtthat it might be forty-eight.
Or maybe it was seventy-nine.
