Page 31 of A Duchess Bound
What wasthat? She withdrew her hand and squeezed her legs together, her face warming at the dampness that she found between her thighs. Dorothy had done this while thinking of the Duke of Greenway.
She imagined that he knew all the tricks which might help young ladies find pleasure. What would it have been like if he had done this to her instead? She imagined him pinning her against the wall and forcing up her skirts, his hand between her thighs as she moaned and gasped for air.
Dorothy sat upright, her mind racing. She must refuse him.
If she told herself that—you must refuse him—enough, she might make herself truly believe it. Dorothy swept the bed linens aside and squeezed her thighs together. “What have you done to me?” she murmured, equally despairing and eager. “I was a proper lady.”
And a spinster, content to remain unmarried. Content to remain untouched and unwanted by any man. Now, she was undeniably and irrevocably ruined.
CHAPTER 12
If anyone had asked him, Gerard would have insisted that he was not brooding. To anyone with eyes, it was obvious that he was. Gerard sighed deeply, sprawled in the chair behind his desk, a glass of brandy held loosely in one hand. He was drinking more out of boredom than for any other reason.
There were many things heshouldbe doing, of course, for a dukedom did not manage itself. On the contrary, it required a firm hand to remain functioning properly, and Gerard was supposed to be that firm hand. At the moment, he had far more interest in being the firm hand managing Lady Dorothy, and therein lay the problem.
She had two days.
He took a petulant swallow of brandy. Gerard needed a distraction. With a grunt, he stood and crossed her floor. He could call on her.
No, that might be too presumptive.
Perhaps, he would take a stroll through Mayfair. While on that stroll, he might happen to pass Reeds House, andmaybeLady Dorothy would look toward him. Even if she did not invite him to join her, she would see him and be reminded of him.
“I will be out,” he told Halls as he passed the butler. “For some time.”
Halls bowed stiffly. “Yes, Your Grace.”
The man asked no questions about Gerard’s destination, which suited him perfectly.
Gerard crossed the foyer, gathering his hat by the door, and left the townhouse. It was a magnificent spring day, the sort of afternoon which he imagined the poets would enjoy.
There was a thought. He had not tried to woo a lady with poetry in some time. Would such an approach be effective on a woman like Lady Dorothy? He might have thought so if he had known her only asthe spinster. Now, he was less certain. She was a woman, and women enjoyed being flattered.
But she was also experienced and confident in herself. Brazen, even. He did not imagine her swooning into his arms over some hackneyed verse.
“Unfortunate,” he muttered to himself.
Before long, he reached Leedway House. It was past the usual time to accept calls. Were the ladies still inside the house? From the street, he could see the empty drawing room. His chest ached.
He could not ask for Lady Dorothy outright, but if he asked for Lady Bridget, it would appear as though he had lied to Leedway. Gerard did not wish to upset the man, for protective brothers could be terribly unpredictable, and Gerard did not fancy receiving a challenge over something so ridiculous. Perhaps Leedway was not the manner of man who offered idle challenges, but one could never be certain.
Steeling himself, Gerard walked up the steps and rapped his knuckles on the door. It opened immediately, and the family’s butler gave him a stern look. Gerard doubted that this man would be as forgiving of his behavior as Halls was.
“Good afternoon, Your Grace.”
The butler recognized him. That likely did not bode well.
“Good afternoon,” Gerard said. “I wondered if Lady Bridget or Lady Dorothy might be accepting calls.”
The butler’s frown deepened. Gerard had a sinking suspicion that this man not only recognized him but knew of his reputation. How had that happened? Gerard had only been to Leedway House on a handful of occasions, and he did not recall doing anything particularly offensive during those visits.
“They are out, Your Grace.”
Gerard felt himself deflate a little. “Do you have any idea of when they shall be returning?”
“None, Your Grace. I will happily inform the ladies that you came to call.”
“That will be unnecessary.”
