Page 50 of A Duchess Bound
“So it would be,” Dorothy said.
They left the coach and walked to the townhouse. It was a beautiful day in London with a clear, blue sky and golden sunlight. Dorothy smiled. She wondered if the Duke of Greenway was also enjoying the weather.
She wondered if he was thinking of her.
They entered the townhouse, surrendering hats and cloaks to the waiting staff. The family’s aged butler bowed. “Lady Bridget, Lady Dorothy, you have both received correspondence.”
“From who?” Dorothy asked.
She took her letter, tracing the fine lines of her name with her thumb. Could it be from His Grace? He was the only person she could think of who might choose to write to her. A fissure of delight erupted inside her.
“Who has sent you a letter, Bridget?” Elias asked.
Dorothy’s head snapped towards her sister, who held a letter of her own with a look of utter delight on her face. Noticing their looks, Bridget clasped the letter behind her back and smiled. “It is just a letter from a friend, one of the other ladies hoping to secure a match this Season. Nothing of interest.”
Elias crossed his arms. “My dear sister, that is precisely what someone would say if she received averyinteresting letter.”
“I do not insist on readingyourcorrespondence!” Bridget declared, hurrying to the stairs.
Elias shook his head in disbelief. “I can order you to show me,” he said. “What do you imagine running away will do?”
Bridget halted and curled one hand over the banister. She shook her head. “You will not order me to do anything. Iknowyou.”
“She is right,” Dorothy said, hoping that her own letter managed to avoid scrutiny.
Admittedly, she did not know for certain who had sent her the letter, but she had a good idea. Still, Dorothy searched her mind for a plausible lie. Who might plausibly send her a letter besides the Duke of Greenway?
“Disgraceful,” Elias said. “My own, dear sister is taking advantage of my good nature.”
“You might interrogate Dorothy, too,” Bridget smirked victoriously and thundered up the stairs.
Elias raised an eyebrow and met Dorothy’s gaze. “Well, dear sister?”
“My correspondence is none of your business,” Dorothy said. “But if you must know, I have received a letter from a friend. She had expressed a desire to know my opinion of a certain suitor of hers. Given how many suitors I am reviewing for Bridget, she thought I might have heard something.”
“I see. Enjoy yourself,” Elias said.
“I will,” Dorothy said. “It is always nice to hear that one’s advice is appreciated.”
She swept past him and climbed the stairs, following Bridget’s earlier path. Once Dorothy reached her room, she closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it, her pulse jumping. She tore open the letter.
My Dearest Lady Dorothy,
I have a splendid surprise planned for you tonight. I will be waiting with a carriage at the end of the street around midnight. Meet me, and I will show you the most wonderful evening.
Most affectionately,
Gerard
She inhaled sharply. He had signed it with his Christian name. It was such an intimate gesture that it made her heart race. And he wished to meet with her at midnight and whisk her away to some unknown place. Dorothy pressed the letter to her chest and tried to steady her fiercely beating heart.
It was precisely the invitation that she ought to refuse. But?—
But she was already so deep into their affair and had no desire to see it end. Feeling lighter, she crossed the room and fell onto her bed, holding the letter above her. Dorothy read it again. The words seemed to be imprinted on her very heart.
This man desired her, and it awakened sensations in her that she had never before imagined she could feel. It was the most wonderful thing in the world.
CHAPTER 18
