Page 32 of A Duke's Lustful Riddle
He used all his might, spurred on by swirling emotions, and slammed against the door once more. And then again and again.
He ran towards the door and with one final thrust of his body, he slammed into the door. This time the door came off its hinges and fell to the ground with a loud slam.
Gabriel smiled softly to Gemma as he led them out of the storage room.
“I’ll have someone come up and fix the door,” Gabriel explained. He gave Gemma a rather rueful expression. Disappointment flooded him at having to leave her side.
Gemma nodded and the two stood there in silence that seemed to stretch out.
“What do you think the mural meant?” Gabriel asked Gemma. He needed to draw her attention back to the treasure hunt.
She shrugged before turning and walking away. It was clear that she needed a moment.
Gabriel watched her back as she walked away from him. Overcome with the surge of unexpected emotions that their kiss stirred in him.
He didn’t know how she felt and that terrified him. Watching Gemma walk away was terrifying.
What if she didn’t feel the same?
But she was just as involved in the kiss as he had been—of that, he was most certain.
Gabriel shook his head before returning to his study. He felt rather confused; whether by Gemma or by his own thoughts, and he didn’t know which was more concerning.
“Your Grace,” Kingsley said. “This invitation arrived for you.” Gabriel stopped just short of nearly walking into the man.
“Thank you, Kingsley.” Gabriel had a gruffness to his voice. He apparently had yet to become accustomed to servants simply popping up.
Gabriel spoke up again just as Kingsley was preparing to exit. “In the right wing of the manor there is a storage room where a door has fallen down. Please have someone fix it. It is urgent.”
Kingsley’s eyebrows raised, but he did not question the duke as he exited the study. He had been given a task, and the task would be taken care of, full stop.
Gabriel opened the invitation, and his heart sank.
It was an invite from the Countess of Sagewood, asking him and Gemma to attend a grand dinner at the Sagewood Estate tomorrow.
This family seemed to hold secrets. There was something about the Countess that he simply could not explain adequately to himself. She gave off an air of deceit, to be certain. One could tell a great deal by the gaze of a woman. The gaze of the Countess seemed to indicate almost certain disaster and subterfuge.
He knew he did not want to attend the dinner, but he had a duty as duke. He had to go and so did Gemma.
Gabriel was thankful at least that Vivienne would be there. He was fond of her, not in the same way he was fond of Gemma, but he was fond of her, nonetheless.
This dinner was going to be the end of Gabriel, but he knew he had to attend. It would involve a juggling act that he was not sure that he should engage in.
Chapter 15
Gemma was awakened by a loud knock on her door. She was disoriented and groggy at first, having had the best night’s sleep she had since Gabriel’s return. She felt like a completely different woman as she stretched languidly and wished for whoever it was to go away.
“What is it?” Gemma called out as she wiped the sleep from her blurry eyes. Sleep was trying to tug her back under its spell.
“Lady Gemma,” Mrs. Harrow said as she opened Gemma’s bed chamber door. “Lady Felicity is out in the garden waiting for you. She thought she would drop by to surprise you.”
Smiling, Gemma swung out of bed, her feet touching the cool floor. She wondered what news Felicity had that would cause her to drop by so early in the morning.
Mrs. Harrow helped her dress for the day, and she put on a light blue dress and had her hair done up.
Gemma felt pretty in the dress and thought maybe she was dressed a little too fancy, but Mrs. Harrow assured her she looked spectacular. It was perfectly acceptable to present oneself as well as one could, whether it was at a soiree, at one’s estate or even out and socializing casually at afternoon tea.
As Gemma looked in the mirror, after dismissing Mrs. Harrow, she touched her lips. She didn’t look any different on the outside after her first kiss. Inside was a completely different story. Chaos stormed around, creating a mess of emotions.
