Page 22 of The Phantom Duke
Damien released the cane, and she hurried out. He watched after her long after she had gone. Maria’s absence left a cold void within him, one at odds with the tightness of his cock. Damien hissed between his teeth. It had been far too long since he had indulged in any carnal pleasures.
Maria would provide him with a veneer of respectability. That was her purpose. But Damien’s body seemed to come alive for the first time in so very long when he considered what else a lovely wife might provide.
CHAPTER 7
“Why would you wait to discuss terms?” Evelina asked, swirling her glass of brandy. “I thought that was why you went to visit His Grace.”
Maria’s face heated, as she remembered with shameful clarity, the sight of the duke in a state of undress. Her eyes had hungrily roamed over his broad, muscular chest, and for just the briefest of moments, Maria thought that she might expire on the spot from how magnificent he was.
“His attention was otherwise occupied,” Maria replied, taking a sip of her own brandy to avoid elaborating further.
“Unfortunate,” Anna said.
“Indeed,” Theodora said. “I had hoped that the matter would be already settled.”
“Regrettably, no.” Maria sighed. “But he did not refuse my terms. I can take comfort in that, at least.”
“That is true,” Evelina said.
“But how do we know that he will listen to the terms in good faith?” Anna asked. “Perhaps, he only agreed to give Maria false hope.”
They were all seated together in the drawing room: Theodora, thrown over the settee like the love-worn heroine in some novel; Anna in a chair by the fire, the decanter close at hand; and Evelina in the remaining chair, across from Anna. Maria had chosen to sit by the window, and she turned her face away from her friends, feigning as though she was deep in thought.
In truth, her thoughts had turned to the duke and how his strong arms had caught her before she could fall to the ground. Desire curled perilously inside her. Perilous, because she was a strong woman. Independent. Or so she had always thought. What did it say about her if a few chance encounters made her so weak-kneed and desirous?
“Why would the duke want to give Maria false hope?” Theodora asked. “He was the one who posed the question of marriage, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Evelina conceded.
“He truly was occupied with another matter,” Maria said. “I have no reason to believe that he was lying to be rid of me.”
She hadseenthat his attention was otherwise occupied. Maria considered telling them, so they would not worry. But she feared that she would be unable to reveal the truth without becoming awkward and flustered.
And she wanted to work through her thoughts just a little more before she released them into the world.
Francesca, the parlor maid, entered the room. “I beg pardon for the interruption,” she said.
Evelina tilted her head towards the maid. “Nonsense! You could never be aninterruption.”
Francesca smiled tentatively. She was a comely, young woman with green eyes and blonde curls, but something about her lovely face was pinched.
“What is the matter?” asked Theodora, seeming to observe precisely what Maria had.
“You have a guest. It is the Earl of Sunspire,” Francesca said. “He says that he must speak to Lady Maria at once. It is allegedly a matter of great urgency.”
“I see,” Evelina said.
Maria bit the inside of her cheek. “I suppose I should not be surprised. He has probably come to…”
To dowhat? In truth, she did not know. Maria had been gone for days, though. Of course, he would have received word that she had not done as she had promised.
“He will do nothing that we do not allow,” Evelina said firmly.
“That is right,” Anna said. “TheCorset Chroniclesis our refuge, and if your father has come to cause you some difficulty or harm, we will not allow it.”
“Should we send him away?” Theodora asked.
Maria shook her head. “If we do, he will only seek me out later. No, it is best for me to hear what he has to say right away.”
