Page 44 of The Duke of Seduction
“Don’t.” He stepped toward her and took her hand in his, gently lowering it back to her side.
She stared at him, aware of his proximity in a way she never had been before. “You like them?” she asked softly.
“Very much.”
“Supposedly, they detract from my face.”
“They help you see the world in crystal clarity, and as a woman of science, you shouldn’t view it any other way. That thirst for knowledge only enhances your face—and everything else about you.”
A smile curled her lips. “Why, Lord Northam, I do believe you’re a poet.”
He put his finger to his lips, which she realized were rather supple. She really did like wearing her glasses. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.” He grinned, and her chest squeezed, making it a bit difficult to take a deep breath. Oh dear.
She ripped her gaze from his and looked into the bag. “What else is in here?”
“More like that one, in varying sizes. That’s probably the easiest one to find in Devon. My favorite is the largest.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a rock that was bigger than the palm of his hand. It was mostly flat with the partial skeleton of what looked to be a fish.
Lavinia gasped. “My goodness, is that real?”
“Touch it.” He placed it in her hand.
But it wasn’t enough. “Hold these,” she said, thrusting the rock and bag into his hands. Her reticule hung from her left wrist, so it wasn’t an impediment. She removed her glove, then took the stone back from him, running her bare fingers over the ridges of the fish’s bones. “This is extraordinary.”
“Watching your delight is extraordinary.”
His words slid over her like a seductive song. She fought to look at the rock instead of him. She wasn’t entirely sure what was happening here today—with him—and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
She slipped the rock into the bag, which he still held, then put her glove back on. “Thank you for sharing them with me.”
He pressed the bag into her hand. “They’re yours.”
She couldn’t help but look at him now. “You’re giving them to me?”
“I can think of no one better to possess them.”
“But they’re so special. And valuable.”
“I don’t know about the latter, but they are certainly special—to you. They’ve been sitting in a box in my study in Devon for years. I don’t remember the last time I looked at them, and that’s a shame.”
“Yes, it is.” She would look at them and touch them every day. Even now, she was burning to study them. “Have you any idea how old these must be?”
He laughed softly. “Not the faintest.”
She joined him, giggling. “It’s debatable, but suffice it to say they are very, very old.”
“Someday you will have to tell me all about this debate. But I’m afraid we are pressed for time today.”
Someday? When would that be exactly? They weren’t even supposed to be meeting. They were supposed to communicate by letter. Still, she wanted that someday. “Are you by chance going to the Kilves’ dinner tomorrow night?” Lavinia had spoken to Violet and knew he’d been invited.
“Yes. The duchess is a friend of yours, isn’t she?”
Lavinia nodded. “We met last fall.”
“So you’ll be there too?” He looked almost…relieved.
“Yes, but I had to prevail upon my father.” The countess had almost persuaded Lavinia’s father that they shouldn’t go given the scandal surrounding the Kilves and the Romseys. Lavinia had put up a good argument as to why it wasn’t really a scandal at all—nobody had been harmed, everyone was quite happy, and why wouldn’t they want to align themselves with two dukes? They’d had quite a row over it, but in the end, the earl had sided with Lavinia.
“Why?”
