Page 41 of The Duke Meets His Match

Which meant theyallturned to glance at the lectern.

Which was a good thing, for the rector was taking his place at the front of the chapel. The service was about to begin.

Everyone sat, and the rector waited—rather patiently, Susan thought, allthings considered—until the murmuring finally diminished and silence ensued.

Susan prided herself on her ability to concentrate, listen, and learn. She knew she was clever and always had been. Had she the opportunity to attend university as her brothers had done, she would have excelled, which was why she was entirely baffled by the fact that she wasn’t retaining a single word of the church service. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that a sermon and scriptures and hymns were taking place and that she was even participating at the appropriate times, but other than that ...

She was highly aware, however, of the arm of the man who sat next to her. That arm was pressed against hers, and each subtle movement he made created more awareness. She could feel the muscles in his upper arm flex against her own. She was aware of his thigh, the masculine fabric of his dark trousers so close to the delicate floral muslin of her gown. He occasionally shifted slightly, and each movement only brought the intense awareness back again.

His hands were clasped lightly in his lap. He had large, strong-looking hands,with long fingers and, of course, well-manicured fingernails. Susan studied hisprofile out of the corner of her eye and memorized each detail. Were she to takea university exam on the subject of the visage of the Duke of Aylesham, shesuspected she would get full marks, she thought wryly.

His nose was straight and narrow, and his jawline bore an edge that spoke of resoluteness. His neckcloth was impeccably knotted beneath that jaw, and she noted that it was held in place by a ruby stickpin. She recognized his subtle ploy of matching his stickpin to her ring, one that again told others that she and he were a betrothed couple.

His complexion was not pale; it seemed the type that would tan quickly in the sun. Susan’s own complexion tended to tan as well, if she wasn’t careful—but more than that, it brought out her freckles, and she despised that. Here in the low chandelier light of St. George’s, the duke’s thick, dark hair didn’t show as much of the deep burgundy hues Susan had noted on other occasions. And his brows—

He turned his head and lifted those brows at her.

He’d caught her.

Drat! What to do next? She could either retreat in guilt or face him boldly, she decided. Well, she wouldn’t be Susan Jennings were she to retreat—heaven forbid!—so she lifted her brows at him in return. And then she smiled.

And an incredible thing happened: his lips twitched. It was just the slightest of twitches, but she’d seen it, all the same. And then he turned his head toward the rector once again, who was still preaching about something or other—living a life of piety?—at the lectern.

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nose, letting the air out again slowly. The duke had caught her studying him,and his lips had twitched.

Had the twitch indicated surprise? Humor? Irritation? Disgust? Had it been more of a smile or a smirk? It had happened so quickly that it was difficult to discern what it had meant—

A warm hand settled atop her own. Her eyes flew open.

His hand—the duke’s hand—clasped hers and moved it to his lap.

He was holding her hand during church services.

It was a small action, really, Susan told herself. It made sense for him to do so. It was merely another statement of the betrothal announcement that was to come and the marriage to follow.

But Susan had watched her parents hold hands frequently over the duration of their marriage, as well as her married siblings with their spouses. It hadmeantsomething—affection, commitment ...

Love.

Her mind and heart warred with each other. Everything was happening so fast regarding this marriage to the duke that it was difficult to keep up. Her heart raced in her bosom. If something as simple as this put her in such a state, how was she going to react when the actual nuptials took place?

She needed to get her emotions under control. His taking her hand like this was not a display of any affection he held for her. It was a display for the public.

This was not a marriage based on love, and here, once again, was a clear reminder that she needed to keep her feelings in check.

***

George stepped from his carriage and took the steps up to his front entrance two at a time. A footman opened the door, and George strode inside.

“Welcome home, Your Grace,” Talbot said.

“Thank you,” George said, handing over his hat and gloves. “I shall be in my study.”

“Very good, Your Grace,” Talbot replied.

“Is Henshaw about?” George asked. Sunday was one of Henshaw’s days off work, but sometimes he remained in residence.

“I believe so. Shall I ask him to join you?” Talbot said.

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