“It is a pleasure to see you. Please have a seat.”
He sank into the chair next to hers and tried to calm his racing heart. He leaned forward and said, “Do you think your aunt would allow us to visit the gardens if Lady Emma accompanied us?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Excuse me.” He rose and stiffened his spine to faceheragain. “Lady Greenwich, with your permission, I would like very much to stroll through the gardens with Miss Windham. With a chaperone, of course.”
She grimaced. She did not like that he was interested in her niece.
“Emma, be a dear and accompany the duke and Phoebe for a walk in the gardens. See that they behave and are never alone even for a second.”
What did she think they would do in broad daylight? And who did she think he was, a young buck straight out of university who couldn’t control himself, rather than a duke married three times over? The truth was, he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless, and Lady Greenwich’s warning wouldn’t deter him. What would deter him was the idea of frightening Miss Windham. She alone would keep his amorous feelings under control. Nothing the countess said mattered to him at all.
Both Phoebe and Emma perked up, and so did he. Anything to get away from the lady of the house.
He approached Miss Windham and offered his arm. “May I?”
She rose and slipped her arm through his elbow, and his insides quieted. One touch from Miss Windham and his nerves calmed; at the same time, his body hummed with awareness. Lady Emma led the way through the double doors onto the veranda and down the stairs onto the crushed-stone pathway leading into the glorious gardens. He refused to give the earl and countess any credit. It belonged to the gardeners alone.
Once they entered the fragrant gardens, Emma fell back about ten paces, giving them privacy to talk. “Is your aunt being any kinder to you?”
“She knew I’d sneaked out last night, but she believed my lie, or at least pretended to. Other than that, this is the first time I’ve seen her since Greenwich called me into his study to say you were coming for tea and wished to court me.”
“Good. The less time you spend in her company, the better. I don’t trust her. There’s something in her eyes that doesn’t sit well with me. It makes my skin crawl and contradicts the words coming out of her prune-like lips.”
“Hmm, this is not new information to me. I’ve known of her cruelty since arriving.”
He paused on the path, turned to her, took both her hands in his, and looked deep into her soft-green eyes. “Promise me you will stay away from her, if at all possible.”
“I promise.”
It was the first time he had seen her in the daylight, and she was more beautiful than he had thought. Her deep auburn hair had blonde highlights, her green eyes were nearly blue, and she had a smattering of freckles on her cheeks and nose he had never noticed before. She literally took his breath away in the best way. Warmth encased his heart, and at that moment, he wished to spend the rest of his life with her. He fought the urge to pull her close and encase her in his strong, protective arms. Instead, he squeezed her hands, smiled, and winked. All of which cast a pretty pink blush on her skin. Then he did something spontaneous. He leaned down and took her lips in a soft kiss. Her lips tasted of honey, and he wished he could lose himself in them, but now was not the time. He raised his head and stroked his fingers down her soft cheek, making her blush deepen. “I spoke to my friend, the Earl of Hudson, about him and his sister, Lady Julia, hosting a small dinner party tomorrow night. Consider this your personal invitation.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For thinking of me.”
“It is purely selfish on my part,” he said, releasing her hands, slipping her arm through his, and walking deeper into the gardens. “I want to spend time with you, help you feel comfortable with me before we wed. I would like that to happen soon rather than later, if you are agreeable.”
***
Agreeable? At this very moment, it was the only thing she could think about. When he took her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes, she felt a deep yearning. His kind, compassionate golden-brown eyes stirred something inside her she wanted to explore. She didn’t believe marrying him would be a hardship. Nor did the curse frighten her. She didn’t believe in such things. How could this handsome, affable, and generous gentleman be cursed? His wives died under unfortunate circumstances, none of which were his fault.
“Last night, I told Mrs. Dove-Lyon that I needed time to get to know you before I agreed to a marriage. However, due to my aunt’s strange behavior today, I accept your marriage offer and think it’s best if we marry quickly and secretly.” Having spoken the words out loud to the duke, she felt her muscles, which had been tightly knotted, begin to untwist and ease.
“We’ll talk more about it at the dinner party, but I’ll plan to get a special license.” He patted the hand of the arm wrapped around his. “Until our marriage takes place, stay out of her way.”
“I will.”
“You bared your soul to me last night. Told me your life story. Is there anything you want to know about me?”
Everything.“Besides being a widower three times, what defines you?”
His lips twitched up. “No one, besides my closest friends, sees anything but my being a widower. The Duke of Doom.” He paused and brushed his lips across her cheek. “Thank you for seeing there is a man beneath all the gossip. I love to ride my horse, Wind. I love my country estate.” He frowned. “At least I did until my three wives died there. Now I avoid the place like the plague. I’ve a mind to purchase a small estate and perhaps retire to the country. That is, if it’s agreeable to you?”
Since she’d lived nowhere other than London, and really didn’t love the crowds, the stench, and the filth, the country sounded like heaven. “I would be agreeable to that.”
