“I did not know of… Why did it feel…”
Cecily did not have the words to even describe the height of pleasure she had reached with the Duke’s guidance. What did this have to do with sexual congress, which she had always thought to be a quick affair more for a man’s pleasure than a woman’s?
“When you are my Duchess, I shall show you everything,” he vowed. “You will feel pleasure in everything I do with you. Now, get into bed and go to sleep before I forget myself.”
He looked upon her with desire that made her heart race all over again. Part of her wished to curl up and hide from him under the covers, but another part wished he was naked beside her in the bed, ready to deliver on his promise.
Their eyes met again, and for a moment, his eyes blazed.
“Goodnight, Miss Holt,” he said firmly, turning on his heel and making for the door. “Sleep well. You will need all your energy tomorrow.”
CHAPTER 11
“Miss Holt?”
At the knocking on the door and the sound of her name, Cecily woke with a start and then clutched the sheet to her neck as she realized she was completely naked beneath it.
As the reason for her state of undress flooded back to her, she felt her cheeks glowing with fiery embarrassment.
Did that shockingly indecent scene with the Duke really happen, or could she have dreamed it?
Glancing across the room, she saw the towel lying on the floor where she had dropped it last night at his command. No, that highly improper game had been all too real, and now she had to face him again.
The knocking sounded once more, and Cecily thought she recognized the voice of the maid who had helped prepare her bath last night.
“I’ve brought water, Miss Holt. Mrs. Barnes says that breakfast is ready downstairs.”
“Thank you,” Cecily called back, leaping from the bed and hurrying over to where her unworn nightdress lay neatly on a chair beside the folded pile of yesterday’s clothing. “I am awake. Do come in.”
By the time the maid entered with a jug of warm water for the washstand, Cecily was decently covered and her face composed.
“Shall I help you dress, miss?” the maid asked.
Cecily nodded, both for speed and because she was unsure whether she would be able to fasten all her stays or style her hair this morning.
“Is the Duke awake?” she asked as casually as she could, hoping that she might avoid him for as long as possible.
“Yes, miss. His Grace is downstairs in the breakfast room.”
Cecily nodded and worked hard to still the hammering of her heart. She needed the Duke’s help and could not avoid him now, never mind the fact that they were somehow engaged to be married.
As she washed and dressed, she wondered with disquiet what marriage would be like with such a maverick and unpredictable character.
* * *
“Good morning, Miss Holt,” the Duke greeted her from the breakfast table, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece as he did so, its hands showing quarter to seven.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” she managed to return politely as she took her seat, keeping her eyes as much as she could on the table where fresh rolls, fruit cake, and coffee were laid out.
“You may have breakfast now, if you wish,” the Duke told her, drinking the last of his coffee and setting the cup down. “Mrs. Barnes has also packed food for our journey, and the maids will see to overnight bags and some small luggage, since we know neither our destination nor timing. The carriage is already waiting outside.”
Nodding, Cecily took a roll and poured coffee into her cup. Peering discreetly at the Duke as she buttered her bread, she saw him looking at her with an amused glint in his deep blue eyes.
Was he thinking of last night? Or of doing something similar again with her? Was he even considering touching her with his hands?
Looking sharply away, Cecily took a sip of coffee and willed the strange butterflies in her stomach to be still.
“Is something wrong, Miss Holt? Am I not properly dressed again?”
