Page 23 of When the Duke Met His Match

While she knew it wouldn’t be a luxurious getaway, the only thought kept her from panicking over that possible outcome.

Each time she tried to shove the nagging feeling away or attempted to close her eyes, that moment with her handsome soldier filled in the space.

It replayed over and over until she began to wonder if the feeling of his lips against hers would ever fade. For her own sake, she hoped not. Even if she shouldn’t trust him, something inside her wanted to savor that small affection. At the very least, it was something to remember him by.

She remembered what it was like to hate him the moment she met him. It had been simpler then. She was the prisoner, and he was the officer. He was English, and she was French. Yet, it was impossible to recall when hatred turned into something less threatening.

Odette didn’t know she had feelings for Theophilus until it seemed to collide with her at top speed. There was no stopping or slowing it, even if she fled from him.

There was something tangible between them, and it was clear he felt the same way.

Why can’t you see I’m trying to save you?

The simple sentence reverberated in her mind with the same level of intensity and desperation he spoke those words with.

Those feelings were the reason he wanted to help her. The kiss solidified that fact in her mind, and there was no denying that their passionate arguments stemmed from mutual attraction.

Despite his need to get the names from her, the line between enemies and something else seemed to blur with time. Perhaps his prying to get information about her childhood truly came from a place of care and understanding.

Odette’s heart jumped in her chest the moment the cell door opened with a rattle, dissolving her thoughts at once.

Without a word, a guard reached out to her and clutched her arm. Before she could grasp what was happening, she was pulled from the floor and dragged out of the cell.

Since she arrived there, she wasn’t normally interrogated at night. She was only ever pulled out during the day when she’d spend enough time with Theophilus to find herself tied up in mental circles trying to best him and sent back to her cell to sleep on a pile of sodden straw.

Something wasn’t right. Her stomach twisted in knots.

Odette tried to fight against the man’s firm grip, twisting and pushing against him. But it was no use. He was stronger and much bigger than her, easily able to overpower her.

“Stop!” she shouted, trying to pull herself away and hoping for the odd chance he would loosen his hand. “Let me go.”

The man was silent as he pulled her down the hall like she was nothing more than a petulant child throwing a tantrum. She could only dig her worn shoes into the floor and try to cause as much resistance for him as possible.

“Where are you taking me?” she demanded, needing some sort of answer.

She couldn’t take how her heart raced, afraid something awful was about to happen. She couldn’t stand to even think about it.

Before long, she was shoved into a small room lit by a single candle on the table. It was the interrogation room, but she had the feeling that an exchange of questions wasn’t all that had been planned.

The door was closed behind them, and the dark figure turned around in time to see her fist flying through the space between them. She collided with the center of his face and sent him recoiling.

His hand went to his face immediately to soothe the aching spot. “What the hell, Odette?”

That familiar voice sent a chill down her spine, and she froze in her place. But concealed with the shadow formed from his cap, the man’s face went unseen during their trip through the prison halls.

The cap was pulled from his head, and the mystery man’s identity returned. Recognition filled her eyes, and she released a heavy breath.

“Theophilus,” she muttered, taking a step back. She couldn’t deny how her shoulders relaxed at the sight of him.

“I believe you broke my nose,” he replied, chuckling to himself while he checked his palm for any blood. When he pulled his hand away, a streak of crimson remained.

“That’s what you get for scaring me like that,” she returned sharply, eyes defensive, while she took him in. “What did you expect with the way you dragged me out of that cell?”

“I had to make it look believable,” Theophilus murmured, pulling a handkerchief from inside his uniform coat to press against his nose gingerly. He winced. “It’s no matter now. Surely nobody doubted my performance—or your kicking and screaming. Well done, I suppose.”

Odette scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, recalling how close they had been only a few hours prior and how she pulled away from him like she was afraid to be entirely consumed by his allure. “What are you doing here then? Why did you drag me all the way to this room in the middle of the night?”

The candlelight cast shadows across his strong features, and his hazel eyes confidently gleamed back at her. “I’m going to get you out.”