Page 60 of Winning Her Duke

She didn’t hover when he visited Gia. However, had she been a more attentive chaperone, that kiss with Gia would not have happened.

“Good day, my lady. How wonderful of you to call. May I ring for refreshment? Tea?”

“No, thank you, Your Grace.” She looked rather irritated. He was certain she would not be irritated if Gia were ill or injured and he breathed easier knowing that she was alright.

“Then how may I help you today?” He gestured toward the settee and she looked at it for a moment before deciding to sit. Interesting, she must have originally planned to drop whatever information she held and leave.

He took the chair opposite her and waited.

“You must know your absence at recent entertainments has been noted.”

“I see. By whom exactly?”

“The gossips. With no facts to discern the reason for your withdrawal from society they have been left to speculate.”

“As is common.”

“They are speculating that you were paying your attentions to Gia only to entice her into your bed, and now that you are no longer speaking to her you have succeeded in your efforts and have moved on. As you can imagine, this gossip borders on ruinous for Gia.”

“Those vicious crones,” Hale stood and paced about the small room. Why hadn’t he met Lady Tomison in his study where he would have had access to whisky. He felt this conversation would have been better handled with whisky.

“I don’t disagree. However, even I have to admit it does seem a reasonable explanation for your absence. I know about the kiss. That’s all Gia spoke of. I’m asking you, Your Grace, if anything else happened.”

“Nothing. It was only a kiss.” He felt foolish confessing his sins to Lady Tomison, but it was important that she knew he hadn’t defiled Gia. Though he felt a twinge of guilt knowing he had defiled her in his mind many, many times.

But thinking and doing were two different things. Thank goodness.

“I know your reputation as a rogue is exaggerated.”

“A fogue,” he muttered as a small smile came to his lips.

“I believe the new name she came up with was even more clever. When I called you a rake, she said you were a ‘fake’ for faux rake.”

He chuckled and nodded. “It does seem fitting.”

“Still, some of the reputation is warranted. I just thought Gia would be safe from your intentions.”

“Why does everyone assume I would not be attracted to Gia?” he nearly shouted. “She is a beautiful woman.”

“I didn’t say you wouldn’t be attracted to her and she is quite lovely. I meant she should be safe because I didn’t think you to be the kind of man who would defile an innocent, especially one you think of as a friend.”

“I see. Thank you.” He rubbed his temples feeling like a monster.

“Regardless, this kiss… Gia is terrified it is the reason you have not seen or spoken to her. She thinks it was so awful it frightened you away.” She squinted at him. “I wouldn’t have expected a man like you would have been felled by a mere kiss.”

“I didn’t find the kiss lacking. It was truly wonderful.” The best kiss he’d ever experienced and while he was a fogue, he still had enough skill with kissing to make an adequate comparison.

“I see,” Lady Tomison said.

“What do you see?”

“I was right. The kiss… It wasn’t bad. It was too good. It shook you. It frightened you.”

“I am a man of honor, and that kiss made me want to keep going without any thought to what that would mean. It was no mere kiss,” he argued her earlier assumption.

“You think you pose a real danger.”

“I know I do.” He looked her in the eye hating to admit to such a failing, but needing her to understand what was at stake.