Page 7 of The One With the Rogue Duke

“Not my day…No. Speaking of which, where is your duke?”

“M-my duke?” Temperance stammered.

“The Duke of Quelston?” Pru teased her sister. “I hear you forced Verity to invite him.”

“I-I didn’t force her. I strongly suggested it would be in our best interest if he came.”

“And why did you do that?” Pru goaded her twin with a twinkle in her eyes.

“He’s a good man, all right?”

Verity harrumphed loudly. “A good man, you say? Is that why he lied in his RSVP to my house party? I should have never invited him. Let this be a lesson to me.”

“If you hate him so much, you should just continue to avoid him. You’ve done it for the past eight years. Marry Rafe and forget Ash,” Pru summarized.

Ash. Even his name burned in her mind. And she did not like Pru’s suggestion to avoid him. If anything, yes, she’d be done with him, but she would have the courage to face him at any event. She wouldn’t cower. She would bow to no one.

“How did he lie—”

“He’s not here, is he? There’s nothing I loathe more than a deceitful man. A liar is not someone I need in my life. And a rake, to boot. You should not be associating yourself with him, Tempy.” Her index finger pointed straight at her sister’s chest.

The admonishing finger being nothing new, Temperance didn’t even flinch, merely shrugged. “I don’t know why he’s not here.”

“Well, it’s a good thing he’s not here.”

“Just a second ago you were complaining—”

“I hate a liar, Pru. Now, I need to retrieve my bowls.” She stomped down the hill in equal measures of vexation at Ash and the plaguing stablehand.

Chapter 5

Verity

My Dearest Cousin Verity,

Please tell me you have read the pink leatherbound book I recommended. Oh, we do need to discover who penned such glorious secrets for our uninformed gender.

All those years…I never knew…

But now that I do, there’s no turning back the pages.

All my love,

Audra

Needing to rid herself of all thoughts of the stablehand, Verity went to the stables.

Yes, it sounded counterproductive, but really, it was in her best interest. All she needed was to see him covered in mud or knee deep in manure and that should purge her lustful thoughts of him. One look at him in a nasty state should be all that it takes.

Besides, she needed to confirm plans for the riding event with him. Or Grice. Whoever came first, really.

Heavy steps marched her all the way to the barn, chin jutted out, shoulders rolled back, ready for action.

She took a quick peek into the places where she would usually find Grice, only to discover that he wasn’t there. Stablehand-man—who really needed a name, or not—would have to be it.

“Ooomph!” The sound erupted out of her as she backed into none other than Grice. Upon seeing his cheeky little grin, disappointment swooped in. Or…something like that feeling. No. It wasn’t quite disappointment. Something more like how a person felt when they couldn’t decide between chicken and beef, but when the plates finally arrived only beef was being served and that’s when the person realized they wanted chicken. Or…something like that.

“Hello,” she stalled. Thinking of chicken. “How’s Blackmare doing?”