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“It took me over an hour to make it back to my carriage.”
“It was lovely weather for a stroll.”
“I didn’t deserve to be treated so unkindly.”
“Oh, I rather think you got exactly what you deserved.”
“I have no wish to argue with you, Victoria.”
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before humiliating me!”
“Such was not my intent. I merely thought it prudent to wait for a more appropriate—”
“I shall say it again.” She bristled, glaring. “If you want appropriate”—she raised her arm and pointed back down the way he’d come—“there she sits, awaiting your pleasure. I’m sure if you asked Papa, he would give you his blessing immediately.”
The air burst out of his lungs on an exasperated laugh. “Will you even allow me to try and explain?”
“Explanations are unnecessary,” she said lightly. “I’m well aware of your position, my lord. The woman you marry must adhere to a certain standard of propriety and be fit to be a duchess, if I remember your description accurately. Amelia certainly fits your needs.”
“So, you were eavesdropping that day,” he said softly. “Our meeting wasn’t by chance, was it?”
She gasped in horror, then stiffened, resolved to see this through, no matter how unpleasant. “I told you already that I’d selected you for Amelia. She is far more suited to your requirements than I.”
“If such is the case, then tell me: why am I still here?”
“I’m sure I don’t know. Perhaps you enjoy humiliating women, my lord. You are certainly skilled at it.”
“Damn it, Victoria! If you ‘my lord’ me one more time I shall turn you over my knee! I told you, I simply prefer to do things—”
“Properly?” she taunted, her smile brittle.
A tiny squeak of surprise was all that managed to escape before her protest was silenced. The strange, melty sensation again erupted inside as his mouth moved over hers, sending slow, heavy tendrils of fire down into her belly.
Her head fell back of its own volition, her lips parting in a silent plea for more, and Julius answered, tasting deeply of her until she trembled with the effort to remain upright.
Breaking away, he looked down at her. “We will marry. Properly or improperly, I care not, but we will be husband and wife,” he said in a harsh whisper, tightening his grip on her waist. “I will accept no answer but yes, so cease your foolishness and have done.”
Head still reeling, Victoria nodded. It had been a week of restless dreams and longing, a week of internal agonizing and fighting for detachment. But now, here in his arms once more, she found herself unable to remain detached, unable to deny her desire. All she could do was rejoice that he still wanted her.
“Good,” he said. “Now that we are agreed, we must find a way to extricate ourselves from the muck we’ve made of things. And it must be soon.”
Another nod was all he received in answer. Her mind clouded by a haze of physical yearning, she was only barely able to stand and remember her own name, much less strategize. The sound of applause filtered through the velvet hangings and, panicked at the thought of getting caught with the wrong man, she shoved him away.
Free of his unsettling embrace, Victoria gathered her wits as best she could. “It must not be an instant change in direction or Amelia will suspect a trick.”
“I agree. We must allow Withy time to gain her favor, as well.”
“Does he truly wish such a thing?” she asked, still doubtful. “I know she is beautiful, but…”
He laughed. “There is no accounting for taste. She is not for me, certainly, but perhaps they will complement each other better than we can predict.”
“How long will he need, I wonder, to convince her of his devotion?” she asked. “After all, she thinks him a complete rogue.”
“Not too long, I should hope. I will encourage him to be as swift as possible. My patience is a finite thing, where you are concerned.”
Excitement filled her as his lips brushed the place just below her ear and grazed her jaw. Once more, he claimed her mouth, liquefying her knees. After far too short a time, he backed away, bowed, and disappeared behind the curtains, leaving her to try and pull herself together again.
She would begin the reversal tonight. Immediately.
