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Elizabeth shot her friend an evil look. “Yes, it was good.” She sighed. “Too good.”
“Well, that changes everything,” Sophie said with a full smile as Avis and Jennette nodded their agreement.
“How does this change anything?” Elizabeth asked.
“Because now we know that you are both open to seduction, should it happen,” Sophie replied.
Elizabeth pressed her fingers to her temples to keep her head from exploding. Her friends had lost their minds. How could they think William kissing her was good? Even if it felt better than anything she might have imagined.
“We are not both open to seduction, Sophie,” Elizabeth commented. She was certainly not going to let him seduce her. Was she? Could she seduce him? The idea was too wicked to think about in front of her friends. “The last thing I want is a man who still believes he is in love with another woman.”
Sophie walked over to her. “Is that really the reason, Elizabeth?”
“Of course!” Not that Sophie was likely to believe Elizabeth if her skills as a medium were as strong as Elizabeth had heard. She suddenly couldn’t get the idea of seducing Will out of her head. Splaying her hands across his naked chest, feeling the warm muscles—oh, this fantasizing had to stop.
“Are you certain this has nothing to do with the diary and not knowing who your father was?” the inquisitive Sophie asked with a slight grin.
“Of course,” Avis muttered. “That makes much more sense.”
“Elizabeth would never want to get involved with a man until she knows her true background,” Jennette said.
“That is why she never married, even though she had several offers,” Victoria added.
Elizabeth walked away from Sophie and faced her friends. “Yes, you are all correct. I have no desire to look for a husband until I know who I am.”
Sophie sat back down and shook her head. “It makes no difference who you are. To the world, you are the Duke of Kendal’s daughter.”
“It matters to me,” Elizabeth sobbed. “You all know your fathers. Even you, Sophie. He might not want you to speak of him in public, but at least you know who he is. I don’t.”
Victoria stood and put her arms around Elizabeth. “I understand, Elizabeth. You won’t feel complete until you know your background.”
Elizabeth nodded on Victoria’s shoulder. “I just want to understand who I am.”
Will paced the confines of his study. He was an absolute idiot to kiss her. What was he thinking? And why wasn’t he sitting in this room drowning his sorrows over Abigail in a bottle of whisky?
For years, he’d wanted to marry her. At first, he thought her to be too young, even though many ladies marry at sixteen. Perhaps he’d hoped she would see her father for the controlling bastard he was. Then he gave her time to convince her father that he was the right man for her. But over the past year, Will had begun to realize that she might not love him as much as she led him to believe.
Could that really be why her betrayal didn’t hurt as much as he thought? Had he slowly been falling out of love with her? Strangely, he had never felt as free as he did at this moment. Kissing Elizabeth, while idiotic, also taught him that his desire for Abigail was finished.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been with a woman. Between Abigail and his father’s illness and subsequent death, a long time had passed since he’d enjoyed a woman’s body. And Elizabeth’s sensual body could satisfy any man. She had luscious curves and a slim waist. He could spend days getting to know her body.
Not that he would do such a thing.
She was a proper lady and no upstanding woman would let a man in her bed until the ring was on her finger. He really needed to stop thinking about her in such a base manner. But he couldn’t get his mind off her. It was now two hours later and she still hadn’t returned. She probably thought he was going to attack her. He would have to apologize to her again.
The front door opened and closed. Will raced out of the study and down the hall to make certain it was Elizabeth. She spoke to the footman and started to walk up the steps, until she noticed him.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly.
“I am perfectly well, thank you,” she replied stiffly.
“Can we talk in my study?”
She pressed her full lips together. “I am not sure that is a good idea.”
“It will only take a moment.” This time his voice brooked no denial.
Whether she walked toward him because she wanted to or because the duke commanded it, he didn’t know. All that mattered was that she followed him into the study. He closed the door behind him.
