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Chapter 11

Eloise turned quickly, surprised to realize the large door had been swung open, and the Duke himself was supporting his weight on it, his arms folded across his chest, his face splitting with that trademark smirk of his. He stared at her with an inquisitiveness she couldn’t fathom, and she simply glared at him in return.

“Ah, so it is decisiveness that makes you turn books of knowledge into decorative playthings,” Eloise said wryly.

Simon paused, raising an eyebrow and stepping away from the doorframe. “Fenella,” he said calmly, “Antonia has summoned you—apparently, it’s urgent.” He shrugged his shoulders.

Fenella widened her eyes and squealed before placing the feather duster against the bookshelf and hurrying out of the door. Eloise was left alone with him once more, and as she expected, he acted upon his boldness by slamming the door behind him and stepping closer to her.

“What’s up with her…? Anyway. Lady Ellie,” he stated as she flinched at his sudden rise of voice, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I wasn’t here to see you, Your Grace. I simply decided upon retreating to the one place I was certain you weren’t going to be,” she said, as she grinned in scorn.

He offered a smile in return, stepping behind his oak desk and pouring a drink for himself. Then, he took a seat, and her eyes dared to roam lower, to the way his unbuttoned shirt was left half-open, revealing the sight of his muscular chest. It was obnoxious and highly inappropriate.

Why is he treating me like a doxy? Has he no shame?

Her hand instinctively scrunched tight as she remembered what she was hiding. If he saw the newspaper, he would know who she really was…an outcast, an orphan, a failure at the one thing expected of a Lady. He would pity her for the rest of her stay, or perhaps even use it against her. She trembled just at the thought.

“You won’t find it here, you know,” he chuckled.

Eloise averted her eyes in embarrassment, but it quickly dissolved into feigned bewilderment, as she leaned her back against the desk. “I can’t say I know what you’re referring to.”

“Why, the list of the attendees, of course. I know you hope to escape our deal, but I wouldn’t make it so easy,” he said. “I can understand why you’d wish to back out so soon. Your confidence must be weak—it isn’t easy to admit you’re already falling for me.”

She rolled her eyes at his arrogance, refusing to give him the satisfaction. “Has your vanity no limit? You’re unbelievable.”

His eyes roamed lower to the hand pressed behind her back. “Are you…hiding something??”

Her muscles stiffened. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

He raised an eyebrow, pouring another glass of brandy for himself. “Well, regardless, I was thinking it’s time we got to know each other a bit better. And I was thinking,” he stood up, stalking toward her, “that perhaps we could play a small game.”

“A…game?” she asked. “We aren’t children, Your Grace.”

“I have something more mature in mind.”

Her eyes narrowed at his remarks, assuming this was one of his rakish ways to seduce her, one of his usual inappropriate antics to woo her into bed. But of course, it would absolutely not work.

“I promise it isn’t inappropriate,” he squeezed in upon noticing her reaction. “For once, I’ll try to play the part of an exemplary gentleman. For you.”

Eloise scoffed in return, “All right then, I’ll engage. What is this game you wish to play? Cards, billiards?” She shifted a little against the desk—hiding the paper at an angle to escape his eye-line. He was standing near her now, gazing into her intensely with his sharp brown eyes.

“It’s simpler than that, really,” he finally joined her, supporting his weight on the desk, too, “I’ll ask you one question, and you’ll have to answer truthfully. And you can ask me one question, and I’ll answer truthfully in return.”

She raised an eyebrow, peering at him in reservation. This scheming Duke had something up his sleeve, but she couldn’t quite figure out what. “What is it you’re really after, Your Grace?”

“Call me Simon. And nothing,” he spread his hands in innocence, “I just supposed, if we are to spend time together, it’s a good way to keep ourselves entertained. But it isn’t the only thing. If you fail to answer a question, then you’ll have to show me what you’re holding behind your back.”

“Ah. Well. I don’t like this wager, Your Gra—”

“Simon. And it’s your only way of leaving the room without showing it to me. I am quite the inquisitive person, I’m afraid,” he said, inching closer to her face and smiling, his cologne—a rich blend of spicy rum and musk—overwhelming her.

Eloise didn’t know what to say. Except to bite her tongue and play along. She was more confident than ever when arriving at Richmond Castle and taking up the pseudo-identity of a Lady Ellie,but this…revealing the contents of the newspaper would send her back to her shell. Not only that, but her lie would be exposed…

“Simon… I’ll start then,” she turned to face him directly, a hesitant scowl plastered on her face, “how many women have you seduced this way? Surely, I’m not the first one you’ve made such a scandalous wager with. I’ve read about you, you know. So, I concluded—”

“You concluded that the gossip columns are right and my world revolves around seducing women?”

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