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“I will find out.”
He went over to her, framed her face between his hands and kissed her. “I will return soon.”
She arched a lovely brow. “Do you expect me to hide here?”
The question jolted him. “No, but you are delightfully mussed. Make your way to your chamber, ring for a bath, and then join us.”
She searched his face. “And how will you explain my presence.”
He kissed her nose. “With the truth. I kidnapped you.”
Then he turned and walked away, pleased with her laughter.
Chapter Seventeen
An hour after Theo slipped from the library and ran upstairs to refreshen herself, she strolled down the hallway to the drawing-room. She had donned a rose-colored dinner gown which flattered her figure, and Molly had styled her hair in an elegant chignon. Staring at her image in the mirror, Theo had thought her cheeks were too rosy and her eyes too bright. But there was nothing to do about that. She had always worn her emotions on her sleeves, and her mother’s constant rebuke had not changed that over the years.
She was falling in love with the duke. Or perhaps she was there already, considering the way she ached to be with him, to touch and to hold. Her steps faltered, and she closed her eyes briefly. It felt improbable that she owned such emotions for him, but she did, and how wonderful it felt. Coming off the last step of the stairs, she turned down the hallway and stopped. The duke walked toward her. The cool, unsmiling, and very arrogant way he looked suggested something was amiss. It had been a while since she spied this uncompromising countenance upon him. “Is something wrong, Your Grace?”
She could feel the color rising hotly to her cheeks. It felt wrong to call him so after the wicked intimacy of last night and only a short hour ago in the library. Theo did not want him to perceive that her belly was knotted with nerves. The corner of his mouth twitched—a fleeting, humorless smile that brought her no reassurance. Had he gotten terrible news about Perdie?
“Your Grace?”
“You appeared very ducal just now. It slipped out. Is it Perdie?”
A shadow moved in his eyes. “She has been recovered.”
Theo gasped. “That is most wonderful!”
“It seemed when she left the cottage, she got an attack of conscience and made her way to Maidstone. Instead of sending a letter, my mother hastened to inform me of the good news. Since society had no notion of her missing state, the scandal has perhaps been averted.”
She looked behind him at the closed door. “Is Perdie here?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “It seems I am somewhat an ogre in my sister’s eyes. She was too afraid to face me, so my mother came alone. Our Aunt Millicent remains in Maidstone as a chaperone in the event her feet decide on another flight on fancy.”
She lightly touched his arm. “You and your mother must be so terribly relieved she is well and safe.”
“We are.”
Theo grinned. “I am so happy…” another relaxation came on the heel of her happiness. Whatever they had between them had ended. She searched his eyes. Was that why he seemed so reserved? She tried to pull her disjointed thoughts into some semblance of order. “I suppose I am to return home while you visit Maidstone.”
He stepped toward her, exhaling audibly. “You’ll go nowhere. Theodosia, I—”
The door opened behind him, and the duchess framed the doorway, appearing startled to see them there in the hallway. “Oh dear,” she said, looking between them. “I was not aware you had another guest in residence.”
He stepped to the side and turned so that he could see the duchess. “Mother, may I introduce Viscountess Winfern.”
Shocked flared in the duchess’s eyes before a mask of polite curiosity settled on her still handsome face. “I was not aware you were acquainted.”
Theo dipped into an elegant curtsy. “It is a pleasure, Your Grace. The duke and I are new acquaintances.”
Tinkling laughter came from inside, and Theo sent him a quick questioning glance.
“It seems Lady Edith and her mother, along with a cousin, were traveling through Kent, and they lost a carriage wheel. They were fortunate to cross paths with my mother on her way here.”
Theo's heart jerked a hot, painful beat. “Your fiancée?”
“I am not affianced to the lady.”
