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"I heard the Duke is three doors down the hallway," Kitty said excitedly.
"He is what? I thought this is the guest wing."
"It is,” Kitty said. “I saw the servants moving his things on my way and overheard the butler talking about it, too. The Duke is a… oh, my goodness!" Kitty cut herself short as she exclaimed.
Edwina followed her gaze to the window with a splendid view of the garden below.
“There is a hedge maze, Edwina!” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “And so many flowers that I can sketch.” Unlike Edwina, Kitty had accomplishments and watercolor painting was one of them. "I have to check this!" She flew out of the room to her newfound haven, leaving her to wonder what she had been about to say about Albert.
Walking into the bedchamber, she removed her pelisse and handed it to Danny before returning to the sitting room. The door opened and she looked up, expecting to see Kitty or a servant but her vision was filled with Albert instead. "What are you doing here?" she blurted.
"Is that any way to greet your fiancé?" He raised a brow and tilted his head in that manner she was fast coming to associate with him, and liked, too, if she was being completely honest with herself.
Noticing the dangerous path her thoughts are veering on, Edwina quickly reined them in and schooled her features into a placid mask. "My fiancé should not be in my chambers," she said, looking about with caution, thankful that only Danny was around in the bedchamber. She trusted her.
"Are you afraid of getting caught alone in a room with me?" He folded his arms across his chest and smiled. "That is like closing the stable door after all the horses have escaped, don't you think? Besides, this is my Estate."
"So, you are saying propriety be damned?"
"Precisely!" he grinned. “I wish to welcome my new neighbor."
"Neighbor?"
"Yes. I am staying just down the hallway."
"I thought this is the guest wing. What is a Duke doing away from the ducal chambers?" she asked.
"You are right. Thisisthe guest wing but I decided to move to be closer to my guests. I do that sometimes, especially when the guests have sparkling blue eyes and golden hair.” He covered the distance between them until their bodies were a hairsbreadth apart. “I like being very close,” he whispered, his eyes dropping to her lips.
Her mouth dried and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips, causing heat to flare in his amber eyes. If she remained there, he might kiss her. Did she want him to kiss her? Yes. Was it right? No. He was not going to marry her and welcoming his kiss would not help her in any way. Deciding to be sensible, Edwina took a step back and clasped her hands in front of her.
He straightened, still smiling. "How do you like your chambers?"
"The rooms are splendid!" She was about to say more but stopped herself.A lady should never appear too excited or impressed before a gentleman,she reminded herself.
"I thought you might want your friend close to you. I had a larger bed put in when the room was being redecorated.”
“You had the room redecorated? Before we arrived?”
“Yes,” he replied with an insouciant shrug. “I wanted you to be comfortable. Although I would prefer it if you were alone."
Edwina’s pulse quickened and a shiver of delight ran down her back. "Well, thank God for Kitty."
“Are you impressed?” he asked, taking a step closer to her.
"Oh, Rowan," she chuckled. "If only I were that easily impressed." That was a lie. She was both flattered and impressed.
"Good." He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"Good?" She echoed, looking up into his eyes and nearly losing her senses in them. The heat his body was radiating enveloped her, stealing her breath.
"Yes.” He tilted her face toward his. "I shall have to try harder to impress you. It should be an exciting endeavor, don't you think?" His head came down so their lips were almost touching.
Her head was telling her to step away from him but her wanton body wished for him to draw her close and press his lips to hers.
"Rowan—" she whispered, unable to keep the plea out of her voice. His lips inched closer and she closed her eyes, ready to lean into his kiss. Then he pulled away abruptly, a wicked grin on his face.
"If you need anything, Darling, I am just three doors down the hallway." He stepped back, bowed graciously, and walked out the door, leaving her flushed and disappointed.
