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"I do. Are you different, My Lord?” She ran curious fingers through his hair before finally taking off his mask, surprising him. When he raised his head, an Adonis filled her vision. He was every bit as handsome as he was roguish.
He grinned. "Well then, I hope Albert is unique enough for you, My Lady." He tucked a finger under her neckline and pulled it down, exposing her stays and reaching for the laces.
Edwina could not help the slight shiver that ran down her spine. His voice excited her. “We shall see before the night ends. I must admit that I did not expect you to be an Albert.”
"Never say you walked into the lion's den without knowing what to expect?" He raised an amused brow.
Her uncertainty returned. This man radiated wealth and power. He also seemed to be a rake. She could still get an offer from him if she played this game well. Thus, she tilted her head and gave him a coquettish smile.
"I did not know lions attended masquerades,” she murmured.
"They do," he responded. "In libraries. With beautiful women. Women in red velvet dresses. Hair of molten gold." Every sentence was punctuated with a kiss.
In his arms, at that moment, Edwina felt beautiful. She giggled and he gently urged her backward, pinning her against the bookshelf with his hard body, trapping her. She did not know where her senses went until she felt him hiking her skirts up.
Realizing that he was not going to stop if she did not stop him, Edwina began to resist. She was not ready for this. Not like this. He gave her a puzzled look. "I… I should not be here," she breathed.
He blinked as if he was waking from a daze. He began to pull down her skirts. "I took advantage. Forgive me.”
She struggled to lace her undone stays and failed. “Would you like me to help you with that?” he asked.
She swallowed, contemplating the wisdom of allowing himself to touch her again. “I don’t think that is wise.”
“I promise to behave myself. You obviously cannot do that by yourself.” He stepped closer to her, and her breath caught. “Allow me to mend what I have undone.”
“Very well,” she conceded, turning around reluctantly.
The door suddenly opened and a gasp rent the still air, followed by, "Goodness, gracious!"
Chapter Three
Albert froze, his hands on the laces of her stays. This was bad. He cursed under his breath and looked up, dropping his hands to his sides.
Three young ladies stood gaping with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Kitty!" Edwina said to one of the ladies. She appeared to know her. She drew her dress up and quickly arranged it to look decent.
"I knew something like this would happen tonight!” a red-headed one said, her voice filling the quiet room. "Who would have thought that it would be with the Duke himself?"
Edwina’s body tensed and she turned to look at him. "What did she call you?" A pained look passed over her features.
Before he could answer, they were joined by two society matrons who gasped. Unlike the debutantes, their eyes shone with interest. They had just discovered a fat piece of gossip. All of London would know by morning.
How did I let this happen?Albert asked himself. He knew she was a debutante the moment he had unmasked her. He should have sent her away because he did not touch gently bred, unmarried women. But he had been filled with desire. It was a poor excuse, however.
"Is that the Pierce girl?" one of the matrons asked.
"Why am I not surprised?" the other murmured. “The girl is rather ambitious.”
Edwina winced at their comments, her hurt apparent. Her arms went around her body and she shivered. A small crowd quickly formed in the library entrance and Roxanne was one of them. Albert’s jaw tightened and the ire that had been extinguished by passion returned.
Without thinking, he announced to the crowd, “Lady Edwina and I are engaged.”
This announcement was met by silence at first, the murmurs began and soon filled the room. Thetonwas surprised. Albert was surprised himself. Triumph ran through him when he caught displeasure and jealousy in Roxanne’s eyes. She had been given the chance to become a Duchess and she had thrown it away.
Now, Albert was not naturally petty and would not go to such lengths to spite someone. But considering how she had betrayed him, it seemed right that his announcement should pain her.
"I suppose we underestimated how soon we will need that special license, Darling,” he said to Edwina who stared at him in wide-eyed wonder. “Engagements often draw out unnecessarily, if you ask me." He chuckled lightly.
