Chapter 6
The maze was the part of the estate where Lavinia used to hide when she was a little child, but that seemed a long time ago. As soon as they were surrounded by tall, thick green walls, she slowly lost confidence in herself.
But it was too late to back down now that she had already claimed to have memorized the maze by heart. She did not want to seem incapable in front of the Duke. Although he was not someone she would want to impress, her ego would not allow him to see her embarrassed once more.
“Why don’t we have a maze?” Madeline asked her brother as they turned the first corner and headed toward a wall of greenery.
“Because it’s an inconvenience,” the Duke answered.
Although Lavinia felt the urge to disagree with his every word, she knew in her heart that he was right. It did take the gardeners an extraordinary amount of time and patience to cultivate the shrubbery and keep it shaped accordingly.
“But it’s still fun,” Madeline retorted.
They had been in the maze for a few minutes already, and Lavinia was beginning to question her memory. The maze was not a short walk, but at this time, she should know which way to go. Instead, she was convinced they were lost.
Her heart sped up, and she slowed her breathing, trying to hide her growing panic.
“Are we almost near the exit?” Madeline asked.
Lavinia’s silence made the Duke stop and stare at her. She caught him looking, and she knew he already understood what was happening. But her ego was still intact, so she would never admit her mistake, most especially not to him.
“We’re almost there,” she lied.
Madeline trusted her way too much, so she did not notice the quiver in Lavinia’s voice. But not the Duke. He huffed in dismay.
“No, we’re not,” he refuted, staring at her. “We’re lost.”
Lavinia’s mouth fell open.
He called my bluff!
“I… We…” she stuttered.
The Duke gestured to the walls surrounding them. “You led us into the maze, Miss Fitzroy, but we are now at a standstill.”
He rose onto his toes and craned his neck as if he were hoping to see over the hedges. Lavinia’s eyes followed his movements. She saw the way his breeches tightened around his legs and admired the fabric that was stretched across his backside.
“Heavens,” she whispered, her heart fluttering. She lifted her hands and pressed them to her chest.
The Duke dug both hands into the thick, green walls, then turned to look at them. “Give me a boost up, will you?”
“No,” Madeline huffed as she stamped her foot prissily. “If you peek over those walls, that is cheating. I wish to find my way out properly and shan’t be tempted to do things the easy way.”
The Duke groaned loudly, then fixed Lavinia with a long look. “I need your assistance, Miss Fitzroy.”
She took a tentative step closer to him. In response, he lifted his foot and dug the toe of his boot into the wall.
“Place both your hands on my backside and…”
Lavinia did not hear what he said next. Her eyes focused on his posture, and suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation in her abdomen. She wished to tear her eyes away from his round, tight backside, but it was nearly impossible.
“Miss Fitzroy!” It was the sharpness of his voice that returned her to her senses.
“Yes?” she said softly as she gave her head a quick shake.
“Are you going to give me a boost or not?”
“Umm…”
Lavinia’s eyes slid to the side. Madeline was still standing there with her arms crossed.
“No,” she said after seeing the determined look on her friend’s face. “Madeline is right. We can make it out of this maze without breaking the rules.”
“Rules?” the Duke scoffed as he lowered his foot, pulled his hands free from the hedges, and stepped back toward Madeline. “Who thought there would be rules to navigating a maze?”
“Come on, Brother,” Madeline cajoled. “We have not been at it for so long. Let us see where the next turn takes us.” She nodded her head toward the path.
Lavinia took the lead once more. Her first few steps were confident, but then, after they rounded the corner and smacked into a wall, she paused.
Now what?
She could feel Madeline and the Duke breathing heavily right behind her, so when she was forced to backtrack, she had to sidestep around them.
“Ow!”
As if things could not get any worse than they already were, she tripped on a small rock that had been blocking her way. She stumbled and nearly fell.
Fortunately, a strong pair of arms caught her before her body could hit the ground.
Lavinia caught the familiar musky scent. She did not know that she would miss someone’s smell.
Her cheeks flushed, and her heart skipped a beat, but she was not sure if it was because of the fall or because of the Duke, who was staring into her eyes.
“This isn’t working,” Peter grumbled as he pulled Miss Fitzroy upright. “We are truly lost.”
He cast a look at Madeline and could see that she was agitated.
“I do not think that is entirely true,” she mused. “I imagine that we will all find our way out of here faster if we split up.”
“Excellent.” Peter brushed a speck of dust from his shoulder. “I will turn left. Madeline, you take the path to the right. And Miss Fitzroy… you go straight down the center.”
“Yes,” Madeline agreed readily. “The first one who finds the exit should shout to the others and let them know which way to turn.”
Miss Fitzroy’s brow creased as she considered the plan. While she pondered, Peter took a moment to study her. She was lovely. That fact was indisputable. She might be a terrible guide and incredibly stubborn, but her beauty was undeniable.
This morning, she wore a gown made of soft, pale blue fabric.
There were smudges of dirt near her hemline, which she had presumably accumulated while tripping.
When she had tipped sideways, her brown locks must have snagged on one of the hedges because aside from the small collection of forget-me-nots that were threaded through her coiffure, there was also a cluster of bright green leaves.
She looked slightly disheveled, but that did not take away from her grandeur. Her cheeks were round and plump, as was her heaving bosom. He admired the cut of her frock as he recalled what it had felt like the night before to run his hands over her waist and sides.
Peter licked his lips. He wanted to do something, to say something to smooth the furrow in her brow, but he stayed quiet, allowing Miss Fitzroy the space to think so that she might come to the correct conclusion.
“Well?” Madeline prompted. “Shall we split up here and follow through with the plan?”
“I suppose so,” Miss Fitzroy acquiesced. “But do be careful.” She lifted her skirts daintily and rolled her ankle slightly.
Peter was mildly astonished by her audacity.
If her mother or mine had seen her bare her ankles in my presence, they would have pitched a fit.
He laughed loudly, but fell quiet when he saw the odd expressions on both ladies’ faces.
“Let’s get going.” He waved his hand at the pathway before him, then took off running.
He had not gone far when he rounded a corner and barreled straight into Miss Fitzroy.
“Why… why do you enjoy tormenting me?” she stuttered.
He looked into her eyes. He had not noticed if she had sprinted into the maze as he had, but judging by the way her chest heaved and her brow glistened with sweat, he guessed that she had approached the task with an equal amount of zeal.
“Do I torment you, Miss Fitzroy?” He held up his palms to show that they were empty. “Am I tormenting you right now?”
He heard her take a deep breath and waited for her to find the words to respond.
“No, Your Grace,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “Right now, I am only distressed because I’m lost in this maze.”
“Shall we team up?” he suggested. “We could run through this next part together.”
Miss Fitzroy shook her head. “We promised Madeline that we would each pursue our own pathways.”
“But our paths have collided.” Peter’s eyes drifted back to her chest. She was still breathing heavily. “Therefore, we are stuck together.”
Miss Fitzroy’s shoulders sagged. “Do not say that, Your Grace. I have no wish to be stuck in this maze all night… with you.”
He had expected her to grumble a bit and reject his suggestion, but not even his mind had thought ahead to the consequences that awaited them if they could not find their way through the hedgerows.
“It really would not be so terrible to spend the night in this maze together,” he drawled, simply because he wanted to see how she would react.
“We cannot stay here together,” she snapped. “It would be most inappropriate.”
A lock of chestnut-brown hair tumbled into her eye. Gently, before she could reach up and brush it aside, Peter tucked it behind her ear. His fingertips brushed her soft cheek, and he could already imagine her skin on his.
“You don’t know what’s inappropriate, Lavinia.” Her sweet name finally escaped his mouth. He felt glorious.
Suddenly, the air seemed to grow hotter than it had been before.
Peter had not noticed that the space between them had shrunk. Her face almost touched his. He watched her eyes, dumbfounded yet curious at his suggestion.
“I… I certainly do not know what… how… about all things that are inappropriate.” Miss Fitzroy stumbled over her words in a charming manner.
“Would you like me to show you or perhaps tell you about all the things that others deem inappropriate?”
He let his words dangle between them for a moment.
“I… do not know,” Miss Fitzroy whispered. “I cannot deny my curiosity, but…”
“But?” he prompted.
“I want to hear… I mean… I want you to tell me something… something wicked.”
Her blue eyes grew round as saucers, and Peter had to press his lips together so as not to burst into laughter.
Miss Fitzroy, for all her bravado while heading into the maze, was just as innocent as he had imagined last night.
He mulled over what to do next so that he might give her a taste of the wickedness she requested.
“Very well,” he purred as he traced his fingertips over the side of her face. “I am going to touch you, Lavinia.”
“Touch me?” she breathed. “How?”
Peter shook his head slowly. “I will touch you gently, then I will ask you how you feel.”
She inhaled deeply. “I feel hot and… and…”
Peter snickered. “You’re eager. That’s good.” He slid his hand to her jaw and cupped her face. “What do you feel now?”
“My knees,” she rasped. “They are trembling.”
“And?” He tipped her chin higher so that she looked directly into his eyes.
“I feel lightheaded.”
He smiled. “What about your belly? Near your core. How does that feel?”
Miss Fitzroy gulped. He flattened his hand and ran his palm down the smooth line of her neck. He stopped when his fingertips reached the collar of her dress.
“My stomach… it’s all aflutter,” she whispered. “I do not know what is happening to me.”
“What do you want me to do with you?” Peter slipped his fingers inside her collar and gently stroked the swell of her breasts.
“I…”
It was obvious that he had stunned her. She was speechless. Her eyes darted this way and that before landing on his lips. His thumb caressed the swell of her left breast as he moved his face closer to hers, their lips almost touching.
“I am at your service, Miss Fitzroy. Tell me what you want to experience next.”
She gulped. “You… you are a rake. Lady St. Vincent said as much yesterday. I promised I would heed her warning. I swore I would be vigilant. But last night… in your room… Now… I feel… I feel…”
“What do you feel?” he prompted as he withdrew his hand and wrapped his arms around her waist.
Slowly, Miss Fitzroy raised her hand to his face and gently brushed her thumb over his lips.
He kissed it slowly. This time, unlike last night, he did not nibble on the pads of her fingers or take them into his mouth.
He watched her gape as she explored his lips with her thumb.
He had never seen desire in such curious eyes.
“I could help you with anything, Miss Fitzroy,” he whispered as she pulled her fingers away from his mouth and pressed them to her own lips.
“I do not…”
Her voice came out in the same breathy way it had been throughout this entire interlude. But then, suddenly, she blinked hard and jerked away as if his touch had burned her. She thrust both her arms behind her back and held them there as if she were pinned.
“Miss Fitzroy… Lavinia… What is…?”
Before he could ask what was wrong, she backed so far away from him that her shoulders collided with the hedge.
“I do not need anything from you, Your Grace,” she said. The tremor in her voice was long gone.
“You don’t?” He was slightly confused by this quick change of tone.
“I do not need you, nor do I want you.” Miss Fitzroy lifted her chin haughtily and refused to meet his gaze.
She stepped around him and marched awkwardly toward the path ahead.
“Very well, Miss Fitzroy. I shall give you space now, but I will not consider this your final word.”
Miss Fitzroy spun on her heel and faced him. “You think I do not know my own mind. You think I am incapable of controlling myself around you?”
“I think you are curious about me, Miss Fitzroy, and as you said before, your curiosity cannot be denied.”
Her upper lip curled as she snarled at him. “I will not ask you for anything again.”
“Yes, you will,” he drawled.
“I won’t,” she insisted.
“You will,” he assured her. Then, he waved his hand toward the sky. “Just as surely as I know the sky is blue today, I can say with certainty that before the week’s end, you will need me. You may even beg for my help.”
“I will beg for nothing.” Fury darkened her pretty face as she spun away from him a second time and stormed off into the maze.
“You will,” he whispered to her departing figure.
Peter knew that there was no chance Miss Fitzroy could hear his final words, but that did not matter. He had seen the gleam of desire in her eyes. He had felt the way she shivered at his touch. There was no chance she would stay away from him now. None.
Before the week is through, I will make her mine.