Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
“ Y ou came,” a deep voice threaded with amusement said just behind her. “I wasn’t at all sure that you would.”
Maddie started, her heart beating wildly. Slowly, she turned around. There he was, the Duke of Everly, tall and almost fierce in the darkness. She couldn’t even see his face.
She gazed around, blinking rapidly, trying to see. The carriage had deposited her at the side of the house in the mews. It was so dark. The light from the moon wasn’t visible there. It struck her forcibly that this was the most daring thing she had ever done in her life.
“Here I am,” she echoed, squaring her shoulders, trying to sound braver than she felt. “Where?—”
She didn’t get to finish her sentence. He put a finger on her lips, bidding her to be quiet. Quickly, he took her hand, pulling her down a dark path. She could barely see anything but was sure that they had entered the house through the back entrance.
She could just make out its high wall, the dark windows with the curtains firmly shut. It was as silent as a grave.
Oh, Lord . Selina is asleep in there, blissfully unaware that I am walking hand in hand with her brother. What would she think if she knew? And where on earth is he taking me?
The answer to the last question was becoming evident. She saw a glimmer of light flickering in the darkness. It was emanating from an outbuilding on the property. She balked, pulling up short.
“You are taking me to a-a garden shed ?” she stammered, appalled and alarmed.
He gave a bark of laughter. “No, My Lady. Never fear, it is not a common shed where gardeners store their tools.” He stifled another laugh. “Come along. All will be revealed.”
Maddie bit her lip. She could just extract herself now, insist that this was a mistake, and demand that he return her home immediately.
But curiosity and arousal at being in such close proximity to him were winning the day. She didn’t protest. They kept walking towards the glimmering light.
She didn’t know what she was expecting when they entered the building, but it wasn’t this. She gaped openly as she gazed around. This was no dirty garden shed, indeed. It was fitted out for a king… or perhaps a duke.
It was spacious and lined with bookshelves. There was a comfortable-looking upholstered chaise sofa in one corner, along with a tall dresser, upon which lay a crystal decanter filled with brown liquid and two gleaming glasses. A fire was flickering, warming the space, and a tall candelabra cast a pool of light.
“I do not understand,” she whispered, shaking her head incredulously. “What is this building? I never even knew it was here!”
The Duke laughed again. “One of my many secret lairs,” he drawled, his eyes twinkling with a devilish light. “A gentleman must have them when he is forced to reside with his family. I have another space quite like this one at Stansgate as well.” A deliberate pause. “For when I need some quality time alone.”
Maddie shook her head again. She wasn’t sure, as it had been so dark in the gardens, but she thought she had probably passed this building while walking with Selina many times and never given it a thought. She had probably assumed it was the servants’ quarters.
The Duke was staring at her, quite openly, his eyes narrowed, waiting for her response. She felt a pull of desire, deep inside. They were so alone. No one knew where she was. The thought was thrilling and alarming, in equal measure.
She kept gazing around, taking it all in. Suddenly, she knew. The Duke might take advantage of this space to spend quality time alone, as he put it, but she rather imagined that it was for far more than that.
This is where he takes his conquests . And the rake believes that I am a conquest!
She drew herself up tall, squaring her shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. “I do not know what you think of me, Your Grace,” she said slowly, an edge to her voice. “But I must inform you that you are quite wrong. I am here to retrieve my list. Nothing else!”
He took a step closer to her. She inhaled the scent of his cologne, feeling quite dizzy with desire. It took all of her will to step back from him, but she did it, desperately trying to maintain her composure.
“And here I was thinking that I had convinced you with our kiss this morning,” he whispered, a teasing tone in his voice. “Are you telling me, My Lady, that you need more convincing? For I will tell you plainly that I am up for the task. And more than ready for it.”
He reached out, taking a stray curl between his fingers, and tucking it softly behind her ear. His eyes bored into hers. She couldn’t seem to look away. It was as if he was holding her in a manacle.
“You have not convinced me,” she insisted in a strangled voice. “In fact, the only thing you have convinced me of is that you are a rake, through and through!”
He just kept looking at her. Maddie felt the tension in the air. It was so thick and seemed to be swirling around them like a hot wind.
Was the rake going to try to kiss her again? What would she do if he did?
But he didn’t try to kiss her. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his jacket, taking something out. A piece of paper. Her heart lurched. It was her list. He unfolded it, straightening the paper in a slow, leisurely manner. He sighed dramatically.
He is enjoying playing with me. As the cat enjoys playing with the mouse.
“Ah,” he said, peering down at the list in his hands, squinting slightly. “There it is.” He held it out at a tantalizing distance so she could read it but not snatch it away. “You see? I have crossed out number three. Kiss A Rake .”
“So you have,” she said, infuriated but deeply aroused. “You are insufferable!”
“You are not the first person to tell me so,” he drawled. He looked at the list again. “What shall we cross off next?”
“Nothing,” she gritted out, her heart pounding hard.
Dear Lord, she had written quite a few scandalous things on that list! The thought that he might ask her to do those things with him was inconceivable. She barely knew the man! He was treating her like a painted trollop.
He tucked the list back into his pocket. “Come and sit down while we consider it. I will pour you a drink.”
He walked towards the drawer with the crystal decanter and glasses atop, leisurely pouring them a drink. Then, he sat down on the chaise sofa, patting the cushion next to him, a devilish glint in his eyes.
Maddie sighed deeply, sitting down next to him. He handed her the glass. It was brandy. She took a small sip, almost choking on it. He took a long sip, before placing the glass on the small table in front of them and producing the list again.
“Ah,” he said, smiling, “I think I know what we should cross off next.”
Maddie couldn’t breathe. What was he going to do?
But, to her surprise, he turned to the dresser next to him, opening a drawer, and taking out a pack of playing cards.
“You wish to know how to cheat at cards,” he continued, expertly shuffling the deck. “And I am just the man to show you how to do it.”
Maddie exhaled slowly, filled with relief. This wasn’t so bad. She was fervently glad that she had added a few less scandalous items to the list—although her parents would probably still be appalled to know their darling daughter wished to learn how to cheat!
“We shall play piquet,” he said in an authoritative tone, placing the pack face down on the table in front of them. “It has a complicated scoring system but has the potential for rather large wins. You draw one card at a time, trying to get as close to the number twenty-one as possible, but without going over. Do you understand?”
Maddie rolled her eyes, trying not to giggle. The sip of brandy, combined with the fact of her being here with him like this, seemed to have gone to her head.
“I am not a dunce, Your Grace,” she stated crisply, picking up a card. “I think I can manage to count to twenty-one!”
“I am so glad to hear it,” he drawled, a sardonic look in his eyes. “We will turn you into one of those high society matrons who supplement their income by holding private card parties.”
Maddie raised her eyebrows. “There are no such matrons!”
“Indeed, there are, My Lady.” He laughed, picking up a card. “I have been to many private card parties, in very well-to-do houses all over the Continent. Impoverished ladies, with grand titles but little else, who need to make a little extra income on the side. Who can blame them?”
“That is scandalous,” Maddie breathed, but she was secretly thrilled to hear such enterprise. “If they were discovered…”
The Duke shrugged, picking up a card. “If they are discovered, they suffer a dent in their reputation, but it does not necessarily ruin it. People understand.”
Maddie glanced at him. He was older than her and so well-traveled. He had a wealth of experience that she could only imagine. What she wouldn’t give to be able to travel around the Continent, just like he had, and have a myriad of colorful, exciting experiences…
“What countries did you visit in your travels?” she asked, curious.
His eyes flickered. “A great many,” he replied, smiling slightly. “But I spent most of my time in France, Italy, and Spain.” His smile widened. “The weather is much better in the Mediterranean countries.”
“What was your favorite place?” she added, trying to imagine it, but falling short.
The furthest place she had ever journeyed to was Manchester, in the north of England, where the weather was even drearier than here.
“I greatly enjoyed Italy,” he said, his face softening as he remembered. “The people are very friendly. And there is a wealth of art everywhere. It seems that whatever small church you venture into, in even the remotest place, has a Michelangelo, Botticelli, or Da Vinci painting on its walls.”
“Incredible,” Maddie gasped, her face alight. “Oh, what I would do to see them all!”
He laughed, picking up another card, and glancing at her with amused eyes. “You wish to travel, My Lady? Or do you just enjoy perusing great art?”
“Both,” she said fervently. “One of my greatest dreams is to see the Sistine Chapel in Rome. But I have also dreamt of journeying to the Far East. To Cathay or Persia, perhaps.” She sighed heavily. “One of my favorite childhood books was A Thousand and One Arabian Nights .”
The Duke put down his cards, gazing at her, an amused glint in his eyes. “You wish to be an adventuress, perhaps? Riding elephants and camels and finding magic lanterns in bazaars?”
She laughed awkwardly. “You are teasing me, of course. I know that I will never be able to do any such thing.” She took a deep breath. “I am the daughter of a marquess, and daughters of the nobility can never become adventuresses. We have no freedom at all.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Ah, and so now I think I understand why you wrote that list, My Lady. It was your act of rebellion against your lot in life.” His eyes darkened. “Alas, I may not be able to whisk you off to Persia on a magic carpet, but I can help you experience many other things… quite delicious things.”
Maddie’s breath caught in her throat. He was gazing at her with such intensity that she blushed, quickly looking away. She knew exactly what things he was willing to help her experience—they were all written on the list, tucked safely in his jacket pocket.
The air between them thickened once again. She put down her cards. It was hopeless, she couldn’t concentrate at all.
“Are you giving up?” he asked in a soft, teasing voice. “But I haven’t even shown you how to cheat yet. How will you ever become one of those high society madams to boost your income?”
She couldn’t help laughing. “I fear I shall never be one of those ladies! As much as I do admire them.”
He picked up his brandy, drained it, and put down the glass with a thud. “Then perhaps we should skip to the rest of the list,” he whispered slowly. “Or, alternately, we could just repeat number three…”
She was staring into his eyes, mesmerized, as if she were falling into a trance.
Before she knew it, he reached out, taking her head in his hands, and pulling her towards him. His lips descended on her own, claiming them, with an almost arrogant confidence. She could still taste the brandy he had just consumed.
She shuddered, her limbs feeling heavy and warm. He prised open her lips with his tongue, tasting her, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
She shuddered again as she felt hot liquid pool between her legs. She was opening to him, in a way she didn’t understand. All she knew was that she felt as if she might die if he didn’t touch her body in the most intimate way.
I want his hands on me. I want them on me… now. And I want to touch him…
Alarm bells were ringing in her head. She was in mortal danger. She couldn’t let him take her maidenhead. He was a confessed rake. This meant nothing to him—it was just a game to him!
Desperately, she wrenched her face away, panting heavily. She stood up, looking down at him. “This was a mistake,” she whispered frantically. “I need to go home.”
He stood up, sighing deeply.
She tensed. Was he going to try again?
But to her relief, he nodded. “I will accompany you to the carriage.”
The wind was calming on her hot face as they walked back to the carriage waiting in the mews. He didn’t try to touch her again, nor did he speak to her.
She couldn’t work out whether it was out of respect for what she had just said, or whether he was bitter with disappointment that the night hadn’t panned out the way he had planned.
As she climbed into the carriage, he peered into the window, looking at her intently. “Until the house party at Stansgate, My Lady. I am looking forward to it.”
She didn’t reply.
The driver cracked the whip, and the carriage lurched forward, taking her home.
Maddie rested her head against the carriage wall, her heart beating furiously in her chest. That had been a lucky escape. But she knew that wasn’t the end of it, not by a long shot. He still had her list. She knew the game had only just begun.