Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
I am going to get my list back . I am going to demand it!
Maddie was heading towards the Duke’s study. She could hear the slight thud of her footsteps down the hallway. It was a far cry from the sounds of revelry and music that had been emanating from the ballroom for most of the evening.
The guests were all long gone, spirited away in their carriages, safely tucked in their beds now, she would wager. Just as the entire household was now asleep. Except for the two of them.
She saw the pool of candlelight beneath the door to his study. Her breath caught in her throat. She was still aroused from their charged dance earlier that night, but she had taken the time to steel herself for this. She was ready to tell him how this was going to proceed. She was going to stay strong and resist him, even in the face of his displeasure.
She knocked softly. She heard the sound of his footsteps, and then the door opened just a crack. Before she knew it, he took her hand, pulling her inside before shutting the door firmly behind her.
“You didn’t see anyone?” he whispered.
She shook her head. “No. Everyone is abed, even the servants.”
“That is not surprising,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “They worked themselves to the bone all day and this evening for the ball. They should sleep like they are in their graves.”
Maddie gazed around. This was the first time she had seen his study at Stansgate. It was comfortably furnished, in the traditional way, with a large mahogany desk and bookshelves lining the walls. Two upholstered chairs sat by the fireplace. Over the mantelpiece hung an oil portrait of a severe-looking man with silver-threaded black hair and hard grey eyes.
Maddie felt a shock. She knew it was a portrait of the late Duke of Everly. There was a similar one hanging in the parlor at the Huxleys’ London residence. But it struck her forcibly now how much the late Duke looked like his son. The resemblance was quite striking.
“What are you looking at?” the Duke asked tersely, following her gaze.
“The portrait,” Maddie murmured, walking towards the fireplace to examine the painting more closely. “You look like your father. The resemblance is remarkable.”
He scoffed, picking up a glass of brandy. “I prefer not to be reminded of that fact.”
Maddie glanced at him curiously. “You did not like your father?”
He gazed at her steadily, sipping his drink. “I forget how young you are,” he said, his lip curling. “Do you know anything about what happened five years ago?”
Maddie shook her head. “I know there was a scandal. I know that Selina does not like to talk about it. But as for the details…”
He walked up to her, leaning so close that the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “That is good,” he drawled, tucking a stray curl behind her ear in an absent-minded way. “That is the way it should stay. For I do not like to talk about it either, My Lady.”
“Maddie,” she whispered, her heart pounding. “My name is Maddie. I have told you to call me by my name before. Why do you insist on being so formal? Is it to keep me at a distance, so I am not even a person in your eyes?”
He didn’t like that. He took a step back, regarding her coolly. There was a strained silence.
“I am a person,” she continued, trying to ignore the tremble in her voice. “I am not a pawn in this game you insist on playing with me. And I demand that you return my list to me. As a man of honor.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “I am not an honorable man. Haven’t you worked that out yet?” He shook his head incredulously. “But I am on fire for you. That is real. And we agreed to the conditions on the return of your list. I will not give it to you until they are all satisfied.”
They were facing each other, both breathing heavily. Abruptly, Maddie turned away, staring into the fire, without seeing anything. This was hopeless. She was going to have to resort to snooping in here, and in his chambers, to steal her list back.
It isn’t theft if the item belongs to you, after all.
“I no longer agree to the conditions,” she said stiffly, turning back to him. “So I will bid you a good night.”
She went to brush past him, but he placed a firm hand on her arm. She gazed down at it suspiciously.
“You have not yet heard what I propose that we cross off the list tonight,” he whispered. “It is the first item. That is all.”
Maddie stared at him. The first item on the list was the most benign— Learn How to Play Chess . She didn’t even know why she had written it down. She supposed she had been warming up to the more scandalous items.
“Learn chess?” Her voice was full of doubt. “That is all?”
He nodded. “I swear.”
She hesitated. She knew she couldn’t trust him. However, if he just taught her chess, then there was no real harm. And it would cross off another item and give her a chance to strategize as to how to steal the list back before anything else on it could be enacted. Maybe she could even distract him and steal it out of his jacket pocket when he wasn’t looking.
She took a deep breath. “Well, I suppose that couldn’t hurt.” She smiled sweetly at him. “And I have always wished to learn how to play chess. My papa didn’t think Augusta and I would need it, so he never bothered to teach us.”
“It is the game of kings,” the Duke said in an amused voice. “A game of strategy. It isn’t easy.”
“I am up for the challenge,” she declared, raising her chin imperiously. She sat down in one of the upholstered armchairs. “Set up the board.”
He laughed. “Yes, Madam.” He walked to a bookshelf and retrieved a board. “I am at your service. Always.”
He sat down opposite her, placing the board on the small table between them, taking out the pieces and lining them up.
“How pretty they are,” she commented, staring at the pieces. “They are beautifully carved.”
“Very pretty,” he said dryly. “But they are your army. You have a queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and several pawns, whose aim is to protect your king. The objective of the game is to secure the other player’s king—to force it into a position of checkmate, where it is unable to avoid capture. You must try to protect your king at all costs.”
“I see.” She leaned over and peered at the board. “That makes sense. And how do I move the pieces?”
He smiled. “Ah, well, that will test your powers of memory,” he said. “Each one moves in different directions. I shall explain which way when you decide to move the piece.”
Maddie nodded. “That is straightforward! Shall we begin?”
“Not yet.” He gave her a piercing look. “There is something else.”
“What is it?”
“When either of us loses a piece,” he said, his mouth twitching, “we must remove an item of clothing.”
Maddie’s jaw dropped. “I have never observed a game of chess where the players removed their clothes!”
He shrugged, giving her a wicked smile. “That is a rule I have just added. Just for the sheer fun of it.” He stared at her, his grey eyes glittering dangerously. “Are you up for it?”
Maddie’s heart started racing. She should have known that he would do something like this to her. Learning how to play chess wasn’t quite so benign, after all.
She knew she should politely decline and get up and walk out of his study. But he had challenged her, and she was already experiencing shivers of desire just by looking into his smoldering eyes.
“I am,” she asserted, raising her chin again. “I never back down from a challenge.”
His eyes glittered. Did she see admiration in them?
“Let us play, then,” he said solemnly. “White always moves first. So, I shall begin. Watch carefully.”
Maddie tried to focus on the game. Under his tutelage, she cautiously progressed, moving her pieces in the direction he indicated they could move, trying to keep mindful of where he was moving his. But suddenly, he whisked one of her pawns off the board, placing it on his side of the table.
“Oh,” she gasped. “That was foolish of me.”
He grinned. “You must remove one item of clothing,” he reminded her, his mouth twitching. “As agreed.”
Maddie sighed dramatically. Puzzled, she looked down at her gown. There was nothing else she could remove. She had taken off her gloves in her room.
“My shoes?” she asked in a hopeful voice.
He shook his head in a mock sorrowful way. “I am afraid not. It must be an item of clothing.”
“But I am only wearing my gown,” she protested, shrugging her shoulders. “Not even a shawl or a jacket!”
His eyes were boring into hers. “You are wearing other items of clothing,” he said slowly. “Or at least I assume you are wearing them.”
Maddie blushed fiercely. He must be referring to her undergarments. She was still wearing her chemise, her stays, her petticoats, and her stockings beneath her white silk ball gown. She hadn’t changed at all, except to peel off her gloves.
She had given Jane an early night, feeling sorry for the lady’s maid, who was often falling asleep by the time she arrived at her chambers after balls. Thus, she had seen to her toilette alone tonight.
“That… that is rather risqué,” she squeaked.
“It is, isn’t it?” His eyes widened. “How scandalous. A true adventure for you. Before you know it, you will be attempting to climb Mont Blanc.”
“Stop teasing me,” she chided, her blush deepening, even as her mouth twitched as well. “I cannot bear it!”
He laughed easily. “One piece of clothing for every piece taken. That is what was agreed.”
“Oh, all right,” she muttered, taking off a shoe, before rolling down one of her stockings. She tossed it at him in a defiant way. “There. One piece of clothing. Shall we play on?”
He caught the stocking, smiling broadly, looking delighted. She watched him slowly run his fingers along the silk. When he looked at her again, her stomach lurched, seeing the raw hunger in his eyes.
Her heart was fluttering like a bird in her chest. Determinedly, she bent her head towards the chessboard, considering her next move. It took her a long time to decide that she must be bold, moving one of her knights, feeling satisfied that she had done the right thing. So, she was appalled when he calmly removed the knight.
“But…” She was bewildered.
He laughed, showing her what she had done wrong.
Maddie frowned. Chess was harder than she had anticipated. Sighing crossly, she removed the other stocking. Her heart was pounding now. At this rate, she would be stripped of all her undergarments in next to no time.
“You look adorable when you are pouting,” the Duke teased. “It makes me want to take you across my knee and spank you.”
“What?” Maddie gaped at him. “What did you say?”
“Nothing.” He cleared his throat, looking down at the board. “Carry on.”
The next thing she lost was one of her rooks. That took care of her petticoat. She huffed and puffed as she wiggled out of it, laying it over the desk chair, knowing he was watching her the whole time, and quite enjoying it.
As she sat back down, facing the board, she knew it was hopeless. She was bad at this game and wouldn’t get much better over the course of this evening. She had walked into his trap like a fly into a spiderweb.
When he calmly took one of her bishops, whisking the piece off the board with lightning speed, her heart was racing erratically again. She only had her chemise and stays now. And to remove them, she must remove her gown. It was quite impossible to take them off from underneath her gown.
Slowly, she stood up. She turned around so that her back was to him. “I am afraid you must unlace the ribbons at the top,” she said breathlessly. “I cannot reach behind to do it.”
Her heart started to thump as he slowly stood up to do her bidding. It wasn’t entirely true—she could have managed somehow, but she might risk tearing the gown. And, after all, it was one of her best gowns. She really did like it.
She held her breath as she felt him slowly unlace the gown, one ribbon at a time, in an unhurried manner, as if he was peeling an apple. The gown grew loose. She jumped as she felt his hands on her shoulders, easing it off so that it fell down in a quick swoosh, landing in a puddle around her feet.
“Turn around,” he commanded in a hoarse whisper.
Slowly, she turned around, stepping away from her gown. Her instinct was to use her arms to cover her body, even though she was still wearing her stays and chemise. She felt exposed. The only person who saw her in this state of undress was her lady’s maid.
She felt her whole body flush violently from head to toe as he gazed at her. The silence was deafening. She held her breath.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, eventually. “You look like a nymph that has just emerged from the water.”
Maddie’s skin started to tingle slightly. She glanced at her arm. Goose flesh had broken out. She tried to tell herself it was because it was cold in here, standing in her undergarments, even if there was a fire. But she knew it was more than that. Much more.
To her surprise, the Duke took off his jacket and then wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I saw you shiver,” he said in a soft, almost tender voice. “I don’t want you to catch a cold while we play.”
Before she could respond to his unexpectedly caring gensure, he sat down again, glancing up at her, almost impatiently.
“Well, sit down. We haven’t finished the game yet.” His eyes lingered on her. “You are still in danger of losing some more items of clothing. You really do need to concentrate.”