Chapter 3 #2
If she were honest with herself, she was quite intrigued.
Perhaps it was the age-old philosophical conundrum of why people do things they are explicitly told not to.
The girls made this man seem awful and unruly, yet there was something about him that made her want to lean into him and dissect his brain.
“Come now, sorceress, what secrets are you writing in your spell book there?”
“I told you before, I am an alchemist. And why are you so interested in my experiment anyway?” She wanted to sound intimidating, but her voice was a mere whisper.
“Hmm, what can I say? Alchemy, science, and magic intrigue me.”
Theodora scoffed. “I am certain that you do not even know how to explain alchemy or tell the difference between that and magic.”
“Alchemy is an ancient practice that sought to turn metal into gold. Sounds a lot like sorcery to me.” His mouth quirked up in a smirk.
Theodora ignored the sudden burst of annoyance and… interest in him. She hated to admit it, but it was refreshing to converse with someone who spoke her language.
“I still do not believe that you truly know anything about the matter,” she said stubbornly as she stood up.
The Duke hesitantly backed away. Theodora turned to her book, closing it and tucking it back into her satchel. She did not need him to get his hands on it again.
“I acknowledge that alchemy’s beginnings lent itself to the mystical side of life but that is only because the practitioners did not know any better.
” She turned to him. “They needed explanations for things they did not understand. Through discovery, they gained knowledge that led them away from the mystical and into the realm of reality. Which is where I reside. This costume is simply an homage to how far the people of science have come.”
The Duke of Hawthorne tucked his hands behind his back. “And what is it that you wish to discover?”
“I wish to study the art of falling in love.”
He laughed brightly. “Then you are more like the other debutantes we left back in that ballroom than I thought.”
She narrowed her eyes and pierced him with a stare that stopped his mirth immediately. “I, unlike those other young ladies, do not believe love exists. I have set out to prove that love is merely a delusion.”
“Ahh…” He murmured, “The Seven Stages of Delusion.”
“Precisely.”
The Duke waited a beat then asked, “How may I be of service?”
“You?” Her gaze flicked up and down his form. “What do you know of love?”
A grin stretched wide across his handsome features. “I know enough to help you conduct this experiment.”
Theodora remained silent as a thought flashed into her mind, unbidden and tempting.
“Since we are alone, we can discover an answer to one of my stages,” she said slowly as she watched his reaction.
“And how do you suppose we do that?” His eyes glinted with curiosity.
“You can kiss me.”
Once again, the Duke did not respond. The longer he stood quiet the more Theodora second guessed her asking him for this favor. Then the dratted man did the one thing she absolutely loathed.
He laughed.
Loudly and obnoxiously.
“What is so funny?” She said, losing patience.
He shrugged. “I love your theory and your confidence to research it. I think it is bloody brilliant.”
“You do?”
He chuckled. “I do. Why? Do you not think it is?”
Theodora shook her head. She must have heard him wrong. “Wait, do you mean to tell me, that even though you laughed hysterically, you find my idea to be insightful and worthy of further study?”
The Duke raised a large shoulder. “Sure. In fact, to prove how much of a promising idea it is, I agree to grant your request. Yes, we may kiss.”
Theodora watched as his eyes darkened slightly but instead of being cautious her body felt relaxed with a slight edge of wonder. She knew that curiosity was the kind she felt when she dove into the most challenging of studies or experiments.
She considered her options and looked at the door. She could call this man out for the rake he was and venture back to the ballroom full of Lord Danning and Duc d’Orlèans’ or she could use this perfectly fine and willing participant right in front of her.
Her notebook lay heavy in its pouch as she reviewed the stages in her head. Her eyes roamed over his physique and her skin heated. The tilt of his head broke her stare.
No, I will be skipping dissecting those later stages for now.
Theodora took off her satchel and laid it on the desk next to the quill. She turned back to find the Duke standing so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.
“What are you thinking? You know, I read a bit of your book and understand that the Stages of Delusion became very…interesting…around stage six,” he said with a wink.
Theodora could not help but laugh almost as loudly as he did before. To his credit he didn’t bluster or back away from her obvious slight. Instead, he let her laugh, which felt delightful.
“You have a beautiful laugh,” he murmured.
She was surprised at his words.
“Yes, well, thank you,” she said as she stepped to the side of him. She couldn’t think when he was that close. “As you know, I have a list of stages, seven being the last and final stage, but the order of the ones before it is not set in stone and therefore can be done in whatever order I like.”
She tilted her head to the side as her eyes drifted towards the ceiling behind him, a common stance when she was thinking.
“I suppose it is different for each couple and depends on a multitude of variables…”
“Sorceress?”
“Hmm? Oh! I am sorry. Sometimes when I am thinking I lose myself.” She suddenly didn’t know what to do with her hands. “Um, right, like I was saying, various stages and all that. I think tonight would be perfect to dive into the first kiss stage.”
The Duke barked out a laugh. “Is that all you want then? To kiss?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “How do you know that one kiss will be enough to satisfy you? How can you be sure you will not beg me for more?”
Theodora snorted.
Perhaps I should have heeded the warning Anna gave me.
His eyes danced merrily as he waited for her to reply. She definitely was losing patience with this scoundrel.
She pointed to the door. “I assure you I can find several men out there to conduct this experiment with me.”
He raised his hands in apology. “I am sorry, sorceress. I mean no offense. I am just not used to ladies of the ton being so outspoken or forward.”
Theodora’s heart sank. She was well aware how her personality and interests were viewed amongst the ton.
She did not need the reminder. She lowered her head and fought the lump forming in her throat.
She was so tired of being on the outside of things.
Theodora felt a finger slide underneath her chin to pull it up.
“I mean no offense. I find it refreshing and remarkable. I wish more would speak plainly instead of playing all the games.”
She smiled nervously and stepped away from his hand. “If we are to do this, I ask that I be permitted to do it my way.”
When he raised an eyebrow beneath his mask she responded, “Experiments should be done in a controlled setting. One that can be replicated. Since I may have to do this a few times, I am the only constant, therefore I need to kiss you.”
Amusement lit his eyes as he took a step back, placed his hands at his sides, and stood tall. “I am all yours, sorceress. Kiss me.”
The words hit her straight in her stomach.
This is for educational purposes only. This is for educational purposes only.
The chant did nothing to slow her racing heart. She took a step towards him, then another. Raising onto her tip toes, she placed a chaste, clumsy kiss on the corner of his mouth. She lowered back down and furrowed her brows. With a noncommittal grunt, she turned to her book.
Nothing. She wrote.
She still felt the Duke hovering behind her.
“What was that?” He questioned.
“What was what?” she asked without looking at him.
He shook his head and closed the distance between them. “I thought you were going to kiss me.”
Theodora spun around but she was not aware of how close he was again. She stumbled back into the table.
“I…I did. Then I recorded my findings.” She tried to snap the book shut behind her, but he plucked it from her hands.
He opened to where she last wrote.
“Nothing!” He said incredulously. “Well of course you did not feel anything because you did not kiss me.”
It was her time to laugh once more. “I may be naive in some areas of the romantic relationships,” all right, all of them, “but I know what a kiss is.” She sniffed.
The Duke shook his head. “If you think that was a kiss you are in need of more help than you think.”
“Oh really?” She said, placing her hands on her hips.
“Yes, really.” He cupped her face and her breath caught. “I am going to kiss you properly, so you know what you are doing next time.”
Despite her fluttering pulse, Theodora rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she sighed then muttered under her breath, “we should not replicate this stage again so soon, but go ahead and prove your point.”
The Duke chuckled as Theodora stood still with her hands dangling at her sides and closed her eyes, waiting for his lips to touch hers.
But they did not.
Instead, Theodora felt his right hand slide down her neck until he reached the small of her back while deft fingers from his left hand pushed the hair from her neck. The soft touch caused a shock of energy to course through her body.
She inhaled sharply and inwardly cursed herself for experiencing such a reaction. The hand on her back slowly guided her body forward until she was nestled against him. His fingers on her neck began to trace small circles along her clavicle which she learned was an extremely sensitive area for her.
She felt his body lean into hers and when his lips touched the side of her neck she jumped and an unfamiliar sound escaped her throat.
Theodora felt the Duke’s smile as he kissed her neck gently before slowly running his lips up, onto her face where he left soft kisses at the corners of her lips. She shuddered and he held her closer. She could feel a sudden vibration in the center of her body, and she wondered if he felt it too.
Oh, so close.
She leaned in. She was ready for more of his kisses but instead he whispered against her parted lips, “You see, sorceress, a kiss starts long before the lips touch.”
When he pulled away her body followed until she realized she would fall forward and her eyes popped open. She looked up at him through her lashes, breathless and open-mouthed.
“That is how you should look at a man.” He pointed at her. “You should write that down in your book. With this lesson and that look, you will have a man begging on his knees for you,” he said as a triumphant smile danced across his face.
Theodora was too busy trying to stabilize her breath and legs to be embarrassed at his amusement. That is, until she regained her breathing. She looked at him and his smug smile. Theodora grabbed the notebook and scribbled.
“Subject one…adequate.” She dotted the period with enough force she was sure it went through the page.
The Duke just smiled at her defiance.
Unfortunately for her, what she said before still rang true. She would rather work with him than others. There was something about him that interested her and he was the first one who thought this experiment was worthy of conducting.
“I propose a deal,” she stated flatly as if she already knew he would agree to whatever she offered.
The Duke folded his arms and raised an interested eyebrow.
“In order to prove that love is not real I need to learn how to talk to men, be in their company, and test their limits. Due to the fact that I am a young woman, I obviously do not have the know how or experience to do so. That is where you come in.” She looked to make sure he was still paying attention.
“You want me to help you court men,” he supplied.
She nodded. “Yes. I will record my findings, how I react to them, and them to me. And together we will prove love is nothing more than a physical reaction.”
The Duke stood for a moment thinking it over, amusement still visible in his expression.
With a shake of his head, he held out his hand. “You have a deal.”
She slipped her hand into his to shake. Only once her hand was encased in his warm embrace did he pull her toward him.
“On one condition, sorceress,” he whispered in her ear.
She looked up into his eyes. Again, standing this close to him felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room and there was nothing left but him and her.
“And what is that?” Theodora’s voice trembled.
“In the initial stages, your experiment may require you to converse and interact with other men.”
She nodded in agreement.
“But,” he tugged her closer as his eyes darkened, “when you are ready to experiment with the physical stages, you must do those with me, and me alone.”