He gave her a winning smile.“I would like to talk to you aboutDuke.”
“You have eight minutes until my biscuits are done.”
His stomach immediately growled.“What kind of biscuits?”
She glanced around the corner.“Seven and a half minutes.”
“Can we move within sight of the clock?”He flinched.“It won’t ring the same alarm again, will it?”
“Yes.”Miss Mitchell motioned for him to follow.“This way.”
She led him through a thick metal door into the cleanest kitchen he had ever seen.
Although he himself did not bake, as a lad he had learned that befriending the staff of any kitchen was the easiest way to be slipped extra treats.Over the years, he had enjoyed countless jam tartlets, fig pudding, crème brûlée…
But his favorite dessert of all remained fresh-baked biscuits.Crisp on the outside, gooey on the inside.Crumbly and sweet and delicious.Perhaps a sip of cold milk to wash it down.
“Seven minutes,” Miss Mitchell said as she hoisted herself on a tall stool near the fire.
He did the same.“I’ll cut to the chase.Dukeis cheating.It must be stopped.”
She inclined her head.“Cheating how?”
He considered where to begin.“You accused me of being a rake.”
“It was no accusation.You do more than simply dabble in occasional carnal activities.You are an accomplished rake with a well-deserved reputation.”
“Exactly.”He leaned back.Although the picture she painted wasn’t ideal, she had just proven his point.“I deserve my reputation.I earned it through my actions.I did not dump it on from a bottle.”
“Yes, the dumping is problematic,” she mused.“I am investigating airborne diffusion methods.My theory is that a fine overall mist will prove far superior than concentrated doses applied to limited pulse points.”
“You have to stop,” he broke in.
She glanced up.“Because you don’t think it works?”
“Because it does work.A man shouldn’t win a woman because he purchased cologne water.”
“Do tell.”The corner of Miss Mitchell’s mouth twitched.“Howshoulda man win a woman?”
Nicholas immediately recognized his mistake.
“No one should win anyone else,” he said quickly.“Love isn’t a game.It’s something that happens naturally.”
By some miracle, lightning did not strike him where he stood.
“Dukedoesn’t promise love,” she pointed out with a laugh.“It promises easier access to women.”
Nicholas gazed at her in disbelief.Clearly, he had misjudged the situation.
“It delivers on that promise,” he agreed carefully.“Therein lies the problem.We should be upholding the standards for love, not lowering female inhibitions.”
She arched her brows.“Should we?”
What kind of question was that?
He started over.“You believe in love, don’t you?”
“No.”She chuckled.“Do you?”
