He would tease her, of course. That went without saying. He loved to tease her, to see whether he could provoke her. It seemed to be his favorite pastime—and the maddening thing was that it usually worked. She had never thought of herself as someone who was vulnerable to the charms and flirtations of gentlemen, but whenever she was around him, she felt nearlyhelpless to resist. It was downright upsetting—at least, itshouldhave been upsetting—but she found she wanted more of it. She wanted to see him again.
So, it was the Duke, not Lord Kentrow, who occupied her thoughts as she went up to her room after lunch. She sat in her window seat and looked out over the grounds, wondering when she would see him next and what their next outing would look like, wondering what they would say to one another, swearing to herself that no matter how he behaved, she would resist. She would not fall victim to his charms.
She refused to allow that to happen.
And yet, even as she thought about it, she had an uneasy, uncertain feeling. She didn’t know whether she would truly be able to resist his charms. She had vowed that she would every time they had come face to face, and every time, he had gotten to her. Every time, she had allowed herself to fall victim to his appeal.
It had to stop. The next time she saw him, she swore, she would prove herself strong enough to resist him. She would show him that there was nothing he could do that would have a hope of winning her over.
CHAPTER 13
“Agift has arrived for you, Edwina,” her father told her.
It was the morning of the Hessler garden party, an event Edwina usually enjoyed because it was a break from the usual series of balls. She liked having a different way of socializing with people and loved the opportunity to be outside.
This year, though, she had mixed feelings about the party. It was to be the occasion of her third date with the Duke. They had arranged to meet there. Edwina had lingered in her room this morning, pondering how it would be to see him again.
On one hand, she wasn’t looking forward to it. She thought it would be likely to spoil the fun she would otherwise have at the garden party because she would have to spend the whole time paying attention to this date, and that wasn’t something she wanted to do. It might stop her from doing the things she would have liked—socializing with friends, playing lawn games,or walking down to sit in peace beside the water and simply thinking about the way things were going.
But on the other hand…spending time with the Duke was exciting. She didn’t want it to be, and she didn’t like to admit that it was, but she couldn’t quite deny the way she felt, and the truth was that being around him felt rather like Christmas—full of surprises and thrills.
She cursed the fact that he had such an effect on her. It was the last thing she wanted. It made her feel weak. But it was there, nonetheless.
She looked up at her father, who was standing in the doorway of her bedroom with the gift box in hand. It was large. “Who is that from?” she asked him.
“The tag says it’s from the Duke of Harbeck.”
Edwina frowned. “That’s odd.”
“Why is it odd? He’s courting you, after all. Sending gifts seems a very normal thing for him to do.”
“He isn’t courting me.” She forced herself not to look at the two books he had given her, which sat on her window seat. Her father had never thought much of her interest in reading. He wouldn’t say anything about the books, necessarily, but if he knew they had been a gift, he might have some comment. He might even try to take them from her.
“He’s as good as courting you,” her father said. “The difference is academic. Open your gift, and let’s see what he’s sent you.”
Edwina decided not to argue with her father anymore. She took the box, laid it on her bed, and opened it.
It was a beautiful gown in pale lavender, the latest fashion. Edwina’s first thought was that it was absolutely beautiful and that she couldn’t wait to put it on.
But that thought was followed quickly by another. “Why would he send me this?”
“I suppose he wants to see you in it at the party today,” her father said.
“I have plenty of gowns.”
“Edwina, it’s not uncommon for a gentleman to send a gift like this to a lady he admires. You know that.”
“He doesn’t admire me! He’s not doing this because he admires me, Father.”
Her father chuckled. “You may not think so,” he said, “but I doubt he would have bid all that money on you at the auction if he didn’t take an interest. Even though he may be acting as if he has no serious interest in you, I think you need to realize the truth. He does care about you. I think he wants to marry you.”
“I know he doesn’t want to marry me.”
“You believe the Duke is the one man in all of London who doesn’t want to marry you? You’re smarter than that.”
“Father, not everyone in London wants to marry me, for goodness’ sake! And yes, I believe the Duke is among those who don’t. As to his reasons for bidding on me at the auction, I couldn’t guess. Maybe he simply cared a great deal about making a contribution to charity.”
“I know you don’t think that’s the only reason.”
