“He deserves more,” she said.
“Yes. He does.”
Fable liked the duke’s closest friend.
“What about you?” she asked him. She’d been surprised when, after she’d washed her hair, Edith told her the earl was in the sitting parlor outside her bedroom door, waiting to pay her a visit. Her feet still stung but were otherwise healing nicely. She was able to walk to the other room on her own. When she first saw the earl, she was surprised at how tall he was and how small the room appeared with him in it. He wore his dark chestnut hair slicked back from his handsome face. His nose was sharp and his lips, full and red, as if he’d just polished off a basket of strawberries.
“I fought alongside the duke for many years, but these days have been peaceful, so I hunt, travel back and forth between here and Sudbury, and lose to my friend at chess.”
“Is Sudbury far?”
He gave her a curious look, and she guessed she was supposed to know where Sudbury was. Then shook his head.
“Why don’t you just live there, if it’s where you’re from?” she asked.
“There’s a lady here that I enjoy spending time with.” He smiled and his eyes danced, gleaming from within. There was something different between him and the duke. Lord Sudbury was more open, more cordial, easy-going and warm.
The door opened. Fable turned to see the duke and her first thought was that Lord Sudbury might be friendlier, but he wasn’thim.
For a second he did nothing to hide the fact that he didn’t like them alone together. Dark brows dipped low over his eyes, lips drawn tight and closer to a snarl than a smile. But after expelling a deep puff of breath, he quickly pulled himself together and strode into the room.
“You should be in bed,” he said, coming to stand over her.
“It’s better that I’m sitting, isn’t it?” she asked, looking up and then watching as he sat beside her on the settee. “Or am I expected to greet guests in bed?”
“You’re correct,” he quickly conceded. “Forgive me.”
In his seat, the earl stared slack-jawed at his friend.
Fable’s breath felt warm going through her and made her heart flutter. The duke was close. Close enough to stare into his eyes and see the soul of a brooding warrior, leashed by an unhappy knight in shining armor. He turned those dark eyes on his friend across from him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“I came to see you actually,” Lord Sudbury told him, his smile quickly restored, appearing even warmer than before. “When you weren’t here, I thought I would stay for a bit and get to know your guest. But she cleverly avoided speaking about herself by asking an endless array of questions about you.”
Fable’s heart went still. Why would the earl say something like that? And he was still smiling! And…did he just wink at her? There was no time to react to that. From the corner of her eye she saw the seemingly possessive duke facing her. Oh, she could scratch Lord Sudbury’s eyes out. Reluctantly, she turned to the duke, her cheeks on fire. She didn’t say anything. What was there to say?
He didn’t say anything either–and yet, his dark, expressive gaze seemed to say much, like,don’t be embarrassed. I don’t mind.
She heard Lord Sudbury stand from his chair and the duke broke eye contact with her and looked up, then stood with his friend.
“I’ll walk you out,” he offered, though Lord Sudbury didn’t mention leaving.
After a flowery farewell, the earl left with Duke Colchester speaking softly as they went.
When the duke returned, he went to her and without a word, slipped his arms under her and lifted her off the settee and into his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked, feeling surprisingly light in the cradle of arms.
“Putting you back in bed.” His voice was deep like an ocean, seeping into her flesh.
“I’m fine, Your Grace.” She didn’t know what to think. No one had ever concerned themself with her care. Why would he?Because, she answered herself,he doesn’t know what you are.
He stepped into the bedroom, his gaze steady ahead, his voice softer, huskier, but marked with command. “When we’re alone, you’ll call me Ben.”
“That’s very casual of you,” she remarked lightly, neither agreeing to it, nor disagreeing. One of the million other reasons she didn’t have a boyfriend was because they were all jerks who thought she was put on this earth to please them and do what she was told. They were wrong.
“You’ve been in my arms since I’ve known you,” he pointed out, neither scowling nor smiling, making her heart flip. “Formality when we’re alone is no longer genuine.”
“So, you value honesty,” she said, more seriously.
