“Ah, yes! Speaking of which, are there any promising candidates?”
Her eyes darted away from him.
“Have you not just sampled the wares yourself? They seemed…charming, all of them. Accomplished pianoforte players, excellent embroiderers, fluent in compliments.” Deena’s tone sharpened. “Most seemed to enjoy your company excessively for some mysterious reason.”
“So, youwerewatching me?” Austin grinned as he remembered constantly catching her eye in the crowded room.
“I was not!” Another lie.
“Hmm. Well, I must say that those women have exquisite taste.”
“Or uniformly poor judgment.”
He laughed softly. “Touché.” Then he sobered. “But truthfully, all they see is the prize. The title, the estates, and the gossip. I want someone who will go beyond her duty.”
Deena’s breath caught. “What is required of a duchess?”
The question caught him off guard.
“A duchess will see beyond her duties as a wife. She will be honest, truthful, and trustworthy. She will see me beyond the Velvet Duke,” he said quietly. “The man beneath the nonsense.”
“Andyouare capable of offering more?”
Austin chuckled at her wittiness as the hourglass trickled.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, but the promise he made to Dominic halted him.
Time to change the topic.
“Enough about me. How is your search going?” He leaned closer to her and gave her a foxy smile.
“If you are speaking about my search for more scandalous stories about a certain duke... It’s not going too well,” Deena retorted.
Austin had second thoughts about bringing this up, but he had no choice. “No, Dee. I’m speaking about your search for a husband.”
She froze and he tried not to laugh at the appalled look on her face.
“I have no need for a husband,” she said firmly, and Austin shook his head.
“Your brother used to always say that he had no need for a wife, and now look at him.”
Austin ignored the clawing images in his mind of their kiss, their stolen looks, and the way she tasted so intoxicatingly good on the tip of his tongue. He fought, imagining her lying in another man’s arms, bearing his children and?—
“I am not my brother,” Deena hissed, cutting off his train of thought.
Thank God for that.
“You’re sure as hell not Dominic, but you have a lot of his traits,” he admitted and knew she wouldn’t like that.
Deena raised a brow at him. “Did he put you up to this?”
Austin chuckled. “No, Deena. I am just sharing my own wisdom with you. Just like a convenient marriage will save me, it might save you, too.”
He noticed the way she frowned whenever she was deep in thought. Her eyebrows twitched, and her eyes lowered to her fidgeting fingers. Austin cursed himself for doing what had to be done. The thought was planted; now it had to grow.
After a few seconds of silence, Deena lifted her head. “The Velvet Duke is giving me marital advice. How rich is that?”
Austin did not miss the sarcasm in her tone.
