“Why don’twehave a maze?” Madeline asked her brother as they turned the first corner and headed toward a wall of greenery.
“Because it’s an inconvenience,” the Duke answered.
Although Lavinia felt the urge to disagree with his every word, she knew in her heart that he was right. It did take the gardeners an extraordinary amount of time and patience to cultivate the shrubbery and keep it shaped accordingly.
“But it’s still fun,” Madeline retorted.
They had been in the maze for a few minutes already, and Lavinia was beginning to question her memory. The maze was not a short walk, but at this time, she should know which way to go. Instead, she was convinced they were lost.
Her heart sped up, and she slowed her breathing, trying to hide her growing panic.
“Are we almost near the exit?” Madeline asked.
Lavinia’s silence made the Duke stop and stare at her. She caught him looking, and she knew he already understood what was happening. But her ego was still intact, so she would never admit her mistake, most especially not to him.
“We’re almost there,” she lied.
Madeline trusted her way too much, so she did not notice the quiver in Lavinia’s voice. But not the Duke. He huffed in dismay.
“No, we’re not,” he refuted, staring at her. “We’re lost.”
Lavinia’s mouth fell open.
He called my bluff!
“I… We…” she stuttered.
The Duke gestured to the walls surrounding them. “You led us into the maze, Miss Fitzroy, but we are now at a standstill.”
He rose onto his toes and craned his neck as if he were hoping to see over the hedges. Lavinia’s eyes followed his movements. She saw the way his breeches tightened around his legs and admired the fabric that was stretched across his backside.
“Heavens,” she whispered, her heart fluttering. She lifted her hands and pressed them to her chest.
The Duke dug both hands into the thick, green walls, then turned to look at them. “Give me a boost up, will you?”
“No,” Madeline huffed as she stamped her foot prissily. “If you peek over those walls, that is cheating. I wish to find my way out properly and shan’t be tempted to do things the easy way.”
The Duke groaned loudly, then fixed Lavinia with a long look. “I need your assistance, Miss Fitzroy.”
She took a tentative step closer to him. In response, he lifted his foot and dug the toe of his boot into the wall.
“Place both your hands on my backside and…”
Lavinia did not hear what he said next. Her eyes focused on his posture, and suddenly, she felt a tingling sensation in her abdomen. She wished to tear her eyes away from his round, tight backside, but it was nearly impossible.
“Miss Fitzroy!” It was the sharpness of his voice that returned her to her senses.
“Yes?” she said softly as she gave her head a quick shake.
“Are you going to give me a boost or not?”
“Umm…”
Lavinia’s eyes slid to the side. Madeline was still standing there with her arms crossed.
“No,” she said after seeing the determined look on her friend’s face. “Madeline is right. We can make it out of this maze without breaking the rules.”
“Rules?” the Duke scoffed as he lowered his foot, pulled his hands free from the hedges, and stepped back toward Madeline. “Who thought there would be rules to navigating a maze?”
