“I was just reading my books,” she answered, trying to get away with the simplest of answers.
The Duke chuckled, and Lavinia knew that he would be hard to convince. She heard the bass in his laugh, and it sent a delicious jolt of electricity into her system.
“You have a whole library inside the house, Lavinia.”
Her name sounded so good on his lips. No one had spoken her name so firmly but gently, and he sounded very sure. She knew she wanted to hear it more.
“You are right, Your Grace,” she conceded. “I could sit in the library indoors, but instead, I came out here.”
“Then what could have made you hide away in this cramped space?” the Duke asked, leaning back against the closed door.
Lavinia meant to answer, but she was struck anew by his attractiveness while watching him move. He crossed one leg laconically over the other as he waited for her response, and she could not help but ogle him. Even the slightest movement looked sensual. When he flicked his wrist and brushed his fingers through his hair, she felt all the things she could feel at once.
“I think you already know my reason, Your Grace,” she replied vaguely.
He smirked in response. Lavinia wanted to know the reason why he continued to stay, but she hoped that he found their interaction as engaging as she did.
“Then I was right all along, Miss Fitzroy,” the Duke said in a triumphant tone.
“Right about what?” Lavinia asked innocently.
She didn’t want to admit it, but she already despised how predictable she was around him.
“That you are a coward,” he said matter-of-factly.
Lavinia laughed, even though she knew he was completely right.
“Did I guess incorrectly?” he asked. “You have whiled away the entire afternoon here in this shed because you dared not set a toe outside and meet with any of your parents’ guests.”
Lavinia was surprised at how closely his conjecture came to the truth.
“You have summed my situation accurately, Your Grace,” she conceded in defeat. “I was hiding here so that I could hide away from the others.”
“Including me?” The Duke raised his hand and laid it on his chest. Then, he batted his eyelashes at her, feigning offense.
Especially you.
Lavinia kept that thought to herself. Admittedly, she had been avoiding the Duke, but it was her desire to flee from Lord Windham that drove her to seek shelter in the shed.
“Sometimes, a lady likes to spend time alone,” she said.
The Duke’s eyes lit up with jubilation. “Really? Do tell me what you do with your privacy. Something wicked, I suspect.”
Lavinia blushed when she recalled the way she had touched herself just hours ago.
Suddenly, she felt uncomfortably hot. Without giving her actions much thought, she shouldered her way past the Duke and hustled out of the shed.
She knew her behavior was rude, and even thought twice about turning around and apologizing, but the sound of the Duke’s laughter filled her ears, and she knew he was not offended.
As she darted across the lawn, her knees wobbled, so she had to pause.
It was then that she was forced to admit the truth: she and the Duke were alike in at least one way. They both enjoyed watching each other.
CHAPTER 9
“What are you doing here?”
Peter sat up straight in his bed and stared at Miss Fitzroy. He shook his head subtly, attempting to dismiss what he was sure must be a dream. He had not laid eyes on Miss Fitzroy since she had left him in the shed during the late afternoon. She had once again skipped dinner, so he had assumed that he would not see her for the rest of the night.
