He studied her more carefully. He had not seen her in nearly a year. His initial impression of her as being as lovely as ever held up under closer scrutiny. She was ruinously beautiful. And as always, he felt his knees go weak. His chest ached. His mouth went to dust. And yes, shamefully, his cock got hard.
She was in a dress of dark-purple silk which made her eyes appear even more violet. But he was surprised she was not in mourning.
She saw him looking at her dress. “I was not prepared. My modiste will have a bombazine ready for me by tomorrow. But it is unseemly for me to be here in the first place. I didn’t think not wearing black would compound the impropriety.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“But I knew you would not come to me, Jack, so I must come to you, whether or not it is seemly.”
He took a deep breath. “Did Norman really choke on his breakfast?”
“That’s what I was told. I wasn’t present.” She trilled a caressing, lyrical laugh. “And I will tell you, in confidence, there is no chance I am with child. At least, not with Norman’s child.”
His pleasure that at least his cousin had not enjoyed Elizabeth’s body in the weeks before his death was destroyed by the reminder that she was an adulterer. Inconstant, like every other woman. Always ready to lie with whom she liked, whenever it took her fancy.
Indiscriminate and lustful. Just like me.But I am not married. I am not a duchess. I am not tasked with bringing a legitimate heir into the world. It would be just like her to have a son by someone else and have him become duke.
The small part of Jack that wanted to be duke became a little larger.
Because the title belongs tomyfamily, doesn’t it? Not some bastard she’s going to palm off on the duchy.
She smiled, a small smile. “But one cannot say that openly, of course. So we will wait, won’t we?”
“Yes.”
“I would much rather be married to a duke than be mother to a duke.”
She said it so simply. Guilelessly. It was what had charmed him about her initially, that she had seemed so direct. He had thought it meant she was truthful.
“Is this a marriage proposal?”You conniving strumpet.
“It might be. Would you be agreeable, Jack?”
He made a lazy smile come to his lips. “I am always agreeable.”
“You know what I mean.”
“If you think you can feel me out on the matter, see if I will say yes before you make your proposal, you are mistaken.”
She stared at him through her long dark lashes. “I am trying to decide how long you want to make me pay. If it’s a short time or a long time.”
“I’m not interested in making you pay. But I am very interested in my own happiness. And I have to ask myself, would I be happy with a woman who left me for my cousin? If that woman came back to me once I had her husband’s title? Well, the question really comes down to the woman. She’s as beautiful as ever. She’s as beguiling as ever. I want to bed her as much as ever. But she’s a liar. A cheat. A thief of my heart. So . . .” He shrugged.
“Do you really want to bed me as much as ever, Jack?” She stepped closer to him. “Did I really steal your heart?”
“You should go, Your Grace.”
“Once upon a time, you called me Elizabeth.”
“Once upon a time, I thought I was in love with you.”
“Can you honestly say you’re not in love with me now?”
“What do you know of honesty?”
She smiled. “I’ll leave, Jack. I can see you’re in one of your stubborn, querulous moods. And I remember the best way to handle one of those. I’ll let you sulk and stew, but I’ll promise a reward if you come to your senses. Tonight, think on me. Think on what we shared together. And I’ll see you tomorrow. You will come to me, won’t you? In the afternoon?”
Her hand was on his chest, touching his shirt just under his cravat, toying with a button.
