Page 38 of A Deal for the Duke’s Virgin

For some reason, I keep thinking about the kiss and wondering if it might happen again.

He arched an eyebrow. “For some reason, you what?”

Oh, there was no chance, no chance at all that she would tell him what she was thinking. Instead, she flashed him a bright, wide smile and shook her head.

“Never mind.”

Again, that eyebrow of his quirked, as if he didn’t quite believe her. Well, she was probably not convincing.

“At any rate,” Christian continued, glancing around them, “I wished to apologize. You and I have a common goal. We both want to find Laura and ensure her safety. I will inspect her room to see if there are more hidden papers. I should like you to look them over. In the meantime, I can assure you that this… mishap will not happen again.”

So, he would not kiss her again. Well, she should be grateful, shouldn’t she? So why did her heart sink into her gut?

Careful, girl, she warned herself grimly. When women fall, they fall hard and fast. You might find yourself going from enjoying a single kiss to being shunned from Society in the blink of an eye. Jonathan will not forgive you.

“When you are searching her room, you might want to check the floorboards,” Thalia advised, meeting his eyes. “And some of the paneling might be loose. Take a look at the window seat, too.”

He frowned. “What else has she told you?”

“Very little. Just enough for me to think that she prefers that room because there are things she likes to hide. I couldn’t tell you if there would be anything in those places. And I would like you to know that I am not deliberately betraying my friend’s confidence. I hope Laura will forgive me. I am just… I am just a little worried. I want to be sure that she is safe.”

Christian pursed his lips, studying her. “Are you sure she never spoke to you about any plans to leave? Any concerns? Any goals? Anything that bothered her?”

“No, nothing. Or else I would tell you. If she had told me of her plan in full and sworn me to secrecy, I might choose to stay quiet if I believed she was safe. I won’t lie to you there.”

“But in that case, I imagine you would refuse to help me,” he murmured wryly.

“Yes, I would. She has told me nothing, and that is why I am concerned.”

He stared at her for a long moment, gaze raking her face as if he were unsure whether she lied or not. At last, he gave a grunt and a nod, stepping back.

“I am grateful for your honesty,” he said brusquely, pulling open the carriage door. The conversation was clearly over. “The carriage will take you directly home.”

“Aren’t you coming?” she stammered.

He tilted his head. “Are you afraid of riding in the carriage alone?”

“No, of course not!”

“Good. I don’t think your brother will be pleased to see us alone in the carriage, and I won’t give him a chance to apply pressure on our engagement. As we have both agreed, this engagement will not progress to marriage.”

“No, of course not,” she huffed, reddening. “I don’t want that.”

“That is perfect. Anyway, in you go. Your darling brother will be wondering where you are.”

She tossed back her hair and climbed into the carriage. He closed the door after her, and she glanced back, her eyes meeting his. The air seemed to grow heavy.

But then the driver snapped the reins, the carriage lurched forward, and they were off.

Christian’s face receded. For a moment, Thalia felt the urge to press her nose against the window and stare back at him, but the last shreds of her pride refused to allow it. Instead, she sat very still on the fur-lined seat, staring at nothing.

Why did he kiss me? There was a moment when I saw hunger, real hunger in his eyes. In that instant, he craved me, I’m sure of it. But perhaps it meant nothing. I know little about men. Perhaps it’s a fleeting fancy.

Yes, a fleeting fancy.

She relaxed a little into the seat. Jonathan had often warned her that men were hungry, mindless beasts and that she ought to be careful around them. Perhaps the moment simply conspired to make Christian long for her, just for a little while. His hunger sated, he would no longer think of her.

He won’t kiss me again. And that is a good thing. Yes, a very good thing indeed.