Page 9 of A Deal for the Duke’s Virgin

“I am glad to hear it,” the Duke responded, that same smile still on his lips.

He had not glanced away from her once since their conversation had begun. Had he even blinked?

Perhaps I could slip past him. Surely, he would not grab me?

She let her gaze trail down his large frame. Some dandies tended to pad out their bodies to attain an ideal shape. She’d seen fellows with cushions beneath their shirts to give the impression of broad shoulders and a thick chest. Apparently, padding would even be used to give the impression of muscular calves.

Men seemed to care a great deal about the shapes of their calves.

This fellow did not seem to be using padding of any sort. His suit, made of visibly expensive fabric even in the unforgiving moonlight, stretched across wide shoulders. He had a chest which even the most ambitious dandies could not attain, and his waist narrowed naturally of its own accord.

It belatedly occurred to her that she ought not to be considering the narrowness of his waist, and she dragged her gaze up to his face once more.

There was that infernal smile again! She could have sworn that he knew something about her, some secret that made him want to chuckle aloud.

“We have a mutual friend,” he said, startling her out of her reverie. “My sister, Laura.”

Thalia eyed him uncertainly. “Yes, Laura and I are friends.”

“I dare say she has spoken about me at length.”

“No, not at all.”

A muscle pulsed in his cheek.

Had she said the wrong thing? It seemed likely.

Her stutter seemed to wait at the back of her tongue, ready to tie up her words and make her seem like an imbecile. Jonathan had always said that she sounded like a simpleton when she stuttered.

The Duke spoke again, eyes narrowing. “Is Laura staying with you? And do not lie to me, Lady Thalia. I’ll know.”

I believe you, she thought, swallowing.

“Do you think my brother would allow such a th-thing?”

He paused, lips pursing, considering.

“No, I imagine not,” he responded, yet he continued staring at her.

He is not telling me everything, she thought, heart hammering.

She dared not think of Laura. Why wasn’t she here?

I suppose Jonathan was too spiteful to invite her.

Whatever the Duke saw in her face seemed to satisfy him. He grunted, and his piercing gaze finally flitted away. She let out a subtle sigh of relief.

“I had b-b-better be getting back in,” she managed uncertainly. “My brother⁠—”

“Let’s not pretend that you are keen to rejoin the party,” the Duke interrupted coolly. “So, you speak German? Good. In that case, Lady Thalia, I need you.”

She blinked at him. “You… you n-need me? If this is some strange way to seduce me, Your Grace, I should warn you now that I am not⁠—”

“You misunderstand,” he interrupted again. “I do not use foreign languages to charm people. I would certainly not use German.”

She balked. “German is actually a particularly pleasant and pretty language. Their use of vowels…”

“Yes, yes, vowels. We clearly have very different ideas of what is charming and what is not.”