A Duke of Her Own(75)

He deserved what he got. And just like Gideon, he deserved to lose what he was about to lose. So she stepped back and smiled, releasing his eyes from their voluntary bondage.

Of course, being Leopold, he surprised her. His eyes moved so slowly.

If he were naked, she wouldn't even know where to look first... Perhaps his chest. She knew it was muscled, but... and his stomach. Lower. The way his thighs felt when pressed against hers, hard and potent.

Her imagination made her own body change, feel liquid and powerful. She opened her legs slightly, not even glancing at the discarded towel, and leaned back against the balustrade.

Leopold was inspecting her as slowly as if she were a sovereign he suspected of being copper rather than true gold. She arched her back a little. She liked the way her breasts curved, and her delicate pink nipples, and the way those nipples didn't point downwards, like some women's did.

His breath was ragged but he was taking too long in his inspection, so she bent over to pick up the towel, taking her time.

When she straightened, she met his eyes again. The look in them was smol<y and seductive, and made her feel as if she might do something foolish. It was time to leave.

She blew him a kiss.

He groaned as if he was in pain.

Good.

She left.





Chapter Nineteen


Knole House, country residence of the Duke of Gilner

June 19, 1784

The next morning, Eleanor walked over to the other wing of the house, trailed by Oyster and a footman with a tea service. Anne was sitting up in bed, reading. "How are you feeling?" Eleanor asked.

"Tea!" Anne cried rapturously. "You are my favorite of all sisters."

"You are the most easily bribed of mine," Eleanor said, sitting down with her cup of tea.



"Marie, will you come back in two minutes?" Anne asked her maid. And then: "She told me about Ada. I'm so sorry, Eleanor."

"There's no reason to give me particular condolences."

"Yes, there is," her younger sister said, smiling ruefully. "I've known you for years, after all. I would guess that you stayed up half the night weeping into your pillow." "Ada deserved tears. She had a terribly short life."

"I agree. I do agree. But it's not your fault, my dear. And I would guess yours were guilty tears."

Eleanor nodded. But what was there to be said about it, after all? She had liked Ada, but Ada was gone, and there was no changing that. "Villiers has decided to marry Lisette."

"I'm not sure that's a bad thing for you," Anne said. "Though it certainly is for him. Lisette really is eccentric, the poor thing. She's not made for marriage. She is best here, in the place where everyone knows her and makes allowances for her behavior. Does Villiers still fancy himself as a rescuer of fair maidens?"

"I believe he fancies her as an excellent mother."

Anne snorted. "This is the most wonderful book," she said, waving it at Eleanor. "It's called The Castle of Otranto. I scared myself silly last night when the son of the lord was crushed to death by a monstrous helmet that falls out of the sky just before he was supposed to be married. Have you read it?"

"I'm still trying to read Shakespeare's sonnets," Eleanor said.

"So boring," Anne said. "Sonnets all just talk about one thing, really. But this book has portraits that sigh mysteriously, and bits of armor falling out of the clouds. And now Lord Manfred is trying to divorce his wife to marry his son's fiancee... I believe I shall just stay in bed and read the whole thing today. I can't possibly survive another night unless I've found out how it ends. This house creaks terribly in the dark."

There was a knock on the door and Anne's maid reentered. "Do you happen to know how the duchess is feeling?" Eleanor asked her.

"Her Grace had a poor night," Marie reported. "But the surgeon comes today and he'll pull out the tooth. Meanwhile Lady Marguerite gave a great bottle of laudanum to Her Grace's maid, and so Her Grace is fast asleep. Lady Marguerite told the maid to keep her that way so that the tooth can just be pulled before she wakes up."

"Oh dear," Eleanor said. "But I'm sure Mother would much rather be asleep. She is not fond of pain."

"Who is?" Anne said. "I gather you are clambering up on a horse this morning, Eleanor? I must say, that habit is just lovely, and I didn't even pick it out myself."

Eleanor glanced down at herself. For almost the first time since arriving, she was wearing a costume that she herself had ordered. The habit was made of blue ribbed silk with a deep turned-down collar behind.



"I particularly like your coattails," Anne added.

"Why should men be able to wear coattails and not women?" Eleanor agreed, tipping her tall hat a little farther forward over her eyes. It was blue as well, and had two jaunty tassels that hung to her shoulder.