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“No one would harm me here, Your Grace,” she retorted.

“That is not that kind of danger I speak of, Lady Selina,” he continued. “Not all men would be as proper as I am.”

Her cheeks flushed further as she realized the implications of his earlier warning.

“It is fortunate that I am in no danger with you then.”

“I would not make that assumption too quickly, Lady Selina.”

His words stunned her but he didn’t seem to notice. He didn’t even glance at her before walking away—presumably to return to the party. She also walked back quickly but timed it so no one would think they had escaped for a lover’s tryst in the gardens.

Her cheeks reddened again as she remembered how tenderly his arms had wrapped around her and how his shoulders had felt beneath her hands.

He had been right to warn her. He was a dangerous man to be around.

CHAPTER 2

Richard smiled to himself at his interaction with Lady Selina. Her reaction to him had been a pleasant surprise because she always looked cocksure whenever he saw her at her brother’s estate or when she was terrorizing small-minded noblemen who thought she was one to be trifled with.

He recalled how she had flushed at his nearness, and found that it gave a young air to her appearance. He had always thought her handsome, but at that moment, he thought herbeautiful.

His hands burned where they’d wrapped around her, the memory of her small waist in his hands flashing through his mind.

But his smile quickly dropped when he spotted his mother holding court, as though she were the hostess, at one end of the room. She looked as she always did—dressed elegantly in a rich velvet gown in a shade of burgundy that gave color to her pale skin. She was overdressedagain, and he knew that meant onlyone thing—one of her rivals was present and she was trying to make a point.

He hadn’t even expected her to be in attendance, as she usually shunned parties that involved long stays away from the estate. Eli, the Marquess of Mulford and one of his oldest friends, had failed to mention that he had sent her an invitation as well. Richard would scold him later for such a terrible oversight. But, for now, he would avoid conversation with her.

However,shespotted him, and contrary to what he’d hoped, she made her way towards him with slow, deliberate steps. He frowned at her flair for the dramatic—another thing he disliked strongly about the woman who birthed him.

“You could at least try to pretend that you’re happy to see me,” she scolded with a false smile. “I am your mother, after all.”

“You cannot fault me for my displeasure, can you?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “You really do need to work on your conversation skills, Richard. You are a duke.”

“Why are you here?” Richard asked, ignoring her attempt at emotional manipulation. “Eli didn’t mention that he’d invited you.”

“I’m here to mingle with the rest of the ton,” she answered, smiling. “And to ensure that you do the same.”

“I do not need you to play matchmaker for me.” He frowned.

“Find yourself a bride, then I won’t need to,” she threatened. Then, plastering a bright smile on her face, she turned to a group of matrons. “Lady Sarah, it’s been an age since I last saw you.”

Richard’s eyes darted around, looking for an escape before they could approach him, but he didn’t move quickly enough, and soon they had him surrounded by their unmarried daughters.

“How do you do, Your Grace?” Lady Sarah asked. “I believe you know my daughter, Charlotte.”

Richard shot his mother a glare, but she walked off with a triumphant smile on her face.

“I am well, Lady Sarah,” he answered, causing the woman to preen visibly.

“Your Grace, we have been introduced before,” another matron spoke up. “I am Lady Justina. This is my daughter, Beatrice.”

She pushed her daughter forward, and the others took turns introducing their daughters as well. But as disinterested as Richard visibly was, they were undeterred. He almost admired their dedication.

“Your Grace, we are all curious to know,” Lady Vivian said, looking around suspiciously. “We heard that you ended your engagement to Lottie Barnes.”

Richard frowned, straightening to his full height as he realized that he had stayed too long with the group if they considered themselves acquainted well enough to be asking such questions.