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The brush of his breath was somehow as thrilling as a caress. The scent of him—woodsmoke, mild soap, and vetiver—overwhelmed her, as heady as if she had sprayed his perfume directly on her face. The sound of his movements behind her—the faint rustle of his shirt, the scuff of his boots—heightened her anticipation. Unfortunately, the only thing she could taste was that awful drink.

Control yourself, Sophia. It’s a dancing lesson, and you are about to humiliate yourself all over again.

“Is it too tight?” he asked, his voice startling her.

She hummed loudly to clear her throat. “No. It’s… fine.”

“Well then, let us begin the lesson,” he said in a soft, stirring tone, lightly touching her waist and turning her around. “Your issue is not one of body, Sophia. Your issue is one of confidence.” He lifted her hand and held it there between them, his body so close that she could feel it. “A duchess doesn’t think of whether her decisions are right or wrong. A duchess simply knows, and a duchess simplyacts.”

She felt her stubbornness and desire boil together, like the innards of a volcano.

But I can’t do as I please, not with you.

Pietro clapped.

Thomas whispered, “One.”

CHAPTER 15

“Ibelieve we are ready to try without the blindfold,” Pietro said.

Sophia breathed out heavily and pushed up the fabric that covered her eyes. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright, and she stooped in obvious exhaustion, throwing the blindfold over her shoulder.

Thomas felt a smile come up and immediately suppressed it, remaining silent.

She has done well, but I can’t have her becoming complacent.

She needed to be ready for the upcoming ball; the compliments could wait until after she had proven herself there.

“Am I allowed to rest now?” she gasped.

Pietro shook his head. “One more lesson, to use everything we have learned, and then you may rest at your leisure.”

“I am surrounded by sadists,” she muttered, her hands braced on her narrow waist as she slowed her breathing.

“You will be grateful for the discipline in due course,” Thomas said in a clipped tone, deliberately averting his gaze from the rise and fall of her bosom.

Even the awful shade of her dress could do nothing to dampen his desire, for that pea-green color now reminded him of her half-naked, resplendent body on his study desk.

She squinted. “Why is that?”

“We are hosting a garden party in a few days,” he replied evenly. “My mother’s idea. I suspect it is to bolster our standing in Society, to let people see that we are entirely united. Not just you and me, but our respective families.”

Sophia stared at him like she wanted to either kill him or kiss him. “And you’re just mentioning this now?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Does the word ‘honeymoon’ not mean anything to you?” she shot back, taking the blindfold and dabbing her sweaty brow. “Are you unaware of what one entails?”

He shrugged. “A week was long enough for you to get accustomed to the household.”

“It was lessthan a week, and I don’t agree,” she replied.

“You rarely do.” He rolled up his sleeves. “But the invitations have been sent, and many have already been accepted. Your complaint won’t change what is happening.”

She frowned deeply. “How is that possible? How have invitations been accepted already?”

“Because this was planned before our wedding. I believe the invitations were sent out at the same time as the invitations to our… happy day,” he told her, feelingslightlyguilty for not informing her sooner.