Page 17 of A Duchess Bound (Dukes of Dominance #2)

D orothy considered the two bolts of fabric beside one another, trying to decide whether the blossom or lilac would look better with her sister’s coloring.

Bridget stood before the modiste, presently dressed in a white gown.

It was expertly cut to show Bridget’s body to its best effect.

Dorothy could already imagine how the suitors would swoon at the sight of her sister in it. They would be breathless.

Ordinarily, Bridget would have filled the modiste’s shop with conversation, talking about how she felt the suitors would respond, but today, she was quiet.

“You seem distracted,” Dorothy said, abandoning the fabrics.

She was certain that blossom would look better with her sister’s complexion.

“Do I?” Bridget asked.

“Yes.” Dorothy paused. “Did something occur at Lord Bryton’s ball?”

Color rushed to Bridget’s face. “No, nothing happened. It was an entirely ordinary ball,” she said quickly.

“Was it?”

“Entirely.”

Bridget did not act as though it were an ordinary ball. Dorothy grinned. It was quite apparent that her sister fancied someone. Or perhaps, she had engaged in some mild flirtation with a handsome man.

Dorothy might have seen if she had not been engaged in something far more scandalous herself. Her body still grew hot when she thought of what she had done with His Grace. She had spent the night unable to sleep, thinking of the things he had said to her and the way he had touched her.

That man had licked between her thighs and made her experience pleasure unlike any she had felt before!

Dorothy had thought that agreeing to his terms and experiencing another night with him would sate the lust roaring inside her, but instead, it had turned her desire into a raging inferno from which there seemed to be no escape.

“I believe I have everything I need,” the modiste said. “You are free to remove the gown, my lady.”

Bridget nimbly stepped from the pedestal before the mirror and slipped through the curtain that divided the shop from a dressing area.

Dorothy glanced at herself in her mirror, considering her body in a way she never had before.

She had not purchased a new gown in many years.

There was little need, for she was not attempting to attract a husband.

If she looked respectable, that was all that was needed.

Now, she had a lover. The thought sent a shiver of delight mingled with apprehension surging through her body.

Perhaps, she might try something new, meant for his eyes.

Her face burned when she imagined His Grace’s intense hazel eyes leisurely tracing the curves of her body. She pressed her thighs together.

These thoughts needed to stop. They had consumed her whole being and were interfering with her daily life, but even though she knew that she ought to cease thinking about the Duke of Greenway, she found herself unable to resist his allure.

“Perhaps, something for you, my lady?” the modiste asked, as if she had sensed Dorothy’s thoughts.

“No,” Dorothy said. “I fear that my best Seasons are behind me. No man is looking for a bride my age.”

“You never know,” the modiste said. “You do not look so old to me, and careful tailoring can do a great deal for improving a lady’s looks. Not that there is much to improve in yours, of course.”

Dorothy bit the inside of her cheek, thinking of the Duke of Greenway.

She had never considered dressing herself in a manner that a man might find especially attractive.

What would it be like to wear something she had chosen whilst thinking of the Duke of Greenway and what he might find desirable? She shivered.

It would be exciting and brazen. “Perhaps, another time,” Dorothy said, as Bridget emerged. “Our brother will be waiting for us.”

Elias had gone to purchase another bottle of his favorite cologne from Dr. Harris & Co., and Dorothy knew that the errand would not take much time.

“You should buy a new gown,” Bridget said. “It has been some time.”

“It is far more important that you look beautiful,” Dorothy said. “What need do spinsters have to look beautiful? No one is going to marry me.”

She thought of His Grace’s warm hazel eyes and his coy smirks, and heat rushed to her face.

Dorothy’s thoughts were getting away from her.

She was having an affair with a known rake.

He did not really feel any particular fondness for her—nor she for him—but some small, girlish part of Dorothy still wanted the duke to appreciate her in a way that a man might a woman for whom he bore some genuine attachment.

“Still,” Bridget said, “I think it always benefits a lady to look her best. Ah! There is Elias.”

They bid the modiste farewell and joined their brother in the coach. “How was the modiste?” he asked, as they settled onto the cushion across from him.

The coach jolted into motion.

“Fine,” Dorothy said. “Bridget’s gown should be ready in time for her to wear it to Catherine’s ball.”

“Good. From what I have heard, Sarsen’s guest list is truly impressive,” Elias said.

“Just in time for Bridget to impress her favorite suitor,” Dorothy said slyly.

Bridget’s face reddened. “I have no notion of what you mean.”

“You say that, but you did seem peculiarly distracted today,” Dorothy noted. “I find myself wondering at the cause of that, and I can think of nothing that would have you so distracted except for a suitor. Perhaps, you exchanged some pretty words with him.”

Bridget shook her head. “You assume too much.”

Elias laughed. “Dorothy, if Bridget had some secret, favored suitor, wouldn’t you have seen her interacting with him? Where were you when this exchange occurred?”

Dorothy’s blood ran cold. Elias was speaking in jest, but Dorothy was nonetheless aware of the danger. If she was going to continue this adventure with the Duke of Greenway, she would need to be more careful.

“Yes, where were you?” Bridget asked, sounding more serious than Elias had been.

Her sister would never guess the truth. No one would ever think that Dorothy was engaged in a sordid affair. Still, she knew her siblings well. If they believed that she had any secret at all, they would try to find the truth, and eventually, they would stumble upon the Duke of Greenway.

“It is difficult to say,” Dorothy said. “I seldom left your side last night, so it must have been when I was distracted—likely by one of your aspiring suitors.”

“Given how many suitors our sister has found, I am surprised that you both have time to breathe,” Elias said.

“Soon, it will be your turn,” Dorothy said.

Bridget’s face brightened, and she looked at Dorothy.

In that moment, they were two sisters united against their brother.

“Yes,” Bridget said. “And Dorothy and I will spend hours, late into the night, compiling lists of all the suitable women for you to marry. We would not want you to fall prey to some lady rake.”

“Lady-rakes do not exist,” Elias said. “And if they did, I am certain that I would not fall for their charms.”

“Spoken like a man who does not know what he is doing,” Dorothy said.

“Indeed,” Bridget agreed. “He will be like poor Sir Perceval.”

“Perceval?” Elias asked.

“Yes,” Bridget said. “I decided to revisit Sir Thomas Malory. There is one passage, during the Grail quest, where Sir Perceval is tempted by a beautiful woman, but she is revealed to be a devil in disguise. I imagine that lady rakes are similar creatures.”

“Agreed,” Dorothy said. “They appear to be any other woman until it is too late for you to escape their feminine wiles.”

Was that what she was? The idea sounded absurd to her, but Dorothy had also been so very quick to agree to His Grace’s proposed arrangement. She had made her choice in a week and not felt an ounce of regret in all the salacious acts they had committed afterwards.

“Ridiculous,” Elias said, grinning. “If such a thing existed, I would have encountered one already.”

“Perhaps, you did and did not know,” Bridget said.

Their brother laughed. The coach came to a steady halt in front of the townhouse.

“Then, I am glad that I have the two of you to keep me safe,” Elias said. “It would be dreadful if I were to court a demon unaware.”

“So it would be,” Dorothy said.

They left the coach and walked to the townhouse. It was a beautiful day in London with a clear, blue sky and golden sunlight. Dorothy smiled. She wondered if the Duke of Greenway was also enjoying the weather.

She wondered if he was thinking of her.

They entered the townhouse, surrendering hats and cloaks to the waiting staff. The family’s aged butler bowed. “Lady Bridget, Lady Dorothy, you have both received correspondence.”

“From who?” Dorothy asked.

She took her letter, tracing the fine lines of her name with her thumb. Could it be from His Grace? He was the only person she could think of who might choose to write to her. A fissure of delight erupted inside her.

“Who has sent you a letter, Bridget?” Elias asked.

Dorothy’s head snapped towards her sister, who held a letter of her own with a look of utter delight on her face.

Noticing their looks, Bridget clasped the letter behind her back and smiled.

“It is just a letter from a friend, one of the other ladies hoping to secure a match this Season. Nothing of interest.”

Elias crossed his arms. “My dear sister, that is precisely what someone would say if she received a very interesting letter.”

“I do not insist on reading your correspondence!” Bridget declared, hurrying to the stairs.

Elias shook his head in disbelief. “I can order you to show me,” he said. “What do you imagine running away will do?”

Bridget halted and curled one hand over the banister. She shook her head. “You will not order me to do anything. I know you.”

“She is right,” Dorothy said, hoping that her own letter managed to avoid scrutiny.

Admittedly, she did not know for certain who had sent her the letter, but she had a good idea. Still, Dorothy searched her mind for a plausible lie. Who might plausibly send her a letter besides the Duke of Greenway?

“Disgraceful,” Elias said. “My own, dear sister is taking advantage of my good nature.”

“You might interrogate Dorothy, too,” Bridget smirked victoriously and thundered up the stairs.

Elias raised an eyebrow and met Dorothy’s gaze. “Well, dear sister?”

“My correspondence is none of your business,” Dorothy said. “But if you must know, I have received a letter from a friend. She had expressed a desire to know my opinion of a certain suitor of hers. Given how many suitors I am reviewing for Bridget, she thought I might have heard something.”

“I see. Enjoy yourself,” Elias said.

“I will,” Dorothy said. “It is always nice to hear that one’s advice is appreciated.”

She swept past him and climbed the stairs, following Bridget’s earlier path. Once Dorothy reached her room, she closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it, her pulse jumping. She tore open the letter.

My Dearest Lady Dorothy,

I have a splendid surprise planned for you tonight. I will be waiting with a carriage at the end of the street around midnight. Meet me, and I will show you the most wonderful evening.

Most affectionately,

Gerard

She inhaled sharply. He had signed it with his Christian name. It was such an intimate gesture that it made her heart race. And he wished to meet with her at midnight and whisk her away to some unknown place. Dorothy pressed the letter to her chest and tried to steady her fiercely beating heart.

It was precisely the invitation that she ought to refuse. But?—

But she was already so deep into their affair and had no desire to see it end. Feeling lighter, she crossed the room and fell onto her bed, holding the letter above her. Dorothy read it again. The words seemed to be imprinted on her very heart.

This man desired her, and it awakened sensations in her that she had never before imagined she could feel. It was the most wonderful thing in the world.