Page 15 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity (Ton’s Beasts #2)
Leo sighed and sank back into his seat. It was nearly impossible to lie to one of his closest friends. Aaron had a knack for seeing through the pretense of others. Perhaps because he harbored so much pain of his own, he seemed acutely aware of Leo’s.
How much should I tell him?
Theresa was Margaret’s closest friend. Surely, she already knew that he had kissed the little nun under his protection. But on the off chance that she did not know, Leo would not be the man to besmirch a woman’s honor.
Not that a single kiss would mean she could not take her vows.
It was not as if he had taken her right there in the room he had prepared for her. He could have stripped her of her robe, pushed her back onto the bed, and taken her the way he wanted to.
He could have reached between her legs to feel how much she wanted him. He could have bent her over the bed and taken her from behind, listening to her gasp as he entered her for the first time.
That was too much to tell his friend.
“I fear that I may have overstepped my boundaries with your guest,” Leo said instead. He glanced at the clock. “But I suppose that is a question for another time. We should not keep the ladies waiting.”
“Theresa would willingly wait,” Aaron said. “If it meant that she knew what was going on between you and her closest friend. A nun, might I remind you.”
“I seem to recall that you have a little nun of your own.”
“The circumstances differ, my friend. As I am sure you are well aware.” Aaron raised an eyebrow. “You do not intend to marry Margaret.”
“I will not marry. Why should a woman want a man as beastly as I am?”
Leo scoffed at the mere thought of Margaret finding him attractive. Of any woman finding him suitable, after everything he had done since leaving his family home.
“If you have no intention to marry, then you should never invite yourself into a woman’s chambers—even if the door is open.”
“I do not know what you’re implying,” Leo said with a casual shrug.
“You know very well what—”
“Ladies,” Leo interrupted, looking at the study door.
Theresa walked in first, looking extraordinary in jewel tones and sapphires. The dress emphasized the swell of her stomach, and Leo didn’t miss Aaron’s faint, satisfied smile.
But he could scarcely focus on Theresa with Margaret so close behind her.
Margaret looked a vision in a light grey gown. Unlike Theresa in her bright colors, Margaret looked more reserved and polished. It reminded him of his tendency to dress in dark colors, regardless of the occasion.
She looked petite in the gown; he could easily pick her up and carry her back to his bedroom. The lace on the bodice drew attention to her figure—her large breasts, the dip of her waist, her wide hips.
He could only imagine what her shapely legs looked like beneath the fabric. Having seen them under a robe, he couldn’t stop wondering what she would look like if he peeled that dress off her later tonight.
“I have never seen anything more beautiful than the two of you,” Leo said, reaching for Theresa’s hand to press a kiss to the back of it.
But he kept his eyes on Margaret.
“A little nun should not dress so provocatively,” he chastised quietly while Theresa and Aaron conversed beside them.
“I did not know this would be inappropriate.” Margaret blushed and looked down at her dress. “Do we have time to change before we leave? Theresa could help—”
“I would not change a thing,” Leo said smoothly. “I merely mean that you look beautiful. You will tempt every man in the house.”
Margaret chanced a look at him, and he tried to hold her gaze. She said nothing, but her skin remained a delightful shade of pink that reminded him of her vitality.
Of her innocence.
“Shall we leave?” Aaron asked, watching Leo and Margaret with open curiosity.
Theresa looked at her with narrowed eyes, but Leo noticed that Margaret did not meet her gaze.
Leo offered his arm to Margaret, who wrapped a hand around the crook of his elbow and straightened her spine. She was the picture of a woman born to nobility, rather than the nun he had expected.
He was flummoxed by the juxtaposition of her as proper when his thoughts of her were anything but.
She was a proper lady in London, but he could only see himself doing things to her in his bed that no lady would ever approve of. And he had the feeling that she would not mind so much.
“Shall we take the carriage tonight, or would the ladies like to ride on horseback?” Aaron asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“I must insist we take the carriage,” Leo said, squeezing Margaret’s hand. “We want our ladies to look just as beautiful as they do right now when we arrive.”
Aaron helped Theresa up into the carriage. It took her a moment to heave her growing body into the carriage, but she somehow managed to do it with grace. Aaron stood aside and offered a hand to Margaret.
To Leo’s disappointment, she took the proffered hand and leapt gracefully into the carriage before the men followed.
“You have not been to the opera before,” Leo told her.
It was not something he particularly cared about, but he wanted it to seem as though he hardly knew her in the presence of his friends.
“But I have heard wonderful things,” Margaret responded.
Theresa and Aaron debated the finer points of the last opera they had attended. Their conversation suited Leo just fine. It allowed him to tune out the talk of silly happenings in the ton and simply watch Margaret with a detached stare.
He could hardly take his eyes off of her in that dress, but he knew he would have to try harder to hide his attraction to her.
“Leo?”
He started when he heard Theresa’s voice.
“I’m sorry, I was not listening,” he said, tearing his eyes away from Margaret. “What was the question?”
“I was asking which opera was your favorite,” Theresa repeated.
“None. The opera is not my idea of a good time, but I thought our guest might enjoy the evening out. Her time in London is so limited—why not let her explore all there is to offer?”
“And you will sacrifice your own entertainment?” Theresa asked, a sly smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “I have not known you to be so chivalrous.”
“There are many things about me you do not know, Duchess. Much like your husband, beasts can sometimes surprise you.”
“Indeed, they can,” she said softly, looking at Aaron.