Page 5 of Bound to the Heartless Duke (Regency Beasts #4)

She watched as the Duke ran his eyes over the two of them, lingering on her for a second longer. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could swear she saw a strange gleam in his green eyes. It called to her.

She flushed slightly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“To what do we… owe this auspicious visit, Your Grace?” Nathan asked, drawing the Duke’s attention.

Lily took the opportunity to avert her gaze.

The Duke paused, his lips twitching.

“Oh, you haven’t been told?” He fixed her with a mocking look, then looked back at Nathan. “I made your sister a deal two days ago. If both ends are kept, you’ll keep the house,” he explained slowly, as if speaking to a boy.

He turned and began to pace.

“She offered to pay off your debt in place of the house, but she cannot do that because you keep gambling away your family’s fortune.” He smirked. “So, your sister here has decided to find a wealthy husband and to have him pay off your debts. Is that not a heroic act?”

Lily felt the blood rush to her cheeks as Nathan cast a glance at her before turning back to the Duke.

Not quite the reaction I was expecting…

She lowered her head in a bid to remove herself from the conversation.

“On one condition, of course,” the Duke added, and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Lily looked up at Nathan just to catch his reaction to that, too.

But her brother said and did nothing. He just gulped.

Is he so intimidated by the Duke of Blackmore?

Somehow, a part of her was enjoying this.

“Anyway,” the Duke continued, “which room have you prepared for me, Lord Medlin?”

Lily noted the blank look on her brother’s face with satisfaction. She opened her mouth to respond on his behalf, but the Duke cut her off.

“Ah, I guess your sister hasn’t told you anything about that yet. Not surprising, considering your… histrionics. Anyway, we agreed that I will live with you for a month, and in the meantime, we can figure out a solution together. Without gambling, of course,” he emphasized.

Everything he had said so far was directed at Nathan. It was almost like she wasn’t in the room at all.

Nathan nodded, still as white as a sheet.

Lily was bewildered. Was he not going to ask what that had to do with her finding a husband and paying off his debts? Why was he nodding like an obedient servant, instead of pushing back?

Even she had something to say when the Duke had mentioned his condition.

Again, she opened her mouth to speak, and it took her forever to find the right words.

“Your Grace,” she said, drawing the Duke’s attention. “I shall take you to your room. Please, follow me.”

She took his small bag from him and led him out of the room and up the staircase. She took him to the room that had once belonged to her parents and dropped his bag on the divan at the end of the bed.

She couldn’t help blushing in embarrassment. Even if she tried to hide it, the shabby furniture in the room gave away their financial troubles.

Would the Duke now think them unworthy of their titles, given the state of their home?

She lifted her eyes to his, expecting his disapproval, but he only nodded to himself.

“This will do,” he muttered, looking around the room. “I like the furnishings in here. It’s old, but it’s good.”

That put her mind at ease somehow, but the initial shame was still there.

She thought to say something, but she could not think of anything, as she was busy studying him.

Once again, he stood out in the room. He was like a nobleman amid peasants.

His posture was sure and steady, like that of a man who knew his station and revelled in it yet didn’t feel the need to assert it.

His powerful aura appealed to her senses, and she felt the near imperceptible need to lean into him if only to draw some of his strength into herself.

How had she never noticed how truly handsome he was?

She found herself biting her lip as she watched him, her eyes unable to keep from studying the hard planes of his back and the breadth of his shoulders.

“By the way…” He suddenly turned to her, and she looked away, startled.

Her heart rate quickened with each slow step he took toward her.

“How much progress have you made in your search for a wealthy husband so far?” he asked, his eyes boring into her such that it became hard to think about anything else.

Her heart skipped a beat at the question.

But it had only been two days! Surely, he did not expect her to have already secured a match.

Moreover, finding a husband—and a wealthy one at that—was going to be more complicated, seeing as she was officially a spinster.

Even if she were younger, she could be courting gentlemen with different ulterior motives, considering the situation they were in.

Did the Duke not know this?

Perhaps she should let him know.

“But it’s only been two days, Your Grace,” she pointed out. “And it’s a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. I haven’t even heard back from the matchmaker. I sent the letter only yesterday.”

She looked into his eyes, and he stared back into hers intently.

If he wanted her to say more, she wouldn’t be able to now. Her legs felt like jelly, and she feared she would stumble and fall right into his arms.

Why is he standing so close?

His eyes twinkled, as if he enjoyed seeing her squirm, so she squared her shoulders and straightened her posture, aiming for a more confident look.

His brow rose in challenge and he almost seemed to lean closer but she would be damned before she let him think she was intimidated by him.

God knew she had embarassed herself enough in front of him.

His gaze remaianed unrelenting on hers as though daring her to keep up her facade and it was increasingly difficult to maintain an indifferent look on her face.She had to keep reminding herself to breathe.

He was standing a little too close; it was hard not to remember how it had been in his study only two days ago when her skin had felt as though she was burning from the inside.

Her body warmed again as her mouth went dry.

Her lis tingled as though she had been kissed and she let her tongue run across her lips to wet them as the tingling increased when his eyes shot to them.

Lily had thought he would kiss her and had avoided that. But now, it didn’t seem all that easy to remove herself from this situation.

He stepped even closer, and she could almost feel her heart in her throat. His warm breath tickled her cheek, and she closed her eyes in anticipation, but then he moved his lips to her ear.

“Your one-month ultimatum has already started, My Lady,” he whispered, before stepping back.

Lily drew in a slow breath, not wanting him to notice how he flustered her.

Does he really enjoy doing this to me so casually?

She turned away and drew in another steadying breath, trying to slow her heartbeat.

She was vaguely aware of him as he looked out the window, her body sensitive to every move he made even if she had a minimal glimpse of him from the corner of her eye.

She noticed him running his finger over the sill as if checking for specks of dust. He didn’t say anything, but wondered what expression his face took when he pulled his hand back.

Her fear was confirmed when she noticed his lip curl slightly and he pulled out a kerchief to wipe his hands.

“The clock is ticking,” he murmured, as though he was talking to an entity outside the window.

Even with his back to her, she knew right then and there that it wasn’t going to be easy living in the same house with this man for a month.