Page 43

" Colin, what do you mean?" Anna nearly winced at the waver she heard in her voice. Not from fear—no, she refused to credit Colin with the power to make her afraid—but from sheer incredulity.

He merely tilted his head, regarding her as though she were a puzzle he very much enjoyed deciphering. "It means, my dear, that your manners leave much to be desired."

Anna scoffed. "You wish to lecture me on propriety? The same man who outbid half the ton to secure the dubious pleasure of my company?"

His lips twitched. "A duke is owed a certain level of respect, wouldn't you agree?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "Respect is earned, Your Grace."

"There, you see? Progress," Colin laughed. "I do believe this is the first time you have addressed me appropriately."

"You are impossible." Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"And yet, here I stand, entirely possible."

Anna let out an exasperated breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you believe I will simper at your feet and allow you to parade me about like a prize mare, you are sorely mistaken."

"Ah, but you will ." Colin leaned slightly closer, the glint in his amber eyes entirely too pleased. "Five days, in fact. That is what I paid for, after all."

Anna bristled. "I ought to shove you. Better yet, I will have my dogs bite you."

Colin laughed. "Your dogs are not here, and even if they were, I have treats to placate them."

She huffed, and her hands pressed against his chest, ready to push him away—but the moment her palms met the firm warmth beneath his waistcoat, her fingers faltered.

Damnation!

Colin, sensing her hesitation, smirked as if her reaction amused him greatly. To her further mortification, he lifted a hand and lightly brushed his fingers over hers, where they still rested against him.

Anna snatched her hands back as if they burned. "What do you want from me?"

Colin let the silence stretch just long enough to unnerve her before answering. "A duchess."

Her stomach twisted. The declaration, spoken as if it were the most natural thing in the world, sent an unsettling warmth creeping through her limbs.

She swallowed. "And am I to assume you mean me ?"

His laughter was soft and somewhat mocking. "Don't be na?ve, Anna. You have made it exceedingly clear that you do not wish to marry."

"Then why?—"

"Why the five days with you?" he finished for her, one dark eyebrow arched. "Because before I become a respectable married man, I should like to have one last bout of merriment."

Anna folded her arms. "And I am meant to be your merriment?”

"Why not?" He spread his hands and laughed, no doubt finding the notion perfectly logical. "You are already infamous. You scowl magnificently. And you clearly despise me, which makes you a most amusing challenge."

Anna's mouth opened. Shut. Opened again. "You are insufferable."

And words are failing me.

"Yes," he agreed. "But at least I am honest."

She wanted to argue. Needed to argue. But the truth of it sat between them. He was honest. Colin was not offering her a courtship, nor was he attempting to trap her in any expectations. He was simply… chasing amusement. And perhaps that was something she could use to her advantage.

Anna inhaled deliberately. "Fine."

Colin's brows lifted. "Fine?"

"I shall endure these five promenades," she clarified. "And when it is done, my family will see that I made an effort. No one will say that I did not try."

His smile was slow and victorious. "So, we have an accord?"

"We do."

Colin extended his hand. Anna eyed it warily before finally clasping it in hers. His grip was warm, steady, and entirely too perturbing. Before she could pull away, he bent his head, brushing his lips over the back of her hand in a kiss that sent a shiver straight down her spine.

"Wait for me," he murmured.

" Your Grace, if I may, you seem in rather high spirits this evening."

Colin looked up while tugging at his cravat as he strode into Copperton Hall, his manor on the outskirts of town. "Wouldn't your mood improve if you stumbled upon a fortune, Fisher?"

His valet, Fisher, was standing at the base of the staircase, waiting for him. He raised an eyebrow with well-practiced skepticism. "A fortune, Your Grace?"

Colin's lips quirked. "Indeed."

He shrugged off his greatcoat and handed it to the waiting butler, along with his hat. Fisher stepped forward, holding up a missive. "This arrived for you, Your Grace. No return address, plain seal. Delivered by an urchin from the East End."

"The East End?" Colin frowned. He was not expecting any message from there.

Fisher inclined his head. "Quite the departure from the usual embellished letters, wouldn't you say?"

Colin let out a breath and took the letter, turning it over in his hand. He broke the seal and unfolded the parchment:

Your Grace,

I hope this letter finds you well. There is a matter concerning your late father that I wish to discuss with you at your earliest convenience. Please grant me the honor of a meeting.

Sincerely,

Roderick M.

What could it be? Colin never knew his father to have secrets, and he had been Duke for over a year now. You barely knew him, a voice in his mind reminded him.

The quiet of the man now felt like a harbinger of unanswered questions.

"Good news, Your Grace?" came Fisher's question.

Colin folded the letter and slipped it into his coat pocket. "That remains to be seen."

Fisher grinned. "Ah. A mystery, then. And you do love a mystery."

Colin let out a low chuckle. "Let us hope it loves me back."