Page 64 of Duke of Wickedness

Ariadne felt lighter just from a few moments of talking with Phoebe, even though she could see that the girl was casting daring glances in David’s direction.

It didn’t make Ariadne feel fretful, however, knowing that Phoebe was clearly putting the pieces together. It made her feel lucky to have someone with whom she could be honest—or as honest as she could afford to be in the middle of a Mayfair ballroom.

“Your escort is watching.” Phoebe cut her eyes away from David several seconds before she made this observation, and Ariadne appreciated the discretion.

It was nice to know someone who was even bigger trouble than Ariadne herself.

“Don’t say anything,” Ariadne chided, her lips trembling against the laughter that wanted to bubble free.

“Who me?” Phoebe’s innocent act was even more unbelievable than the most transparent lie Ariadne had ever told.

Ariadne laughed harder and, soon enough, Phoebe joined her.

“So, that is…going well, then?” Phoebe said when their laughter faded.

Ariadne huffed out an exasperated breath. She wanted to look at David, but she stopped herself at the very last moment.

“That’s a really good question,” Ariadne said. “I will let you know when I have an answer.”

The other night at the party had been incredible. Ariadne had no complaints about that. Good God, she had the farthest thing from complaint. She’d spent half her waking hours last week daydreaming about all the things she had seen. They didn’t all appeal to her personally, but she’d been so overwhelmed by the idea that everyone there had seemed so…

Free.

It was the opposite of the way she’d been living for so long, trying to follow every rule all of the time, trying to organize every aspect of her life so that nobody ever told her that she’d erred. It had been like seeing a slice of heaven itself, seeing how gloriously and expansively everyone had expressed themselves.

And that was before she even got to the parts thatdidappeal to her personally.

Andthatwas before she got to the things that had beendoneto her. Very, very personally.

She blinked, pushing aside those thoughts before Phoebe could see anything on her face.

“It’s hard to know what comes next in this kind of situation,” she said, choosing her words carefully, knowing this was hopelessly vague. That was, after all, part of the problem. Things were vague between her and David. When was their bargain discharged?

Apparently not today, given the way he wasstilllooking at her.

She had started to wonder. She hadn’t heard from David since the party. Did that mean things were done between them? The idea had stung, but she’d rejected that sting.

She didn’t get to feel hurt when this was over. Not when she’d known what their bargain entailed. And what it didn’t.

Phoebe huffed out a breath that was full of frustration and commiseration.

“Far be it from me to recommend the conventional path,” she said, “but I suppose it does provide something in terms of clarity. It’s a straight road, one we’ve been taught to navigate since we heard our first tales in the nursery. Man—” She held out one hand. “Woman—” The other hand. “Marriage.”

She clapped them together, then looked sourly at her clasped fingers.

Ariadne laughed again.

“You couldn’t even make it through one sentence recommending it,” she commented. “Your reputation as a dissenter is secure.”

Phoebe pressed a hand to the back of her forehead. “Oh, good. I was worried.”

Phoebe had to leave after that to fulfill a promise listed on her dance card. Ariadne stayed in place and didnotlook for David.

She didn’t look.

She didn’t look.

She—damn it all.She glanced around the room and found him having a conversation with a gentleman about his age, though Ariadne didn’t recognize the man specifically. It took him less than a breath to look in her direction, as though he, too, could feel it whenever she was paying him attention.