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G eorgina took hold of Honoria’s hand and ushered her dearest friend over to an alcove for a private word.

If someone had told her that she would be falling hopelessly in love with a duke prior to this house party, she would have laughed at the notion.

But it was true! Never had she felt such happiness as she had during the past two and a half weeks spent in Laurence’s company.

If she’d ever doubted that love at first sight existed, by now Georgina was a firm believer.

“You look like you are about to burst with happiness, Gina. Whatever is going on that has you so excited?” Honoria asked quietly so they would still not be overheard by the nearby guests.

Georgina leaned forward to whisper in her friend’s ear. “I think I might be in love.”

“With the Duke of Stonehaven?” Honoria asked in surprise.

“Of course, with the Duke of Stonehaven. Why would you think it would be anyone else?” Georgina questioned her friend. “Haven’t you been paying any attention to our conversations these past few weeks?”

Honoria shrugged and blushed. “You can’t blame me for worrying. After all, you barely know the man, Gina.”

“I know him well enough to determine his character. He’s an honorable man,” she answered, knowing in her heart that he would never hurt her.

Her eyes traveled to Laurence and her heart flipped, seeing that he, too, watched her from across the room.

It was hard not to stare; he was resplendent in his evening attire, and she wanted nothing more than to be by his side.

“I thought you told me after you first met him that he was an arrogant arse,” Honoria said in a hushed whisper.

“I did, but over the course of the past weeks, with more interactions and conversations with him, I’ve changed my mind. Perhaps pushing him into the lake gave me a certain amount of satisfaction, but he acts as though such an event never occurred.”

“I’m still in awe that you had the nerve to push a duke into the lake,” Honoria said, her eyes wide and somewhat awed.

“Well… I didn’t know he was a duke at the time but we’ve formed a… truce. The more time I’ve spent with him, the more I’ve come to admire him. And so I’ve come to realize he just may be the one I’ve been waiting for,” Georgina replied with a smile.

“Then I’m happy for you, Gina. And him, too,” Honoria declared happily. “In fact, it appears that he’s making his way to you from across the room. I think I will go and find your brother. He, too, seems to have had a change of heart, of late.”

Before Georgina could reply to this encouraging word, Honoria left her, quickly replaced by the man who had constantly occupied Georgina’s thoughts at all hours of the day and night. She dropped down in a curtsey.

“Good evening, Your Grace,” she managed to say. Whenever he was near, her heart raced and it seemed to race faster every day.

“You look lovely this evening, Lady Georgina,” he replied in that husky baritone that stroked over her skin like velvet.

He gave her a look from under heavy-lidded eyes, an expression that made her entire body quiver.

“Perhaps you might honor me with a stroll in the moonlight? It’s a lovely evening, and I find the ballroom a bit stuffy. ”

Georgina knew they wouldn’t be alone for long and wouldn’t be so secluded from the rest of the guests to cause a scandal. Besides, she trusted him now and had no worries he’d do something to compromise her or ruin her reputation.

Maybe he’d ask her to marry him. That thought no longer worried her; it was her greatest desire. “I’d be delighted, Your Grace.”

She took his arm and her insides trembled nervously at what might happen between them once outside. The last time they were isolated, he’d tried to kiss her and she’d repelled him spectacularly. This time, however, she would welcome his kiss.

As they began to make their way through the ballroom, she strolled past her parents who beamed in approval that Georgina was in the company of the duke. Not that his title mattered to her. She was more interested in the man, much as he had taken an interest in her instead of her dowry.

The night was indeed lovely with a soft breeze rushing to cool her flushed face.

Leaving the balcony, Laurence led her down the marble stairway and into the garden next to the large circular fountain with the goddess Diana in its center.

The tinkling sounds of the water had their usual, calming effect on her.

When he turned toward her and took her hands, she held her breath in nervous anticipation of what was to come.

Raising one of her hands, he kissed the inside of her wrist, causing her heart to soar.

She was only moments away from her first real kiss from the man, she hoped, who would become her husband.

“You have been a most welcome surprise to unexpectedly show up in my life, Georgina,” Laurence began, while a look of longing seemed to etch itself on his features. “Our beginning may have been an unusual one, but I would like to think the circumstances were also what have drawn me to you.”

“You are drawn to me?” she asked hearing his words aloud. It wasn’t the declaration of love that she’d hoped for, though it wasn’t unpleasant to hear. Perhaps he’d announced his undying love after a moment.

Instead he said, “How can you question what I believe has been happening between us? Haven’t you felt it as well? This connection that pulls us together with invisible ties that cannot be seen?” he asked before dropping one of her hands. “You are… incredible.”

That was better. More romantic, at least. That was more like what she’d dreamed of hearing. His words pulled at her heartstrings, causing her breath to hitch.

He gently caressed her cheek with his index finger before gently sliding his other hand around her waist to pull her closer. She moved her hands to rest on the edges of his lapels, feeling his warm, muscled chest beneath the fabric with the pads of her fingers. She inhaled deeply.

“Laurence, I’ll admit I felt our connection even before I pushed you into the lake.

I cannot help but be wary, however, most likely because of those men who have come before you,” she confessed softly, in an attempt to finally let down the last of the walls she had built up around her heart.

She wouldn’t need them anymore, she reminded herself. She could—and would!—trust Laurence.

“You cannot blame me for the ignorant fools who let you slip away without getting to truly know the extraordinary woman that you are,” he told her.

“You flatter me,” she answered as a blush heated her cheeks.

She slid one hand up and around his neck.

His hair brushed the backs of her knuckles.

“Everything between us has just happened so quickly. Dare I hope…” She cut off her words as the last of her doubts quickly came to the forefront of her mind and began to disappear, popping like bubbles. Gone.

“Tell me, little one,” he whispered, pulling her even closer.

She gazed up into his eyes and what she saw in their sea-blue depths convinced her to voice her love for him. “Dare I hope that perhaps you can one day come to love me as I have come to love you?”

The smile that crept up at the corners of his mouth made her heart flip over and over inside her chest. “You’ve already captured my heart and enchanted me with your spell, Georgina. Yes… I am falling in love with you.”

His head began to dip and she rose up on the tips of her toes so their mouths were but inches away.

He waited, she supposed, for her to make certain she wanted his kiss.

There were no further doubts left in her mind and she gave a slight nudge on the back of his neck so he might continue. It was all the encouragement he needed.

His lips began to explore her own with soft pecks until his tongue slid across the seam of her mouth.

A gasp unexpectedly left her and he took advantage of her surprise.

A dance of their tongues began between them, one that she had never experienced before but she took his lead and copied what he did.

A low moan escaped him, encouraging her to continue by mimicking his lead.

Clearly she must have been doing something right to elicit such a response.

He pulled her completely into his arms, holding her tightly; she felt every glorious inch of this man who now owned a piece of her heart.

She put both hands on his shoulders and held on tightly as he deepened their kiss, never wanting to be parted from Laurence again.

Yes! She was hopelessly in love with him and she wanted to shout it to the world that he loved her too.

Once they’d finished kissing, of course.

But she hoped the moment—and the kiss—would never end.

“Well… I can see you’ve won our second wager, Your Grace,” an amused male voice said, with a chuckle.

They quickly broke apart and Georgina peered into the darkness of the night to see the Marquess of Brome coming out of the shadows.

His words began to penetrate her jumble of emotions; embarrassment coldly quelled the heated passion she had been feeling.

Wager? What wager, she thought. Not only had they been caught in a very intimate embrace but there was, apparently, a wager on it.

Her embarrassment turned to a roaring rush on anger. Before she could question either of the two men, Laurence spoke up. “Don’t say another word, Brome,” he warned with a growl in his voice.

“But Stonehaven… we need to test the boundaries of your newfound love ,” the marquess laughed before his eyes met hers.

“I can see you were first to taste those ruby lips instead of me, so I concede. You’ve won our second bet.

But I’ll expect your prize hunting dog to be delivered to my estate, since you lost our original wager.

The terms were that you’d win Lady Georgina over within the first week of our arrival.

It appears it’s taken longer than that.”

Georgina heard a sound of anguish rend the air and only after a moment realized it was coming from her; apparently when one’s heart broke into many pieces it created this horrific wail.

She clamped her hands over her mouth, only partially blocking the sound.

How could Laurence do this to her? She’d been so certain he was telling her the truth about his feelings.

Her head swam and her knees weakened as she watched the marquess bow before them and then disappear back into the shadows from where he’d emerged. Hurt flamed her face. She had been nothing but a pawn in a game played between “gentlemen.”

“How could you be so cruel?” she sobbed as tears began to pool in her eyes.

“Georgina… let me explain,” Laurence began, as he stretched out his hands toward her. She didn’t want him to touch her now.

“There is nothing to explain, Your Grace,” she said through clenched teeth.

and thrust at his chest in time with her words with her hands, pushing him to the edge of the fountain, where he stood, looking down at her.

But she wasn’t finished. “You come to my parents’ home under the pretense of winning my hand.

Yet you were only interested in winning a wager with your friend!

You could have easily stolen a kiss and left it at that, instead of giving me the false promise of hope that you could come to love me for who I am! ”

“The wager was a mistake and I should have never agreed to it,” he insisted. “I am falling in love with you.”

The tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks now flowed freely, despite how much she wanted to hide them from him.

She didn’t want him to see how much he had hurt her just a few short moments after she’d declared her love.

The memory of the warmth of his voice branded her heart with remorse and regret.

How could she have been so na?ve? Again?

“You must really think I am a complete fool if you think I would ever believe anything you say to me now.”

“You are not a fool, Georgina. Please forgive me,” he said, trying, she supposed, to convince her he spoke the truth.

“I will never forgive you, Your Grace ,” she muttered, knowing she had once again been fooled into believing someone could care for her.

“I put so much hope into the idea that you would be different than the rest who vie for my hand but you turned out to be just like the rest of them. No. Worse!” With that, she gave him a mighty push and watched in satisfaction when his feet flew out from under him and he landed in the water with a mighty splash… again!

She turned away and began running back to the castle, even though she heard him sputtering as he came up from the watery depths.

She didn’t want to listen to any further excuses he might come up with.

Instead, she entered a hidden entrance that had once allowed her ancestors to flee the keep when Brockenhurst fell under siege from King Stephen’s army.

Up the hidden staircase she went until she reached the floor of her bedchamber. And as she left the drafty passageway, she locked her door behind her once she reached her room. Then she fell upon her bed to cry out her agony. She’d never be fooled into believing that love would find her ever again.