Page 5 of Her Duke to Seduce: Lady Be Wicked (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #20)

Four

F elicity did not go back to the ball. Her aunt would be disappointed in her, but then again, when had Aunt Enid ever approved of her? She had been trying to change her since she was a girl of ten, and now that she was a decade older nothing had changed. Felicity certainly hadn’t. She was as brazen as ever and she would not alter anything about herself. She liked who she was and she would not apologize for it.

She had planned on having some gentleman ruin her. It had been a silly plan and now that she had abandoned it she recognized that. Instead it would be far better for her to leave England altogether. She could take a ship to the continent or even go so far as America. She considered her options and wondered what the West Indies would be like.

Perhaps even those options were being reckless. She should consider it all and decide on the best course for her. France would likely be too dangerous even if Napoleon had been defeated. She would be far better to go to another country. She nibbled on her bottom lip and thought it all through. With logic instead of desperation as she had previously. She had studied a lot and was fluent in French, Italian, and Greek. The latter had been just to see if she could learn it. French and Italian had a similar pattern to it so she picked both up easily. Italy might be her best option, but she might reconsider later.

She pulled out a valise and started to pack. If she planned to travel she would have to do so as a man. No captain worth his salt would allow her aboard without a chaperone. Luckily she had a gentleman’s full attire created for her in duplicate. Felicity had packed it all on the off chance she might need it. She added two simple day gowns that she could fasten on her own, and one set of man’s attire. The other she intended to wear as she sneaked out of the house once everyone was asleep. Though perhaps she should go now when her aunt was otherwise occupied. It might be easier to sneak out in a crowd of people…

She finished packing and then undressed quickly. Her scarlet gown’s design made it easy for her to undress on her own. She’d had it created that way on purpose. After her maid had helped her earlier Felicity had told her to retire for the evening. She had not wanted anyone around in case she had planned something other than seduction for her evening—and if she had gone with seduction she did not need a maid privy to those details either. She would have revealed her lack of innocence in her own way, and at a time of her choosing.

After she removed her gown she put it in her valise. She wanted to take it with her to remember the night—to remember Aiden. Felicity lifted her fingers to her lips and recalled that kiss. It had been—so much more than she could ever have imagined. Something that decadent should be savored. She almost wished she could go to him and demand he kiss her again so she could relive that feeling. It was something she would not forget for as long as she lived. It was her one taste of passion and she may never have that feeling with another man. She doubted she would ever allow herself to be that vulnerable with a man again. It was far riskier than she had originally believed. She had thought herself incapable of being lost in a man’s touch. She’d been so wrong.

Felicity shook herself from her reverie. She could not allow herself to be distracted by thoughts of Aiden and the way he had made her feel. It was a dangerous indulgence, and she had indulged enough for one evening. No, she had to move quickly before she lost her resolve entirely.

She slipped into the gentleman’s attire, securing the trousers about her waist and buttoning the crisp linen shirt with practiced ease. The waistcoat fit snugly, and she tugged on the dark coat, adjusting the shoulders until the disguise felt natural. Her blonde locks were the most difficult obstacle. She swept them up beneath a tricorn hat, tucking away every telltale strand. When she glanced at herself in the mirror, a stranger stared back at her—a young man with sharp, storm-gray eyes and an air of quiet determination.

A small, almost defiant smile curled her lips. She could do this.

She fastened her boots and hoisted the valise over her shoulder. If she hesitated now, she might never leave. If she allowed herself a single moment of doubt, she might run straight back to Aiden, straight back to the very thing she had spent years trying to avoid—a life dictated by a man, by expectation, by marriage.

No. That would not be her fate.

Felicity stole across the room, every movement careful, precise. She eased the door open and peered into the dimly lit corridor. The house was still alive with music and conversation from the ballroom below, but this wing was quiet. The revelers were too caught up in their frivolity to notice a solitary figure slipping through the shadows. She crept down the servants’ stairwell, careful to avoid the steps she knew creaked, and emerged in the back hall. The kitchen staff would be preoccupied with the evening’s demands, which meant the rear entrance was the safest route.

The cool night air greeted her as she stepped outside. The gardens were still, bathed in moonlight, and the stable beyond was dark. Perfect. She would need a mount. A carriage was too conspicuous, and she had no coachman she could trust not to alert her aunt. A swift horse would take her to the nearest posting inn, where she could secure passage to the coast. From there, she would find a ship bound for the continent.

Heart pounding, she made her way toward the stables, every step measured, every sound magnified in her ears. She was nearly there when a shadow detached from the darkness.

"Running away, are we?" The deep, familiar voice sent a jolt through her, halting her in her tracks. She turned sharply, her breath catching as she met Aiden’s piercing gaze. He stood in the moonlight, arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable. His dark hair was slightly tousled, as though he had run a hand through it in frustration, and the intensity in his eyes was enough to make her shiver.

Aiden had decided to return to home. There was no real reason to stay. He would have liked to dance with Felicity again, but she had not returned to the ballroom. The only thing he could surmise was that she had decided to depart after their private dance in the garden. So he had departed the ball without even stopping to speak with the Countess of Winston to say goodbye. Felicity had been his only concern. He had not expected that he would discover her exiting the manor in breeches of all things. At first he had not realized it was her, and then he caught a glimpse of that golden hair she’d tried to hide and knew. He had stiffened at the sight of her dressed do scandalously. He got a lovely view of her derriere in those breeches and his arousal sprung to life.

Slowly Felicity straightened her spine, lifting her chin and boldly met his gaze. "That is none of your concern, my lord."

Aiden arched a brow. "On the contrary, I find it very much my concern when a lady—particularly one I just kissed—decides to disappear into the night dressed as a man." And he prayed no other man saw her like this. He enjoyed it far too much and he did not wish to share her with anyone.

She swallowed hard and smirked at him. There was a wicked gleam in her eyes he appreciated. "You presume much. Perhaps I simply enjoy masquerading as a gentleman."

He exhaled a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Do not play games with me, Felicity. You are running." Why was she running? What could be so terrible that she needed to make a quick escape? He did not understand what was going on with her. He wanted to pull her against him and kiss her senseless, then throw her over his shoulder and keep her forever. What the hell had she done to him in such a short time?

She clenched her jaw. "And if I am?"

His expression hardened. "Then I must ask—where do you plan to go? Do you even have a plan, or is this a reckless impulse?" Where would she bloody go?

"I do have a plan," she said hotly. "And I do not require your interference."

Aiden took a step closer, and he was painfully aware of her, her presence, the way she seemed to consume the very air around him. "Do you think I will simply allow you to vanish?" he asked, his voice low. "Do you think I will stand idly by while you put yourself in danger?" He could not let her disappear on him. He had just found her and to lose her already…

"I am not your responsibility," she shot back.

"No, but you are a lady," he countered, his voice tight with frustration. "And whether you like it or not, the world will not be kind to a woman traveling alone, no matter how clever her disguise." And no man would mistake her for a gentleman for long. She as far too curvy to be of the male persuasion.

Felicity's balled her hands into fists at her sides. "I do not need your protection."

"Perhaps not," he said, his gaze darkening. "But you have it, nonetheless."

She stared at him with distrust. The muscles in her jaw tensed as she clenched her teeth together. He did not know what to expect from her and he prepared for anything. Something fierce, something possessive twisted inside of him and he found it far too dangerous for his piece of mind.

"Aiden—" She nibbled on her bottom lip as she studied him. Felicity drew in a deep breath as if to argue against him going with her. She would realize soon enough that he would have his way in this.

"You will not go alone," he interrupted, his voice firm. "Not while I draw breath." He would follow her to the ends of the Earth if necessary. She was his to protect. He did not know when or how he had come to think of her as his, but he could not shake that feeling. Even if he wanted to, and he definitely did not want to.

She shook her head in disbelief. "You would come with me?" Felicity almost sounded surprised that he would go with her. Actually, he was a little surprised too. Though he did hope to convince her to remain where it was safe.

He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "If you insist on this madness, then yes. Someone must ensure you do not get yourself killed."

She let out a breathless laugh. "You are impossible."

"And you are infuriating," he said, stepping closer still. His fingers brushed her chin, tilting her face up toward his. "But I cannot let you go. Not like this."

Her lips parted, but no words came. He had thought his father a fool for insisting that he come to this house party. He had not thought that he would ever find a woman that would enthrall him like Felicity, and he knew little about her. He did not even have her full name. For that matter she did not have his either. What was he going to do with her.

“I cannot allow it,” she said in a mulish tone. “I am going and you are not coming with me.”

He cursed under his breath. “And how do you propose to prevent me from trailing behind you.”

Her lips tilted upward into a mischievous smile. He should have taken that look and taken some caution in it, but he was riveted like a besotted fool. He never imagined she could render him immobile in any way. But before he knew it, he found himself on the ground in a heap, having been struck over the head by the bloody, impertinent chit. The world turned upside down and he saw spots before everything went dark.