Page 18

S eth’s desk was a mass of papers and letters. Crumpled parchment littered the floor as he sat with his head in his hands, poring over what must have been the thirtieth letter from Gordon.

He had not anticipated how hard his task would be.

It was not only his quest to find evidence that had taken its toll, but simply reading Gordon’s words again felt like a knife in his heart.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the spiky hand, wishing that his friend was here now to explain himself.

He glanced at the clock above the mantelpiece.

It would not be long before they needed to leave for the ball, and he was dreading the event. Alicia had been avoiding him since that night in the attic, and it had been almost a week since he had last spoken to her.

Often, as he walked through the grounds or went about his day, he would hear or see her. She would either be talking to the kitten, which accompanied her everywhere, or speaking with the housekeeper.

Mrs. Timmons was rarely happy, and Seth could count on one hand the number of times she had smiled at him. Yet, with Alicia and that damned cat, his housekeeper appeared to have found two kindred spirits.

I have never seen her look so cheerful—it is infuriating!

Everyone in the household adored his Duchess. Not only had she befriended almost every footman and learned their names within two days, but she had also solved several problems he had been unable to fix for months.

One particularly tangled issue had been the poorly timed meals throughout the day.

Seth had come to terms with the fact that breakfast was often served late or cold when he was at home. It had annoyed him, to begin with, but he had not had enough time to resolve the issue.

Since Alicia’s arrival, he could set his watch by the time the meals were served.

Noting the change, he had enquired with the butler as to how it had come about.

It seemed that Alicia’s maid had befriended the cook and found out that her arthritic hands were slowing her down in the kitchen.

Without any hesitation, Alicia had hired another cook to assist her, and all the delays had been resolved overnight.

Seth wanted to be annoyed that he had not considered the solution himself, but, in truth, it was a weight off his mind.

The food had improved, he was always fed when he was hungry, and it had given him longer evenings to sift through the letters from his friend.

He smoothed a hand down the brocade waistcoat he had put on for the ball, checking the time again and wondering when Alicia would come down.

She might have been militant about mealtimes, but he was sure she deliberately made herself late these days to irritate him.

Rising, he buttoned his jacket, smoothed a hand through his hair, and walked to the door, hoping his appearance might hurry her along.

Before leaving the room, he glanced back at the chaos he had created. His desk was a disaster—quills, ink, and parchment scattered across the surface—and he still had found nothing.

I want to tell her about Gordon.

His lips thinned at the unwelcome thought, but he could not deny that it was true.

In thirteen years, he had avoided the topic at all costs, barely allowing himself to think of it let alone tell the tale to another. But with Alicia, somehow he knew she would understand.

She was kind, generous, and sensible, and had experienced her fair share of sadness.

He left the study, frowning as he checked his fob watch and glancing up the long staircase.

She may be all those things, but she is also very late.

If they did not leave within the next ten minutes, they would be on the other side of fashionably late, and Lady Gould would be most displeased.

He snapped his watch shut and jolted back as something brushed his leg.

Seth grimaced as he looked down and found the tiny kitten sitting at his feet.

Why does she not keep the thing in her chambers?

He stared at it, and its large blue eyes stared right back.

The kitten was delicate and slim, sleek and beautiful. Since its arrival, Alicia had taken to tying ribbons around its neck. Today’s ribbon was bright red.

“If a buzzard were to see you, he would snatch you up and devour you,” he said.

The kitten meowed and then stuck its tiny, needle-like claws in his leg and began to climb him.

Seth tried to shake it off, but the creature was determined and climbed up to his waist before he had to detach it from the fabric to prevent further damage.

“Why are your claws so sharp, when you are the most pampered thing in the world?” he asked, holding it by the scruff of its neck and dangling it in front of his face.

The kitten meowed.

Seth glowered at it, but he had to admit that it was very sweet. It had an innocent expression that reminded him of someone he did not wish to name.

“You are a menace,” he said. “And if you are ever in my garden, you are forbidden from catching birds, is that understood?”

The thought of Christopher ending up in the kitten’s jaws was not a pleasant image.

Slowly, Seth brought the kitten to his chest and let her settle on his arm. She began to purr happily, the gentle vibrations soothing something inside him, and he felt the tension bleed from his shoulders.

“You are rather sweet, I will admit,” he said, stroking her head with one finger. She was so tiny that she could fit in his palm.

“I see you’re warming up to my new companion.”

The voice made him look up, and his lungs constricted at the vision before him.

If she looks like this for every ball, then I can accept her tardiness.

Alicia looked utterly breathtaking. He had grown accustomed to seeing her in her eclectic choice of clothing around the manor. She had taken to wearing her strange dresses at every opportunity, and perversely, he had begun looking forward to seeing what she would create each day.

So far, there had been the infamous feather, the red sash, and the pink monstrosity that somehow tempted him like no other. Most recently, she had come down for breakfast with enormous ruffles sticking out of her sleeves, and he had almost choked on his tea.

He had wondered if she were brave enough to sew a dress for the ball, too, but evidently, even she drew the line somewhere.

She was wearing a floor-length gown of deep crimson that reminded him of the sash she had worn for their first dinner together.

Her hair was swept back from her head and scattered with sparkling diamonds, where the plaits and woven pieces came together. A diamond necklace glittered at her throat, and the neckline was high enough to be acceptable but low enough to stir an ache between his legs.

Her waist was cinched, and the fabric swept down the rest of her body, the folds of her skirts drawing his eyes, gold embroidery adorning the hem.

The result was startling, and Seth realized that his mouth was hanging open. He closed it swiftly.

He wanted to say a thousand things at that moment, namely that he would like to forget the ball and spend several minutes peeling the dress off her.

Instead, he held out the kitten to her by way of a distraction.

“I am covered with white hairs,” he grumbled.

Alicia raised her eyebrows, but there was amusement in her eyes. She walked slowly down the stairs, one hand on the banister, a sway to her hips, and a small smile playing on her lips.

She knows I am fighting for my life not to take her right here and now. Damn her.

“Will I do?” she asked teasingly, and it was wonderful to see the light back in her eyes after so many days of silence.

“You look… acceptable,” he said, clenching his jaw as she gave that high, lilting laugh he loved.

She stopped at the bottom of the steps and plucked the kitten from his fingers. “If you had not picked her up, she would not have covered you in hair.”

“I did not pick her up ; she climbed me against my will.”

Alicia held the kitten in the crook of her arm as she brushed the hair from Seth’s shoulders, and then, unwittingly, from his legs. Her fingers brushed the falls of his breeches, and he clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

He stepped back quickly, half-mast and not wishing for her to see it. “We should go.”

Alicia nodded, turning to her maid and handing her the kitten.

“What is that creature’s name?” Seth asked.

“I have not decided yet. Any ideas?”

Seth narrowed his eyes at the little thing as it mewed at him.

“Menace,” he suggested.

Alicia looked scandalized.

“Do not listen to him,” she said in a babyish voice, stroking the kitten as the maid cradled it. “He is just jealous that you get more attention than him.”

That is certainly true when you’re stroking it like that.

“We are late, Alicia. Will you stop dawdling?” he muttered.

Alicia stopped stroking the cat, turning to him in surprise, and Seth felt a rush of heat surge through him as her eyes connected with his. He had called her ‘Alicia’ for the first time. It felt strange on his tongue, but not unwelcome.

She could be anyone’s duchess, but she is my Alicia.

He held out a hand automatically, and as soon as she took it, he was reminded of their argument in the garden and the moment their hands had touched.

Suddenly, he was achingly hard in his breeches, and he hurriedly led the way out of the house, waving the butler away so he was not seen in such a state.

They reached the carriage, and he handed her inside while running his eyes over her figure.

Lord, she is stunning. I cannot get enough of her.

Seth climbed in after her, convincing himself that lusting after her would not be problematic. He was only a man, and he enjoyed women as much as the next thing. It did not mean that he was enamored with her.

Still, as he settled in the seat across from her, he was achingly hard and attempted to distract himself.

“Where did that kitten come from?” he asked. “Did you find her in a barrel on the grounds?”

Alicia sighed. “No, my friend Bridget sent her to me. I have always loved cats.”

“And what will you name her?”

Alicia’s gaze met his, and he had a difficult time remaining in his seat.

If I push my hand beneath that dress and pleasure her before we arrive, no one will be any the wiser.

His hands gripped the seat tightly as she cocked her head, considering his question.

“I thought about ‘Ghost,’ but that is a male name. Perhaps ‘Snow.’ She is so pure and beautiful.”

Seth’s eyes moved over her hair, the sparkling diamonds catching the light of the candle that hung from the carriage ceiling.

There were three in the shape of a drop at the top of her head, glittering more than the others, making her eyes shine in turn.

“What about ‘Diamond?’” he suggested quietly.

I am becoming a romantic fool.

Alicia smiled. “Are you beginning to grow fond of her? That is the only way I will permit you to name her.”

“I could hardly avoid her when she is in my house, no matter how much you avoid me .”

Her head snapped back to him from where she had been looking out the window, and she blushed. “You were being a beast.”

“Hm,” he said, moving his leg so that it brushed her calf.

Alicia was already trembling as he leaned forward, losing the battle with himself and putting his hands on either side of her hips.

“I apologize for my conduct the other day,” he said, leaning in further so their faces were inches apart. “I was rather rude.”

“You were,” she said, anger simmering beneath each word.

“Whatever can I do to make it up to you?”

She shuddered. “I do not know.”

“Mm?”

His hand moved to her waist, stroking the silky fabric of her dress as the other slid from the bottom of her corset to the juncture between her thighs.

The many layers of fabric prevented him from fully enjoying the sensation, but from the way her hips bucked against his fingers, he knew she was enjoying it just as much as he did.

“Perhaps,” she said softly, “I shall get her a diamond collar.”

He pushed deeper into the folds as her breath hitched.

“It would look so good against her fur.”

Seth longed to push his hand beneath her skirt and feel her as he had done before. He moved his mouth along her jaw, running his teeth over her skin as she shivered and trembled beneath him.

“What about… what about ‘Dove?’” she asked breathlessly. “You love birds, after all, and she is pure white as a dove.”

He licked along the long vein at her neck, and she fell back in her seat as his fingers delved deeper through the fabric.

Seth was a moment away from turning the carriage around, desperate desire overwhelming him as he began rocking his hips against hers.

I want to claim her, own her, and never let her go.

His fingers stilled, a wave of fear crashing over him at the thought.

He could not allow himself to feel such things for her. They could never be anything to one another—he could desire her, but nothing deeper than that could exist between them.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, releasing her as she panted. She cleared her throat as she pulled herself upright.

Seth kept his smile soft, hiding the turmoil his mind had conjured within him.

“Dove is a good name,” he said tenderly. “We used to have them on the estate, but the dovecot was blown down in a storm.”

“We should get another,” she replied breathlessly.

He adjusted his breeches and settled back in his chair.

Alicia smirked at him, and he felt the dark heat of desire rush through him again.

“Careful, Duchess, or I will take you right here, without mercy or thought for your beautiful gown.”

Alicia’s hand moved to her breast as she swallowed, the air between them crackling for the remainder of the journey, mere inches of space between them, desire heavy in the air.