Page 8 of I Never Forget a Duke (The Night Fire Club #1)

It had been like this for the last day and a half.

Little dribbles of knowledge and skill seemed to be emerging from whatever veil kept them hidden from Smith, although he still could not recall his name or where he came from.

Today, they’d been playing games to see what he could recall.

He remembered the rules of whist but had lost several games to Adele.

He’d been able to explain gambling strategies for a few card games of chance to Adele, which allowed her to picture him in a room full of cigar smoke playing cards with the men of the ton .

The first new set of clothes from the tailor had arrived that day as well.

The new clothes fit Mr. Smith much better than the earl’s clothes had; those clothes had been rather tight and had not left much to the imagination.

Adele had found herself avoiding looking at him as much as possible, lest her gaze settle on his powerful thighs, his shapely calves, the curve of his behind, his…

well. He seemed oblivious to her attentions, but spending time with him was a challenge.

She knew he needed her help, but sometimes it was all she could do not to dissolve into girlish giggles, because she found him easy to talk to and exceedingly handsome.

The countess was still pretending he did not exist, unwilling to leave her room or have visitors aside from Adele despite authorizing the purchase of clothing for him.

She may not have understood that he was likely a nobleman and not just some ruffian brought in off the street, but Adele found herself wondering at the countess’s motives.

After all, Smith’s manners—which he seemed unaware he was even exhibiting and were likely something drilled into him from a very young age—were impeccable most of the time, and he seemed to innately understand his place in the world, which indicated to Adele that he was no matrimonial prospect for her.

She hadn’t exaggerated when she’d told him a few days before that she doubted she’d ever marry because that was not in the hand of cards life had dealt her.

She’d been destined to love once and never again.

But every now and then she fancied meeting some country gentleman and settling down in the relative obscurity of a modest house far from London.

She wanted a child, sometimes so badly she could feel it in her belly, but she did not think she’d ever have one, so she had to be content with her lot in life.

But Smith’s presence was dangerous because it was inspiring hope in her once again.

She moved her king out of danger now.

Smith eyed her for a long moment and then concentrated on the board. He moved his bishop. “Checkmate,” he said.

He was right. Moving her king had left her queen vulnerable. She laughed. “So that’s something you remember.”

“Apparently so.” He leaned back from the table. “Is this how gentlemen spend their leisure time?”

“I suppose so. I don’t rightfully know. That is, men spend time at their clubs.

I am not permitted to know what happens at those clubs, but I always reasoned it was drinking and cards.

Perhaps smoking cigars. Or men go to balls or pay social calls to women they fancy or ride horses or any number of things. ”

Smith nodded. “Do you think I am married?”

“You do not wear a ring, so I do not believe so, but I suppose anything is possible.”

Smith looked at his hands. He turned them over a few times. “I think I normally do wear a ring. Perhaps it was stolen by whoever hit me on the head.”

That simple fact should not have been disappointing, and yet Adele felt her heart sink to her stomach.

He continued to study at his hands. “A heavy ring, I think. With a… some kind of insignia on it. And a red stone. A… a ruby.”

“That sounds like a signet ring,” said Adele, feeling a certain amount of relief.

Smith was really not husband material, and yet the more time they spent together, the more she wanted him to kiss her.

Which was ridiculous. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “A ring like that might signify that you descend from an important family. It might have a family symbol or a coat of arms imprinted on it.”

“Yes, that seems correct.”

Inspiration struck. “Can you remember anything about the coat of arms? That may narrow down which family you come from.”

He closed his eyes for a long moment. “I see… a knight holding a shield divided into four sections.”

“Yes, excellent.” Nearly every coat of arms appeared that way. “What else?”

“The shield has… two animals. A lion is one.”

Adele bit her lip. A lion appeared on nearly every ducal coat of arms.

“And the other is a… pig. No. A boar.” He opened his eyes. “Is that helpful?”

“Yes, I believe so. I think it is actually quite unusual for two animals to be on your coat of arms. The lion might indicate you are a relation to the King, or it could just be a coincidence. The boar is interesting to me, though. I don’t know which family uses a boar as their symbol, but that should be something I could find easily.

I will ask the countess if she knows, and if not, I will check in with the bookseller at my favorite bookshop on the morrow.

He knows more about the history of the peerage than anyone I know.

And if he does not know, he may have a book in which I could look it up. ”

“I could draw it if that makes it easier. I can picture it now.”

Adele stood and grabbed a few sheets of paper and a pencil from the writing desk in the corner.

She handed them to Smith, who put the papers right on the chessboard.

He quickly sketched out a coat of arms with four sections.

He drew three lions in each of the top right and bottom left sections, then three boars each in the top left and bottom right sections.

He had to pause and close his eyes a few times as he drew, as if he were trying very hard to picture exactly what it looked like.

“I am not as good at drawing as I am at chess,” he said, handing his sketch to Adele.

“But that is what I see in my head when I picture the ring. The ruby is right in the center, where the four sections meet. I see an S also, somewhere on the ring. Maybe inscribed in the band.” He grunted.

“It is ridiculous to me that I can picture this ring but still cannot recall my name.

“This is still a very important clue.” Adele felt nearly giddy now. “Your family name must begin with an S . Not Smith, but likely not far off the mark. Of course, there are probably dozens of peers with names that start with S . Salisbury, Somerset, Shrewsbury, Suffolk… it could be any of those.”

Smith tilted his head. “None of those seem familiar.”

“Those were just the first S names that popped into my head. The Earl of Suffolk must be older than fifty, for example, so clearly you are not him. The Marquess of Salisbury is an ancient man. Which is not to say that you may not be related to those men, I do not know. These are just guesses.”

“I do appreciate your help, if I have not said. I do not believe I could figure any of this out on my own.”

“You are welcome. You seem like a good man and I would like to help you.”

“You would like me out of your hair, you mean.”

“Not at all. I enjoy your company. Why, we’ve spent nearly all day today playing games, and I’ve never once felt bored.”

He chuckled. “Do you often feel bored?”

“I suppose. The countess cheats at cards, which is frustrating, and Hodges occasionally plays chess with me but is not very good. It is nice to have a challenge.”

Smith stood. “Then I shall endeavor to make sure you are never bored when you are in my company.”

Her heart began to beat harder as he approached her. “I can’t see how I would be bored with you around.”

“Do you think we now have enough clues to piece together my identity?”

“I certainly hope so. This is a lot right here. How many peerages can there be that start with S and have a boar in their coat of arms?”

“It might almost be sad to return to my old life. Although I have not felt in top physical form, I feel as though I have no particular worries. That is likely because I’ve forgotten them.

I have a sense that I often have a lot of responsibilities piled on my shoulders.

But it’s almost relaxing in a way to not know what I don’t know, if that makes sense. ”

“It does,” she said, aware of how close he stood to her now.

He gazed at her face, a smile playing on her lips. “With no cares, I could almost do anything my mind was set on.”

“You could.”

He smelled good and emanated a warmth Adele found comforting. He was so very tall and had a certain strength looming below his clothing. He was the sort of man artists painted because his beauty was so profound they could not contain themselves.

And he was standing a hairsbreadth from Adele now, and he was very likely going to kiss her.

Her heart pounded in her throat.

“Since I am not of right mind, perhaps you will excuse me this indulgence,” he said.

Then he kissed her.

Adele had not been kissed since her late fiancé had passed, but she found the mechanics of it came back to her in a whoosh of yearning.

She’d been wanting this man to kiss her for days and he finally was, and it was all she could do not to throw herself on him.

She opened her mouth for a better taste, and he groaned, clutching her shoulders in his hands.

Then he wavered and stepped back.

“Oh, dear,” she said.

“I apologize, my lady, I am… well, a bit dizzy, if I’m honest.”

“Oh. You must sit down then.”

“Was that too forward?” He sat carefully on the chair near the chess table. “Not the dizziness, the kissing.”

“Well, yes, it was rather forward, but I did not mind. That is, I enjoyed the kiss.”

“I probably should not kiss pretty ladies until I know for certain that I am not married or betrothed to anyone else. Still, it is somewhat reassuring to know that I still know how to kiss.”

Adele sat across from him and patted his hand where it rested on the chess board. “I am growing quite fond of you,” she said. “I think I should very much like to kiss again sometime.”

He smiled. “I will take that under advisement.”