But the burns on his legs and back never would. Nor would the memory of how they came about.

How could he commit to another person when there was so much damage inside of him?

Ailis would insist that love would heal him.

Perhaps.

A marriage where there was love might do it.

Or not.

He dared not make the mistake of marrying and finding out it could not work.

Yet the thought of marrying someone like Ailis did not frighten him, someone with a big heart and the competence to be his duchess. But that perfect woman would also demand his heart and soul.

Therein lay the problem, for his heart was empty.

As for his soul? That had been lost in a French prison years ago.

He went to the stack of newspapers piled in a corner of his study and riffled through the latest ones. After taking out a few he thought might interest Ailis, he summoned Mrs. Fitch to bring them up to her.

“At once, Your Grace,” his ever-efficient housekeeper replied with a nod. “She’ll like these.”

He chuckled. “Yes, she’s a little busybody. These gossip sheets will keep her amused and out of trouble.”

“She’s delightful, and not at all difficult.”

He glanced out the window at the snow still coming down hard. “Glad to hear it, because she is going to be with us for a while if this blasted snow does not let up. At this rate, she could be trapped here the entire winter.”

“Would you mind terribly, Your Grace?”

He did not bother to respond, nor did he berate his housekeeper for daring to ask such an impertinent question.

Mrs. Fitch, along with Grimes, Martha, and several others in the household, had been in service to his family since he was a child.

They knew him well enough to sense that he held some interest for the vicar’s niece.

He never would have given up his own bedchamber for anyone else.

“Just take those newspapers up to Miss Temple.”

“Of course.” She bobbed a curtsy and scurried out, closing the door behind her.

Jonas let out a breath and settled in the chair behind his desk once he was alone again.

There were several investment proposals awaiting his review that had been sitting on his desk for several weeks now. He also had certain grain contracts to read over that his London solicitors had prepared and now awaited his signature.

The work took the rest of the day to complete.

As the last rays of sunlight began to fade and the sky turned a darker shade of gray, he rose and stretched his aching back.

Soon, the sky would turn black as ink and there would be no light save for the moon’s silver glow, or as much of it as could filter through the clouds. He walked to the window and stared out of it as he had done several times over the course of the afternoon.

He noticed the outline of a moon visible against the sky. Were the clouds breaking up? Did this signify the blizzard’s end? Or was this just a pause?

Surprisingly, he wished the snowfall to continue. He was not ready to lose Ailis yet, and not only because he still owed her those eight kisses.

Ah, kissing the mouthy spinster.

The taste of her still lingered on his lips.

He had eaten several meals since those kisses, and yet…the sweet taste of her was still on his tongue and in his memory.

He shook off the thought. Having accomplished a solid amount of work for the day, he set the rest aside and walked upstairs to look in on Ailis.

She looked up and cast him a beaming smile as he strode in. “I hope you had a productive afternoon, Your Grace. Can you believe it is still snowing? I wonder when it will let up.”

“Probably soon. The sky cannot be holding much more snow. I expect we will wake up to blue skies and brightest sunlight tomorrow morning.”

“I hope so. I need to get back to my uncle.”

“Why? You cannot move that shoulder without the risk of damaging it. Has my staff not been taking excellent care of you?” He studied Ailis, who looked snug as a little bird nestled in his big bed.

She was huddled under the covers and had the woolen shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

A few gossip rags were strewn atop the covers and others were piled on the chair beside her bed.

A fire crackled in the hearth, casting the room in a familiar amber glow.

It all felt rather cozy.

Splendid, too.

“Oh, yes. I have been treated like a princess.” Ailis’s hair was drawn off her face and fashioned in a loose braid down her back.

Her bright eyes held his gaze and captivated him.

“Here, do sit down, Your Grace.” She reached for the newspapers on the chair and attempted to remove them with just one hand.

He quickly came to her side and took them all before they fell to the floor. “I have them.” Grumbling, he handed them to Martha to set aside on the table for now. “But this proves my point, Miss Temple. Does it not? You are going to hurt your shoulder if you insist on doing things for yourself.”

She let out a breath. “Admonishment received, Your Grace. By the way, thank you for the reading material.”

“Have you read all the scandal sheets?” he asked, settling into the chair beside the bed.

“Just the ones I had piled on the chair. These others are for tonight.”

“Have you come across anything particularly lurid or tantalizing?” he asked with a grin.

She cast him the prettiest smile. “Oh, yes. Lots. There’s even mention of you and the ladies who people are betting on to win your heart.”

He snorted and stretched his legs before him. “They are all going to lose their bets.”

“Oh, you mustn’t say that. Lady Viola Carstairs is the daughter of the Duke of Carstairs and reputed to be not only this year’s ton diamond, but the diamond of the decade.

I think she will be among the party coming to Langford Hall with your mother for Christmas.

Lady Willa Montroy is another candidate for your affections.

She’s the only daughter of the seventh Earl of Montroy and another young lady much coveted for her beauty. ”

“Temple, do not indulge this nonsense. I have escorted both of them around London before and found them deadly boring.”

“How can you say such a thing? They are witty and polished, and I am certain they have dozens of men falling at their feet.”

“Well, I am not going to be one of them. As I’ve said, I am not interested in either young lady. My brother can have them both, if he wishes.”

She set aside the newspaper she held in her hand and cast him a chiding look.

“Imagine the stir you would cause if you chose one and your brother got the other. The ton would go wild with excitement. Everyone who was anyone would be biting their fingernails awaiting an invitation to these weddings. And what a fall from grace if their names were overlooked!”

He lolled his head back and groaned. “It isn’t going to happen, so stop making a thing of it.”

“It is harmless jesting. But I am not jesting about wanting to see you happily matched.”

“Should you not be more concerned with your own happy match?”

She sighed. “I am firmly on the shelf and there is no help for me.”

“That is nonsense, Temple.”

“It is the truth.”

“I do not believe it,” he said, growling because Ailis was joyful and enthusiastic about everything, so why not her own wellbeing? He did not want her giving up on love or marriage.

“Your Grace, I am a spinster. This is an indisputable fact. I have accepted my lot. You needn’t frown or fret—or even growl,” she said when he growled again.

“I am not worried about my future, so why should you be? I will admit to being a little sad, for certain. I wanted a husband and children and a bustling home life. But I will make do. As I’ve mentioned, I have a small inheritance to tide me over into my dotage. ”

“And when the time comes, you shall get yourself a cat and a cottage and live comfortably by the sea?”

“Yes, exactly, although I think I will enjoy having a dog more. Cats will not take long walks along a sandy beach with me. Perhaps I shall acquire one of each.”

“You will do no such thing, Temple. You are not on the shelf. Far from it. And how can you think to get a cat when you sneeze whenever they are around you?”

She regarded him with some surprise. “You noticed?”

“Yes. You may believe I am detached and reclusive, but you would be wrong. I miss very little of what happens around me. Those fresh-faced young bucks might be interested in the younger ladies, but any man of any substance will notice you and desire you above them all.”

She snorted.

“To prove my point, I shall invite you and your uncle to dine with us once my mother and her party arrive. Shall we place wagers on how many gentlemen find you to their liking?”

“Don’t you dare. My uncle and I will be occupied preparing for the church’s Christmas ball. I hope you will attend with your friends and family.”

“I’ll make certain we do,” he said with a nod. “But you and your uncle must also join us. I will not take no for an answer.”

“But—”

“Ah,” he said, holding up a hand. “I have decreed it. You cannot refuse a duke.”

“Seriously?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Yes, I am playing the duke card here and ordering you to join us…please.”

She laughed. “Well, put that way…my uncle and I shall be delighted to accept your invitation.”

“Good, that’s settled. I’ll send my carriage to pick you up when the time comes.”

She rolled her eyes. “ If the time comes. Your family is not even here yet.”

“But they will be, for my mother can be quite stubborn once she gets an idea into her head. I have never met anyone as determined as she can be.” He leaned forward and cast Ailis a dangerous smile. “Are you prepared to meet the dragon?”