Once back on the high street, he paused a moment to bundle her up more securely in her cloak. “The wind is strong today,” he remarked. “Any more errands?”

“No, that was all I needed to do, and I did not really need to do that, either. Mr. Cardew obviously had my order down correctly and my visit to his shop was for no reason other than my needless fretting. Although he will now be pleased that I was fussing, since my order is now doubled, as are his fees.”

“Is it so awful that I spread a little Christmas cheer?”

“Not at all. The villagers could do with it.” Her expression turned soft as she regarded him. “But I am happiest for you.”

He arched an eyebrow. “For me?”

“Am I wrong in believing you are enjoying Christmas this season?”

“Despite my having a house full of irritating guests I would love to ship back to London in a horse cart and never see again?”

“Yes, despite them,” she said with a gentle laugh. “But I think having them here has made you appreciate us , your local villagers, all the more.”

“Perhaps.” He placed her arm in his. “Come along, Miss Temple. It is cold out here and the streets are still icy. Let’s get you back to the warmth of the vicarage and I shall have a look at your arm.”

When they reached the church where preparations were underway for the big day, she asked if he wished to see their progress.

“No, Ailis. I want to look at you.”

“All right. Another time, then.” They entered the rectory that was the modest home she shared with her uncle. It was a lovely house best described as comfortable and cozy, more than enough to meet their needs but nowhere near as grand as Langford Hall.

He removed his cloak, assisted Ailis with hers, and then settled her on the settee in the drawing room. Instead of taking the chair beside her, he knelt before her.

He merely meant to get close in order to remove her sling and manipulate her arm to test its healing. But Mrs. Curtis, the vicarage’s gem of a housekeeper, happened to walk in at that moment and let out a shriek.

Ailis leaped up, believing the woman had just seen a mouse or some other rodent scrambling behind the settee. “What is it, Mrs. Curtis?”

The duke rose, equally concerned.

“But I saw him, Miss Ailis.”

She frowned. “Was it a mouse?”

“What?” Her housekeeper now appeared as confused as she was. “No, I am speaking of His Grace. He was on bended knee, proposing to you. Was he not? Oh, I knew he loved you. How could he not love our dear Miss Temple?”

Ailis’s mouth gaped open. “You must not spread such a rumor! No, Mrs. Curtis. He was merely about to examine my arm. Dear heaven, what a misunderstanding.”

Surprisingly, the duke did not appear put off by this mistake at all.

In fact, he was quite calm about it, and asked the housekeeper if he might have some tea now that the matter had been cleared up.

Ailis groaned. “How rude of me. I should have offered.”

“Not at all. You did not think I was going to stay beyond a quick check of your arm.”

“But you intend to stay longer?”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Are you going to kick me out?”

She smiled. “Not at all. But shouldn’t you get back to your guests?”

“My head will explode if I must be around them a moment longer,” he said, wincing. “Will you be so cruel as to force me back there?”

Mrs. Curtis seemed well pleased. “I’ll fetch the tea. Miss Temple will be delighted to have your company for as long as you wish.”

Once more alone with the duke, Ailis laughed. “That was a close call, Your Grace. What would your diamonds have said if the rumor of your proposing to me had reached their ears?”

“They would have thought I was mad to fall in love with the lady who wore chickens on her head. But we are alone, Ailis. Call me Jonas. After your remarkable appearance at my dinner party the other night, I would say that we are not only equals, but that you are actually my superior, for you bested me that night.”

She felt warmth flow through her. “I’m glad you are not angry about my antics.”

He chuckled. “You made the entire evening worthwhile for me. But gad . Burn that hat. I spent the night waiting for it to come alive and start laying eggs atop your head.”

“I thought the hat was a master stroke,” she teased.

“I wanted to give you kisses six and seven right there on the spot.”

“Even though I looked as though I had been raised in a chicken coop?”

“Yes,” he said, his smile now fading. “Ailis, my heart has not felt so light in years. In truth, I’d forgotten how it felt to be happy. So I am going to give you kiss number six right now, before Mrs. Curtis returns and catches you in my arms.”

“Indeed, there’ll be no stopping the rumors if she catches you kissing me. Perhaps we ought not tempt fate. The kiss can wait.”

“No, it needs to be done now.”

“Why?”

“Because you deserve a kiss filled with a joy I have not experienced in a decade. This feeling may be fleeting, and may never happen to me again. So would you rather not be kissed by a happy duke? Or do you prefer the surly curmudgeon?”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “Kiss me with happiness, Your Grace.”

“Jonas.”

“Yes…Jonas.”

He placed his hand to the back of her head and gently drew her toward him. When his lips sank down on hers, she felt the full impact of his hope and yearning. The splendid promise of his own healing.

In this moment, Ailis felt true bliss.

She wanted his pain and torment to end, and if her kiss could bring this about, then all the better.

She kissed him back with full ardor and all the happiness she felt in her heart.

He responded by pressing his mouth deeper onto hers, capturing hers in the divine way he had perfected, knowing just how to turn her blood fiery, to melt her and make her legs turn to pillars of ashes, and yet still make her feel safe and protected when in his arms.

If only she could have this beyond ten kisses.

If only he truly loved her.

Groaning, he drew his mouth off hers. “Ailis, I could kiss you forever,” he whispered.

“I would not stop you.”

She sighed as she heard Mrs. Curtis lumber down the hall toward them. In the next moment, she appeared with a tray in her hands, cutting short any further conversation.

Ailis cast her housekeeper a casual smile, trying to appear at ease and not reveal she had just been given the best kiss of her life, one packed with a sensual heat that still had her body in flames.

But her cheeks were flushed and her breathing unsettled, so perhaps she was not fooling anyone.

The duke—her Jonas—seemed completely unaffected. How did he manage this?

When Mrs. Curtis turned away for a moment to place the tray on a side table, he took the opportunity to give her a devastatingly affectionate smile.

Her cheeks were already hot and now turned hotter. Her breaths were already ragged and remained ridiculously unsteady, so that she had to place a hand over her heart to calm its rapid beating.

Fortunately, her housekeeper mistook the reason for her pink cheeks, and attributed them to her injured shoulder. “Oh, you poor dear. What agony you must be feeling, and never a complaint out of you.”

The duke now had her arm out of the sling and was about to test its healing.

“Well, have a cup of tea once His Grace is done. It will comfort you. And make sure to listen to what His Grace tells you. We want that shoulder of yours to heal as quick as possible.”

“I shall follow his every instruction.”

Mrs. Curtis nodded her approval and marched out.

Ailis let out a breath. “That was close…but worth it. I enjoyed your kiss,” she admitted, always wanting to be honest with him.

Well, he knew she had liked it by the ardor of her response.

“I’ll bring you the bank draft when I see you next.”

Her heart sank. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

He gave her chin a tweak. “I know, Ailis. Forgive my stupid response.”

“There are only four kisses left to go.”

“And little time to fit them all in before Christmas Day. Must we rush?”

“No, I suppose not. Jonas…”

“Yes?”

She smiled. “Nothing. I just wanted to say your name aloud while no one but you was around to hear me.”

He laughed but did not comment.

However, he appeared pleased as he took gentle hold of her arm and tested her dexterity. But he was very careful not to hurt her, for he kept the movements to a minimum and was quite cautious while gliding his fingers along her shoulder and the length of her arm.

He stopped whenever her breath quickened.

“Right, that’s enough,” he said, tucking her arm back in the sling. “Let’s have our tea and then I must be off.”

“How is my shoulder progressing? Is it healing properly?”

“Yes, all is as it should be. The area is still swollen, but that is to be expected. Your recovery will take time, as I warned. I know you are impatient to get back to your normal routine, but it will be months yet before you can manage it.”

They did not say much between them after this. Ailis had loved kiss number six, just as she had loved all the ones that came before it. But she dared not mention their arrangement again.

The duke finished his tea and then rose. “I had better be off. I’ll try to come see you at least once more before your big day.”

He grabbed his cloak and strode out of the house without looking back at her.

She watched him mount Avalon and ride off.

Once he was out of sight, she put her fingers to her lips. She still felt the warmth of his mouth on hers. Her lips had not stopped tingling, nor had her body.

This was an awful situation.

She was falling more deeply in love with him with each kiss.

Was there any hope that he might be falling in love with her? Would he do anything about it if he did?