Stealing the Duchess

by Marie Higgins

  Could he possibly feel this strongly about a woman he’d just met only yesterday? Impossible! He reasoned it had been too long since he had been with a woman. Yet, his insanely beating heart and the pure pleasure flowing through him right now told him he was indeed falling...and hard.

  She licked her lips. “What should we do now?”

  He couldn’t stop the grin tugging on his lips. She would certainly slap his face hard if she knew what he wanted to do now. “I’m actually just enjoying this coziness. Aren’t you?” He slid his arm around her waist and scooted closer.

  Alexandria’s face flamed. “No, I meant, what should we do about Martin?”

  Get your mind out of the sewer, Greystone. Embarrassment washed over him, which didn’t happen often. He should scoot away from her, but curse his hide, she was just too soft and cuddly to leave this position. “Good question. If you say you didn’t find any information leading toward Martin’s guilt, then he is sneakier than I first suspected. Where else would he hide the evidence?”

  “Do you think he has an office in town?” She hesitantly slid her hand over his arm, caressing his limb as it lay over her.

  “Lord Hawthorne has followed him into town several times, and the only thing he’s found is that Martin frequents the taverns, I’m afraid.”

  “There must be something we’re missing.”

  “I agree, but I’m encouraged after you mentioned the arm wound. That will narrow our suspects down a bit.” He trailed his fingers up her arm and to her neck, softly caressing her soft skin. “Have you noticed Martin rubbing his left arm in any way?”

  “Like the way I’ve seen you rub your injured leg?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “No. I haven’t noticed, but then I don’t look at him that much. I have never really taken the time to study my brother-in-law. Perhaps that’s what I’ll do at dinner tonight. Maybe I’ll purposely bump against his left arm.”

  “See if he stretches his arm in a certain way. The ache from a bullet-wound lingers months afterwards, so if Martin was the man I shot, he’d still hurt.”

  “I’ll be certain to watch him closely tonight.”

  “Just take care not to make him curious.”

  “Indeed. He would surely know something was amiss then.” She chuckled. “He’s not used to me watching him.”

  “I would hope not.” Julian shifted, suddenly feeling very possessive. He knew Alexandria would never think of Martin in such a way, but he wanted to make certain he was the only man on her mind.

  As he drew small circles on her neck, he had the incredible urge to see if her skin was as soft on his lips as it was beneath his fingers. She was just too tempting, and he couldn’t resist any longer. He lowered his mouth to her neck. When his lips touched her skin, she sucked in a quick breath and held still.

  “I hope I’m the only man you want to watch from now on,” he whispered as he placed tender kisses along her throat. She tilted her neck, giving him better access—which he didn’t hesitate to take advantage of. Indeed, her skin was as silky smooth, and tasted just as scrumptious.

  While he devoured her neck, he rubbed her shoulder and gradually pulled the material of her gown to expose more skin. Her fast breaths caused her bosom to lift up and down, drawing his attention there instead of her bare shoulder. There was so much more skin to partake of.

  Warning bells rang in his head, reminding him this was not something he should be doing to such an innocent woman, but heaven couldn’t stop him. Only she would be able to stop his actions this time. He almost hoped she didn’t...

  THIRTEEN

  Pleasure poured through Alexandria like hot liquid. Just when she thought she’d experienced everything she could with Grey, he had proven her wrong. Her chest ached and her breathing came much too fast. His kisses had thrown her emotions in different directions, yet they were still all heading toward one place. Paradise.

  She couldn’t remain still any longer. The confusion inside her head mixed with the excitement shooting through her body, made her squirm and sigh with pleasure. In fact, small moans escaped her throat several times.

  Her skin burned with awareness, and the more he exposed the skin on her shoulder, the higher the temperature inside of her grew. She needed to stop his improper actions...yet at the same time, she wanted never to stop him.

  But they weren’t married. They weren’t even engaged. He’d mentioned earlier that he wasn’t used to kissing fair maidens, which meant he was used to more experienced women. Alexandria was definitely not in that category, and she never would be. No way did she want him believing she was like one of those fallen women.

  Indeed, she must stop him. She must find the strength to say the words. But when she managed to speak around her swollen tongue, the only word that escaped her was his name in whispered gasps. Grey. She couldn’t stop saying his name. The phrase, don’t stop, tumbled from her thoughts toward her mouth, but thankfully, she did not speak them aloud.

  His mouth put her mind in a different place, and his soft caresses calmed her fears. Within moments, she didn’t care anymore. All she wanted now was his love. Her mind whirled in a confused daydream, and the earth moved beneath her.

  Actually...the earth was indeed moving beneath her!

  She snapped out of her dream-like state and became more aware of her surroundings. Why was the ground shaking with the rumbling of horses’ hooves—several horses’ hooves?

  Grey jerked his head up and looked around. Before she could ask what was going on, he jumped to his feet and ran toward the edge of the grove of trees.

  She struggled to stand, but it took a few minutes to gain her strength. His kisses had sapped it from her. Once she stood upright—and steady—she hurried after him, pulling up the sleeves of her dress. Heavens, had he pulled down that much of her dress? She should be embarrassed, but at this moment, that wasn’t the emotion rushing through her as she worried what all the commotion was about.

  Grey stood at the exact spot where she’d met him earlier, holding a spyglass to his eye as he surveyed the uproar toward the house.

  “What...what is happening?” she asked breathless. She couldn’t see the men who were riding, but several horses were moving toward the house. This group didn’t appear to be the Cavalry, however, by the way the ground had sounded a few moments ago, she wouldn’t be surprised that these men were soldiers.

  “I don’t know.” He continued to peer through his small spyglass. “Martin is with them, and he just went into the house. I don’t know who the other men are. None of them are familiar to me.”

  “Are they nobles?”

  “I cannot be certain.”

  “How are they dressed?”

  “Like well-to-do gentlemen. But they aren’t anyone I would remember associating with before I enlisted.”

  “How many are there?”

  It took him a little longer to answer, and she figured he was counting.

  “Twelve.” He lowered the scope and looked at her. “Did Martin mention having any of his friends over today?”

  “Not to me. I believe he would be foolish to have a social gathering when his wife was ill.”

  Grey lifted the scope back to his eye. “Well, it appears he’s going to have one now. At least with his friends. There are no women in this group. I wonder why he invited only men... Oh wait. Martin is coming out of the house.”

  From the distance, her brother-in-law called her name. She sucked in a horrific breath, the energy inside of her quickly draining. “Oh, no!” Her voice broke as dread washed over her. “I think I know why they are here.”

  “Why?” He lowered the spyglass as his focus came back to her again.

  “Martin is going to sell me to the highest bidder. And it looks like he intends to do so today!”

  ANGER FLARED THROUGH Julian hotter than he’d ever experienced before. He would not allow this to happen. Even if it meant coming out of hiding and declaring he was the rightful duke. If that happened, h
e and Lord Hawthorne would have to figure out a different way to find the evidence needed to put Martin away.

  He pulled Alexandria into his arms and pressed her head against his chest. His heart squeezed with emotion as helplessness flowed through him like an angry river. He could not let her go!

  “I won’t let this happen,” he said with a tight voice. “You are going to stay right here with me.”

  “No,” she sobbed into his vest and cravat. “He will come looking for me, and then he will discover you are alive.”

  “It doesn’t matter any longer. I promised I would keep you safe, and I shall.”

  She lifted her head and met his eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks, wrenching his heart even more.

  “Nothing will happen immediately with Martin and his friends. Even if one of them offers marriage, it’s still going to take a couple of weeks. Meanwhile,” she gently stroked his cheek, giving him a weak smile, “we shall keep searching for evidence. I’m confident we’ll find something soon.”

  “Oh, Lexie,” he whispered, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her soundly. Mixed emotions grew inside of him. Helplessness washed over him, yet at the same time, he wanted to protect her. She was innocent, and she had nobody else that could help her. He tried to show her his feelings in just the brief moment it took for his lips to caress hers.

  “Alexandria. Where are you?”

  Martin’s irritated voice made the hackles rise on Julian’s back. He wanted to take his cousin out to the dueling field this very moment. If only he had the faith his Lexie had. But once again, she was correct in assuming nothing would happen immediately. They still had time, and if time slipped away and they couldn’t find any proof, then and only then would Julian come out of hiding.

  She pulled away from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. “I must go before he comes searching for me.”

  “I know, but before you go, let’s try to fix your hair.”

  She gasped and her hand flew to her hair. She hurried back to the blanket and collected the pins. Between Julian and Lexie, they wound her hair back in the coil. Even though it wasn’t perfect, it would do.

  “I shall return tonight after dinner to let you know what has happened,” she told him. “I shall do all I can to dissuade these men. I certainly do not want them to offer marriage.”

  “Please be careful.” He stroked her cheek. “Remember, I’ll be watching you.”

  Nodding, she turned and walked away from him, and moved toward Martin and the other men. Julian tightened his grip on the spyglass as he watched. If his cousin allowed his friends to lay one hand on her, Julian would certainly lose his temper and those men would soon believe they were in hell.

  TRYING HER BEST TO relax in her steamy bath, Alexandria closed her eyes and relived the events of the day. A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth and she giggled. How daring she’d been with Grey today...how forward. Not even the women in her stories had the courage to say—or do—so much with a man. Yet, Alexandria enjoyed the newfound awareness buzzing through her. She wanted to explore her feelings more, and oddly enough, she wasn’t frightened of the unknown. Grey would be there to give her assistance and even encourage her. He had certainly changed her life for the better.

  Smiling, she trickled water over her arms with the sponge. Unfortunately, Martin had ruined her wonderful afternoon with Grey. Her idiotic brother-in-law had indeed brought his acquaintances to the house to meet her. Martin knew that would be the only way for them to see her since she rarely attended social functions.

  This afternoon had been a disaster. Not only was she embarrassed beyond belief, she was so upset at Martin that she had wanted to slap him across his face, and she wasn’t a violent person. She punched her fist into the bath water, splashing it over the tub. Nevertheless, she rarely met the men’s eyes while Martin had made the introductions, and she mumbled her responses when the men asked her questions.

  She received the impression that most of them were put off by her lack of enthusiasm, but there were a couple that still appeared overeager to sit by her when they had congregated into the house, or to fetch her a drink.

  How much would Martin pay these men to marry her? She prayed she’d never have to find out. Yet, the tender way Grey had taken her into his arms, and the catch in his voice when he told her he wouldn’t allow the marriage to take place, made her believe that she was safe. He would protect her, always.

  Grudgingly, she climbed out of the bath and dressed for supper. It irritated her that she’d be the only woman at the table tonight. All of Martin’s friends would be watching her, and her brother-in-law knew very well how uncomfortable that would make her. Nevertheless, she decided that when she entered the dining room, she would not be herself. As her sister once suggested, Alexandria would be one of the characters she’d written about in her story.

  Indeed, she would be clever, witty, but not overly so. She would have the sharp tongue her sister was known for when putting a man in his place. Alexandria had been around her sister enough times to see how it was done. She was certain stepping into the role as a viper wouldn’t be too difficult.

  Above all, she would show Martin’s associates tonight that she was not the woman they wanted to marry.

  Dread swept through her and she sighed, leaning against the bedpost. Could she accomplish such a feat? This was something she had never done before. Then again, the past few days had been firsts for her as well, and she’d come out of the situations unscathed.

  An hour later she was dressed in a rose colored gown with white lace trim around the wide neck and hems of the short-sleeves. A maid had curled her hair in ringlets, but Alexandria made certain there was nothing fancy about the way her hair was styled. Although she’d planned to come across as a hard-headed woman this evening, she wanted to look as plain as she possibly could...so she wanted to look like she did on most days.

  Her hands shook slightly as she made her way down to the lower level of the grand house. Men’s boisterous voices were heard coming from the sitting room. She slowed her steps, and her heart hammered with panic. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself, I can do this!

  And yet it was the other voice inside her head that told her no, you can’t, that had her worried. She feared tonight would be a disaster.

  FOURTEEN

  Taking a deep breath for courage—and strength—she continued toward Martin’s gathering. Before reaching the sitting room, another room caught her attention. She quickly stepped into the nearby empty blue room if only to collect her thoughts. What would she say? How could she act? And more importantly, could she become the strong-willed women in her stories?

  She moved to the window and gazed out. The estate grounds were so lovely, manicured and eye-catching. Of course, now she realized this wasn’t Martin’s doing at all. It was the former Duke of Linden who had taken care of the estate.

  Was Grey out there watching her right now? He’d told her to stay by the windows so that he could keep an eye on her. She glanced toward the nearest cluster of trees. Lanterns had been lit outside the house tonight, probably because Martin expected one, or more, of his friends to take her for a stroll in the moonlight. Her stomach churned, knowing she would have to avoid that at all costs.

  Right away, she detected a movement from within. Narrowing her gaze, she studied the shadows, and within seconds, she noticed a man coming her way. Grey! Her heart sang, yet at the same time, worry tightened her chest. She must stop him from coming any closer.

  She quickly closed the door to the blue room before hurrying over to the window and opening it wide. She waved her hand. The closer he came, she realized there were two men. Grey and the other man rushed to the side of the house near the window.

  “Why are you not hiding?” she whispered, leaning out of the window.

  He grasped her hand and squeezed. “Lord Hawthorne came earlier this evening,” he motioned his head toward the other man, “
and he recognized some of the men here tonight.”

  Lord Hawthorne stepped into her view more. This was the first time she could see him a little more clearly. He was tall like Grey, but he wasn’t as muscular. His wavy brown hair was the same shade as Julian’s.

  “Good evening, Lord Hawthorne,” she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  He bowed. “It’s a pleasure to see you, as well. You are looking lovely this evening.”

  Grey nudged his friend with his elbow and scowled. “There’s no time for flirtatious bantering right now. Tell her what you told me earlier.”

  She tried not to grin from Grey’s jealous antics, but it was hard not to feel giddy.

  “Forgive me,” Lord Hawthorne said as he threw his friend a glare. When his gaze met hers again, the irritation had left his handsome face. “Miss Templeton, I’m acquainted with three of those men, and I know about their sordid reputations. I thought you might like me to tell you before you meet them. Perhaps you can use this information to your advantage while trying to ward off their advances.”

  She nodded. “Indeed. Please tell me. Anything will be of assistance at this time.”

  “Lord Eugene Fairfax is the eldest son of an earl. He’s not much into religion, and his family hasn’t attended church in quite some time. Fairfax inclines to visit the gaming tables and brothels more frequently than most men.”

  Heat flamed in her face. It was quite improper for a man to discuss this subject with a lady, but she was glad he’d told her this tidbit of information, anyway. “I shall remember that.”

  “Mr. Fisher Lyttle is the third son of a viscount. He loves hunting more than life itself, and he has a room full of his trophies.”