What A Wicked Duke Demands (Historical Regency Romance)

by Emily Honeyfield

  “I was only trying to get something to help me eat!” the youth wailed as he dropped the purse into the outstretched hand. “Please!”

  The gentleman snarled. He let go of the young man’s hair and hauled him up by the arm before pushing him away.

  “You are a coward,” he growled. “I’ve seen you around before. I know your father. Your family are certainly not missing out on money. You don’t need to steal from defenceless young women to feed yourself.”

  Beth started. He was stealing for fun? That was even worse. The pickpocket lowered his hands. Blood dripped from his nose. He was looking less mean and more like a scared little boy.

  “Forgive me, sir,” he whimpered. “Don’t tell my father what I’ve been doing. He’ll disown me.”

  “You should have thought about that before you tried to steal again.” The gentleman advanced on him. “You’ve got five seconds before I follow through to let your father know what you’ve been up to when you’re bored.”

  “Yes, sir.” The young man backed away rapidly, almost tripping over himself. “Of course, sir.”

  Then he was running, or rather he was stumbling. Watching him go, Beth almost felt pity for him. Then she remembered what he had been doing, and that he apparently didn’t need to. There were bored rich young men around, but to steal from others was going too far.

  “Miss?”

  Beth looked up, and her mouth went dry. The gentleman was standing over her with a dark scowl, hands clenched at his side. Up close, she could feel the air practically vibrate around him. Whoa, he was very handsome.

  And Beth was at a loss for words.

  #

  She was beautiful. Gerard had met beautiful women before, but none of them were this young lady. Even with her blonde hair messed up so it was falling out of her chignon, the left side of her face bright red and her face pale, she was striking. And those eyes, those grey eyes, staring up at him. They held him to the spot.

  Gerard had never seen her before. He would certainly have remembered a beauty like her. Looking down at her, clearly in the midst of bewilderment after an attack, Gerard couldn’t take his eyes off her. Something about her wanted him to gather her up in his arms and not let go.

  That was a sobering thought. No one had made him feel like that other than Allegra. And this woman, she was young. Not as young as Hermia, but she was much younger than him. A delicate flower, certainly not one who should be prowling around Lovers’ Lane. Whoever had lured her here was a cad.

  Gerard softened as he knelt beside her, trying not to scowl as he cast an eye over the red finger marks coming up on her cheek.

  “Are you all right, miss?”

  “I …” She licked her lips, and Gerard had to stop himself from staring at her soft, curvy mouth. “I think so.”

  “Can you stand?”

  “I believe I can.” She gave him a hopeful look. “If you don’t mind helping me to stand?”

  “Of course.”

  Anything to have an excuse to touch her. Gerard momentarily paused. Merely moments after setting eyes on her and he wanted to paw her against the hedge. She had just been attacked, for goodness sake. She didn’t need to be manhandled again. Taking a deep breath, Gerard held out a hand, and she slid hers into his grasp.

  Her hands were cool and soft. So soft. Gerard felt a jolt go up his arm and almost dropped her hand. Instead, his grip tightened on hers as he rose, pulling her with him. She tried to balance, only to flinch and lean towards him.

  “Ouch!”

  “Are you hurt?”

  “My ankle.” She tested her balance again, still with a wince but a little more gingerly than before. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

  She started to dust down her skirts. At least her gown wasn’t ruined. Gerard then realized his gaze was drifting to the way her dress hugged her breasts and looked away hurriedly. He was in really big trouble if he was staring at parts of her body and his mind was wandering to somewhere that needed to be kept out of bounds. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to let go of her hand.

  “Let me look.”

  Gerard touched her chin and lifted her head, gently turning her until he could inspect the injury. The finger marks were becoming clear now. But it had missed her eye, and there weren’t any scratches. The red welts would go down, hopefully with no bruises. There were also red marks coming up on her neck, startling against the creamy white of her skin, but they weren’t as prominent.

  Gerard had to fight back a growl. No man should ever lay their hands on a woman. They were the lowest of the low, in his opinion. Women were meant to be respected, for the most part. There were moments when Gerard didn’t care for the women in his company, but he would never lay a finger on them. That was just something a gentleman did not do.

  That boy’s father was going to hear about this. Gerard wasn’t going to let him do it again with someone else.

  “How does it feel?”

  “It hurts a little.” Gerard saw her swallow. She really did have a beautiful swan-like neck. “But I can manage.”

  “No woman should ever have to manage something as atrocious as this.”

  “I suppose not.” Her grey eyes took him in, drifting over his face. “Did you really know him?”

  “Unfortunately, I do. His father is a well-respected baron who sits in my pew at Parliament.” Gerard shook his head. “He’s not going to be happy when he finds out what his eldest son has been up to.”

  “I didn’t think men with money would go about picking pockets.”

  “When you’re bored, apparently you can get up to anything.”

  A slight smile twitched at her lovely mouth.

  “You didn’t do that when you were his age?”

  Gerard snorted.

  “When I was his age, I was married with two children and a third on the way. I didn’t have time for antics like that.”

  Why did he have to mention his wife? Gerard saw the slight flicker in her eyes. She was beginning to draw back, and Gerard found himself stepping closer. He didn’t want to let her go. What was wrong with him?

  “I ... your wife?”

  “Past tense. She passed away last year.”

  “Oh.” She blinked and swallowed. Again, she licked her lips. That mouth of hers was so enticing. “Forgive me, I …”

  “I’m not asking for sympathy,” Gerard said abruptly. He didn’t want to talk about Allegra right now. He brushed the fingers of his other hand over her marks. She didn’t flinch from him. “Looks like it’s going to leave some marks for a while. He should never have laid his hands on you.”

  “I did fight back.” She touched her mouth. “I bit him. I suppose it was payback.”

  Gerard had to fight back a smile. She was feisty. That pleased him.

  “Even then, you don’t deserve to be harmed. No one does.”

  “I’m glad someone thinks so.” She sighed and looked around. If she had noticed they were still holding hands, she didn’t say anything. “I suppose it’s my own fault.”

  “How is him hurting you your fault?”

  “I snuck in here. I don’t have an invitation, and I thought I would be fine coming in this way.”

  “You snuck in?”

  That might explain why Gerard didn’t recognize her. She was probably from a minor family, one that wasn’t in the Prince Regent’s social circle. If you were less than a viscount, you didn’t get a look-in with him. It wasn’t an uncommon thing for the families from lower down in Society to try and get in. Most of them were caught out, but it didn’t stop anyone else from trying.

  “My sister wanted to come here.” She looked around, shuffling gingerly from foot to foot. “We weren’t invited, but she was adamant about going. I came along to stop her from getting into trouble, and we got separated. Now I have no idea where she is, or if she’s with someone who could get her into trouble.”

  It sounded like the sister made it a habit of getting into trouble. Gerard had a feeling that if there we
re any further antics going on back from where he had come, that sister would be in the middle of it. Hopefully, she wouldn’t cross paths with the Prince Regent. He liked a feisty woman who liked trouble. But it shouldn’t be her sister’s job to look after her.

  And Gerard couldn’t, in all good conscience, let her go into that crowd on her own. She would get recognized as an uninvited guest and thrown out. But if she had an escort …

  “I can help you find her, if you want,” he offered.

  She stared at him, her eyes widening. She did look very pretty when she was bewildered.

  “You will?”

  “Of course.” Gerard smiled and gave her a slight bow. “Anything to help a lady in distress.”

  “I’m not that much in distress. And I’m hardly a lady.”

  Gerard smirked and lazily looked down at her, taking his time to see how the dress tucked in around her breasts, followed the sleek line of her body down to her hips. That pale pink was a good colour on her.

  “I wouldn’t say that,” he murmured.

  It was like Allegra didn’t even exist. Gerard had told himself that he wouldn’t be able to find a woman who could make him really feel like his departed wife. But this woman had only had a moment in his company and she was ripping up his resolve so fast he felt like he was floundering.

  Now his trousers were feeling a little tighter than before, and Gerard had to swallow back his discomfort.

  “Sir.” She was now looking at him with raised eyebrows. “You’re not exactly helping.”

  “What am I doing that’s unhelpful?”

  “Looking at me ... like that.”

  Her cheeks went red, a flush rising up from her breast. Gerard’s nostrils flared. She had seen him looking at her. But from the way she was blushing and her pupils were getting bigger, she clearly liked it. Gerard had to resist the urge to haul her into his arms.

  God, he was turning into a cad. Gerard knew better, but there was something about this woman that changed something inside him. Gerard felt like a young man on the prowl. Not exactly what he was looking for when he came down here.

  “No more looks, please.” She looked away, tugging her hand from his before putting it behind her back. “You’re making me uncomfortable.”

  Even though she pulled her hand away, she didn’t step back. Her skirts brushed against Gerard’s legs. He cleared his throat.

  “You’re not comfortable in social events, are you?”

  “Not really. My sister is, but I’m not.” She held out one hand, which was still trembling. “And I suppose I’m still a little shaken.”

  “That’s understandable.” Gerard resisted the urge to reach out and touch her again. “Did you think your sister came down here?”

  Her mouth opened and closed. Then she bit her lip and looked at the ground, twisting her hands together.

  “I don’t know. I just know it’s the quickest way to get to the pleasure gardens from where we stopped. I thought it would help me get around the crowd faster.”

  “It’s a miracle that no one else has spotted you. Or that you spotted anyone else.”

  “How do you mean, sir?”

  She sounded so innocent. Did she really not know what this path was used for? It really was a miracle neither of them had come upon an amorous couple who had sneaked away for a bit of fun.

  “This is known as a lovers’ lane.” Gerard raised his eyebrows. “I’m sure you know what one of those is.”

  “I do know,” she snorted. “I’m not stupid.”

  “I never said you were. But you have to be careful.” Gerard shrugged. “Some couples like to be watched. Others don’t. Coming down here can often be an unwise decision.”

  She stared up at him. Then her eyes narrowed.

  “And what about you, sir? Do you prefer to be watched?”

  That caught Gerard by surprise. Why was she even asking this? A slight thrill went through him. Was she suggesting something? Something that could only be done out in the open in Lovers’ Lane?

  An idea came into his mind. Normally, he wasn’t so forward, and usually he wouldn’t discuss something so intimate with a complete stranger, no matter how beautiful she was. But Gerard knew he couldn’t stop, couldn’t walk away.

  “I …” She seemed to realized what she had said, moving away abruptly and clearing her throat. “Thank you for rescuing me, sir. It was a thoughtful gesture. I ... I’ll leave you to go about your business again.”

  She started to step away, but Gerard caught hold of her wrist. He didn’t grip her tightly, merely tugged her gently towards him. She didn’t fight him, but she did stiffen a little, her mouth falling open in her surprise.

  “Not just yet, miss.” Gerard slipped his other arm around her waist, trapping her against his chest. He released her wrist, brushing her fingers across her jaw. “There’s something I want from you first. To make my troubles worthwhile.”

  “Like …” She swallowed, licking her lips. “Like what?”

  Gerard sighed, cupping her jaw and tilting her head up.

  “Do you really need to ask?”

  Then he did what he had wanted to do to that mouth since he first laid eyes on her. He kissed her.

  Chapter 3

  Beth started as he began to kiss her. How could he be so forward about that? Gentlemen did not kiss a perfect stranger within moments of meeting them. Then again, in those few moments, Beth had begun to realize that he wasn’t just an ordinary gentleman.

  She should have pushed him away, slapped him and got out of there as quickly as she possibly could. But she couldn’t. He certainly knew how to kiss, gently tasting every part of her mouth without prying any further. Beth found herself sinking into his arms, allowing him to take charge. No one had ever kissed her before – Beth had never felt so inclined – but there was something about this man that she couldn’t pull away from.

  She had to. This was not right. Someone could come upon them and then Beth really would be in trouble. Their family was already in enough trouble without Beth adding to it.

  Somehow, she managed to break away. She pushed his chest and stepped back. He let her go, looking bewildered as Beth backed up to the hedge.

  “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  Beth could feel her heart racing. She was breathing heavily. Men as handsome as this one did not just go around kissing young women. At least, she hoped they didn’t. And he was just standing there, still a little startled that she had pushed him away but not looking apologetic about it at all.

  For a widower, he was certainly forward. And someone Beth should keep away from. Widowers were always looking for replacements, and she would not be seen as one. And yet, there was something about him that stopped her from running away completely …

  “This …” Her mouth felt dry again. “This is not proper at all.”

  “I know it isn’t.” He spread his hands. “Normally, I follow Society’s rules, but I just can’t help myself with you. I just had to have a taste.” Then he stepped towards her, pressing her against the prickly hedge. “And another one.”