Page 40 of Taken By the Duke of Stone

Lavinia went so still that she could have passed for a stature, "oh," she finally said after several moments of simply staring at him wide eyed.

"Is she alright?" Patrick asked from behind them.

"She's fine," the Duke responded.

"I've just realized I cannot take the dog home," Lavinia said, mouth turned down at the corners and then she turned those brilliant eyes at him. "I cannot leave Andrew here."

Even before the words left his mouth, he knew he was a fool for falling for those puppy dog eyes and he knew he was getting more entangled in her than he ought. "I will keep him for you."

CHAPTER 13

"You cannot intend on keeping that thing in this house," his mother looked aghast as the footman carried the dog through the house.

"Hello to you too, Mother," Victor replied, taking off his hat and jacket and handing them to his butler.

"It is most probably flea-ridden," the dowager Duchess cried, "Where did you find such a creature from and what compelled you to bring it to this house?"

"My house," he shot her a level look that made her splutter.

His sister was only too glad to narrate everything that had happened on their outing, "The poor dog was left in the middle of the street and a reckless phaeton driver almost ran over it, but Miss Proctor jumped into the street and saved it at the risk of her own life."

"Sacrificing your own life for a homeless dog is not admirable, Georgie," the Duke snapped. "So you can quit making it seem like she did a heroic feet. It was more stupid than valiant."

"The girl is nothing but trouble," his mother threw her hands into the air dramatically, "Oh Victor, is it not obvious now that she is less than suitable?"

"She is perfectly suitable for me, mother," he said matter-of-factly.

"She is alright, I suppose," Georgie added with a shrug, earning her a deadly glare from the dowager Duchess.

"You cannot really think to go ahead with this wedding!" The woman clutched at her pearls and met air as she hadn't put them on this morning.

"I thought your opinion of her had improved after the affair with the modiste."

She harrumphed, "I only did that for your sake. She would have given you a bad name as being tight with the purse strings otherwise."

"Hmm," he said uninterestedly while rifling through the invitations stacked on the silver tray. He held up an announcement for a show by the royal Opera and decided that he would take Miss Proctor as his guest.

Did she like the opera? He would make sure to enquire.

"Miss Proctor saving the mangled mutt still does not explain why it is here and not in the Hartfield house."

He gathered the invitations he had an interest in and began to head towards his study, "Lady Hartfield does not like dogs."

"Neither do I!" she screeched.

Georgie covered her mouth with her hand to hide her giggles. The Duke ignored them both and disappeared into the sanctuary of his study for some much needed peace.

What had he been thinking adding another exasperating woman to the mix?

Speaking of which, he suspected Lavinia would want to see the dog soon. Which meant he would have to plan an appropriate outing.

He sighed.

The next day, he was not at all surprised to find his sister eagerly waiting for him at the foyer with her parasol in hand and a blinding smile on her face.

"Let me take a guess, you are so utterly bored and would like to come along with me for a walk in the park with Miss Proctor."

"You are catching on rather quickly."

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