Page 23 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

“If you go straight to them whilst unprepared, well, you’ll be rejected outright.” He nodded to the remaining sheets on the center table. “Instead, you are to practice winning over these gentlemen first.”

Penelope let out a mortified gasp. “Heavens no! I shall never become a wily, pleasure-seeking- er, whatever you are!” she sputtered.

“Thank you for rewarding my hard work with insults.” His Grace rolled his eyes. “But I didn’t say you’d have toseducethese men or whatever else you’re thinking, just use them as practice. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you’ll be able to try your hand at any of the main three I have in mind for you.”

“And those main three are?”

“None of your business for now.” He wagged a finger at her. “Focus on improving your flirting technique and maintaining your composure. Only then can I safely reveal their identities.”

He slid the remaining papers towards her.

With a sigh, she began skimming through them. To her surprise, there were only five names on these sheets; the remaining pages were a detailed summary of their families, interests, and traits.

“How did you even learn all of this?” she asked incredulously.

“The usual way,” he answered vaguely.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Oh sure, I think I remember reading in theHeraldhow...” She brought the paper closer to her face. “Lord Steepwharf’s favorite fruit is the orange.”

“His sister happened to mention it,” shrugged the duke.

Penelope shook her head. “How much of this information did you glean from your trysts and exploits?”

The duke smirked amusedly at her. “Are you sure you want me to answer that?”

She averted her gaze, earning a laugh from him.

“I’m afraid you greatly overestimate the extent of my trysts,” he chuckled. “I simply make it a point to observe the people around me, so don’t worry your pretty head, Lady Pen. Much of the knowledge and tidbits in your hands right now was gathered through my own research.”

“And you would now have me studyallof this?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, not all at once, of course.” He stifled a yawn. “But since you mentioned Steepwharf, I suppose we could start with him and his family.”

“This is all very thorough and generous of you, Your Grace.” Penelope found herself stifling a yawn of her own, thanks to him. “But with all due respect, I don’t know if this will be much help with actually sharpening my flirting ‘technique’ as you called it.”

“Do youreallybelieve that or are you simply looking for an excuse to get out of studying?” he teased, somewhat accusatorily.

“Why would I bother to get out of it?” she laughed. “You’re not my tutor, so you can’t exactly punish me for failing a test.”

“Well... let’s agree to disagree on that point.” He propped his head up with an elbow.

Her face grew hot. Looking down at the documents once more, adding, “Yes, well, even so. Isn’t flirting supposed to be spur-of-the-moment as opposed to well...this?”

“Baby steps, Lady Pen.” He smiled. “You’re trying to run before you’ve even learned to crawl. The more you practice your technique, the less you’ll need to study. But seeing as your technique right now is—frankly—abysmal, you shall have to rely on your studies as a crutch.”

“Abysmal?” she scoffed. “Such a confident assessment when you’ve never even observed me flirt.”

He pushed himself up from his armchair and walked to the back corner of the room, reaching for a water jug.

“What was it that you said to me when we first met?” he mused, filling up two glasses. “Ah yes, 'I am—unfortunately—all too familiar with your sort’.” He winked.

He returned with two glasses of water and offered her one.

“You truly are a dangerous man, Your Grace,” she sighed, accepting her glass.

His eyes lit up with intrigue. “How so?”

“You’re observant, intelligent, and crafty,” came Penelope’s matter-of-fact reply. “It’s no wonder everyone says to be wary of you.”

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