Page 59 of His Duchess' Mischief

Seth grimaced as he looked down and found the tiny kitten sitting at his feet.

Why does she not keep the thing in her chambers?

He stared at it, and its large blue eyes stared right back.

The kitten was delicate and slim, sleek and beautiful. Since its arrival, Alicia had taken to tying ribbons around its neck. Today’s ribbon was bright red.

“If a buzzard were to see you, he would snatch you up and devour you,” he said.

The kitten meowed and then stuck its tiny, needle-like claws in his leg and began to climb him.

Seth tried to shake it off, but the creature was determined and climbed up to his waist before he had to detach it from the fabric to prevent further damage.

“Why are your claws so sharp, when you are the most pampered thing in the world?” he asked, holding it by the scruff of its neck and dangling it in front of his face.

The kitten meowed.

Seth glowered at it, but he had to admit that it was very sweet. It had an innocent expression that reminded him of someone he did not wish to name.

“You are a menace,” he said. “And if you are ever in my garden, you are forbidden from catching birds, is that understood?”

The thought of Christopher ending up in the kitten’s jaws was not a pleasant image.

Slowly, Seth brought the kitten to his chest and let her settle on his arm. She began to purr happily, the gentle vibrations soothing something inside him, and he felt the tension bleed from his shoulders.

“You are rather sweet, I will admit,” he said, stroking her head with one finger. She was so tiny that she could fit in his palm.

“I see you’re warming up to my new companion.”

The voice made him look up, and his lungs constricted at the vision before him.

If she looks like this for every ball, then I can accept her tardiness.

Alicia looked utterly breathtaking. He had grown accustomed to seeing her in her eclectic choice of clothing around the manor. She had taken to wearing her strange dresses at everyopportunity, and perversely, he had begun looking forward to seeing what she would create each day.

So far, there had been the infamous feather, the red sash, and the pink monstrosity that somehow tempted him like no other. Most recently, she had come down for breakfast with enormous ruffles sticking out of her sleeves, and he had almost choked on his tea.

He had wondered if she were brave enough to sew a dress for the ball, too, but evidently, evenshedrew the line somewhere.

She was wearing a floor-length gown of deep crimson that reminded him of the sash she had worn for their first dinner together.

Her hair was swept back from her head and scattered with sparkling diamonds, where the plaits and woven pieces came together. A diamond necklace glittered at her throat, and the neckline was high enough to be acceptable but low enough to stir an ache between his legs.

Her waist was cinched, and the fabric swept down the rest of her body, the folds of her skirts drawing his eyes, gold embroidery adorning the hem.

The result was startling, and Seth realized that his mouth was hanging open. He closed it swiftly.

He wanted to say a thousand things at that moment, namely that he would like to forget the ball and spend several minutes peeling the dress off her.

Instead, he held out the kitten to her by way of a distraction.

“I am covered with white hairs,” he grumbled.

Alicia raised her eyebrows, but there was amusement in her eyes. She walked slowly down the stairs, one hand on the banister, a sway to her hips, and a small smile playing on her lips.

She knows I am fighting for my life not to take her right here and now. Damn her.

“Will I do?” she asked teasingly, and it was wonderful to see the light back in her eyes after so many days of silence.

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