Page 1 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
PROLOGUE
From the Office of Her Majesty, the Queen,
The Crown of Great Britain expresses its sincerest gratitude and appreciation for four distinguished members of Society. As such, Her Majesty, the Queen, has conferred upon these four Dukes of the Realm equally excellent young ladies of outstanding reputation, lineage, and bearing, in marriage, and bestows upon each one a dowry of no less than £20,000, in addition to that which may be provided by their families.
Her Majesty, the Queen, expresses her sincerest congratulations and her highest hopes for these matches, with every expectation that the whole of the Kingdom may celebrate in the joy of these unions and continue to honor our heroes, who have given their lives for our country.
CHAPTER 1
Iam in great trouble now.
Theresa winced as she urged her horse deeper into the woods. She had been out with Pippin for what seemed like only a few minutes, and the next thing she knew, the sun had begun its descent to the horizon.
“Sister Mary is going to kill me,” she mumbled under her breath. “Not that she needs a reason, but I suppose she must justify herself before God if she were to truly commit murder.”
The Congregation of St. Agatha was not averse to meting out corporal punishment to its members. Sister Mary especiallydisliked her. The old nun would call Theresa out for the smallest infractions, often meting out the maximum punishment with ill-concealed glee.
Such uncharitable thoughts.
She winced again, catching herself. But with Sister Mary, Theresa sadly had a great lack of charitable thoughts, and they were all fortunate enough that a great many of those thoughts never slipped past her lips.
Most of the time, that is.
Suddenly, Pippin gave a petulant snort and, with an indignant toss of his dark mane, came to a rather unfortunate stop.
Theresa let out a slight groan when she spotted the rivulet where Pippin liked to take a leisurely drink on their rides.
“I know you are particularly fond of the water here, but we really need to go, Pip,” she wheedled. Overhead, the sunbeams were beginning to fade as they slipped through the foliage. “Sister Mary isreallygoing to kill me this time.”
The last time a novice had been caught out after sunset, the Abbess had whipped her to within an inch of her life. For Theresa, Sister Mary would probably go all the way to the last inch.
But Pippin simply stomped his hooves stubbornly on the ground.
“All right, all right!” Theresa dismounted in defeat and glared at the horse in warning. “But just a little. You know we cannot stay overlong.”
The horse snorted lightly, as if in agreement.
“And if Sister Mary ends up killing me, then it shall be on your conscience forever and ever.”
Pippin gave her chest an affectionate nudge, and Theresa rolled her eyes at his antics.
Taking the reins in her hands, she walked over to where the clear water pooled slightly before cascading further down, when she heard a slight splash.
Immediately, she stiffened. Wolves were known to frequent this part of the woods, and although she had never encountered one before, she did not fancy doing so now.
Pippin nudged her shoulder gently, and she gave him another glare. “I had thought that animals have a greater sense of self-preservation than humans. It would seem that your thirst overpowers even that.”
The horse gave a soft neigh and urged her toward the river.
Death by a wolf or death by Sister Mary? Why do my choices have to be this bleak?
Theresa groaned inwardly as she carefully approached the rivulet. She brushed aside the foliage, peering cautiously.
Please do not be a wolf.Or any other wild animal out to devour me…
Her heart stuttered in her chest, her eyes widening as she took in the sight before her.
Standing waist-deep in the water was a man—she was certain of it. Only a human male could possess such broad shoulders. When he moved ever so slightly, his muscles rippled in the last of the day’s dappled sunlight.
