Page 16 of Five Nights with a Rakish Duke
“Well, well,” he said with a deep voice. “I hardly expected to see you here.”
Chapter Six
Penelope was struggling to make her mouth work to say anything. She had merely left the library to come and see who their visitor was, and she now found herself face to face with the stranger that had kissed her at the ball two nights ago. He was staring at her with an equally stunned expression, those silver eyes widening on her.
“Ah, Your Grace,” Adam said, appearing from a nearby corridor. “Good to see you have come.” He offered his hand that the stranger took and shook.
Wait… Your Grace!?Penelope stumbled out of the doorway, and the sound alerted her cousin to her presence. He turned and found her in the doorway before offering a constrained smile, much more restricted than the smile that he usually offered her.
“Your Grace, may I introduce my cousin. Lady Penelope Burton.” Adam strode toward Penelope, gesturing to her.
“Lady Penelope,” the stranger said, bowing. As he moved, he kept his eyes on her, elongating the syllables of her name as though he were indulging in saying those words. It made an involuntary shiver run up her spine, one of pleasure. He reached toward her and took her hand.
“Cousin, this is His Grace, Asher Charmant, the Duke of Kendall.”
She wasn’t able to think straight, not when he was lifting her hand toward his lips and slowly kissing the back. He held the kiss slightly longer than she thought was proper though Adam didn’t seem to notice. All the same, it sent a tingle up her arm. It reminded her of the kiss they had shared and his words.
‘Is desire so bad, Madam, that you wish to run from it?’
“Your Grace,” Penelope hurried to curtsy and broke that stare. Her heartbeat had picked up so fast that she could now hear it echoing in her eyes.I kissed a Duke… oh good God! If anyone ever finds out…
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, My Lady,” the Duke said. His words made her snap her gaze back up to him, intrigued, for he was clearly pretending they had not met before. He let their hands part, and the coldness that swept her body with the loss of his touch was startling.
“And you,” she said hurriedly, trying to calm her fidgeting hands by bundling them in the skirt of her dress. At least she had to thank him for that. They transgressed together, but he was going to keep it a secret, and her honor would remain intact. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Well, it may be a delicate matter –”
“Business,” Adam cut off the Duke. The word was so sudden and so out of Adam’s character that Penelope’s gaze darted toward him. It suggested that he didn’t want her to hear what was coming next. “If you would excuse us, cousin, it is a matter of some urgency.”
“Of course,” she said. Adam beckoned the Duke to follow him. Together they walked away down the corridor though Penelope stayed exactly where she was, watching the Duke retreat. A little distance away, he glanced back at her, offering her a small smile and a wink.
“He winked,” she whispered to herself in amazement. “What kind of man is he?” She placed her hands on her hips, unsure what to feel. She should be on her guard from someone so charming, yet her body seemed to react all of its own accord, and she felt the same heat spreading across her skin that had been there two days ago at the ball when he had kissed her.
The Duke and Adam disappeared, hurrying into the study, where their muffled voices sounded particularly hurried and maybe even angry. The sound of it made Penelope recoil. She nearly retreated back into the library, until she heard a slightly louder voice coming from the study. The fact that Adam had wanted to keep whatever they were discussing a secret kindled her curiosity. She could not let the matter lie.
Tiptoeing across the marble floor, she hurried down the corridor, heading straight for the study. Once she was outside the room, she glanced around, checking neither the butler nor Margaret were nearby to see her eavesdropping before she placed her ear against the door, listening in.
“You made a bet, and you lost.” The Duke’s voice was adamant, unyielding. “I cannot just let you out of that bet. It would be going back on a deal. Our other two players at the card table would have been cheated.”
“It is hardly cheating for you to let me out of this now.”
“It is cheating of the highest order!” The Duke was insistent. “You lost the bet, My Lord. If you wish to not pay up on your future debts, then do not wager such large sums. If I let you out of this wager, then everything that was exchanged at the table last night between the four of us should also be repaid. Do you expect me to do that?”
Penelope waited for Adam’s answer, listening with bated breath as she placed her ear closer to the door.What did Adam wager?
“No, I cannot ask you to do that,” Adam accepted after a minute, then sighed with exasperation. “Let us say this bet injures more than just myself.”
“Who else can it injure?” the Duke asked though Adam did not reply straight away. There were footsteps around the room, suggesting he was pacing with angst. “I am sorry you lost, My Lord, but I cannot turn back the clock any more than you can. I think it best we draw this conversation to a close as quickly as possible. Pay me what is due, and I will be gone.”
Penelope adjusted herself against the door, feeling one of her hands going to her chest with her palm flattened against her skin. She was trying to calm her erratic heartbeat. It seemed Adam was gambling away her father’s money now, and the thought grated awfully.
“She will not forgive me for this,” Adam said in a low voice. It was so quiet that Penelope was not certain she had heard him right.
“Who?” the Duke asked, but Adam did not answer. There were more sounds from within the study, indicating that he had marched across the study with some anger and pulled out drawers heavily, searching through paperwork. “Do not look at me like that, My Lord. It is hardly my doing that you made such a large bet.”
“I know. I know. I apologize, Your Grace,” Adam said hurriedly, followed by the sounds of more paperwork. “Here are the deeds.”
Deeds? Deeds for what?Penelope’s spine stiffened at hearing the words.
