Page 4 of Her Wicked Duke
Anne was furious, flushing at the thought of him overhearing her and her friends. Perhaps she had been too polite to him.
“Your Grace, you have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do.” Her annoyance peaked, and, without waiting for his response, she made to push past him.
Alexander was much taller than her, but she refused to be a dainty doll to be moved around at his whim.
However, his arm shot out, and he placed a hand on the wall, blocking her path, again. “I really would not do it if I were you, ifyour intentions are to meet the Earl of Satton.” His eyes flicked over her shoulder. “Come with me.”
She glanced around them, worried that anyone might see them leaving together. Even her friends had branched off. Georgia found the Earl of Marston, and Jocelyn and Clarice were in the arms of other suitors.
Alexander cocked his head as if prompting her to follow him.
Reluctantly, Anne followed. He led her out of the ballroom, and it riled her up how easily he could navigate her parents’ manor. They dodged staff and hid behind balustrades, pillars, and ornaments until they reached her brother’s study.
Christian’s study was empty, and Alexander shut them both in there. She thought it was quite audacious of him, and she stepped back from him, maintaining a distance between them. Each second she wasted with Alexander was a moment lost with the Earl. Frustration pooled in her chest, sharpening her voice.
“This is quite improper, Your Grace?—”
“I told you to call me Alexander. Do not pretend we are strangers, Anne. We are quite acquainted, are we not?” His voice was strong and deep, and it dropped dangerously low as if it was a threat.
In the warm light of the study, out of the shadows, she could see him clearly and tried not to look too hard. In the years since theirlast meeting, Alexander had grown even more devastatingly handsome.
“You say acquainted, but I do not remember you being so open to having a conversation during the days you spent with us each year,” she muttered.
He loomed over her as he came closer, and her face grew hot.
His shoulders were broad, and his finely tailored suit showed off a well-built figure beneath that she tried not to look at. But then, her gaze settled on his face. It was chiseled, and although the dark circles under his eyes spoke of light exhaustion, his piercing deep blue eyes bored into her own beneath thick black eyebrows. His dark hair curled around his collar.
He was impossibly handsome, she was reluctant to admit it to herself.
“What right do you have,Alexander, to shut me in here, alone with you, and give me these warnings? I am trying to see the Earl of Satton.”
A look that she could not read flashed across his face when she finally said his name. However, his features flattened into a solemn mask moments later.
“And, as I said, you should not. I have the right to stop you, as it is in your best interests.”
Anne let out an incredulous laugh. “Oh, you do? Do tell me how.”
Silence descended over them for a while. The music and clamor of the ball drifted through the walls. A popping noise sounded, followed by cheers. Anne wished to be back in the thick of it, dancing with suitors and spying on who her friends danced with, not hiding out here with her brother’s best friend.
She sighed. “Alexander, dinner shall be served soon, and I will take my leave now. Enjoy your night. Try not to break any women’s hearts. I have heard you are fond of doing so.”
She made to leave, but once again, Alexander put out a hand to stop her. Anne was forced back by her own reluctance to be close to him. She had heard of women’s reputations being ruined. She would not be one of those.
Finally, Alexander broke the silence. “Before he left for his tour several weeks ago, your brother visited me,” he began. “He has left you in my care. He has asked me to keep an eye on you.”
Anne’s initial reaction was to laugh. “Is this some kind of joke?”
Alexander shook his head. “I am afraid I am being very serious. I gave Christian my word.”
Fury roared within Anne, bursting out, a flash of her father’s anger in her. “How dare you! How dare you both!” Her voice rose. “And you truly think that grants you the right to hinder my chances of being courted, do you? You forget your place,Alexander. My brother may have asked this of you, but you are not him. You have no authority over me.”
He was utterly unbothered. He even went so far as to shrug. “Alas, Christian has granted it to me. Trust me, I would not be attending Society events otherwise. They do bore a man to tears. My respect to your mother, of course, for hosting.”
Anne balled her hands into fists at her sides. “It is completely ironic that you are only here to watch over me, when you are the most dangerous man in attendance.”
Alexander burst into a chuckle. “Oh, Anne, you wound me!”
He sounded incredibly mocking, and she hated it. Perhaps he had always been arrogant and domineering. Clearly, he enjoyed this little authority trip he had been granted, by the self-satisfied smirk on his face.
