Page 15 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
The Viscount raised his eyebrows. “I was not aware that you and my sister were even acquainted, Your Grace,” he said. “I do not seem to remember introducing you at that ball.”
Thomas maintained a straight face as he thought of what to reply. The Viscount could never know the truth.
We met just last night at a gambling hell. I thought she was a man, but now, I know she is a woman.
Thomas’s loins stirred, just thinking about that kiss last night. It had haunted his dreams, making him toss and turn the entire night, unable to sleep properly. He was in a state of high lust for the lady, which was at fever pitch, and had been on tenterhooks to see her again as soon as he had awoken.
It had briefly crossed his mind, in the carriage on the way here, that he might be disappointed. Perhaps he was building up the delectable Miss Audley a shade too high in his mind.
But he was wrong. As soon as she entered that drawing room, he knew he had to have her. She was wearing a simple white muslinmorning gown, her chestnut-brown curls swept into a chignon at the nape of her neck, her green eyes as fierce and intelligent as he remembered.
It was the first time he had seen her dolled up as the lady she was… and the sight of her hit him like a punch to the gut.
He wasitchingto touch her. But first, he had to secure her. He tried to ignore the fact he had vowed to leave her alone and keep the marriage chaste. He would worry about that later.
He cleared his throat and pushed the ravishing vision of her aside, gazing at her brother, who was waiting patiently for his reply. Clearly, Catherine did not intend on telling her brother about their encounter at the gambling hell nor that he had proposed to her there anytime soon. He wasn’t about to enlighten the Viscount if she didn’t want her brother to know the truth.
“There were so many people at that ball. Naturally, one would struggle to recall all the introductions that were made,” Thomas said, crossing his legs and smiling lazily. Suddenly, he leaned forward, gazing at the Viscount intently. “It is not important, Whitley. Whatisimportant is that I want to marry her as quickly as I can. Within a week, if it is possible.”
Lord Whitley visibly blanched. “A week? Why the haste? Is there something you are not telling me, Your Grace?”
Thomas let out a bark of laughter. “Are you asking me if I have compromised your sister’s reputation?”
The Viscount shrugged, looking concerned. “It would seem like that might be the case, given your haste on the matter.”
“You have my word she is unsullied,” Thomas promised crisply. “I know that I have a certain… reputation in these matters, but I have been a perfect gentleman with Miss Audley.”
Apart from kissing her until she was breathless and making her tremble with desire.
“I simply cannot see the point in a long betrothal,” he continued, frowning. “As I said, Whitley, if I see something I want, I pursue it. I do not like waiting for anything. One of my foibles.”
The Viscount laughed weakly. “You certainly are a man of action, Your Grace.” He sighed heavily. “I suppose if Cathy has no objection to it, then I do not either. I am still stupefied that she has even agreed to this marriage. She always swore that she would never do it.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow. He was intrigued. “Did she? She has never told me.” A lie on his part, but it could certainly shed some light on the alluring Miss Audley. “Why is that so?”
Lord Whitley shrugged again. “Cathy has always been stubbornly independent,” he replied. “When she sets her mind on something, she can rarely be dissuaded. I believe that she has always balked at the thought of being under a gentleman’s thumb, so to speak. She does not like to be controlled.”
“Yes, she is very spirited,” Thomas agreed with a small smile. “That was one of the first things I noticed about her.”
“Cathy marches to the beat of her own drum,” Lord Whitley said wryly. “She is not like other young ladies. She has always wanted to follow her own path.”
Thomas tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. Then, his eyes darted to the wall behind Lord Whitley where a family portrait hung. He immediately deduced that it was their family as he spotted a younger Miss Audley standing beside her brother and parents.
“You have lost both your parents, Whitley?”
The Viscount nodded, pain flashing across his face. “Yes. Our mother passed away from a lingering illness when Cathy was an adolescent, and our father died abruptly two years ago.” He sighed heavily. “It has been just the two of us for a long time now.”
Thomas shifted in his chair. He almost felt sorry for the gentleman, who clearly felt like he was drowning in responsibility when he had inherited the title at a similar age to him with no one to guide him. Thomas guessed that was the reason the Viscount consoled himself with gambling.
I know the feeling. When my own father passed away, I wanted to escape as well, but I was older, and responsibility had been drilled into me by the old man.
He shifted uneasily in his chair again. He didn’t like thinking about his late father, the man he had once been before he became the shriveled wreck he was after his wife abandoned him.
“And how goes it with the running of the estate?” he asked in a gentler tone. “Have you got the hang of it now?”
Lord Whitley smiled grimly. “I am not ashamed to admit that I have made a few mistakes.” He grimaced. “But Iamgetting on top of it now. I am determined to succeed and run it well… to make my late father proud.” He hesitated. “And my sister, as well. She deserves the world, you know.”
“She is certainly one of a kind,” Thomas agreed, his mind lingering on Catherine again. “I admire her feisty spirit. A regular, proper young lady would bore me to tears. I think we will suit each other well.”
