Page 25 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
“And yet, you told me that you took a wrong turn today,” he mused, tapping his chin with his fingers, looking amused. “Thatisstrange.”
Catherine took a deep breath, ignoring him, before picking up her glass again. She wriggled in the chair. When was the dinner gong going to sound?
The air in the room was thick. She supposed it must be the heat.
His eyes lingered on her in a speculative way. “Why did you not join me for a swim?” His eyes were alight with amusement. “I could see you were hot. You were very… flushed.”
Catherine snorted, trying to ignore the inference that she was flushed because of seeing him in all his bare-chested glory, dripping with water. Thathadbeen the reason, of course, but it was probably safer that she deny it.
“Of course, I was flushed,” she huffed, raising her chin higher, meeting his gaze directly. “It was a hot day, and I had been walking for a long time.”
He laughed. “You still have not answered my question,” he pointed out, leaning forward, his blue-green eyes piercing. “Why would you not swim?”
She gaped at him. “Because it is not proper for a lady to swim in a lake like that. You should know that.”
“Since when have you cared about propriety?” he teased. “You dressed like a boy and entered a gambling hell. I would think that a quick dip in a lake on a hot day would be a walk in the park for you after that lark.”
Catherine’s lips twitched. “I have been known to swim when the heat gets unbearable,” she admitted. “Well, I did it one time. It was glorious.”
He laughed with delight. “Tell me more.”
He settled back into his chair, sipping his drink, his eyes holding hers.
Catherine picked up her own drink, taking a deep gulp. He was making her a bit nervous, and she was drinking faster than she normally did. Resolutely, she put the drink down, looking at him.
“What do you want to know?” To her annoyance, her voice was slightly breathless.
“Everything,” he said, grinning at her. “Simply everything. I am certain your escapades must be riveting.”
Catherine blushed. “Well, itwasyears ago…”
“I am certain you can still remember the details.” He smiled. “Go on.”
“It was just before my debut,” she began, pursing her lips. “My brother and I were staying at our country estate. I was trying to sleep, but it had been an unbearably hot day, and I was tossing and turning…”
“It is always so very hard to sleep when it is so hot,” he replied in a soft voice, grinning.
She ignored that. “I could not stand it,” she continued, smiling at the memory. “I was dripping in sweat. The sheet was soaked. So I climbed out of my bedroom window and ran through the gardens to the lake near the house.”
“Go on,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.
“There was no one around,” she said, her heart skipping a beat. “It was past midnight, so I knew I was safe.” She hesitated, her blush deepening. “So I stripped and dived into the lake.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Stripped? You mean you took offeverything?”
Catherine tossed back her head. “Well, yes. It wassohot! And I knew that my maid would question why my chemise was wet the next day if I left it on.” She shrugged. “It seemed the most sensible course of action.”
The Duke laughed with delight. “And so it was.” He paused. “What did the water feel like?”
“Heavenly,” she admitted, shivering at the memory. “Just heavenly. As if I was slipping into silk.”
There was a heavy silence. The only sound in the room was the clock ticking on the mantelpiece. He was gazing at her in an odd way.
“Like slipping into silk,” he repeated, his voice deepening. “Yes, it is just like that when you delve into water on a hot day.” He paused. “I can just picture you diving and swimming beneath the moonlight, like a selkie slithering through the water.”
“A selkie?” She tilted her head to the side, her voice curious. “What is that?”
“A selkie is a creature of folklore,” he explained in a soft voice. “A magical creature. She appears as a seal in the water, but when she climbs to the shore, she transforms into a woman and sheds her seal skin which she lays at her feet.”
