Page 80 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
Desperately, she tried to push him away, putting her hands on his chest and pressing with all her strength, trying to turn her face away from his. But she was locked in a tight embrace that she simply couldn’t seem to shake.
She shuddered as his hands roamed over her body. A flash of pure disgust and rage shot through her. She managed to turn her face away from his, gasping for breath.
“Stop it!” she cried, trying to get his hands off her. “Stop it now!”
But he didn’t. His eyes looked glazed, almost dazed. It was as if he couldn’t hear a single thing she was saying.
“I mean it,” she cried. “I will scream! Everyone will come running!”
He still ignored her, groping her, trying to kiss her again. It was so intensely disgusting and shocking that she felt quite faint. But she knew that if she was going to get out of this awful situation, she needed to fight fire with fire.
Desperate, she managed to free one arm and delivered a stinging slap across his face. He reeled back a little, but he didn’t loosen his grip on her. To her horror, he started laughing, gazing into her face.
“You will have to do much better than that. A little slap will not deter me—in fact, it’s what I love about you. The fire inside you,” he gasped, his eyes manic. “You are mine, Cathy. You havealwaysbeen mine.”
He tightened her grip on her, lunging at her again, pressing his lips to her neck. Catherine felt a cold fear shoot through her.
How was she going to escape him?
Thomas stood beside Kenneth and Philip, sipping on another glass of brandy, trying to tune into the conversation around him. But he couldn’t concentrate. All he could think about was Catherine and the devastation on her face when she thought he was having an affair.
Mercifully, Lady Isabella and her friend had left by the time he returned to his friends, so he didn’t have to deal with her. Hedidn’t know if he could look the lady in the face after what had just happened with Catherine.
A wave of guilt assailed him. He had suspected that Lady Isabella was infatuated with him. She always flirted with him. And Catherine was right—the ladydidseem to suddenly appear out of the blue. He should have known when he had first encountered her on Bond Street that day.
I should never have engaged with her. I should have politely dismissed her, making it very obvious that I wasn’t interested.
He frowned, gripping his brandy glass tightly. But even though he had talked with Lady Isabella, that didn’t mean that he was having an affair with her. His frown deepened. Lord Afferton had apparently told Catherine that he was having an affair with her—that it was an open secret.
Were the ton really gossiping about his relationship with Lady Isabella behind his back… or had Lord Afferton completely invented the rumor for another reason?
“You look very pensive, Newden,” Kenneth noted, gazing at him quizzically. “What is going on? Is Catherine truly well?”
Thomas sighed. He had made an excuse to his friends for Catherine’s sudden flight, saying she was feeling ill and just wanted some time alone to gather her strength before returning to the party. His friends had immediately started ribbing him, making insinuations that she was with child. He had borne their jibes so that they wouldn’t press any further.
“She is resting,” he replied in a halting voice. He hesitated. “Neither of you have heard any rumors about me having an affair with Lady Isabella Lyndon, have you?”
Kenneth and Philip looked surprised. They both shook their heads.
“I have not heard a word of such a rumor,” Kenneth replied, frowning. “And I hear most of them. My aunt, God bless her, is quite addicted to the scandal sheets. She likes to keep me abreast of all the current rumors—the more scandalous, the better.” He rolled his eyes.
“I have not heard a whisper of such a thing either,” Philip added, arching his eyebrows. “But then I have not been back in the country for so very long. Perhaps I am just out of the loop.”
“Why do you ask?” Kenneth gazed at Thomas. “Have you heard such a thing being whispered?”
Thomas gritted his teeth. “I have not heard a thing… until today.” He hesitated. “Apparently, Lord Afferton informed my wife of this supposed rumor. She is not very happy with me as you could imagine.”
Kenneth gazed at him steadily. “Is that the reason she ran off like that?”
Thomas flushed. “Yes,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “The Earl upset her. I told her it was all nonsense, but she said that she needed some time alone to think.”
“I would watch that gentleman,” Philip said suddenly, frowning. “I remember something strange about him… but it was years ago…”
“What was it, man?” Thomas’s voice was sharper than he had intended. “Spit it out!”
Philip shrugged, looking vague. “I am sorry, Newden, I cannot remember. I just know that I have always thought him rather odd. Is he a good friend of your wife?”
Thomas nodded grimly. “Yes. They are family friends. He is the brother of her best friend, Lady Beatrice Wickes.”
