Page 16 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
She kept her cool despite the thudding of her heart. The wild look in his eyes made her nervous, and she regretted her decision to approach him.
“Oh, but I do admit things when I am wrong. I never miss, especially when practicing archery.” He placed both hands on the tip of his bow and cocked his head in a challenge.
Aurelia ran her tongue over her lips before tilting her head to the side. “Tell me then, husband, why is it that a boy came rushing into the gardens looking for your arrow? Is there a target that I happened not to see on my walk?” She raised her eyebrows triumphantly.
Suddenly, the boy’s voice rang out. “Your Grace, the arrow hit it dead in the head! I cannot believe that you made that shot from such a distance!”
The boy stopped running and bowed his head respectfully before hiding the duck behind his back when he caught sight of Aurelia.
Aurelia turned back to Philip, seething with anger when she realized what he had done. How did he manage to get the better of her no matter what the situation was?
“I simply never miss, wife,” Philip reiterated, to her great annoyance.
She jutted her chin and huffed.
Philip let out a laugh and shook his head. “You may take the duck to Mrs. Jarrow, Timothy. We will have it roasted this evening for our dinner.”
He shot Aurelia a bemused look as he waited for the boy to leave the arrow at his feet and run off with the duck.
“Poor thing,” was all that Aurelia managed to say as a flush crept up the back of her neck.
“Are you referring to yourself or the duck?” Philip asked her with an even more infuriating smirk.
Closing her eyes for a second, she conceded defeat. “Fine. I was wrong. Now if you would excuse me, I would like to continue my walk.”
She turned away from him, making an angry face and mimicking him.
“Just a moment, Duchess,” Philip called, making her stop in her tracks.
She turned back around and glared at him, losing her temper after such a humiliating defeat. “What is it?” she snapped.
Philip narrowed his eyes at her despite the satisfied smirk on his lips. “I was only going to ask if you wanted to try your hand at shooting a target. Have you ever practiced archery?”
Aurelia was taken aback by his sudden offer, which contrasted markedly with his attitude. Did he suddenly enjoy her presence now that he had proven her wrong? If so, then he was far more sadistic than she had initially thought.
“Unless you don’t believe you are up to the task?”
The challenge in his eyes ignited her fighting spirit as she took a step forward and held her hand out for the bow.
The look of surprise in his eyes made her heart skip a beat as he placed the bow in her hand. “Have you shot an arrow before?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Of course, I have,” she lied, not wanting to hear him gloat.
Her fingertips brushed against his own for the briefest of seconds as she kept her eyes fixed on the bow, determined not to become distracted.
Walking past him, she retrieved an arrow from the quiver on the ground and fumbled for a few seconds before locking it in place. She took a deep breath and took her stance before letting go of the string.
The arrow whizzed through the air and fell into the grass a few pitiful steps away from the target.
“I’m impressed,” the Duke remarked, without a note of sarcasm in his voice. “In all my years, I can honestly say that I have never seen anyone loose an arrow so badly that it landed flat on its side. That must be some kind of skill on its own.”
“Right.” Aurelia shook her head in frustration and placed the bow on the grass, before heading back toward the house without glancing in his direction.
The Duke stood in her path and placed his hand under her chin, so she was forced to look into his eyes. “I was not mocking you. That was a good start for someone who had never used a bow and arrow in her life.”
His words caught her off guard. It was amazing how arrogant he could be one moment and…so caring the next.
“Try again,” he said more forcefully, before dropping his hand and stepping aside as he pointed to the bow.
