LEVI OVERTON, DUKE OF LENNOX
“Therefore, you’re not to leave my side.” Levi crushed Miss Braddock to his chest, as though the very act would prevent anyone from attempting to take her from him again. “Is that understood?”
She glanced down at her ruined bodice, his favorite blush crawling into her cheeks. “Are you going to watch me change my gown?”
“I shall assist you,” he replied, a grin tugging the corners of his mouth.
“Won’t that lead to…” The blush darkened.
“To?” He knew what she meant, but the delightful pink coloring in her skin ignited his blood, and he didn’t want the hue to fade.
“Relations.” She whispered the word.
“Only if that’s what you desire,” he said, cupping her face. “I can restrain myself, Eveline. I’m not a brute.”
Her teeth dug into her lower lip. “And if I don’t want you to maintain your control?”
“Your brother will spend the night—and quite probably the next day—in prison. And you,” he said, need flooding his body, “will scream my name until you know no other word.”
Indecision flashed through her eyes, and the fact that she was considering leaving Mr. Braddock in prison caused Levi’s heart to swell.
He leaned forward, pressed a searing kiss to her lips, and reluctantly pulled away before his body overrode his mind.
“However, I doubt your brother will allow us any time together if we extend his stay solely for carnal pleasure.”
Miss Braddock pouted, a brief flash of disappointment crossing her face, then she nodded, climbed off Levi’s lap, and rose. “I suppose he suffered quite a bit when I vanished.”
“And we should end his distress as soon as possible.” Levi lumbered to his feet and followed her across the parlor floor.
She spun in the doorway, scandal washing across her face. “Your Grace, you cannot remain in my chamber while I dress.”
“I promise to face the hallway.” Pasting on his most sincere expression, he slapped a hand across his chest. “I prefer your brother’s support, not his ire, and releasing him from prison quickly will assist me with that quest.”
Miss Braddock agreed, and, true to his word, Levi stood, body rigid, in her chamber doorway, with his back to her, imagining every detail of what was occurring behind him.
“I was thinking,” Miss Braddock said in his ear, startling him from his fantasy. “If Miss Drummond was demanding money from me, it’s probable she was doing the same to others.”
Levi spun, disappointment sliding through him when he discovered Miss Braddock fully clothed.
“She knew you. To extort someone else, Miss Drummond would need?—”
“Merely to overhear a conversation and make an assumption.” Closing her door, Miss Braddock placed a hand on Levi’s elbow. “She pushed the wrong person.”
“Can you think of any lady with that type of violent tendencies?” he asked as they strode down the hallway.
She hesitated at the top of the staircase. “I believe Mrs. Sinclair physically punishes her daughter for imagined transgressions. However, I have no proof.”
“Would Mrs. Sinclair pay to keep that secret hidden?”
“If Mrs. Sinclair were concerned with her reputation, she’d escort her daughter to every function,” Miss Braddock said as they descended the steps. “I haven’t seen her for most of the season.”
“Nor have I.” Levi retrieved his jacket from the parlor floor, then stopped at the coat rack and grabbed a fur-lined pelisse, which he draped over Miss Braddock’s shoulders. “Hopefully, Mr. Hughes, Roxburghe, and Miss Webb discovered the owner of the lace during their investigation.”
Levi requested Miss Braddock wait in the doorway while he confirmed the shadowy garden did not contain Mr. Drummond—it didn’t—before he signaled for Miss Braddock to join him on the snow-covered pathway.
When they reached the street, Miss Braddock said, “I don’t remember much from your arrival, but shouldn’t your coach be here?”
Gingerly, he touched his fingers to the cut on his forehead. “I made an error in judgment, which caused the coach to crash into a tree and throw me from the driver’s bench.”
