Page 76 of The Love Potion
“We are agreed then?” he pressed. “You will stay with your aunt and uncle. And for now, no more talk of being my paramour.” He pushed up from the bedsheets. “It would embarrass them and do no good for me either.”
“A secret then,” she said, and he thought there was a note of relief in her voice.
“For now, yes. Eventually, everyone will know the truth.” Including her.
She finished pulling on her dress. He kept her ripped shift to dispose of properly later. Then she looked at the empty envelope that had once contained the French letter. “I’ll need to get some more.”
Good that she wanted to do that again. It reinforced that the experience had been good for her. “I’ll manage that.”
“You won’t forget?”
As if he could forget anything about her. “I swear it.”
She nodded, accepting his word. He pulled on his dressing gown before crossing to his bedroom door. Pulling it open, he saw the hallway was empty. Nodding he reached for her, but when she went to go through his door, he pulled her tight.
“Soon we will not worry about such things,” he whispered. Then he kissed her with all the desire building inside him again. And when they separated, he was gratified to see she was as flushed as he felt. “You dazzle me.”
“You overwhelm me,” she returned. “And I have never been so happy to drown.”
He didn’t like the image, but this was not the time to argue. Instead, he held out his arm as if he were escorting the queen. She set her fingers upon him in an equally formal manner, and together they walked as proper as royalty. Well, royalty who wore nothing more than the flimsiest of coverings.
“My mother has clothing here. I’ll get you one of her shifts,” he said as they made it to her bedroom door.
“Won’t she realize—”
“Hush,” he said pressing his lips to hers. “Trust me.”
“I do.”
Two very beautiful words. He intended to make her say them again very soon.
He was stepping away when she gasped. He looked up sharply only to find her holding something out to him—his rubycrest. How his heart stopped to see it in her hand. Damn it, he wanted his crestonher.
“Ras,” she said. “You need to take this back.”
“You should keep it,” he said. “So you know I am serious.”
She laughed, but the sound held a note of sadness. “I have made my choice, and I don’t regret it.” She took his hand and pressed it back into his palm. “I do not need this to have faith in you. Indeed, I have set all my hopes upon you.”
He curled his fingers around the jewelry. When it was time, she would wear his ring for all to see. But it wasn’t time yet.
“I will not fail you, Kynthea.”
“I believe you,” she said, and he knew she lied.
Kynthea believed only to a certain point and no further. It was up to him to show her that more was possible.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The duke wasas good as his word, which shouldn’t have surprised Kynthea, but it did. He managed things exactly as he’d promised. While she had a luxurious bath the morning after she became his paramour, he had a private discussion with Zoe. Kynthea had no idea what they discussed, but by the time they were travelling back to London, the girl was back to acting like her happy, horse-mad self. And though the girl occasionally sent knowing looks at Kynthea, she never spoke of or even seemed to remember the night’s antics.
Not so for Kynthea, who relived every second as often as possible.
When they arrived at Zoe’s home, His Grace requested and was granted a private audience with Zoe’s father. It lasted a very long time and ended with a cordial invitation to join them at Zoe’s court presentation. After the duke accepted, the earl casually mentioned that Kynthea would attend as well. And when Zoe’s mother objected, the earl stopped her cold.
Kynthea would attend. Indeed, he expected that she would go to every ball, musicale, or theater evening with her cousin, and he would hear no more about it. When Kynthea pointed out that her invitations would likely be rescinded, Zoe blithely quipped that if Kynthea was barred from the door, Zoe would not attend either.
“I think I’ve had plenty of the social round this Season anyway,” she said. Then she waved a hand and disappeared to grab the racing forms.
