Page 28 of The Duke of Ruin
"Do you know any different limericks Poppy?" she asked quickly, lest Mrs Actrol request she repeat it for Liv's pleasure. The young, blonde woman furrowed her brow, as she tried to think of another amusing poem.
"Oh I know one," Alexandra interjected, her eyes dancing with mischief. She stood, took her place at the centre of the room and took a deep breath, before beginning; "There once was a Viscount from Harrow, whose posterior was less than nar--oh!"
Alexandra broke off mid-word, to stare with alarm at the person who had just entered the drawing room. Fearing that it was the twins' Aunt Augusta, Liv whirled around.
"Gemini!" she heard Poppy whisper with excitement, behind her, but in truth the whole room seemed to have receded from Liv's vision, and all that she could see was the Duke of Everleigh. He, in turn, did not seem to see anyone else bar Liv; and he was looking at her in a way that expressed a mix of great displeasure and triumph, all at once.
"Your Grace," she heard herself say, averting her eyes from his penetrating gaze.
The women, who had previously been so cheerful, remained silent, as they watched the exchange between their hostess and the handsome intruder.
"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Mrs Actrol finally said, impatience getting the better of her. "At my advanced age, I can't be expected to wait very long for explanations, I might not live long enough to hear them."
This, of course, was ridiculous, for Mrs Actrol was in perfect health, though Liv was grateful that she had spoken, for she herself had lost that ability the second her husband walked in the door.
"Mrs Actrol," Ruan bowed slightly in her direction, "I know your works, of course, but have never had the pleasure of meeting you. I'm afraid that our time together will be brief, however, for I am only here to fetch my wife and take her home."
"Your wife?"
Every lady in the room glanced at each other curiously; was the woman seated next to them the secret wife of the Duke of Everleigh? How exciting!
"Yes my wife," Ruan frowned in Olive's direction, his voice low and droll. "She seems to be labouring under the misapprehension that she is a boarding-house proprietress, and not a Duchess."
Liv didn't have to look up, to know that the faces of her guests were turned her way in shock. She heard a few gasps, and the word "Gemini" uttered several times, but kept her gaze locked on her husband's. He was not the only one who could stare menacingly, she thought grimly.
"If you would all be so kind," she said, struggling to keep her voice even,so as not to overly alarm her guests. "As to give the Duke and I some privacy. We have a few small matters that we need to discuss."
Ruan snorted at the word small, but stepped aside to allow the ladies of the house to file past him and out the door. Liv knew with certainty that they would all remain outside in the hallway, with their ears pressed against the door to see what they could hear. Once they had all left, she let out a sigh, and turned to face her husband.
"A few small matters?" Ruan cocked an eyebrow, his expression amused. Liv could see that he was in fact far from entertained by her choice of words, and that behind his exterior veneer of patience, he was seething with anger.
"A few small matters?" he repeated, his voice rising slightly as he approached her. It was like watching a predator ready to pounce on its prey, and Liv quickly took a step back behind an armchair so that it blocked his path.
"Our marriage is no small thing," he said, his eyes sweeping the armchair disdainfully, as if to let her know that it was a small obstacle that would not challenge his strength. "It is a legally binding contract, in which you swore, before God, that you would be mine until death do us part. And faking your own death does not count."
Liv bristled at his imperious tone; he still believed that he owned her, simply because he had won her hand in a game of cards.
"You forget, your Grace," she threw him a gaze that would have made most men quake in their boots, "That our marriage was not consummated, and that I am within my rights to seek an annulment."
"All I need is five minutes, and the matter of our unconsummated marriage will be remedied completely."
"Five minutes?" Liv arched an eyebrow, "That's hardly something to boast about, your Grace."
She watched as his blue eyes turned dark with anger, and for the first time since he had arrived she felt genuine fear. Why had she gone straight for the jugular? She should have known that a man like Ruan Ashford would not take having his lovemaking skills mocked.
"I have told you, my dear," he whispered,his eyes almost black. "That my name is Ruan, and I shall hear it from your lips before this night is out. And I can guarantee that when you say it, you will be screaming it in the throes of pleasure."
"You mean to force me?"
"In my life I have never forced a woman into my bed, and I'm not about to start with you."
With a simple kick of his polished Hessian, he upended the armchair between them, and before Liv could even think to react, he had closed the distance between them and taken her roughly into his arms.
"You are my wife." His voice was low and husky, and as he took her lips with his he emitted a growl that was filled with anger and need. If Liv had thought that their kisses on The Elizabeth had been passionate, this time they were even more so. He seemed to fill her every sense; the feel of his lips pressing insistently against hers, the taste of his kisses, his masculine scent filling her head and making her feel woozy with desire. He was right -- there was no way that the Duke of Everleigh would ever have to force any woman into his bed, they would go willingly, begging even, for the chance to experience all the pleasure he promised.
"No!"
As his hands began to rove her body, Liv somehow found the reserves of strength she needed, despite her body's treacherous response to his touch, and she pushed hard against his chest, so that he staggered backward.
