Page 30 of A Duke's Temptation Poetess
“Have you read her poetry?” Lady Bentley asked.
It was an innocuous question, but something about the way she worded it made Colin’s jaw clench. “I have not,” he said.
Admitting that he had would only raise questions that he did not wish to answer, which could be detrimental to both Lady Clarissa and himself.
“But I have heard her speak of how much she loves poetry,” Colin replied. “I am certain that someone with such passion for the written word must also be good at expressing oneself.”
Lady Bentley hummed. “I suppose you are right, Your Grace.”
Colin felt as though she were simply agreeing with him because he was the Duke of Hartingdale, which was a pity. It was true that Lady Clarissa was not the world’s greatest poet. Her inexperience made it difficult for her to express all the feelings and ideas that she wanted to, but someday, Lady Clarissa might be really great. It was a pity that her mother did not seem as enthusiastic about her daughter’s prospects.
Chapter 15
Clarissa woke to sunlight flitting through the windows near her bed. She stretched and curled her toes, savouring the warm bedding for just a little while longer. It was a pleasant way to wake. Her next thought was of His Grace. What would it have been like to kiss him?
She closed her eyes and tried to remember everything about that moment; the smell of him, the feel of him, and the smouldering way he gazed at her as he leaned in close to her face. Clarissa’s breath made an anxious little hitch.
It would have been a wonderful experience. She knew that without a shred of doubt. And being a rake, she imagined that the Duke of Hartingdale was quite gifted in the art of kissing. Clarissa let out a low breath of air. It was impossible for her not to think of marriage. Her mother was too eager to mention Clarissa’s impending spinsterhood at every moment.
And Clarissa had often reflected on her failures at finding a love match and what they might mean. She had never before considered that she might desire somethingelsefrom a husband, though. It had never occurred to her that she might be a creature capable of feeling something like lust.
“This cannot be happening,” she murmured.
Clarissa turned onto her side, spying her mother asleep in the bed beside hers. While Clarissa had felt fine the night before, she had decided to retire shortly after her mother went to dinner.
Clarissa did not especially like confrontations with her mother, especially since they inevitably ended in disagreements. Her mother had returned after dinner, while Clarissa feigned sleeping, and had not disturbed her. She did not need to.
The fury that Clarissa’s mother felt was palpable in the air. Clarissa had not seduced the Duke of Hartingdale in his bedroom or allowed the two of them to be caught in a compromising position. In fact, Clarissa had activelykeptthem by being caught in a compromising position.
She had pulled away from His Grace when he tried to kiss her. Her mother did not know that, of course, but if she had, there was no doubt that she would have been furious.
And I would rather not have a confrontation with her this morning once she wakes.
Clarissa quietly rose from bed and dressed herself for the morning. Her lady’s maid Emma slept still, and Clarissa gave the sleeping maid a small, apologetic smile. Clarissa’s mother would not be cruel to the maid for not knowing Clarissa sneaked out, but doubtlessly, she would be subject to Lady Bentley’s complaints.
Clarissa hid a yawn behind her hand and hurried downstairs. She knew that His Grace slept on the floor beneath her. There were only a handful of patrons around at such an early hour. Clarissa asked the barmaid for a coffee, which was quickly provided. She took a sip, savouring the bitter taste. It was steadying in a way that many drinks were not. Now, there was nothing to do but wait for the others to wake and prepare for the rest of their journey.
***
Lady Clarissa stood before him—sans gown. Colin’s breath hitched as he looked at her clad only in her chemise and stays. Her long, pale legs and her round breasts were perfect. She seemed almost otherworldly in the moonlight, like some elfin creature who had joined him and disturbed him from his sleep.
“Good evening, Your Grace,” she purred. “I hope you do not find my intrusion too disruptive.”
It was the best kind of disruption. He raised her hand to his lips and raised his eyes to meet hers. Lady Clarissa smiled coyly at him, and Colin lowered his head, slowly trailing kisses up her arm. She moaned, and emboldened, he pulled her firmly into his arms. Her breasts pushed hard against his chest, and when she tilted her head back, pink dusted her cheeks. “Oh, Your Grace,” she whispered, her voice nearly breathless.
He buried his face into her neck, kissing and nipping at the tender skin of her throat. Lady Clarissa arched her back, her hips pushing against his own. “Your Grace, please,” she whimpered.
A low growl of satisfaction tumbled from his throat. He seized the laces of her stays with deft fingers, untying them as quickly as he could. Colin tossed the garment away, so she was left only in her chemise. “And now,” he said, “I shall teach you something truly wonderful to write in your poems.”
Sunlight and warmth. Colin groaned and tossed his head back against his pillow. He did not need to examine himself to know the truth of what had happened in his sleep. For a long time, he lay there, simply breathing and savouring the last vestiges of his dream.
Lady Clarissa had been so beautiful and pliant in his arms, and the breathless way she said his name filled him with such warm and glowing feelings that he might have been content laying in bed all day and reflecting on the events of that most enchanting dream.
You need to forget her.
He could not, though. With a shuddering breath, Colin rose. He moved through his morning with a distracted air, Lady Clarissa never far from his mind as he dressed. Colin left the inn, hoping that the morning air might provide some small measure of relief to the deep, aching need inside of him.
He had been without female companionship for far too long. That was the only logical explanation for these powerful feelings. Colin swallowed hard and approached the carriage.
