Page 65 of A Duke for Diana
Her heart began pounding. “Why? Have you thought of a way to do it without being caught by any of our relations?”
“Or the servants.” He gave her a smoldering look. “Yes.”
That was when the truth occurred to her. “This isn’t about serving the ball supper outdoors at all.”
“Of course not. In fact, when I said that, I was worried you might protest the very idea.”
She chuckled. “I would have, but I was curious to hear your argument. Besides which, it’s too lovely a day to pass up a visit to the garden.”
“I hate to disappoint you, but we’re not actually visiting the garden. It’s far too close to the house. We’re going to a little building at the other end.”
Her pulse quickened, and, when he covered her hand with his, grew positively frenzied. “Is it anything I’ve seen? I’ve been too busy inside your house to wander that far afield.”
“It’s not very big, to be honest. But I came out this morning to see if it’s usable, and it’s in better shape than I thought.”
“That sounds ominous. What kind of building is this?”
“You’ll see in a moment.” His voice grew husky. “I mean to seduce you, dear Diana. Assuming that is still what you want.”
She gazed up at him, her blood racing to see how hungrily he regarded her. “Most assuredly.”
He rounded a bend in the path, and at the end, nearly surrounded by birches and lime trees, was a small stone building with a chimney and a large open window. It was as tall as some of the trees and bore no resemblance to the main house.
“That is . . . the oddest building I’ve seen in London, I think, and that’s saying something. What is it?”
He stopped, as if bracing himself for her protests. “It’s a laboratory.”
She pulled away, then planted her hands on her hips. “You want to make love to me in a laboratory.”
“It’s not a laboratory anymore. And even when it was, I doubt my predecessor used it much. He had it built because his wife didn’t want him playing around with chemicals inside the house.”
“Clever woman,” Diana said.
“It’s not perfect for our purposes, I daresay, but sadly, everyone will notice if we disappear into my private quarters. And you may notwantto care about being ruined, but we both know that you do.”
She sighed. “I wouldn’t wish my sisters to suffer any embarrassment.”
“How about this?” he said, tugging her by one arm toward the little building. “Just look at it. No one ever comes back here, and my predecessor wasn’t a very good scientist, apparently, so it doesn’t even smell of chemicals. Much. I’ve had the window and door open all morning so the scents of the flowers can waft through it. As a matter of fact . . .” He hurried ahead of her to go inside, then came out with his arms full of lilies. “I set these in there hoping to help the smell even more.”
“Flowers for the deflowering?” she quipped.
“Something like that,” he said, his eyes intent on watching her reaction when he handed them to her.
She couldn’t help but soften. She did love lilies. She sniffed the blooms as he urged her toward the door. Once she entered, she caught her breath. In one corner were several plush cushions of assorted sizes, fabrics, and colors, obviously all placed there in anticipation of their rendezvous.
“Please tell me the servants didn’t bring those out here for you,” she said.
“I carried them all out myself. And made sure no one saw me doing it.”
She shook her head and laughed. “Yes, I’m sure they didn’t notice His Grace hauling a pile of cushions out to the garden.”
“The back of the garden. Where no one ever goes.” He took the lilies from her and placed them on a marble tabletop right behind her, a maneuver that crowded her in until she was standing right up against the table’s edge. Not that she minded having him this close. He smelled downright fragrant today.
“Don’t lie to me,” she said. “Youarewearing Hungary water, aren’t you?”
“I wondered if you would notice,” he said with a grin. “After you mentioned it, I thought that if you liked it, it might not be too bad. But the scent is making me hungry. For food, I mean.”
“I daresay you’re always hungry for food, but in this case, the rosemary and thyme in it may be sharpening your appetite.”
