Page 109 of Dukes Are Forever
"You think he doesn't care for you. You think he keeps you at arm's length, no?"
She nodded. "We have reached a truce, but... Malloryn remains Malloryn."
No matter how much she pushed, she still woke alone.
"When you walked in here, he couldn't take his eyes from you." Barrons twirled her. "I have never seen him look at a woman like that in all the years I've known him."
"There is an attraction there."
"It's more than attraction. I saw longing, Duchess. The type you sometimes see in a man's eyes when he wants something, but does not dare reach for it. And we both know he won't reach for it. If you want more from him, then you must demand it."
To demand it meant wearing her heart on her sleeve, and Adele had her own demons.
"Thank you. For the advice," she whispered, as the waltz wound down.
Barrons led her to the edge of the ballroom. "Thank you for the dance. It was most enlightening." He gave her a considering look as he pressed a kiss to the back of her silk glove. "I wish you well."
And then he sauntered off, lords and ladies alike parting around him like the sea, as if they sensed a powerful predator in their midst.
Adele didn't know what to think.
Did she dare hope Barrons spoke the truth?
"Your Grace," said a footman, out of nowhere.
Adele startled. "Yes?"
"A message," he said, slipping a piece of folded paper into her hand before vanishing into the crowd.
Adele glanced at the paper, her breath catching when she recognized the writing. It was Hattie's.
Please. I need to see you right now. Behind the stairs.Father's done something terrible.
* * *
Come out,come out, wherever you are....
"She's quite a catch, isn't she?"
Malloryn stilled as he recognized the voice, his hand sliding into his pocket and finding the small, hard lump there.
Lord Devoncourt stepped up beside him as Malloryn watched Adele dancing from the balcony. She seemed enraptured with something Barrons was saying, and the vibrant dark pink gown set her apart from the rest of the dance floor.
Not for him the art of espionage. Though he had more than enough experience at creeping about ballrooms unaware, he'd known there'd be too many eyes watching him tonight. He'd sent Gemma and Obsidian to follow Sir George instead, while he played decoy, wondering whom he'd lure out of the shadows.
And of all the people....
"Quite." He bit off the word.
"A bloom just ripe for the picking. It was remarkably easy to capture her attention, did you know? A few small compliments, a man's unabashed focus upon her—if you've ever seen her with Sir George, you'll understand why. She longs to be seen."
"Is there a point to this?"
Devoncourt's smile widened. "It bothers you, doesn't it? That my lips have known hers. That I could have had her if I wanted to."
It was far easier than expected to play the role of jealous husband.
"But you didn't, did you?" He had his hands on the lapels of Devoncourt's collar before he even knew it. Devoncourt caught his wrist, and their gazes clashed, before Malloryn forced a smile. "And it wasn't for lack of trying."
