Page 41 of Dukes Are Forever
"About...?"
"How do I bring my husband to his knees? How do I—" The words choked in her throat. "You and your husband are quite familiar with each other. I see the way Will looks at you—as if you set the sun in the sky. You are his everything. You fill his whole world. And he gets this sort of look on his face whenever you smile at him, and Iknowwhat that look means. It's as if there's no one else in the room when he looks at you like that. No one else in the world. How do you do it? It's becoming quite clear my lessons in flesh rights are ineffective. I know what goes where and what Malloryn would expect of me, but I have little idea in how to truly drive him crazy."
Lena blinked. "You want toseducethe Duke of Malloryn?"
"Yes." Adele released an unsteady breath. "I want to ruin the man. I want to drive him to his wit's end and leave him a panting, pleading husk. It's your own damned fault. You set this in my head the other day and then he.... He set his first piece into play, so to speak."
Instantly, Lena's eyes flashed with heat. "This is going to require some instruction."
"You'll help me?"
"To bring Malloryn to his knees? I would enjoy nothing better. The man's insufferable."
"You don't know the half of it," she muttered.
Lena was already turning, leading her toward the door. "Come with me. This calls for champagne."
* * *
"'Allowyour husband or master to insert male appendage into the feminine vessel. Discomfort can be eased by overzealous application of Madame Vexley's Liniment for Young Ladies internally, though it is advised to apply such ministrations before attending your husband, in your private toilette. A gentleman prefers discretion and one does not wish to insult him by indicating less than fervent ardor on your behalf. Apply....' Good grief." Lena smothered a laugh. "I feel like I'm reading a cooking manual. I've never had to use Madame Vexley's Liniment. And Will's the very antithesis ofdiscretion."
"What the hell is going on?" asked a loud male voice. "I can hear the pair of you gigglin' all the way down the street. And I heard me name?"
"Will!" Lena cried, sitting up with a happy little smile. "And Alex. My two favorite men in the entire world!"
Adele nearly spilled her glass of champagne as she hastily reached forward to flip the cover of Mrs. Hathaway'sObligations in Marital and Flesh Rightsclosed. The illustrations and sermons within the book seemed far too prudish for what she'd thus far encountered with her husband, but Lena had been pointing out discrepancies.
Much to their mutual amusement.
The verwulfen ambassador dwarfed the room, his broad shoulders straining against the cut of his shirt. He'd discarded his coat somewhere, his necktie hanging open and the top buttons of his shirt undone. Will Carver always seemed uncomfortable in society, but in Lena's sitting room, with his son draped over his chest and shoulder, he looked seemingly at home.
Bronze eyes raked the table between them and the ruin of a platter of little teacakes, scones, jam and clotted cream. "Enjoyin' ourselves, are we?" he growled, though the edges of his mouth kicked up. "It's barely three in the afternoon."
Lena waved her champagne flute at him. "We're plotting mayhem. Mayhem requires champagne. Besides, I knew you had Alex for the afternoon."
She pressed a half dozen kisses over Alex's chubby cheeks, and the baby immediately reached for her.
"Who's the recipient of said mayhem?" Will asked, trying not to drop the lad.
"My husband," Adele said, pointing her empty champagne flute at him. "You're a man. Can I ask you a question?"
Will grimaced. "I ain't gettin' involved in any marital disputes. Especially not Malloryn's."
"You know him!" Adele was delighted. Or perhaps that was the four glasses of champagne she'd consumed.
"I've had that pleasure."
"So has Adele," Lena snickered.
Will clenched his eyes shut and then tilted his face upwards, as if praying for divine intervention.
"Malloryn made a deal with Adele," Lena continued. "He would set his mistress aside, on the grounds that Adele would provide an he—"
"Anyway," Will said, patting Alex on the back. "Look at the time, me boy. Let's leave your mother and her friend to their plottin'."
"Don't you dare. You're here to provide a male opinion on matters."
Will muttered something that sounded like, "I'd rather jump into an entire pit of snakes, thanks very much."
