Page 60 of Dukes Are Forever
"Well, you certainly weren't interested in kissing me." Adele's lips thinned. "And now I'm not even certain if he was. I hate being made a fool of." Pushing to her feet, she paced the room, looking thoroughly vexed. "But what did he want with me? Was I merely a plaything? A means to draw blood from you without a direct confrontation? Ajibe?"
"He could have been after information."
"Because I know so much," she said, a little bitterly.
Malloryn didn't respond. He'd said it only to be polite.
"So what now?" Adele demanded, turning on him in a rush.
He'd have to remember that: She might be furious, but she thought swiftly on her feet.
Rather like the night she'd trapped him into marriage.
"Now? I put you in a carriage and send you home. Life goes on as if this.... None of this happened. Stay away from Devoncourt, but continue your life as usual. I would encourage you to make a disparaging remark or two about me in public. Laugh and dance. Flirt. Spend half my fortune—"
"In short, be a good little duchess and bat my eyelashes at people."
He paused, warned by her tone.
"Damn it, Malloryn! I could help," she cried, her eyes flashing with determination. Despite everything, he couldn't help rousing again at the sight of her like this. All fierce and determined, a warrior in silk. "From the sounds of it, you have no idea who might be an SOG sympathizer or a Rising Son. You're rarely seen in society. Too high and mighty to hobnob with the rest of the elite, according to most sources. But I know the Echelon like the back of my hand.
"And ifLordDevoncourt belongs to Balfour, then why not let me get him right where you need him? He thinks he's charming me—"
"You arenotgetting involved," he said sharply, pushing to his feet. "This isn't a game, Adele. This is dangerous. The last thing you want to do is make yourself a target."
"My entire goddamned life since I entered the Echelon has been dangerous. Do you think this is the first time I've faced a man who could kill me? Why do you think I got involved in trading hemlock rings in the first place? It was the only means I had of striking back—"
"While I won't pretend I don't know what you're speaking of, this is a little different than dealing with privileged lordlings who think they can take whatever they want." He forced his tone to harden. "You were there when the baroness shot herself. Balfour put a mind-altering device in her head. He made her kill herself and she knew it. She knew there was no hope of saving herself even as she pulled the trigger. I will not add your name to my list. No. My final answer is no—"
"But—"
"And if you continue arguing, then I will simply ensure you have not the means to put yourself in danger."
"What are you going to do? Lock me away?"
"If. Necessary."
Adele's teeth gnashed together. "Argh. You're just like my father. I am not some insipid little debutante with fluff in her head—"
He moved toward her. A swift yank and he drew her back against his chest, locking one arm across hers as he captured her chin and tilted her head up."If I had a knife to your throat, right now, what would you do?"
Adele's chest heaved. "I would hemlock you."
"Alas, I'm fairly certain you would have tried that the moment I walked through the study door. You have no hemlock. You're human. You're not strong enough to fight me off, and if I wanted to kill you right now, I could." He let his grip on her chin soften, his fingers stroking down her throat. "I know you're intelligent. It doesn't mean a damned thing when Balfour or one of his agents has a pistol to your head."
He released her.
Adele staggered out of his arms, and touched her throat gently, her lips pressing together.
But her expression looked troubled.
"I won't have your death on my conscience," he warned. "And while you might know the Echelon's waters better than I, I have an entire network of information-gatherers who are out there right now, working to locate Balfour. Go home, Adele. And forget everything that happened here."
"Including what occurred between the pair of us?" she challenged.
"Especially that."
"Just that easily?" Adele arched a precise brow. Not so long ago, the twitch of said brow would have made him want to clench his jaw. Now all he wanted to do was capture her chin and claim that pretty, impertinent mouth and kiss the hell out of it.
