Page 9 of Duke of Bronze
An amused snort escaped him. "Just this—" He leaned in slightly, his breath warm against her temple as his fingers ghosted over a stray curl resting on her shoulder. "Try not to fall in love by the end of it all."
Anna swallowed hard, willing herself not to shiver at the contact. He released the strand of hair and stepped back, but the air between them was already excessively warm.
Colin smiled, then turned and departed with arrogance that left her speechless. Anna stared after him, her thoughts a riot of indignation. Thenerveof the man. The sheer, unmitigated gall.
And how she loathed the treacherous flutter in her stomach even more than she loathedhim.
CHAPTER 5
"Are you eventrying, Caldwell?" Alexander, the Duke of Sterlin, teased, eyeing Colin with undisguised amusement.
Sparring in Gentleman Jackson's was one of the diversions Colin desperately needed this afternoon, and even that wasn't adequate. He shifted his stance, barely dodging Alexander's newest strike.
Colin exhaled, resetting his footing. "Perhaps I am merely giving you a false sense of victory."
"Ah," Alex grinned, throwing another jab, which Colin only just managed to parry. "Or perhaps you are too distracted to put up a proper fight."
Colin scowled, ducking under a swing. "Nonsense."
"Nonsense, indeed. You are distracted," Alex continued, circling him. "Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Lady Anna, would it?"
Lord's mercy!Colin's grip on his gloves tightened.
Shewasdistracting. She had been from the first moment he laid eyes on her two years ago. A thorn in his side, a challenge he had never quite been able to walk away from. And now, committed to five afternoons of his own choosing, she was proving to be more of a disruption than ever.
His lapse in focus cost him. Alex feinted, then struck cleanly, landing a well-placed hit to his ribs. Colin stumbled back, grunting in pain as his opponent laughed, stepping away with a smug grin.
"Victory," Alex declared, raising his fists in triumph.
Colin straightened, rubbing his side. "Enjoy it while it lasts."
Alex chuckled, removing his gloves. "Oh, I plan to." His expression sobered slightly as he studied Colin. "What has you so preoccupied, then?"
Colin hesitated before asking, "Do you know anyone in the East End by the name of Roderick?"
Alex frowned. "No. Should I?"
Colin nodded as if that had been the expected response. "No, it was a remote possibility."
They cleaned up, changing into fresh clothes before leaving the establishment. The moment they stepped outside, a street urchin darted toward them, his small feet barely making a sound on the cobblestones. The boy was covered in soot and his wide eyes flitted between them. "Which one of you's the Duke?"
"We're both dukes, lad." Alex chuckled and glanced at Colin.
"The Duke of Copper," the boy huffed.
Colin arched a brow. "Copperton, you mean?"
The urchin bobbed his head quickly and thrust out a grubby hand, a folded note clutched in his fingers. Colin took it, but before he could ask a single question, the boy turned on his heel and disappeared into the winding streets.
Like the last, the note bore no address. Annoyance curled in Colin's gut as he unfolded it.
Meet me at the Flying Crow in Whitechapel by sundown.
—R.M
Colin clenched his jaw.Again.
Alex peered over his shoulder. "Another note?"
