Page 11 of Her Duke to Seduce
"No, but youarea lady," he countered, his voice tight with frustration. "And whether you like it or not, the world will not be kind to a woman traveling alone, no matter how clever her disguise." And no man would mistake her for a gentleman for long. She as far too curvy to be of the male persuasion.
Felicity's balled her hands into fists at her sides. "I do not need your protection."
"Perhaps not," he said, his gaze darkening. "But you have it, nonetheless."
She stared at him with distrust. The muscles in her jaw tensed as she clenched her teeth together. He did not know what to expect from her and he prepared for anything. Something fierce, something possessive twisted inside of him and he found it far too dangerous for his piece of mind.
"Aiden—" She nibbled on her bottom lip as she studied him. Felicity drew in a deep breath as if to argue against him going with her. She would realize soon enough that he would have his way in this.
"You will not go alone," he interrupted, his voice firm. "Not while I draw breath." He would follow her to the ends of the Earth if necessary. She was his to protect. He did not know when or how he had come to think of her as his, but he could not shake that feeling. Even if he wanted to, and he definitely did not want to.
She shook her head in disbelief. "You would come with me?" Felicity almost sounded surprised that he would go with her. Actually, he was a little surprised too. Though he did hope to convince her to remain where it was safe.
He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "If you insist on this madness, then yes. Someone must ensure you do not get yourself killed."
She let out a breathless laugh. "You are impossible."
"And you are infuriating," he said, stepping closer still. His fingers brushed her chin, tilting her face up toward his. "But I cannot let you go. Not like this."
Her lips parted, but no words came. He had thought his father a fool for insisting that he come to this house party. He had not thought that he would ever find a woman that would enthrall him like Felicity, and he knew little about her. He did not even have her full name. For that matter she did not have his either. What was he going to do with her.
“I cannot allow it,” she said in a mulish tone. “Iamgoing and you arenotcoming with me.”
He cursed under his breath. “And how do you propose to prevent me from trailing behind you.”
Her lips tilted upward into a mischievous smile. He should have taken that look and taken some caution in it, but he was riveted like a besotted fool. He never imagined she could render him immobile in any way. But before he knew it, he found himself on the ground in a heap, having been struck over the head by the bloody, impertinent chit. The world turned upside down and he saw spots before everything went dark.
Five
Felicity should have felt guilty for striking Aiden as she had. She had no choice. If she allowed him any leeway he would have prevented her from leaving. Her desire for him rivaled her wish to remain unmarried. He tempted her far more than any man could have. How could she not have foreseen that possibility? That there might be a man that she craved more than her own freedom… Aiden had ensnared her without any true difficulty. He had charmed her and nearly seduced her with an ease that left her confounded. She was supposed to be the seducer, and instead she had become the one trapped by her own needs.
That was why she had to escape. She had to go somewhere that he would not be such a grave temptation. Especially as she did not truly believe he wanted something lasting with her. She was one of many to a rogue like him. As much as she had hoped for ruination she could not allow it at the hands of Aiden. It would hurt too much when he inevitably turned away from her. Her heart had become involved and that was the true tragedy.
So she would go to the nearest seaside port and book passage. She did not care where the ship was headed. As long as it took her far away from England’s shores—and the temptationof Aiden. Felicity took a deep breath and quickened her pace. Once she was inside the stable she readied a horse for her journey. The nearest inn was easily a couple hours away and she could not waste time.
She secured her valise to the saddle and then mounted the horse—thankful for the male attire she now wore. She would never have been able to ride astride in a gown. At least not without scandalously showing her bare legs… That could have also led to her ruination. It would have been far easier to do that than seduce a man, but alas, it would not have been enough to prevent marriage. Some men could look past such scandalous behavior as long a she was an innocent in the marriage bed.
Felicity drew in a breath and pressed her knee into the horse and lifted the reins. It was time to go. Her rampant thoughts were going to keep her mind busy for the entire trip, but she could not allow them to slow her progress.
As Felicity urged the horse into a swift canter, the cool night air whipped against her cheeks, tugging at the loose strands of her hair. The stars above shone like scattered diamonds against an inky sky, and the distant hoot of an owl was the only sound beyond the rhythmic pounding of hooves against the damp earth. She exhaled, her breath coming in soft, white puffs. This was freedom—at least for now.
She did not look back. She could not. If she allowed herself even a single glance over her shoulder, she might lose her nerve. Aiden would be furious when he awoke and realized what she had done. If he had even the slightest inclination of where she was going, he would follow. That much she knew. He was too determined, too infuriatingly persistent to let her slip away so easily. But he could not follow if she left no trace.
Her destination was uncertain, yet that did not trouble her. It was the journey itself that mattered.
The moon illuminated the road ahead, a narrow winding path bordered by fields that stretched into darkness. She had traveled these roads before, but never alone and never with such a pressing need to flee. Each clop of the horse’s hooves against the ground only strengthened her resolve. The nearest port town was a day’s ride if she could maintain a good pace. There, she would find a ship. To where, she did not know. Perhaps France. Perhaps beyond. Somewhere on the continent…it did not matter. As long as she put some distance between herself and Aiden—and the fate her aunt decreed for her.
Her heart wrenched at the thought of leaving England behind. She would never again see the rolling green hills of the countryside, the grand ballrooms she so despised, or the people who had shaped her into the woman she had become. But she could not allow sentiment to weaken her. Sentiment had nearly betrayed her once—had almost cost her everything.
Her thoughts trailed to Aiden once more...
The very thought of his name sent a shiver down her spine, though whether from longing or dread, she could not say. She still felt the ghost of his lips against hers, the warmth of his hand on her waist, the way he had looked at her—as if she were the only woman in the world. And for one brief, reckless moment, she had wanted to believe that she was.
But Aiden was a rake—a scoundrel she could not trust. A man who undoubtedly collected kisses as a gambler collected debts. She had been a mere amusement, a momentary distraction from the expectations that loomed over him.
And yet… she did not truly believe that. Not entirely. Her heart would not allow that truth to fully seep into her soul. Something in his gaze had been too raw, too unguarded. If she had been any other woman, she might have fooled herself into thinking it had been real.
But she was not any other woman.
