Page 47 of The Wolf and the Wildflower
Jules curled her bare toes into the lush carpet, feeling as if he peered through her nightshirt to the bare flesh beneath.
“You are incredibly…lovely, Wildflower,” he murmured, meeting her regard once again. “Without the stage makeup and moustache, your skin is soft, creamy, and glows beautifully. Your lips are lush, generous, so pink and soft. There is a stubborn pride in the set of your chin, and your eyes are the finest I’ve ever seen.”
Her heart tripped and butterflies wreaked havoc within her stomach. Jules had forgotten she no longer wore her full disguise. He thought her lovely. She wasn’t certain how to feel that he looked upon her femaleness and seemed appreciative. Jules certainly did not fit the image of ladies she saw in society. How sweet, delicate, and even ethereal they sometimes appeared, at odd times filling her with bemused wonder.
“You are still holding my chin,” she said softly, painfully aware they were alone in the west wing, with only a few wall sconces providing light in the long hallway. They felt intimately sheltered.
The duke lowered his hand. “You should return to the east wing,” he said gruffly.
“Do you really wish me to?” The duke did not respond, and some tension eased from Jules. “Are you sleeping here tonight?”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other, and she nervously wondered why everything felt so…heightened. “I—”
“I spoke with my sister. We watched the stars.”
Jules leaned more against the door. “How was the experience?”
A small frown split his forehead before his expression smoothed. “It was pleasant. I might watch more with her in the future.”
Gladness surged inside her chest, and she smiled. “I am sure Lady Felicity will be happy to know it.”
He stared at Jules for several beats. The air became heavy with a promise she did not understand. She curled her toes more into the carpet, releasing a soft breath when he said, “Goodnight, Wildflower.”
“Goodnight…James.”
Yet neither moved. She laughed, the unexpectedness of it even surprising her. He lifted a brow in inquiry.
“Share,” he commanded.
“You need to work on your manners,” she said pertly. “Society will not care for your bluntness.”
“I have no need to pretend with you, surely you are aware of this.”
That warmed her more than it should. “I know,” she said softly.
“Why did you laugh, Wildflower?”
“I merely thought it very strange that we were standing here…alone…just simply existing. A week ago, this was not my plan to be here at Longbourn Park. It is rather extraordinary how one decision can change so many things.”
The eyes that stared at her so unflinchingly were deep and unfathomable.
“The Northern Sound is a vast land of ice-capped mountains and trees. Sunlight barely pierces its denseness, and its beauty intimidates even the most stalwart of hearts. I hunted deep in the forest for years and merely turned left one day toward where it always felt dangerous. The ice fell away beneath me, and the rapids dragged me for miles. That one decision led me here. It is indeed extraordinary.”
It is you who is extraordinary.
The duke bowed, turned around, and went to his room. She watched as he gripped the doorknob but did not open his door. A tension invaded his limbs, and something warned Jules she should hurry inside her room.
“Do you know that list you told me to make?”
“Yes.”
“I have been thinking about it.”
Inexplicably her heart started to pound. “Good.”
“What are your expectations of what I should do with the things I have on it?”
