Page 1 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
Chapter 1
The evening was chilled, but Lady Louisa Gideon, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Partridge, barely felt it as she pressed herself close to her lover.
The sun had set, and the moon was only beginning to rise into the sky. And save for the odd rustling of a small animal or the chirping of bugs, all was quiet.
Sitting upon a boulder, just within the boundary of the woods that skirted her father’s estate, Louisa felt oddly at ease and content, wrapped in Joshua’s arms as he whispered into her ear, “Are you clear on what you need to do?”
A shiver passed through Louisa, though not from the chill. It was anticipation that made her quiver, the thought that her entire life would soon change. Soon she might finally be taken seriously.
Louisa nodded, gazing up at him, unable to stop wondering whether he could see the nervousness in her gaze. “I am.”
Joshua smiled back at her, his dark blonde hair falling around his face like curtains to cut them off from the outside world. He brushed a few tight curls back from her face to cup her cheek. Kissing her, he added, “Then you’ll meet me back here at what time?”
“Two a.m.,” Louisa breathed back against his lips, the response barely audible as she tilted her head slightly to invite further kissing.
When he did not do so, Louisa could not stop admitting, “I am quite nervous.”
Nuzzling her nose with his own, he pressed his forehead against hers and responded, “You need not be nervous. You are doing the right thing. This is the only way we shall ever be allowed to be together.”
In the dark and the cold, his words warmed her, and she knew he was right. One fear lingered in the back of her mind:will my family ever forgive me?
It didn’t bear thinking about, and so she quickly forced it away. She could deal with those consequences when it was too late to change anything. They would understand – eventually.
Needing just a little more reassurance, she asked, “You’re sure this is the only way?”
Louisa was surprised by the way that Joshua gripped hold of her face in both his hands. So shocked, in fact, that her blue eyes flew open, and she found his face so close to hers that if he had been anyone else, she might have been frightened.
“I would not ask you to take such a risk if I was not absolutely certain,” Joshua assured her. “We must do this. We must fight for our love.”
Louisa gulped past the sudden lump in her throat and nodded with a little difficulty against his hands upon her face.
“You will meet me, won’t you?” Joshua asked, his brown gaze darkening with suspicion. His look caused Louisa’s skin to crawl. She hated it when he did not trust her word.
“Of course, I promise," she told him in all sincerity, hoping he could see the affection she held for him in her gaze.
The darkness in his eyes faded, and his lips twitched upwards in a smile. Kissing her again, this time much more deeply, he made her heart skip a beat. Leaning into it, Louisa took in every second as though it were the very air she breathed. And when he pulled away, she felt the gnawing of disappointment in her stomach.
The barking of a fox somewhere close by caused Louisa to almost jump right out of her skin.
“You must go,” Joshua insisted with his forehead pressed to hers once more, seemingly unphased by the fox. “Go and pack. Before anyone notices you are gone.”
“Yes, I must,” Louisa agreed, glancing through the trees at the moon that had begun to rise, almost having reached the top of the canopy. It seemed to wash over them, bathing them in its light as though proud of the two lovers for finally plucking up the courage to do what others dare not.
It would be dinner soon, and if she were late, everyone would wonder why. Yet, the risk of being questioned was quite enough to hurry her away from Joshua. She would have happily sat there with him all night, her head rested upon his chest so she could listen to their hearts beating as one.
Reluctantly, Louisa plucked herself up from the boulder beside him, and only his hand upon hers stopped her from hurrying away so as not to allow herself to linger any longer.
Her flesh tingled where he pressed his lips to her knuckles. The way he gazed up at her, following the line of her arm, made her tremble all over. The look in his eyes suggested he was hungry for something, and she knew very well how he felt. The anticipation building deep inside her was growing harder and harder to ignore. The desire building between them for weeks would soon be quenched as long as everything went to plan.
“Just remember one thing, my love,” he said, squeezing her fingers gently. “Don’t tellanyone.”
“Of course not!” Louisa reassured him, slipping her hand from his to use both to hold up her skirts against the muddy terrain.
There was a time, perhaps, when she might have been tempted to confide all her comings and goings with her elder sister, but no more. Ella had seen to that the moment she learned of Louisa’s last meeting with Joshua only a couple of days earlier, one in which she had witnessed their kissing and practically accused her of being a harlot.
It still pained her to think of it now. They had been so close before. A part of her wished they could be again. But since that day, she did not feel the sisterly trust she had felt before. And lack of trust was dangerous, especially now. Joshua had reassured her of that.
With one last wave over her shoulder, Louisa slipped deeper into the woods, hoping to avoid being seen from the house for as long as possible. Maybe if she were quick enough, she could avoid being seen at all.
