Page 31 of The Duke and the Lady in Red
He realized that his gloved hand rested on the small of her back, that it had gone there of its own accord as soon as he’d reached her. He resisted the urge to snatch it away, but allowed it to settle into place, to claim her. She didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow at his forwardness. He wondered if she’d object if he leaned down and captured those lips as he desperately wished to do.
Probably.
Although he’d welcome the reaction. From the beginning her vibrancy had appealed to him. She seemed to have misplaced it tonight. And that bothered him. Not so much that it was absent, but the reason behind its disappearance. He didn’t like knowing that something—or someone—had caused her to wilt. Not that he was considering taking up the role of being her champion. That had never been his way. Truth be told, he was usually the one who caused the wilting.
Not that he was particularly proud of that realization at the moment. But he did know that her present state was not because of his actions the night before—unless she’d spent the day battling the demons of propriety and piety. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
She shook her head slightly. “Nothing.”
A lie. He prided himself on his ability to read women, not that he’d ever found her particularly easy to read—which meant that she wanted him to read her. It was not in his nature to prod and dig until he uncovered the reason behind a woman’s strange mood. They came, usually with no reasonable explanation. A woman’s moodiness never appealed to him. He generally walked away and found someone more fun, more obliging, less complicated.
But he couldn’t walk away from her.
Not yet at least, not until he’d had her in his bed. It was that unfulfilled need that kept him anchored to her side. “Why aren’t you gambling?”
She lifted a bare shoulder. “I don’t believe I shall tonight. I simply needed to be surrounded by those having a jolly good time.”
“What’s wrong, Rose?” he repeated, prodded against his better instincts.
Something that seemed to resemble remorse flickered in her eyes before she averted her face as though she feared he could read the answer there. “It’s nothing really.”
“If it’s nothing, then why are you bothered by it?”
She paled just a bit, glanced around as though she were expecting great hulking beasts to suddenly descend on her. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”
“Then let’s be away. My coach is here.”
Relief washed over her face. He was certain she was going to acquiesce. Instead she said, “It’s nothing with which to concern yourself. You should go play cards.”
He was aware of the speculative looks being cast their way. At any moment they were going to be interrupted by the curious and prying. “I’m afraid I must insist.”
Pressing his palm against the small of her back, he managed to communicate his willingness to make a scene if she insisted. She didn’t. She moved with him, small, slow steps. “Avendale, I really don’t want to bother you.”
“It’s no bother,” he assured her.
He escorted her out of the building and ordered the young man standing outside the door to fetch his coach. While he and she waited, they spoke not a word. As he had yet to remove his hand from her back, he felt the shiver go through her. It was a cool night, but not overly so. He slipped his arm around her shoulders to offer her more protection from the slight breeze.
“This is inappropriate,” she said.
“We’ve just exited a gaming hell. Seems a bit late to worry overmuch about what is appropriate.”
“I suppose you have a point,” she said, and moved in closer to his side.
He was not renowned for his ability to give comfort, but at that precise moment he wished he’d devoted more of his energies to mastering the skill. Whatever was bothering her needed to be set to rights.
His coach arrived, and he helped her inside. While he was tempted to sit beside her, he knew that choice could lead to a distraction that neither could afford at the moment. Not until he got the truth from her. So he wisely took the bench opposite her, stretched out his legs on either side of hers.
The coach jarred forward, the horses moving at a slow, steady pace.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Around the city, hither and yon, until such time as we decide on a destination.” Until she was ready to come to his residence, his bed. He couldn’t recall ever leashing his need so tightly. He wanted her, but he wanted her without furrows in her brow and something resembling defeat in her eyes. “I can wait all night.”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Why are you interested in my troubles?”
“It’s hardly a tempting seduction if your mind is elsewhere.”
“You surprise me, Your Grace. I assumed you only cared about the physical aspects of a woman.”
