Page 38 of The Duke and the Lady in Red
Edith paled. “I’m sorry, miss, but no one is allowed to disturb him when he’s locked himself away.”
Blinking, Rose stared at her. Surely she’d not heard properly. “He locked himself in?”
“Yes, miss. He does that on occasion when he’s in an ill temper.”
Rose had never heard the like. “Take me to the library.”
“Oh no, miss. I was told to see to your comfort. To have you fed and put to bed.”
“Put to bed?” Rose laughed. “I’m not a child to be put to bed. I go when I damned well please.”
Edith’s eyes nearly popped right out of her head. Rose assumed it was because she’d never heard a lady utter profanity. “If you won’t take me to the library, I shall find it on my own.”
She headed for the door. The patter of footsteps echoed through the room as Edith beat her to the door and opened it for her.
“I’ll take you,” Edith said, “but His Grace is not going to like it one bit.”
Rose cared not one whit what he liked.
Brooding, Avendale sat in a chair in front of a low fire in the hearth and took another long swallow of scotch. For all his sins, he had never harmed a woman, never caused one pain.
Until tonight. Until Rose.
Why the bloody hell hadn’t she stopped him, or at least slowed him down?
He didn’t understand this obsession, this need to possess her that coursed through him. Never before in his life had he thought,If I don’t have this woman now, I shall die.
In her presence he lost all reason. How else to explain his giving her five thousand pounds instead of having her arrested for swindling him? She had swindled him further. Not a widow, but a virtuous woman.
His dark laughter echoed around him. No, not virtuous. She might have never had a man between her legs but she was not virtuous. He didn’t know what she was. Who was Rose Sharpe?
What did he know about her really? That she could bring his cock to attention so swiftly that he went dizzy. But other than that—
A loud knock sounded. “Avendale, open the door.”
Bloody hell, what was she doing here?
“Go to bed, Rose.”
“I’ve sent someone to fetch the housekeeper with the key. You might as well let me in.”
He was master here, not her. And his servants understood not to intrude when he was in a dark mood. He’d seen his father in enough of them to know that they were not something he wanted others to witness. His staff was fully aware that if they unlocked that door, someone would lose his or her posi—
Click. Rattle. Creak.
Rose stepped through the open door and closed it behind her.
What the devil? Had the entire world gone mad or just his world?
He came to his feet and stormed to the sideboard. “You do not want to be in here.”
“I quite disagree,” she said calmly. “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”
Splashing scotch into his glass, he ground out, “You really need to leave before I do something that we shall both regret.”
“May I have one of those?” she asked.
Jerking his head to the side, he wondered when she had approached. Could she not see his temper flaring?
