In the Dark with the Duke by Christi Caldwell Page 0,94
Nothing had ever been without difficulty where Hugh was concerned. As such, he’d not known why he’d have expected that finding himself a duke overnight would have proven any different.
Lila stared at the page a moment before taking the snippet from his hands. It was just a paragraph from The Times, but for the study and attention she gave it, it may as well have been the King James Bible.
“Lord Prendergast is hosting a masquerade. It is my understanding that your sister is a relation to the gentleman.”
She continued to stare at the page.
At last, Lila looked up and attempted to hand over the scrap. “I’m not certain what you are asking of me.”
“I’d like to gain entry to the marquess’s ball; however, Polite Society has been anything but polite for one of their Lost Lords,” he explained. And once he was part of this world, Hugh would have entry to the marquess’s household. The monsters of his past would be brought to justice, and he’d be able to move forward. To set aside the life he’d lived.
Lila refolded the page, creasing it along the distinct line. “And you think I might somehow provide you with that?”
“No.” He dropped a shoulder against the elaborate trim of the doorway. “I know you can.” A respectable lady, born the sister of an earl, and having another sister who was a countess herself, she’d have a secure place in that world. “If we are perceived as a couple.” He nodded at the sheet she still held. “Then I trust Prendergast would have to issue an invitation. We can begin today.”
“Begin what, exactly?”
“Establishing a connection so that I can gain the same entry your family has.”
“What?” she croaked. “Now? B-but . . . s-surely you can’t . . . ,” she sputtered, and that stammering would have been endearing if it hadn’t been a product of her horror at the prospect of the two of them together. “We can’t . . .”
“Oh, I assure you, we can and we will.” Impatient, Hugh consulted a gold timepiece, another newly inherited bauble that, if sold, could have fed him during the longest, coldest year of his life in the rookeries.
Panic lit her eyes. “I didn’t even receive the full instruction you promised, Hugh. We only met four days. You cannot hold me to”—she held the snippet up—“these terms.”
And there she was. The spirited minx, bold and fearless once more. Or is it simply her desire to avoid being seen about with you before her world that accounts for her determination? After all, every meeting between them had taken place in secret, cloaked in shadows.
He set his jaw. “Those are the terms, Lila. Those are the people I’m expecting you to make me respectable before.” Hugh shrugged. “I really don’t care how you manage it, Lila. Just that you do. But you’re a most resourceful flittermouse.” Hugh reached for the door handle.
She emitted a little squeak and intercepted his attempt, catching his hand. “Stop! Can we come to a different arrangement?”
Briefly distracted by those satin-soft fingers covering his scarred ones, he looked upon them and was brought back to the morning they’d made love. “A different one?” He stroked a knuckle along the smooth curve of her jaw. “This is nonnegotiable, love. Though . . . I am tempted.” Hugh left that there as the suggestion it was.
She gasped and slapped his hand away.
Distant footfalls echoed in the hall, indicating the approach of her maid. Ever a proper lady, Lila anticipated that arrival, drawing the panel open, and Hugh took up a place in the corner of the room, needing to regain control of his thoughts and emotions. What was it about this woman that made him feel more than he’d ever felt? More than he’d ever believed himself capable of?
The servant appeared with another platter in hand, a silver one that gleamed bright around its edges, while the interior had been artfully crafted into a display of colorful miniature cakes and tarts done in different preserves. Baked goods he’d salivated over at shop windows as a boy, that were now being presented to him as a guest to this noblewoman’s household.
His nape prickled, and he forced his eyes away from the refreshments.
Lila murmured something to the servant, and the young maid dipped a curtsy and backed out of the room. After she’d gone, leaving Hugh and Lila alone, silence hung in the air, broken only by the hum of quiet and the distant, muffled rumble of