She Tempts the Duke Read Free

end.
    Mary gave her cousin a wry smile. Her hair was a burnished copper, more tame than Mary’s fiery red. Her eyes, however, were the same green. But then their mothers were sisters, and it seemed no female on that side of the family had escaped green eyes. “I can’t imagine that Lord David is known for being entertaining. After all, how much fun can a man with his misfortunes be?”
    Her sarcasm earned a sharp look from her cousin, but was hardly noticed by the other two ladies who had joined them a few moments earlier. They were too busy searching the crowd for masculine prey.
    “He’s never entertained before,” Lady Hermione said distractedly, patting the few blond curls that dangled from her upswept hair and lay lightly against her neck. This was her second Season and she was well acquainted with much that went on, while Mary and her cousin were at a disadvantage, for this summer was their first in London since they’d reached an age to be included in such festivities.
    “But then he’s never been married before,” Lady Victoria mused, her arched brow as black as a raven’s wing. “I heard from my mother who heard it from her cousin that Lady Lucretia married him because he expects to be duke before Season’s end, and she rather fancies the title of duchess. The possibility has garnered everyone’s attention. No one wants to be out of favor with a duke. Hence, the absurd number of guests.”
    Mary’s father had told her that Lord David had petitioned the Court of Chancery, pressing his claim to the title since his nephews had yet to be found. It had been a little over a year since the youngest had reached his majority. The failure of even one to appear and claim the title could only mean one thing: they were all well and truly dead.
    It was an argument Mary could hardly fault, no matter how much it pained her to accept the harsh reality. During all the passing years, she’d received not a single word from any of them. Although it was quite possible that if she had, her father might have destroyed it.
    She’d broken her promise to Sebastian. That night she’d run straightaway to her father and explained what she witnessed and how she helped the boys escape. She’d expected him to take the matter in hand and confront his neighbor. Instead, she’d been disappointed to learn that her father feared even his own shadow. He sent her to a convent where she could contemplate the merits of causing mischief. He didn’t believe that in this day and time, someone would seek to gain a title by illicit means. “It simply isn’t done,” her father declared.
    When she was finally allowed to return to Willow Hall this spring, she had gone to the old abbey ruins and, with the winds howling, wept. She knew why Sebastian chose it as the spot where they would reunite. It was a special, magical place. She had boldly kissed him there, then worried that her father would discover what she had done and banish her from her home for her brazen behavior. She’d been all of twelve, but she knew she’d never forget the press of his lips against hers—how sweet and terrifying it had been.
    “A sad thing, his nephews being devoured by wolves,” Lady Alicia said. Their partial remains found near the abbey ruins was one of the rumors regarding their demise that floated about, and Alicia always chose the dramatic over the ordinary. That story of their ghastly deaths became the seed for cautionary tales—to keep wayward lads from desiring midnight adventures. Another report asserted that they died of fever. But in both cases no bodies were ever produced. From time to time over the years, someone alleged a sighting—in London, at the seaside, in a forest—but no proof was forthcoming. Their true fate remained a mystery.
    Mary was certain, however, that they had indeed perished somewhere along the way during the long years of their absence. Otherwise, they would have returned as promised. Sebastian would have come to her.