Page 14 of It's All About the Duke
“Hence the reason he is a rake, Your Grace. I’m sure the author only meant that if a gentleman is wooing a lady, his attention should be only on her and not divided with horseback riding, hunting, card playing, and those sorts of pleasures gentlemen usually enjoy. If his attention is elsewhere, he could be a rake.”
The duke’s expression was curious. “Hmm,” he finally answered. “And he could be a gentleman who doesn’t have his appointments under proper control.” He held up the book. “May I?”
Marlena stayed very still but felt as if all her senses were clamoring for attention. He was asking for a copy of her book from her? The book she’d written with him and his two friends in mind. What could she say other than, “Yes. Yes, by all means, take one. As you can see, I have plenty left for my reading group.”
Eugenia mumbled again. Marlena started to rise with her armload of books, and the duke reached out and took hold of her elbow to help her stand. A sensuous warmth of tingles spread throughout her body again. She felt strength in his hand and a strange sense of comfort and security in his grip. She should have recoiled or at the very least shied away from his touch, but it was simply too pleasing to withdraw from him.
“I’ll return the book.”
“It’s not necessary to trouble yourself with doing that, Your Grace.”
“It won’t be any trouble. As I said earlier, I’ll returnat another time to meet your cousin, and I’ll be stopping by from time to time to see how you’re doing. Go to your friend. I’ll see myself out.”
Marlena watched the duke leave the room. She had no idea why she was so affected by him unless it was because she’d written about him and the other two Rakes of St. James for so long. After hearing the front door open and close, she hurried over to a chair, dumped the load of books, and then flung herself down on the settee beside Eugenia.
“What happened?” Eugenia asked, lifting her head to look around the room.
“No, don’t try to rise. You may be dizzy. You fainted.” There was no need to further stress her by mentioning that she’d actually done it twice. “How are you now?”
“Fine, I think.” Eugenia put her trembling hand to her forehead. “I really don’t know as I’m feeling quite odd. The way I felt when Papa died and I knew I’d have to come live with Veronica. It was eight years ago but I still remember.”
“Did you faint when you heard about your father’s death?”
“No, but I’ll never forget the feeling of thinking it can’t be true. Papa can’t be gone.” She looked around the room. “Just as now, I could have sworn there was a gentleman here and you said he was the Duke of Rathburne, but it can’t be true. No one is here.”
“I wish I could tell you that he wasn’t, but the duke was here.”
Eugenia bolted up on her elbows. “Where is he? Has he gone for guards?”
“Lie back and stay calm, dear friend, please,” Marlena urged after hearing fear in Eugenia’s voice. “He left, and all is well.”
“Then what was he doing here? Does he know aboutus? Are we in trouble? Did he come to take us away? Is he coming back?” She plopped her head back on the settee in frustration.
“No. No. We are fine.”For today, anyway.“Please don’t worry yourself. I’m sure he doesn’t know anything about what we do.”
“When you said his name, I thought for sure I was about to be shackled inside a prison cart and carried away.”
“I must admit that was my first thought, too, when he told me who he was. But believe me, the duke would have mentioned it if he’d known that I am Miss Honora Truth and that you conspire with me to see that the column gets to Mr. Trout to publish each week.”
Eugenia placed the back of her hand onto her forehead again and expelled a loud breath of angst. “Oh, I knew I’d never be any good at this secrecy and deceit.”
“Nonsense,” Marlena reprimanded. “What are you talking about? We’ve been doing this almost three years now, and we’ve never had anyone come close to knowing I’m Honora Truth.”
Her friend seemed to think on that for a moment and then said, “We have been lucky no one has figured it out.” She paused again before saying, “The duke is more handsome than I expected him to be.”
Indeed!
“But we must continue to see him as one of the men who is at the root of your sister’s marriage and unhappiness, and the cause for her recurring attacks of despair.”
“That’s something else I’ll never forget. Why was the duke here?”
“For a completely different matter, which I’ll explain later. But tell me, first, why Mr. Trout sent us so many copies of my book? I almost fainted myself when I saw you walking in carrying them in your arms.”
“I don’t know,” she said, rising on her elbows again. “It’s what my maid brought in her sewing basket when she came in this morning. She had no explanation from her sister as to the amount, and there was no letter from Mr. Trout explaining.”
“I suppose it could be that he wants us to give them away. Which we’ll do; we can give them to our reading society. That will be good. I suppose I need to know what people think of the book.”
“Do you think he gave us so many because the book’s not selling very well?”
