Page 25 of The Duke on Her List
She sighed. “I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
“You won’t know until you let me know what it is.”
Agnes bit her lip. “The next item is…I want to go to a gentlemen’s club.”
There was a long silence.
She looked up at him. As she had anticipated, he was staring at her.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she implored.
“You want to go to a gentlemen’s club? Why would you want to do something like that?”
“Just think about it,” she said. “It’s a whole side of the world that isn’t open to me. Only gentlemen are permitted inside. Don’t you think that if a place like that existed for ladies, you would want to know what it was like? Wouldn’t it chafe at you that it had been designed to keep you out? Of course I want to know what goes on in there.”
“And it wouldn’t be enough for me to simplytellyou what goes on?” he asked her. “I’ve been to plenty of those places in my life. I could give you a full report, if you’re really so curious.”
“I want to see it for myself,” she said. “I’m just…curious about it. And a bit resentful, I suppose, that it exists to keep me out. I don’t like being kept out.”
“You don’t like anything that sets out to restrict or confine you,” he observed.
“And yet, people insist on thinking me strange,” she said. “Why would anyone like to be confined? You wouldn’t.”
“You have me there.”
“So now that you know what’s on my list, are you still committed to being a man of your word?” she asked. “Or does this change things for you? Maybe now that you know what it would entail, you think I’m asking for too much. Maybe now you want to cancel our arrangement.”
“I’m not cancelling anything,” he said firmly. “This was the agreement, and if it’s what you want to do, we’re going to do it. You’ll have to dress up as a man to make it work, though.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“Do you have garments?”
“They’ll be a bit large, but I do have some things of my brother’s,” she said.
“Your brother the Duke of Greystone?”
“Do you know Reeves?”
“I know of him. I’ve seen him around. He’s much larger than you. His clothing won’t do at all.” He shook his head. “I’ll find you something.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“That’s going to be the easiest part of the whole affair,” he said. “Finding the clothes isn’t going to be a problem. Are you certain this is what you want?”
“Yes,” she said. “And I’ll do it on my own if I must. But…I won’t deny that having you by my side will be incredibly helpful, if you’re willing.”
“Heaven help me,” he murmured. “I’ll find something for you to wear. Will you meet me here in three days’ time? And we’ll go.”
“Yes,” she said. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“If we’re going to do this,” he said, “you must promise never to tell Helena about it. I don’t think you are necessarily a bad influence, but I won’t have her picking up this sort of behavior.”
“No. Of course not. I understand that,” Agnes said. “I won’t tell her about it, I promise you that, Your Grace.”
“And if we’re going to be posing as two male friends, in addition to a couple in a courtship,” he added, “you’re going to need to address me by name. Call me Gabriel.”
She nodded. “And you’ll need something to call me…Jack will do.”
