Page 24 of The Odyssean Duke

Evelina thought of the footmen behind her. She thought of the ton and how, if anyone saw, they would expect her to marry this man. Her mind readily supplied her with dozens, hundreds, ofreasons for why she ought to storm away from him and let her furious retreat speak louder than words ever could.

But something inside her, which she could not yet name, surged to life. She pressed her lips hard against his, thinking of a young and newlywed woman who had wanted passion and attention. Without a conscious thought, she seized the lapels of his jacket, and he made a startled sound deep in his throat. Evelina felt his palms hovering over her shoulder blades, as though he could not decide if he ought to touch her. And she kissed him as hard as she could. After a heartbeat, he pushed back against her.

They deepened the kiss, and all Evelina’s concerns melted away. It was as if that single moment of passion became her entire world. She basked in the warmth of his attention and the spice of his cologne. Everything inside her was warm and light, and she kept kissing him despite the small, growing ache in her jaw and the dull throb gathering between her thighs.

“Evelina?”

All her thoughts fell apart, and she pushed him away. Evelina gasped for air, her chest heaving. It was as if she had left her body, and awareness returned to her in stages, like a play slowly unfolding.

That was her mother’s voice. Her mother did not sound angry or scandalized. Her mother must simply be looking for her.

“Evelina? Are you here?”

She ran from the duke as if he had burned her, and perhaps, he had in a sense. An inferno raged inside of her, and she did not know why. Evelina put her hands to her face and felt that she was hot. She was so panicked and confused at what she had done that Evelina nearly collided with her poor mother.

“Oh!” her mother exclaimed. “My darling, you appear to have taken too much sun.”

“Yes,” Evelina said, fighting to calm her racing heart. “Yes, that must be it. That is why I wished to return home.”

Her mother nodded. “Lady Brookshire heard you mention that you wished to leave for His Grace. I thought that I would return with you.”

Evelina managed a smile. “You do not have to.”

“I want to,” her mother said, glancing at the garden gate.

A chill traced along the path of Evelina’s spine as she followed her mother’s gaze. She nearly collapsed in relief when she saw that the Duke of Rothbury was no longer standing there.

“I did enjoy Lady Brookshire’s party,” Evelina’s mother continued. “But I had also forgotten how such delights tire one.”

“Indeed, they do,” Evelina said. “Shall we?”

As Evelina escorted her mother to the waiting carriage, she found herself aching inside and out, for reasons she did not know. But the cause of her grief—or whatever this new sensation might be—was all too clearly the Duke of Rothbury.

CHAPTER 10

Evelina pressed her fingertips against her lips. She knew it was likely her imagination, but she could have sworn that her mouth still tingled from the previous day’s kiss. If she closed her eyes, she could still smell the freshness of his cologne and feel the warmth of his breath against her. Evelina’s breath shuddered in her chest. She should have been terrified of his kiss. A proper lady would have stormed away, fury incarnate, at being kissed in such a brazen manner.

Evelina had not. Worse, she had kissed him back and enjoyed kissing him. Why? When he had approached her in the tavern and fixed his lustful gaze upon her, she had refused him, but the kiss had set her pulse jumping. She had not refused him. Maybe it was because she had not anticipated the kiss leading to anything further. Heat rushed to her face as she tried to sort through her thoughts. At least, she was alone in her coach, and no one else could witness the unsightly flush that spread over her face.

She put her hands to her face and found that her skin was hot. Silently, she tried to will herself to be calm. Too soon, she arrived at the Corset Chronicles Club. Anna had sent a letter asking for Evelina’s presence at once, and she did not wish to arrive flushed and flustered. Evelina dropped her hands and silently prayed that her still too warm face had cooled enough to conceal her unsightly blush. Jacob, the footman, opened the door and bowed to her. “My lady,” he demurred, offering to aid her descent.

“Thank you.”

Evelina stepped from the coach and slowly walked up the familiar path to the club’s entrance. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Despite her resolve to linger no longer on the memory of the kiss, it seemed as though the Duke of Rothbury was determined to occupy her thoughts. The waiting butler threw open the door and bowed to her. “Shall I announce you, my lady?”

Evelina had never asked to be announced. Instead, she always simply entered the drawing room, where the other ladies would be gathered. The butler William still asked as a courtesy. “That is unnecessary,” Evelina said.

She continued into the drawing room, where Anna and Maria were already gathered. The two ladies sat on the settee to one another, seemingly engaged in an invigorating conversation, but they lapsed into silence upon seeing her. Evelina suspected that she had been the topic of their discussion.

“Evelina!” Anna exclaimed. “How are you?”

Anna rose a little more slowly than usual. Her pale green dress did not entirely conceal her condition, and if the ton saw her, there was certain to be a scandal. A lady was not supposed to appear in society when she was so near giving birth. The small rebellion brought a smile to Evelina’s face. “I am well,” Evelina said. “How areyou? I did not anticipate seeing you!”

Anna pulled Evelina in a tight embrace. Then, the lady settled onto the settee once more. “I had not anticipated on leaving my house for some time,” Anna said, “but Theodora sent me a most scandalous message. I have come to hear the truth directly from you.”

Evelina wryly noted that Theodora was conspicuously absent. “And what did she say in this message?”

“She says that you were with the Duke of Rothbury,” Anna said, adopting a mock scandalized tone. “Alone.”