Page 14 of Project Duke

“Thank you,” said Calliope with a smile that made his heart ache.

They kept walking, and Nathaniel’s gaze returned to her. Could he trust her? Was it possible she was telling the truth? The ledger for September had lain where Nathaniel had expected it to lie.

“But that means, if you didn’t take it,” he said thoughtfully, “someone else did. The page was torn out.”

Calliope’s eyes sparkled. “See, there’s more to it,” she blurted. “Someone else must be involved in this whole thing. Before he disappeared, Spencer mentioned someone had followed him…”

Suddenly, Nathaniel very, very much disliked the idea of Lady Calliope being involved in anything where someone had followed a duke and was involved in his alleged death or press-ganging. He had no idea what her eldest brother could have done and what kind of people he could have angered to cause such actions, but whatever it was, Lady Calliope had no business getting mixed up in all this.

“Please, Kelford,” she said as she looked up at him, her blue eyes so big and bright, breathtaking against her auburn hair. “Please, help me find out if Spencer really was press-ganged and how and where he may be now.”

He swallowed hard. It was almost impossible to say no to that gorgeous face. “Your brothers should be helping you. Why are you so determined to take it on?”

“Because they wouldn’t do it as well as I could. Preston already tried but was refused.”

“So were you.”

She gave him a mischievous smile that made her look like a fox once again. “And yet, here you are.”

A growl was born low in his throat but got swallowed by the noise of the street around them. She liked to play with him, and goddamn him to hell, he loved the game. How could this petite beauty be both a scholarly bluestocking and a seductive temptress? Her gazes could be flirtatious, yet she could turn cool and assertive in an instant, never backing away from a challenge. She’d jeopardized her reputation to save her brother. Was it selflessness or sheer madness?

For the last two days and nights, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every waking moment, he remembered her face and her scent, the warmth of her body as he held her in his arms at the ball and in the office.

He’d never been obsessed with a woman.

And yet, his mind kept coming back to her. He’d even fantasized about her as he’d taken his bath and pleasured himself. Imagined those plush, pink lips on his skin. He wanted more of her. More time with her, all the troubles she may bring him be damned.

“I can help, Lady Calliope,” he said, his voice rasping. “But this seems to be a dangerous business you’re determined to involve yourself in. If one of my own sisters was so reckless, I’d lock her down and wouldn’t let her out of my sight for her own safety. Therefore, I will only help if your brothers do get involved and you step back.”

Calliope scoffed. “I can protect myself, sir. Spencer taught me boxing.”

Boxing… Something about seeing Calliope, like a warrior woman, with her fists ready to strike, shot another wave of hot desire through him.

“Are you not afraid you’d ruin your reputation? You’ve already put it in danger by going to see me alone. Any more of this, and you won’t be able to find a husband at all.”

“Not you, too. Preston is already trying to force me into marrying, but it’s the last thing I want. Unfortunately, my brothers are unlikely to leave me alone. Preston won’t back down until he sees me wed.”

A woman passed by them, laughing hard, and as her eyes met Nathaniel’s, she went silent. It was Lady Seraphina Strefford, one of his previous lovers—a widow he’d done his best to cheer up. She had rewarded him with a jewel that he was able to sell. That had gotten him and his sisters through the next five months. He hoped she did not think poorly of him now. As a widow, she had much more freedom than a young, unmarried lady like the one at his side, whose brothers were determined to find her a husband.

He understood the pressure of external forces governing one’s marital decisions. He needed a wife, and now. If he lost his fortune, his sisters would also lose their significant dowries. What a cruel thing his father had done. In his rage and disappointment in Nathaniel, he’d actually punished his own daughters more than he’d punished the son he had hated so much.

And now, not a single mama would allow her unmarried daughter to step near him. His rakish reputation was bad enough, but most mamas were willing to overlook such things when a rake possessed a fortune and had a title.

He had a title, but it was useless with his fortune being tied into an impossible will. He was in a vicious circle. He needed to marry to access his fortune, but he couldn’t marry without a fortune. And even if he told a prospective match about the will, not every woman would want a gamble. She may never be able to get pregnant, in which case, all would be lost.

He felt his shoulders sag a little. Then, like a bolt from the blue, a solution so glaringly obvious yet audacious unfurled in his mind. His gaze fixed on Calliope’s perturbed expression as she recounted her brothers’ persistent meddling. The ton avoided him because of his reputation and lack of wealth… But Lady Calliope cared for neither. Perhaps she was the singular exception in the entirety of England. She wasn’t actively husband-hunting, yet circumstances demanded she find one.

If he could propose an arrangement beneficial to both, would she consider it?

And it had nothing to do with the delicious thought of spending every day in her company…of bedding her on their wedding night…and so many other nights. After all, he’d have to try to get her with child as soon as possible.

“Lady Calliope,” he said slowly. “I will help you find out what happened to your brother. I know most people in the Admiralty, and those I don’t know, I’ll find.”

“Really?” Calliope bloomed, looking at him with the broadest grin. “You would do that? I knew you weren’t as coldhearted as you tried to appear.”

He chuckled. “I’m afraid I am exactly as I appear. I have one condition. Well, two.”

She frowned. “What conditions?” she asked, her voice cooling.