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Twenty-Five
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The Duke And I Twenty-Six
London__April, 1821Cassy was nervous. In just two months, she would reach her majority. Jonathan would be in charge of his own destiny, and they would both be out from under Eastland's thumb. That was all she ever wanted, to be away from the duke's clucthes.Pacing the floor of the spacious living room on the second floor of the elegant townhouse that had belonged to their grandfather, she kept glancing out of the window again and again. The duke was expected to call on them that afternoon to arrange the final stages of his guardianship. A tight knot hung in her throat. It had been almost two years since she'd had any close contact with him, and almost three since the night he'd kissed her on the veranda of his townhouse. The burning memory of that kissed had not faded with time, nor the sharp memories of her infatuation of him.Cassy flushed slightly. She'd grown much more mature than that green girl who had gazed at him with wide eyes and the lovesick expression of a puppy. Her man
The Duke And I Twenty-Seven
If anything, Cassy noted he'd grown even more handsome in the past few years. He'd just turned thirty, the dowager duchess had said, and "none of his excesses show the slightest bit on his face, the dog!"Cassy agreed. His dark-complexioned features were still as heart-stoppingly handsome as always, and his eyes were just as vivid a green. Jonathan had told her that the duke spent several hours a week at the boxing salon, and was known to be in excellent physical shape. Though his cutaway jacket ended at his lean waist and was buttoned over his chest, it was evident that he had no use for buckram padding as some of the other gentlemen were forced to use. Inexpressible, or skin-tight trousers, showed off his superbly muscled legs to perfection, and his movements were as graceful and predatory as she remembered them. Three years had hardly changed him at all.The years had, however, changed Cassy a great deal. Henry noticed it immediately and congratulated himself on his wise decision in
The Duke And I Twenty-Eight
The memory of his last kiss came back in a rush, and Cassy knew what to expect. There would be no controlled press of the lips against hers such as Lord Robert was content to do. Eastland meant to invade her with his lips, as he had done last time.Squirming almost desperately, Cassy tried to turn her head away but it was no use. He held her fast, and his mouth covered her parted lips in a scorching kiss that made her tremble. She felt the heated satin of his tongue trying to gain entrance and determinedly clamped her lips together, knowing that to admit him entrance would be insanity. Three years had not diminished the burning memory of his last kiss.But he was just as determined as she and clamped his long fingers firmly but painlessly on her jaw, tightening his grip until her lips parted for his plundering invasion. Jolts of shock shuddered through her, and the rapid thrusts of his tongue in her mouth left her quivering with a heated tension she'd not known she could feel Somehow
The Duke And I Twenty-Nine
"She's a slut."Scandalized, Cassy said, "Aunt Adeline!" She didn't know whether to laugh or to be outraged and settled for doing neither."Well, she is," the aristocratic lady said calmly. "I don't know why you're making such a big fuss about it. I'm much more interested in what transpired between you and Eastland. He was in the devil of a temper when he arrived at my house last night, and I can tell you that I was in fear of my well being for several moments.""I doubt that," Cassy said with a faint smile. "And I'm making a fuss about Miss Whitefield because my brother is involved with her. She's an actress, and what's even worse...""She was Henry's ladybird for a time. I know.""Your grace!" Cassy gazed at the duchess with a mixture of amusement and dismay."Oh, don't mind me calling a spade a spade or a slut a slut, and between you and I, there should be none of that ridiculous beating around the bush and pretending to be delicate. We aren't, neither of us. We're realists, though
The Duke And I Thirty
At that moment, Jonathan was listening furiously to his guardian, his brows a straight slash over his blue eyes."It was my experience," Henry drawled, "that Abigail was extremely expensive. Are you certain your estates can handle it, Levington?""I have enough blunt to keep her in style, and you know it," Jonathan said evenly in spite of the fury in his eyes. "I'm curious, why do you care so much who I spend my time with?""Because you're not experienced enough for a clever doxy like Abigail." Eastland met his ward's gaze with a lifted brow. "While I admit that she knows some very pretty tricks, it can cost a great deal.""I appreciate your concern," Jonathan grated, "but I'm satisfied that I can watch out for myself.""Oh, I am too. But you won't be watching out for the illustrious Miss Whitefield, and she's the one you need to be watching." Eastland said nastily. "I still hold the purse strings for the next two months, Levington. You might keep that in mind."There didn't seem much
The Duke And I Thirty-One
Lord Hartford was a devilish charmer, even at the age of six and fifty. He was roguishly handsome, slick hair pulled back so his face appeared more prominent. Aunt Adeline said the reason he did that was so his dimples would be the first things one saw when meeting him. "I don’t understand the obsession of people with a little indentation in my cheek," he said to Cassy when they were first introduced, "but I can assure you that this little, seemingly insignificant things have gotten me out of many a tight corners."Cassy smiled at him, not bothering to point out that the numerous wrinkles on his face were starting to blend into his dimples. His hair must have been thinning in the middle, which was why he made sure to cover the evidence of his imperfection diligently. The ballroom was somewhat crowded, and Cassy had pulled aunt Adeline to the side so they could silently observe the comings and goings of the ton. Lord Hartford was a famously wealthy man, and his sons William and Michea
The Duke And I Thirty-Two
"But I told you, I didn't know!" Cassy said, her anger beginning to overpower her. Jonathan towered over her, demanding answers to questions when her head ached, and her heart was hammering loudly in her chest. Adeline sat in a chair in the corner, her face stern, making Cassy wonder why everyone seemed to be against her."There's nothing for it, Henry," the duchess said after several minutes had passed. "She's been compromised by you.""Compromised?!""Why on earth did you think it would be a good idea to drag Cassandra to the porch and kiss her?" she demanded crossly. "Now Cassandra's name will be on the lips of everyone in London, from kitchen boys to scullery wenches. Everyone will know that you and your ward are having an affair.""I'm sorry to hear that," Henry said evenly, "but I would hardly call it an affair. It was just a kiss.""I'm quite sure of that. But do you think the ton will see it that way?" Adeline asked testily."I don’t care what the ton thinks," he said crossly.
The Duke And I Thirty-Three
They were married at ten o'clock in the morning. It had been a private ceremony at Eastland's insistence and had been performed in the small chapel on the county estate. Only a few servants had attended, and when Cassy turned to walk back down the aisle of the chapel, she happened to catch Sheldon's eyes. He seemed pleased, as did the others, who were all smiling, and she managed a shaky smile in return.Eastland had agreed to the ceremony of wedding breakfast but insisted that it be before tenants and servants, with the gates thrown open to allow the villagers in to partake of whole roasted sheep, oxen and cows. There was even a multitiered bridal cake on one table, intricately decorated with festoons of icing and small pink roses. A variety of foods sat heavily on long tables on the broad lawns of Eastland's country house, and the gardeners had worked feverishly to trim grasses and bushes. An archway of roses cascaded over the chairs where Cassy and Henry were to sit, along with Adel
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