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Thirty-Five
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The Duke And I Thirty-Six
"When do you intend to let her out of your bed?" Adeline demanded testily, fixing her nephew with an irritable glare when he appeared downstairs for breakfast alone. "No one has seen Cassandra in two days!"Lifting his dark brow in a mocking gesture, Henry looked coolly at his aunt. "I thought you were anxious for an heir, aunt Adeline. I don't know of another way to provide one for you.""Henry!" He was still angry, she could see that, and Adeline hesitated before asking cautiously, "Is she...all right?""If you mean have I given her the beating she so richly deserves, then no. But if you mean, have I hurt her, it's almost impossible for a virgin not to experience some pain in the first time," he said so bluntly the duchess coloured like a schoolgirl before she recovered her composure."Yes," she said stiffly, hoping to shock him into realizing how cruel he sounded, "we all heard her scream after you took her upstairs."Her words only amused Henry, and he shrugged. "I suppose that's n
The Duke And I Thirty-Seven
She left the house and went into the sunshine, not even stopping to grab a parasol to shade her face. Freckles would probably take over her face one day, she thought ruefully, but she was in so much of a hurry to stop. The stables were some distance from the house, and he might be gone by the time she arrived.For some reason, she wanted to see Henry again; to hear the deep, rich sound of his voice, and see the way his jade eyes rested on her with an aloof expression. One day, she mused, she would banish the aloofness from his gaze and he would tell her that he loved her.Cassy found Henry talking to Smith, who had become the head groom. As she approached, Henry half-turned, his brow lifting. He excused himself and walked toward her with a lazy stride that made her heart catch."Your grace," she murmured almost shyly, aware of the interested gazes in their direction. "I thought I might see if you were in the mood for a picnic."She'd had no idea what excuse she would use for looking fo
The Duke And I Thirty-Eight
Her riding skirts were much bulkier than her usual outfits, and Cassy found it hard to keep up with Henry's long stride. When they reached the top of the hill, she was breathing hard and sat down on the surface of flat rock to catch her breath. Henry had been right, it was a beautiful spot, with the loud splashing of water cascading over the rocks and down into a natural pool.Moved by impulse, she began to remove her shoes and stockings, flashing him an impish glance when he raised an eyebrow at her. "My feet are hot," she explained, and tiptoed to the water and perched at the edge, sticking first one, then the other foot into the icy depths, much like she used to do at the lake. Eastland said nothing but watched her with a lazy indulgence as she splashed her feet in the water and sucked in her breath at its chill. When she invited him to join her, he just shook his head, his gaze resting on her bare legs as she hitched her skirts up to her knees. Shapely calves and flashes of ivory
The Duke And I Thirty_Nine
"Why do you have to go to London?" Lifting her skirts in one hand, Cassy skimmed down the steps in front of Eastland hall to cling fiercely to Henry, surprising him. His arms closed around her in a reflexive embrace, and she snuggled up against him."Sandra," he said against her ear, half embarrassed, reluctantly pleased by her artless gesture, "you know why.""No, I don't," she insisted, her voice muffled by his greatcoat. "Can't they do without you awhile longer? I mean, parliament has managed this long, and it's not as if there's about to be a war or something."An amused smile curled his lips, and Eastland's head lifted, his gaze meeting that of Sheldon, who politely looked away. There was a somewhat puzzled expression in his jade eyes when he said dryly, "I know, but I have to show up on occasion in order to keep my seat in the house.""But we've only been married for two weeks," she muttered into his coat, "and you're always busy doing something for one of the estates, or checkin
The Duke And I Forty
Cassy waited anxiously for cards to be presented that would announce the identity of her guests and hoped that it was someone she liked. Lilian had promised to visit in her letter. She liked Lilian. Out of the dozens of young women she'd met in London, she was the only one who did not affect arrogant manners and snobbish ways. They had become friends for a time until Lilian had made a match and gone off with her new husband to tour America.But to Cassy's dismay, it was Robert. And he had brought along Zack, much to her surprise and vague uneasiness. Somehow, she knew that Henry would not be pleased to know that the viscount had been to his home in his absence."Henry is in London?" Robert asked with a slight lift of his brows. "How unfortunate. I had thought to find him at home. Well, I can present you with my felicitations, and perhaps have some of the Duke's excellent brandy. Oh, you do recall the duke's cousin, I am sure..."He seemed to expect Cassy to allow him to linger and she
The Duke And I Forty-One
"Are you certain you want to do that?" Adeline asked with an alarm in her eyes. "I think it ill-advised, at best."Pacing the floor of the rose drawing room in the dowager's home in London, Cassy snapped angrily, "Oh, I don't know. I'm not certain what I should do. I'd like to pull her hair out, or...or something equally vicious. But I suppose that would be rather drastic.""Going to Miss Whitefield's home is definitely not the thing, I would say." Adeline's voice held a sharp edge to it despite her amusement, and she gazed for a long moment at Cassy's high, flushed face and snapping blue eyes. "Besides, you're not even sure that the gossip is true."Turning to the Dowager, Cassy asked hopefully, "Have you heard anything?"Adeline shifted uneasily, then sighed and said in a grudging lone, "A little. But not, it seems, as much as you have. I haven't heard about Rebecca, for instance."Her shoulders stiffened, and her hands curled into small fists. "Then you have heard that he's keeping
The Duke And I Forty-Two
But waiting for Henry in his big canopied bed in the townhouse on park place, Cassy began to wonder if she had the same flair for "sensible choice" as Adeline obviously had. It didn't come easily to her. She wanted to fling her anger at him and tell him what she thought of him for seeing his actress again, then threaten to shoot him if he went to her again. Then she wanted him to take her in his arms and kiss her until she could think of nothing but his hard body and heated kisses.Hugging her knees, she sat up in the bed and watched as low light from candles placed on the mantel shed waving patterns on the deep green walls. She was wearing her prettiest nightgown, sewn of sheer material and caught up on her shoulders with a rosette on each side, then flowing down in a greek fashion, to swirl around her feet. In the light, a person could see right through it. What would Henry do when he saw her? Would he be pleased? Irritated? Surprised?When she finally heard his heavy tread in the ha
The Duke And I Fourty-Three
"You don't look very happy," Lady Theresa said bluntly, and Cassy shrugged."I am. Or at least, I was when we were in the country," she amended honestly."I don't think London is very conducive to happy marriages some of the time," Theresa said. Her pertface was thoughtful, and her blond curls danced merrily as she came to sit on the couch close to Cassy. "I understand Robert is a gossipy fool. And I happen to know that you and Zack did nothing out of the way." She smiled at Cassy's surprise. "Men can be foolish, don't you think?""No more foolish than women at times," Cassy muttered. "I should never have allowed them to stay without Henry at home." Or have allowed myself to fall in love with a man who has lost the capacity for emotions..."Nonsense!" Theresa said strongly. "There's nothing at all wrong with entertaining visitors, and it's not as if you received Zack alone in your bedroom!"A reluctant smile curved her lips, and Cassy managed a light shrug. "No, I suppose there isn't."
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