A friend had kissed her hand once. She was fourteen then, and she liked him too, so the day he left she’d felt brave and gave it back to him with a peck on his cheek. Perhaps it was because those emotions had long faded away, but Elena did not think those demonstrations of affection had made her feel as agitated as she was feeling at that moment. The Duke greeted her by taking her hand to his lips, (they lingered on her fingers for longer than necessary, teasingly). Elena was sure he did not say good morning this way to every lady, it was his attempt to charm her, to test her. Did he want her to like him? His offer was good enough, but one thing he’d certainly not mentioned was affection. (Not that she expected it, because it’d be absurd for a noble to think about love when it came to marriage. Some were lucky to
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