The marble moved.
“I hope you are not detaining a lady against her will.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” Cromby snapped in belligerence. “Lady Leeds and I just happened to run into each other.”
The duke turned to Harriet. “Is he bothering you?”
Harriet was still so shocked at the utter disregard the duke had shown Cromby that she’d momentarily drawn a blank. He didn’t even attempt to stand on ceremony.
Well, if he didn’t stand on ceremony, neither would she. “He is a bit of a bother, yes.”
Cromby puffed up in anger. “You little—”
“Cromby.”
The man clamped his mouth shut.
Harriet’s gaze darted between the two men, the undercurrent so sharp that she swore if she stayed any longer it would pierce her skin and draw blood. “Well then, Your Grace, if you will excuse me.”
The duke seemed to want to say more but thought better of it. He inclined his head, simply replying, “Of course.”
Harriet nodded before hurrying past them. Goodness! Cromby was certainly finding himself in a pickle these days.
Served the man right.
She suddenly couldn’t wait to see her husband, and any moment now, his daily flowers would arrive with a note scrawled in his hand. Anticipation filled her as she hurried home.
*
Images of hiswife’s lips, breasts, and water dripping from her collarbone caused Will to throw three consecutive punches to the same spot without thinking. He shifted on his feet but was unable to fully evade Harrison’s jab to his ribcage in response.
The hit brought him back to the present.
“You are distracted.” A right fist swung to Will’s face, but he nimbly dodged the blow this time.
Of course he was. He woke up hard as steel from a damn near lethal dream of his wife in a bathtub. Just the memory of it stirred a reaction below. The only way to relieve the tension was to punch something.
“He has woman troubles,” Calstone said from where he stood leaning against the wall.
Harrison, his private boxing instructor, raised his brows. “So that’s why. You’re venting.”
Will scowled at them. “This is my weekly practice match.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re not practicing.” Harrison motioned for Will to come at him. “You’re venting.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of,” Calstone piped up.
“Shut up,” Will growled, swinging his arm with more force than he intended and barely hitting his mark.
Harrison grunted, retaliating with a left punch. Will ducked and stepped around him, dancing three steps to the side. And he did not have woman troubles—he had a woman. She had wiles, andthatwas troubling.
“What exactly are these troubles?” Harrison asked. “Didn’t you marry the woman of your dreams?”
Calstone laughed. “Not before the lady nearly ran off to the Americas. We caught her back. Now his little wife has him chasing his own tail.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s hard to woo a wife.”
“Seems like a woman I’d like to meet.”
“Calstone,” Will growled. “Why don’t you take Harrison’s place?”
