Valerie’s cheeks burned at the delicious memory, her stomach fluttering wildly.
“I thought we might journey back in the carriage together,” he continued. “If you are all finished here for now.”
“No!” she gasped, her hand flying to her chest in a vain attempt to steady her breathing. “I mean… I amnotfinished here.”
“Did you not just say that you were?”
She swallowed loudly. “I am finishedhere, but my duties are not done.” Her voice faltered as her mind struggled to catch up with the ruse, unable to improvise a reason to linger fast enough. “I… I… I must invite the town!”
“Pardon?” Adrian said.
Even without looking at his face, she could picture his frown. One of his softer ones. Bemused, perhaps.
“I thought it might be the decent thing to do, to go from house to house, inviting everyone personally to the party,” she explained.
Despite having just thought of it, itdidseem like a rather upright and respectable thing to do. The townsfolk did not know her and they were naturally wary of the duke who had spent the past decade as a relative hermit in his castle, among his ghosts. What better way to reassure them and get them to look forward to the party than to offer heartfelt invitations?
“Valerie, I think half the town have already been in and out of this hall these past few days,” Adrian pointed out.
“Ah, but half is not all,” she countered, as she slowly turned.
He was far closer than her senses had guessed. No more than a few steps away, so tall and relentlessly handsome, those blue eyes glittering with plans that did not involve traipsing around an entire town with her. Or, perhaps, she was just projecting her own thoughts onto him.
Everyone will know to attend already—news does not travel slowly in a town such as this. I suppose I could…
“It is essential for the children,” she blurted out. “The townsfolk may know about the party, but they might not know that it is in aid of the orphanage. Moreover, they may not know that they, specifically, are invited. There was no time to write actual invitations, and some may not be able to read, so… yes, I must go from house to house. That was always the plan.”
Adrian raised an eyebrow. “You did not mention that to me.”
“Because you might have stayed at the castle today if I had,” she said, unable to resist a small smile.
You would, now that I think of it.
“I did not agree to accompany you,” he insisted, subtly taking a half step back as if that would be enough to help him avoid involvement.
She smiled wider. “ButIknow that you would not allow me to wander around an unfamiliar town by myself, especially with the streets so icy and thoseterribleclouds in the sky. I would not be surprised if we had snow by three o’clock.”
His eyes narrowed as if he did not appreciate the jest, but the twitch of a smirk at the corner of his mouth suggested otherwise. Every morning they had set off from Blackwall Castle, he had shared the same concerns that the weather might prevent their return. Every evening, when they returned, he repeated,“Well, I am certain it shall snow overnight.”
As of yet, it had not.
Emboldened by the fact that she had almost coaxed a real smile out of him, she bounded the short distance between them and weaved her arm through his.
“Put on your friendliest face,” she commanded, “and let us see to it that the entire town learns that their duke is not, in fact, a character in one of Hetty’s ghost stories but a very real, very pleasant gentleman.”
He bent his head closer to hers, murmuring, “I thought you said I was no gentleman?”
“I… well… what?” she coughed, a fever of bashfulness rushing through her until she would not have been surprised if she could have fried an egg upon her skin. “I do not recall saying anything of the sort. You are a duke; of course you are a gentleman. Society says so.”
Adrian shook his head, that tiny twitch of amusement becoming a full, darkly entertained smirk. “‘No gentleman could have done that.’ Your words. Verbatim.” He gently swept back a lock of hair that had come loose from her bonnet, tucking it around the shell of her ear, his thumb accidentally—or perhaps deliberately—brushing her cheek. “Remind me, what was I doing to earn such a remark? Or shallIremindyou?”
“I am afraid I do not know what you mean,” she replied, and nudged her elbow into his ribs.
He did not flinch or seem to notice, the hunger in his eyes making her contemplate just how alone they truly were. With the town hall prepared for its guests, would anyone drop by announced? Would it thwart everything she had done if someone happened to wander in while she stole a kiss from Adrian’s lips… or more?
You are not a feral beast, Valerie. Restrain yourself.
Following her mind’s sage lead, she straightened her posture and leveled what she hoped was a cool look at the duke. “Iam going to deliver invitations. You cannot escape joining me by… teasing me with… um… distractions.”
