Tamed by her Duke (Seductive Mysteries #4)

Chapter 3

A fter splashing some cool water on her face to ease her nerves, Jenny made her way back into the ballroom. She found Lady Staunton standing by the entrance.

"Miss Bennett! I just saw the Duke and Duchess—their carriage just pulled away. It seems as though they couldn't wait to leave."

Jenny smiled. "Yes. They were both anxious to get home to Simon."

Lady Staunton shook her head in disbelief. "I remember when you and your brother first joined Society. It has been like night and day with him. He definitely found a good match in her."

Jenny's smile grew wider. "He certainly did."

A gentle cough came from her right.

"Oh!" Lady Staunton exclaimed. "My apologies, Lord Rifly. Miss Bennett, may I introduce Lord Rifly. He is the son of a distant cousin of mine. Lord Rifly, this is Miss Jenny Bennett, sister of the Duke of Pilton."

"Ah yes, lovely couple. Lady Staunton was filling me in on your rise in Society."

Jenny narrowed her eyes at his insinuation. It wasn't a secret that she and her brother came from a common background, but he claimed the duchy legitimately, through a distant relation, not by some scheme. Nonetheless, she plastered on the smile that she and Frances worked tirelessly to perfect and curtsied.

"It is true—the past few years have been a whirlwind, but one I am most grateful for."

Lord Rifly barked out a laugh. "I would think so! To think the Duke was a shopkeeper."

Jenny couldn't be positive, but it looked like the man shivered at the thought of an honest day's work. She quickly remembered why she sought a respite in the library.

The library.

Her heart began to race as memories of long gazes and a warm breath flooded her mind. The room around her seemed to fall away, colors faded to just black with slices of white, just like those that blanketed the library. Her skin prickled at the memory of his breath tickling her ear.

" Miss Bennett? "

Lord Rifly's nasally voice cut through her reverie. She almost reached out to slap him. She was enjoying her moment.

"Yes? I'm sorry. The night is getting long, and I think I shall retire. Lady Staunton, would you be able to call for a carriage to take me home?"

"Surely you can last one more dance?" Lady Staunton urged as she, not so subtly, pushed Lord Rifly towards Jenny.

"Uh, yes, Miss Bennett, it would be my pleasure if I could have this next dance." His eyes darted between her and Lady Staunton.

Jenny groaned inwardly.

Does no one say what they want to say anymore?

Lord Rifly clearly did not want to ask her to dance—probably because of her humble beginnings.

But with Lady Staunton's eyes boring into hers, and since she was a hospitable host, Jenny found herself accepting his hand. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had trouble speaking his mind in front of Lady Staunton.

The dance went slightly better than her previous one. He managed to step on her dress only once, and her feet were spared.

When the music ended, she took a step back to curtsy.

"Thank you for th—" When she looked up, Lord Rifly was gone.

Well then.

Jenny didn't have the care to feel embarrassed or bereft at being left on the dance floor. If anything, she felt a sense of relief. She hiked up her skirt and stepped off the dance floor to find Lady Staunton and call for the carriage.

A body blocked her way to the door. A tall body, a familiar body. She looked up into sea-green eyes whose depths she could easily fall into.

Him.

She knew on instinct that it was the mysterious stranger from the library. It's true that she barely saw his features or the true color of his eyes, but she knew it was him from the way her body reacted to his proximity.

"May I have this dance?"

Just five words that ignited a fire deep in her core.

Her body froze in shock. No conscious thought moved in her mind. It took her several seconds to realize he had asked her a question.

"You may."

It wasn't until he started to move that she realized she said that out loud.

The stranger wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in. She could hear faint warning bells going off in her head and a voice that sounded like Frances's telling her that it was highly inappropriate for him to hold her in such a manner, especially before the dance even started. However, she couldn't find it in herself to care.

For a moment, all he did was look into her eyes. He didn't move her to their starting position or ask her about her evening. Nothing. He just looked at her while his blazing hot arm seared its silhouette into her lower back.

Is he going to say something? Should I say something?

The more he stared at her, unmoving, the more her mind reeled with possibilities.

" Are we going to stand here like this, or are we going to dance?"

The corner of his lips quirked up into a sly grin. His eyes danced with mischief that had her questioning whether accepting the dance was the right thing to do.

"We'll dance, of course."

His voice was even and gave no hint of his true emotions. Surely he had to be affected by her as she was by him. At least she hoped he was.

Yet, he did not move.

Jenny glanced around the dance floor. No one was looking at them yet, but soon it was going to be blatantly obvious that they were the only two not moving.

"Sir, I don't know where you come from, but here, when we dance, we actually mo— oh! "

The man tightened his grip around her waist and began to twirl her around in perfect rhythm with the rest of the dancers. Jenny stumbled to keep up, but once she found her footing, she was pleasantly surprised with his dancing ability.

"You seem shocked." He didn't seem offended. In fact, he spoke as if he was talking about the weather. Completely unaffected.

"Well, if I'm being honest?—"

"As you should always be," he interjected.

"I have no idea who you are. We had a…" Jenny looked around to make sure no one could overhear her.

"No need to worry about others. From my experience, they are too worried about their own dance steps to waste a single brain cell on what other people are doing, let alone what they're saying while dancing."

Jenny chuckled. "Have you been absent from the ton recently? Perhaps you have hit your head? This is the prime time to catch up on the latest gossip. Everyone is watching and listening."

"And you worry about your place in the ton so much that you cause yourself stress by making sure everything about you is prim and proper. Sounds very calculating to me."

Jenny gasped. "I assure you, if you don't protect yourself with some sense of decorum, true or not, this place will eat you alive."

The man said nothing but shrugged. His ability to shrug off the conversation was irritating.

"Do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Shrug off conversations? You did it in the lib—" She looked around, dipping her head to whisper, "In the library , and you just did it now."

The man looked down at her and pursed his lips in thought. "I see no reason to continue a conversation if I have nothing of note to add. I surmise most people talk to fill in the silence—I do not. Do you?"

Jenny could feel the beginnings of a headache between her temples. Smooth voice or not, this man was intolerable and willingly played with her emotions. He had to be aware of how insufferable he was.

"Now who's dropping the conversation?" he added with a smirk.

Jenny huffed out a breath. She tried to look away, but his body was so bloody big it blocked her entire line of sight.

He wasn't bulky, but tall with lean muscles—not that she was noticing. Regardless, she could only fix her eyes on the buttons of his shirt.

"Tell me, kitten, why did you accept my offer to dance?"

Kitten. Why did that nickname cause her stomach to flip in a devilish way?

She sighed—she might as well answer him. "Because you asked."

A dark eyebrow rose at her response. "So, if I were to ask you to return to the library with me, you would have said yes?"

Jenny's mouth fell open, and she pulled away from him, quickly taking note of those around her. "Hush before someone hears you!"

Once she was satisfied no one heard his remark, she stepped back into his arms to resume the dance.

"What makes you think I am that kind of woman?" she asked incredulously.

She thought back to their time in the library.

Was there anything I specifically said that would make him believe that?

Her throat went dry, and she could feel sweat begin to bead on her forehead.

"The fact that you accepted the dance only because I asked."

Horrified, Jenny tried to pull away, but his arm was like a vice around her waist.

"I assure you I would not go back into that room with you… ever ."

How dare he think her a light skirt because she happened upon him in a library. By accident, mind you.

"So, it is not because you are at the mercy of men and just do as you are told? That's good."

Jenny gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean by that?"

The man lifted a shoulder in one of his annoying shrugs. "Just that in my experience, when a handsome man asks a woman to do something, they usually do it with little to no question."

Jenny snorted. "I see you're humble as well as a great conversationist. The list of your qualities grows by the minute."

The man brushed off her insult. "It's prudent to know one's worth. Never let someone else decide your worth, kitten. I know I am handsome, as I know you are beautiful. I'm just stating facts."

He was making her dizzy. She no longer knew if she wanted to slap him or kiss him.

"And, for the record, I didn't take you as that kind of woman. A naive woman, yes. But not a trollop."

Jenny's eyes widened. While she appreciated not being compared to a trollop, being called naive was as much an insult to her. Why? Heavens knew, but it rankled her.

"Naive? I am not naive, Sir." She pouted.

Once again, that dark blonde eyebrow rose, causing her to groan.

"I'm sorry, kitten, but na?veté is written all over your fair skin. Your complexion, although quite fair, is not known for hiding secrets."

Jenny felt the warmth of his words wash over her, no doubt leaving her cheeks pink under his gaze.

"Must you talk like that?" The words were no louder than a whisper.

"Like what?" he teased.

"Say those things about my skin, my… um, my?—"

"Beauty," he supplied.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Yes, that. You talk so openly about these things. I was just told that it is not appropriate for men and women to have these conversations on the dance floor."

The man considered her warning. "Were you told you could not have these conversations, or if men and women—regardless of their station—could not have these conversations?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "Chances are, your forwardness was intimidating and therefore needed to be stopped before you unknowingly embarrassed the man. I'm assuming it was a man who told you this?"

Jenny could only blink. She felt as if the physical dance wasn't the only dance they were performing. She was finding it hard to keep up with the mental gymnastics this man was taking her through.

"What difference does it make?" she blurted out. "The point is that we shouldn't be talking about such things."

Oh, how the tables have turned. Just earlier that night, she was arguing for the ability to talk about taboo topics, and now she was preaching the opposite. Her head truly hurt. She needed to lie down.

The man's shoulder rose and fell under her hand, sending her annoyance to another level. "Will you stop doing that!"

He looked down at her with slight amusement in his eyes.

"Does nothing affect you?" she sputtered. This was exhausting. "You shrug off topics, you stop talking, you… you… you…"

"Have an effect on your speech?" He flashed beautifully white teeth that temporarily halted her tirade.

Regaining her thoughts, she spat out, "Oh, don't go thinking you have any effect on my speaking ability. If anything, you are truly intolerable and purposefully being obtuse."

The man continued the dance, letting her words hang between them. However, she seemed the only one to be upset by the turn their conversation took.

She heard a slight sigh. "I promise to behave."

"Thank you." She dipped her head in acknowledgment.

"Only if you do."

Jenny's eyes flew up his annoyingly long torso to meet his gaze. "Whatever could you possibly mean by that?!"

He pulled her in even closer, and his eyes darkened. Standing this close to him, Jenny could see faint lines around his eyes. Her fingers itched with the need to reach up and touch them.

"I mean, I'm quite sure I told you to be mindful of men and to stay away from them. And yet, here you are in my arms." He squeezed her hand.

Jenny swallowed. "We are not alone." Her breathy voice was unrecognizable to her own ears.

What power did this man have over her that she could go from indignant to flushed in a mere moment?

"Are you always this naive?" he countered.

"Stop. Calling. Me. Naive," she ground out.

The man looked around the dancing couples. "It is your goal to find a match, is it not?"

Jenny shook her head, trying to keep up with the lightning-fast change in topic. "Yes."

The man took a second to ponder her answer. "I don't think you'll find a suitable match with your current behavior."

Dumbfounded, Jenny cocked her head. "I assure you, my current behavior is based on my current company," she chided.

He studied her carefully. "No, I don't think so. I think you need someone to teach you what gentlemen are looking for, lest you be led astray by a scoundrel."

Jenny let out a rather unladylike snort. "And who should tutor me? You ?"

The man lowered his face, and his strong jaw brushed against hers. His whisper coaxed a sigh from her lips. "It would be my honor to teach you all the ways to catch a respectable suitor's eye, but it would come at a price."

Her shoulders dropped when he moved away—her body wanted more contact.

"What price?"

Alarm bells rang in her head. Did she really just ask what it would cost her for him to teach her how to get a husband?

Regardless, she refused to avert her gaze. If he wanted to challenge her, he would soon learn that he had met his match. And for once, in the entire time they had spoken to each other, he finally faltered.

He tilted his head from side to side, contemplating his options. "Let me think on a proper repayment, but I can guarantee it would be worth it for both parties."

The devil winked .

The music ended, and the couples began to disperse, leaving the two of them standing, staring at each other.

"You are not serious."

"Oh, but I am." He stepped aside to let a couple pass. "Think on it, kitten. Send word if you decide to take me up on my offer."

He turned to step off the dance floor, but she reached out to grab his arm, forgetting all about decorum.

"Wait. I don't even know who you are. How will I send word of my decision?"

Was she truly considering this?

The man turned back to her. "Did I not introduce myself, Miss Bennett?" She froze when he said her name. "Please forgive my lack of manners. My name is David Elkins, the Duke of Marlow."

With an exaggerated bow, he winked at Jenny and left her standing on the dance floor, her mouth agape.

Did he just say he was the Duke of Marlow? The one everyone is talking about? The scoundrel and the rake who preys on young maidens? The voices and music around her became muffled before she heard a ringing in her ears.

Not only was she alone with one of the most notorious rakes of the ton , but the scoundrel of a duke offered to tutor her on how to find a husband. He said he didn't think she was one of those ladies, but what if he was actually insinuating the opposite?

Jenny's head began to swim. She needed air. She needed to leave. She needed to have her head examined because, in the end, she was contemplating taking him up on his offer.