Read Online The Duke Conspiracy by Astraea Press - Free Book Online

to contend with.
    Heaving a slight sigh, Rose made herself stop
fidgeting and look him in the eye. It did not settle her nerves in
the least as she discovered the remarkable color did strange things
to her equilibrium. Ignoring her own reactions, Rose forced her
reluctant tongue into speech.
    “Thank you for coming, Your Grace,” she began
stiffly. “Especially at this hour. I thought it best for us to meet
when we were the least likely to run into anyone who would run to
tell tales.”
    “So I take that to mean your parents do not
know you are meeting up with me.” Alex paused but could not resist
prodding her further. “Do you make it a habit to meet men in
strange places?”
    “Burlington House is not a strange place,”
she defended with a huff. “And no, I do not make it a habit of
arranging meetings with men.” Glaring at him, she turned on the
offensive. “You should know I asked you to meet me here for your
own sake, not mine. Do you not realize that I have everything to
lose by arranging to speak with you and absolutely nothing to
gain?”
    “Well, I am considered quite a catch.” Rose
could see that Alex was prodding her just to see her reaction but
she could not seem to resist it.
    Rose crossed her arms, tapping her foot and
keeping the full force of her glare turned upon him. “Not by me,”
she declared. Simmering down slightly she continued, “But that is
actually why I asked you to meet me.”
    It seemed as though Alex was not quite ready
to hear her reasons, he changed the subject. “I was merely teasing
when I said your skills have not altered. Those sketches actually
looked fairly decent. Have you been practicing?”
    Startled by the change of subject, Rose
blushed once more over his compliments. “I have had a lot of time
on my hands,” she answered simply. “Sadly, I am still not that
good, but I have been enjoying coming here since we have been in
London.” She looked to the statue she had been trying to sketch. “I
find the lines so fascinating, but so hard to replicate on
paper.”
    Alex followed her gaze and they looked around
the room. “I must admit, I have yet to take the time to view these
marbles of Elgin's. Do you enjoy them?”
    “Oh, very much so,” Rose enthused. “The
artists did such a magnificent job of depicting the expressions and
the musculature. I am amazed by the intricate details. They are a
marvel, and I am so grateful that the Duke of Devonshire has so
graciously made them available for people to enjoy. It is one of
the few places my mother allows me to go on my own.”
    “You are unaccompanied?” Alex' incredulity
brought a blush to Rose's cheeks.
    “Well, of course my maid is about somewhere,”
Rose excused with a vague wave behind her. After an awkward moment,
she returned to the purpose of her visit. “Thank you again for
coming. I was not certain if you would. I know this cannot be
comfortable for you.”
    “Curiosity would not allow me to keep away.
You have not acknowledged my existence for more than two years, and
then I received an urgent request to meet you here. So here I
am.”
    “I was not even certain if you had received
my note, as I could not ask you to acknowledge it. My parents would
never have allowed me out of the house if they had any inkling I
was going to be meeting up with you.”
    Rose was embarrassed over the boldness of
that admission, but it was necessary, so she ignored it as best she
could and plunged further into her explanation.
    “I overheard a conversation while I was at
the Yorkleigh musicale that I felt you needed to hear about.”
    “Have you taken to eavesdropping, my dear?”
he asked, teasing her once more.
    Rose knew her face was practically on fire
now, but she ignored that as well as his comment. “They were
discussing how best to entrap you into marriage,” she blurted
out.
    This finally brought the duke's sober
attention to her face. Rose forced herself to meet his gaze as he
searched her face before he