Read Online The Lady and the Duke by Olivia Kelly - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Olivia Kelly
Tags: Romance
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viscount would make an appearance, given the anonymity afforded by a costume. Will intended to show him just how wrong he was to expect security in a crowd.
And if the man didn't show, surely some of his friends would. Will could at least have the satisfaction of wringing the viscount's location out of one of them.
Sending word that he would meet with his manager in the morning, Will went directly to his rooms, where his valet was busy setting up a bath. Stripping off his clothing in quick movements, he settled into the steaming water and contemplated the evening ahead.
"I will need something a bit different this evening, Overton," he spoke over his shoulder, as he vigorously rubbed the day’s dust from his body.
"What do you have in mind, Your Grace?"
Will relaxed against the cool of the porcelain, resting his neck on the lip of the tub. A flash of memory of Audrey after he had kissed her that afternoon, all flushed and pink with pleasure in the heated shade of the garden, had him shifting in the water. The faint, reddened marks of beard burn on her lovely jaw, from the growth of his afternoon shadow. Perhaps it was medieval to be pleased that he had marked her, but he was. Although he must wait to do so, he felt the drive to claim her as his before the world, so they would know her marked by him…as he had been by her.
With one accidental collision, she had turned his world upside down and inside out. None of the pieces of his life would fit together correctly again without her.
Overton stepped to the tub and began to lather Will’s face, jolting him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat, as his valet started to lower the razor.
"Do we still have that hunter's costume, the one with the bow and arrows, from Lady Morgan's summer ball four years ago?" At the man's nod, Will grunted in satisfaction. "Good. That will do."
He was not taking any chances with losing Claremont again if he found him. He would find out just what the viscount had on his sister even if he had to threaten it out of the man at arrow point. Overton merely nodded, accepting Will's request without question, and began to lower the razor again.
Will dodged to the left. "Ah, and have some flowers sent to Miss Ellis again. Red roses."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Satisfied, he sat back. Overton hesitated for a moment, but Will merely closed his eyes. Just as his valet raised the blade back to Will’s cheek, a thought occurred to him and he jolted upright again.
"Wait, I…ow. Damn." Will swiped his fingers over his face and they came away pink with the slightest smear of blood.
Overton sucked in a breath, his face pinching in distress. "Your Grace! I apologize." He snatched up a towel and pressed it to Will’s face.
Will just gave his head a rueful shake. "Not your fault. I have too much on my mind this evening." He took the towel away from his valet and patted his face a few more times until blood stopped spotting the cloth.
"There. See? No lasting damage." He sent the man a reassuring smile, and gestured the abandoned razor. "Let’s continue. I shall try not to chatter while you have a blade against my throat."
Overton drew in a deep breath and finished his task without any more interruptions. Will waited until the valet was packing the instruments away in a leather case before casually returning to the subject that had almost cost him a nose.
"I have changed my mind."
Overton paused at the door to the dressing room with an inquiring expression. Will shrugged into the crisp, white shirt that had been laid out for him while he explained.
"Red roses are not for Miss Ellis. They are too—" He searched for what he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure how to express it. "They are not right for her. She would appreciate the roses but they're not her . Send wildflowers. Wildflowers of every shape and color that can be imagined, and as many as you can manage in an hour."
He drew on his trousers and tucked in the billowing tails of his shirt. "No
And if the man didn't show, surely some of his friends would. Will could at least have the satisfaction of wringing the viscount's location out of one of them.
Sending word that he would meet with his manager in the morning, Will went directly to his rooms, where his valet was busy setting up a bath. Stripping off his clothing in quick movements, he settled into the steaming water and contemplated the evening ahead.
"I will need something a bit different this evening, Overton," he spoke over his shoulder, as he vigorously rubbed the day’s dust from his body.
"What do you have in mind, Your Grace?"
Will relaxed against the cool of the porcelain, resting his neck on the lip of the tub. A flash of memory of Audrey after he had kissed her that afternoon, all flushed and pink with pleasure in the heated shade of the garden, had him shifting in the water. The faint, reddened marks of beard burn on her lovely jaw, from the growth of his afternoon shadow. Perhaps it was medieval to be pleased that he had marked her, but he was. Although he must wait to do so, he felt the drive to claim her as his before the world, so they would know her marked by him…as he had been by her.
With one accidental collision, she had turned his world upside down and inside out. None of the pieces of his life would fit together correctly again without her.
Overton stepped to the tub and began to lather Will’s face, jolting him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat, as his valet started to lower the razor.
"Do we still have that hunter's costume, the one with the bow and arrows, from Lady Morgan's summer ball four years ago?" At the man's nod, Will grunted in satisfaction. "Good. That will do."
He was not taking any chances with losing Claremont again if he found him. He would find out just what the viscount had on his sister even if he had to threaten it out of the man at arrow point. Overton merely nodded, accepting Will's request without question, and began to lower the razor again.
Will dodged to the left. "Ah, and have some flowers sent to Miss Ellis again. Red roses."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Satisfied, he sat back. Overton hesitated for a moment, but Will merely closed his eyes. Just as his valet raised the blade back to Will’s cheek, a thought occurred to him and he jolted upright again.
"Wait, I…ow. Damn." Will swiped his fingers over his face and they came away pink with the slightest smear of blood.
Overton sucked in a breath, his face pinching in distress. "Your Grace! I apologize." He snatched up a towel and pressed it to Will’s face.
Will just gave his head a rueful shake. "Not your fault. I have too much on my mind this evening." He took the towel away from his valet and patted his face a few more times until blood stopped spotting the cloth.
"There. See? No lasting damage." He sent the man a reassuring smile, and gestured the abandoned razor. "Let’s continue. I shall try not to chatter while you have a blade against my throat."
Overton drew in a deep breath and finished his task without any more interruptions. Will waited until the valet was packing the instruments away in a leather case before casually returning to the subject that had almost cost him a nose.
"I have changed my mind."
Overton paused at the door to the dressing room with an inquiring expression. Will shrugged into the crisp, white shirt that had been laid out for him while he explained.
"Red roses are not for Miss Ellis. They are too—" He searched for what he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure how to express it. "They are not right for her. She would appreciate the roses but they're not her . Send wildflowers. Wildflowers of every shape and color that can be imagined, and as many as you can manage in an hour."
He drew on his trousers and tucked in the billowing tails of his shirt. "No
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