The Devil Duke Takes a Bride (5 page)
Read The Devil Duke Takes a Bride Online
Authors: Rachel Van Dyken
Not one of his finer moments.
She didn’t even fight him.
Which, according to his drunken haze, told him she desired him as much as he desired her, which according to his calculations
,
also meant she would be receptive to his kiss.
She wasn’t.
Instead, she pushed against his chest and kicked until, with a curse, he pulled away.
“What the devil was that for?”
“You pompous, arrogant, son of a—”
His hand covered her mouth before she made a fool of herself by insulting a peer of the realm, one that ranked higher than her, if only by a tiny hair.
“Cease from speaking, you insulting wench.” Well, he could have said that better. He blamed the whiskey, and those two wretched twins. What were their names again? Anthony and Ambrose, something? Why the devil did they keep pouring that whiskey? Terrible idea to begin with. He needed a clear mind, not one mud
d
led with alcohol.
He shook his head.
Katherine slapped him, offering her assistance no doubt.
“Well
,
that was helpful, my thanks.” He scowled and touched his cheek where he carried a painful mark of her assault.
“What the devil do you think you’re doing?” Katherine’s nostrils flared. He didn’t need to be sober to know she was upset, but he did need to be sober to be able to concentrate on her face rather than the swell of her breasts.
Blast, but she had nice breasts.
All round and…
“Benedict!” she screamed his Christian name quite loud
ly. W
hat the devil did she do that for? Had she no care for the foxed?
“Stop yelling!” he yelled.
“Why did you kidnap me like that? I’m completely and utterly ruined now
!
M
y parents are probably already announcing our engagement, elated that I left with you! Oh, this is so horrible!” She sat back against the cushions and punched the seat with her hand.
“Yes well, I obviously hadn’t thought that through very well,” he admitted touching a hand yet again to his throbbing face.
“You don’t say?” she mocked.
“Now see here.” His head felt much clearer when he was enraged, funny that. “We will marry and that is that.”
“Hours ago, you wanted to murder me, and now you want to marry me?”
“Yes, well no, I’m not sure.”
“I feel so desired, la
,
I’m going to be a puddle at your feet if you keep speaking to me with such delicate words and phrases.”
“You don’t want to marry me,” he stated boldly
.
“You’ve told your parents and my aunt, though you grudgingly admitted to allowing me two weeks to court you.”
“I thought it a kindness.” She smiled sweetly.
Minx.
“No
,
you thought to inflict more torture on my person. But not again, I will not be ruined and then jilted out of a proposal.”
“Pardon?” She leaned forward.
“You heard me, I was quite ruined tonight.”
“What?”
“Ah
,
so she lacks intelligence as well as hearing?” Benedict grinned at his brilliance. “You ruined me, not the other way around. It was you on top of me, and you who clumsily fell into my carriage
;
all it would take is one word from me to your family and you’d be stuck with me.”
Katherine folded her arms across her chest, giving him another lovely view he wouldn’t mind staring at for the remainder of the evening. “Smarter when you’re foxed
,
hmm?”
His eyes darted back up to her face
.
H
e really needed to stop getting so distracted. “I’m always smarter, and don’t you forget it. The way I see things is you have no choice but to marry me
.
B
ut never fear
.
I will allow you to earn the right to choose and court me as you see fit.”
“Me?” Katherine laughed. “Court you? A man? How much whiskey did you consume?”
Not near enough, not near enough. Blazes, her smile was beautiful. Why was it so blasted hot in that carriage? He cleared his throat. “I’ll call upon you tomorrow and you may court me as you see fit.”
“Or else?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“Or else I’ll ruin you even more than you’re ruined at this very moment. You won’t be accepted anywhere, and my slip of a cousin will be sorry he ever danced with you.
A defeated look washed across her features as her eyebrows drew together and her mouth gaped open. “I know what you’re doing.”
He sure hoped not.
“You, you!” She pointed at him and pounded the cushion again. Poor, sad, little cushion seat. “You mean to make it look like it’s my fault when the engagement doesn’t work! You mean to salvage your pride, you hateful man!”
He sneered. “But of course, it works for the both of us. Your parents see that you truly tried to make it work, you put forth such a gallant effort
.
A
nd in the end, when it still isn’t enough to win over the most infamous duke of the
ton
, they’ll nurse your broken heart, and you will be free to do whatever you like.”
“But—” She chewed her lower lip. What he wouldn’t give to be that lip.
Water
,
h
e needed some sort of water to get rid of his foxed state
.
H
e was starting to feel… sentimental. “But, I’ll still be ruined, won’t I?”
“Of course.” He grinned. What did he care if she was ruined? He already planned on ruining her, ravishing her
,
and then leaving. That was to be her punishment for all the torture she’d put him through, and she was more than deserving. He would enjoy every single second.
She took a deep breath and cursed, quite impressively for a young lady.
“You’re the devil,” she said.
“So I’ve been told, love. So I’ve been told.” He picked up her hand though she tried to keep it at her side, and bestowed a kiss across her knuckles. “And always at your service, should you need to make another deal with the devil.” With a wink, he pulled back, chuckling.
Seven
A Deal is Made
Katherine narrowed her eyes at the man. Surely he was the devil himself! The injustice of it all. By all appearances it would look
—
well, it would look like she was besotted with the man, and then when it would be time for them to announce their betrothal, there would be no betrothal to announce. Her parents would be livid, she would still be utterly ruined, and Benedict would get away scot free, Devil Duke reputation
intact
,
and if anything
,
even more famous throughout the
ton
!
But worse of all, her heart dropped as her mind played the truth over and over again in her head. The Duke of Paisley would be out of reach, for even if he wasn’t already betrothed to Lady Anastasia, what would
h
e possibly want with a ruined girl?
So, it was in that moment, when she looked at the choices laid out before her, that she became selfish and impulsive. If no one was to have her, if love would never be her destiny
,
p
erhaps she could make the duke
'
s life a living, waking nightmare. For it was his fault that this was all coming to pass.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked, grinning and leaning forward to receive a kiss
,
no doubt.
“Oh, because.” She gave him her most coy look and blinked her eyes, resting them finally on his lips as her eyelashes fluttered. She looked back up, into his piercing gaze.
Eyes dilated, his gaze was ravenous, dark, sensual. She gulped and leaned forward. His lips met hers in a frenzy
.
S
he reciprocated, allowing herself one moment of weakness before biting his bottom lip, hoping she would draw blood.
The duke cursed. “What the devil was that for?”
“Ruining my happiness, that’s what. Good day, your grace, it seems we have two weeks to
become acquainted
. Get your beauty rest, for you’ll need it.”
He cursed again as the carriage came to a halt in front of her house. “Oh
,
and Banbury?” She stepped out of the carriage and turned. “Consider yourself warned. I never back down without a fight.”
“Been nearly killed thrice to prove that very true statement,” he muttered begrudgingly.
“Exactly.” She winked and walked into the house.
Not one to throw any sort of tantrums, Katherine stomped up the stairs and quietly closed her bedroom door, all the while forcing her mind to forget the feel of the devil’s lips as
t
he
y
caressed her own.
Why was he nicknamed the
D
evil
D
uke anyway? Granted, he leaned toward rakish tendencies and did have a slight obsession with horse racing, but didn’t all fashionable young gentleman?
The way things looked tonight, the men of London were drinking whiskey as if it was going out of style and slapping one another on the back as if being a man was such a brilliant privilege that they needed to keep congratulating one another on their sex.
Katherine knew she needed to get her rest, for tomorrow would be the most trying day of all. For at dawn, she had to begin courting the devil himself and every able
-
minded person in London would sit back and watch the entertainments, for she would be the first woman to ever gain a proposal from the duke.
****
Knock,
k
nock,
k
nock
.
Benedict lifted his pounding head, rising slowly from the warmth of his bed. The knocks began anew.
He cursed.
“I know you’re in there!” the voice boomed.
Agatha.
Well, now it was final. She was singlehandedly trying to kill him. Had she no respect for the inebriated and half dead? He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes just as the door burst open. Agatha entered with his irritated valet
,
Percy
,
in tow.
“How could you?” she screamed again affirming his earlier assumption that she was planning his demise.
“How could I
,
what?”
“Be such a man!”
He wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or horrified that his aunt had accused him of such. He looked down to make sure at least half of his body was covered and sighed in relief that he was.
“Did you want me to be a woman?”
Percy coughed.
Agatha narrowed
her
gaze. “Your very presence irritates me.”
Benedict sighed. “So it seems. I take it this is the reason for your intrusion? My offensive sex and irritating presence. Pray, if I offend you so, why don’t you simply leave?”
She snorted and stomped her heel onto Percy’s foot.
Eyes wide, Percy clenched his teeth and slowly lifted his eyes heavenward.
God does not hear our pleas my friend, believe me
,
I’ve tried
, Benedict thought.
“You are not listening to me!” Agatha yelled.
Any louder and his head might explode. Then again, if he died he wouldn’t have to listen to Agatha screech anymore.
“Apologies, you were saying something about irritation and my offending sex?”
“You’ve made a horrible mess of everything! Do you even know what people are saying? It’s all over the gossip rags. Oh, heavens. You’ve done some terrible things, Benedict, but this truly takes the cake!” She thrust a paper in his face and lifted a handkerchief to her eyes.
Benedict took the paper and scowled.
It was Mrs. Peabody’s blasted gossip rag. Everyone read it. He would be lying if he said this was his first offense, the chit clearly had it out for him. With an exaggerated sigh, he read the words:
This should come
as
no shock to the rest of you
.
T
his author, however
,
was utterly appalled. To think! The Devil Duke ruining an innocent, and at the
h
oliday
’
s first ball! Shamefully, I was beginning to think rumors of this dark duke
’
s demeanor were merely exaggerated. Now I believe we can all see firsthand what type of man he is.
For a man who not only ruins a woman in front of his own flesh and blood, but has the audacity to capture her and enclose her within the confines of his carriage
sans chaperone
, can only be one thing. A devil in disguise. This author only hopes that the
matri
arch of that particular family
will
do something before the devil does more damage.
La, I have it on good authority that it would take the fires of
h
ell licking at his heels before the duke would say yes to an engagement. In case you were keeping track
,
dear readers, this brings a grand total of ten ruined debutantes over the course of three years. This author shudders to think of the disgrace heaped on both families. Well
,
it is positively not done! If he is given more invitations for the
h
olidays, this author may eat her quill!
—Mrs. Peabody’s Society Papers
Benedict laughed, amused that the lady would accuse him so hotly of something that was truly not even his fault.
She
accosted him.
She
fell on him.
She
leaned in and kissed him.
Fine, so the last part was slightly exaggerated, but still, she was just as guilty. No woman should have such soft lips.
“What will you do?” Agatha asked, arms crossed.
By the look in her eyes he knew he had one of two choices. Laugh it off and kick her out of his home with a hearty farewell or make her privy to his true intentions. After all, he did have some pride to salvage. To think, a woman denying him
…
and a spinster no less!
“I’m so pleased you’ve asked, and to think I was just readying myself to come over to your house and tell you of my plans.”
Agatha rolled her eyes. “Which is why you were still sleeping when I knocked on the door.”
“I was merely meditating on the sweet words I would utter to my beloved.”
It was Percy’s turn to snort, and Agatha coughed behind her hand.
“Besides,” Benedict added with a stretch
,
“To say what happened against my door was a knock would be a terrible injustice. It was more of a bang, or something akin to a cannon exploding in my bedchamber. Now if you will be so kind as to excuse me, I have a call to make.”
With determination, he offered a smile.
He wasn’t sure if it was the smile or the speech, but his aunt promptly fainted.
Three hours later, after an ungodly amount of smelling salts, tea, and instances when he saw his
a
unt
'
s ankles, she was packed into a carriage and sent home.
“Do you think she was feigning illness?” Baldwyn said beside him. Apparently Benedict hadn’t been the only one to be roused from his sleep in the early morning. I
n
fact
,
Baldwyn
had smartly chosen to break his fast at Benedict’s home while Agatha stormed into Benedict’s rooms to scold him.
Baldwyn had it easy, however
.
H
e simply needed to speak to the girl’s father and all would be done.
Benedict had to fight.
But he was used to winning.
And how difficult could it be to win a spinster’s heart?