A Duke By Any Other Name by Eva Devon

Author:Eva Devon
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Eva Devon
Published: 2017-02-20T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Alexander strode through Hyde Park as the last light of day vanished, determined to prove he was not a complete bastard.

It would be no easy thing.

In fact, it had been tempting to simply stay aboard The Sparrow and flee.

But he was not the fleeing sort. He never had been and he never would.

There were simply things that Gemma didn’t know about him and never could.

And now he had to make her understand that the reasons he had avoided marrying her were myriad. So, as he headed up the pavement and turned into the large square that held one of the most magnificent townhouses in London, he braced himself for his attack on the Duke of Hunt’s home.

Attack might be the wrong word, but it certainly felt as if he were readying to do battle.

Battle with a lady.

It seemed impossible.

Lately, his life had been full of things which had usually been barred but were now, indeed, happening.

His life had been devoted to battle after battle but he’d never behaved as poorly as he had the night before.

He still couldn’t quite countenance the words that had slipped from his lips. No matter how true they seemed to him, they had been the height of stupidity.

Stupidity was not one of his failings. At least, not usually.

As he paused before the towering double doors, he reminded himself that he’d negotiated with pirates, English admirals, and the scum of the earth. Surely, he could make a deal with the sister of the Duke of Hunt.

They’d speak without the volatility of their typically passionate exchanges. And they’d come to a mutually beneficial arrangement which would include marriage.

It wasn’t what he had desired but it was what he now wanted. He could not do as he had done and look at himself in his glass every morning. Being able to look himself in the eye was imperative.

So, he grasped the brass knocker and banged it against the door.

After a moment, the door opened revealing a crusty old man, whose tufty eyebrows drew together over slightly myopic eyes. The old butler cleared his throat. “Yes?”

“Captain Duke to see Lady Gemma.”

The butler raised a white gloved hand to his mouth and coughed. “No.”

No? He fought a scowl. “I beg your pardon?”

“No,” the old man repeated, sniffing ever so slightly.

Alexander cocked his head to the side, wondering if he should just bodily move the fellow. But that was a scandal that he wasn’t quite willing to try. Yet. “That is not a satisfactory reply.”

Inclining his head ever so slightly, he replied, “The Duchess and Lady Gemma have both given instructions that you are not to be admitted unless you have business with the duke.”

Alexander blinked and couldn’t quite find an answer.

“Do you have business with the duke,” the butler challenged with surprisingly little vocal variation.

Alexander tried to look past the old blighter’s shoulder and he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a muslin skirt flutter up the stairs.

“Gemma,” he called as loud as he dared without causing a scene in the square.

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