A Duke Never Yields by Juliana Gray

Author:Juliana Gray [Juliana Gray]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Historical Romance, Italy, regency romance, love story, Romance, England
ISBN: 9781101619070
Google: e9wZivUjOwAC
Amazon: 0425251187
Barnesnoble: 0425251187
Goodreads: 13576448
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2012-12-31T14:00:00+00:00

* * *

He is an ass, Morini! A colossal ass, just as I always knew.” Abigail stuck another feather on her mask with a fury usually reserved for defending one’s homeland from attack by barbarian raiders.

“What is this ass, signorina?” asked Morini serenely.

“An ass, Morini. Like a donkey. A burro.”

“Signore Duca is a donkey?” The housekeeper looked astonished.

“In a manner of speaking, yes. I mean, he has behaved like a donkey. A stubborn”—she stuck on another vengeful feather—“witless”—she pounded it in place with her fist—“ill-mannered donkey.”

“He has offended you?”

“Yes, he has offended me! He has offered me marriage!” Abigail said, as she might say offered me a rancid cheese.

Morini clasped her floured hands together, setting the maids to coughing. “But this is wonderful news! Wonderful! We are breaking the curse at last!”

Abigail set the finished mask aside to dry and reached for another. She was sitting at the kitchen table, attempting the impossible task of decorating the rest of the masks before the celebration began at eight o’clock, while Morini and the maids were preparing the food. “We are not breaking the curse,” she said, examining the new mask. Sequins, she thought. She was growing weary of feathers. “As I’ve told you daily, Morini, daily, your curses have nothing to do with the . . . the friendship between Wallingford and myself. That is quite separate. We are to concentrate on the others, who mercifully are falling into such appalling extremes of love that even a thousand scoundrelly Englishmen should be redeemed by them. I fancy tonight’s celebration should just about do the trick.”

“But you and the duke, signorina! Is so romantic. He love you so.” Morini kneaded the bread, eyes closed in romantic contemplation.

“I assure you, Morini, as I believe I’ve assured you before, Wallingford is the last man in the world to rely upon for faithful love. I’m terribly fond of him, of course, and wish to God he would renounce this ridiculous vow of chastity for one night at least . . .”

A sigh came from Francesca, and Abigail cast a sharp look at her. Evidently the young woman’s command of English was growing.

“. . . and I do believe he has a great deal of good in him, good intentions in any case, but I . . .” Abigail’s voice trailed off. The sequins blurred in a glittering collage before her eyes. Again, that magical night intruded in her mind, that night of the peach orchard, when she had seen him at last, had caught a glimpse of his precious soul. They had been so perfectly close in those hours on the lakeshore, wrapped together in blankets and moonlight, and while they had spent every afternoon together since, and often mornings as well, talking and studying and laughing, they had never quite replaced that sense of physical connection, that melting together of two bodies into a single and beautiful whole. And oh, God! How she longed for it! She lay awake longing in her bed every night, and every night the tears started from her eyes with the force of her desire for him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.