A Duke Once Lost: The Rockliffe Dynasty Book 2 by Jane Maguire

Author:Jane Maguire [Maguire, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

12

Ninety-eight, ninety-nine …

Amelia ran her hairbrush from the top of her scalp down to her waist, marking an even hundred strokes. Her hair fanned out around her like a curtain, glinting beneath the light of the candelabrum she’d placed on the nightstand. Should she keep going, aiming for a full two hundred?

No. She tossed the brush onto the nightstand, giving her head a small shake. The distraction of the mundane task was proving far from sufficient.

Instead, she pushed herself up from her seat on the bed, stretching her sore ankle to rid it of some of the stiffness and letting it bear a little weight. Now that the swelling had grown less prominent, surely it was beneficial to have some periods of exercise so the ankle didn’t become weak from disuse.

However, taking a turn about the room was proving no better a distraction than the meticulous brushing of her hair.

She gritted her teeth, forcing her legs to keep going, moving her from the bed to the washstand to the curtained window that overlooked The Golden Lion’s courtyard. Just as she and Jonathan had predicted, the room was spacious and well-furnished, with a soft mattress and a window well-sealed from the elements.

Still, she felt just as on edge as last night at The Crooked Oak, when rain had trickled beneath the glass and tiny feet scurried across the floor.

She took one step after another, back and forth between each of the papered walls. All the while, her mind swirled, refusing to let go of the day’s events. The footpads. The pistol. The kiss. The Lady Lockheart confession. And Jonathan’s words: I could help you, Amelia.

She was weary and raw, her skin over-sensitive, her ears too alert. On one hand, a sort of lightness fluttered through her. The relief of having a burden lifted. The faint stirrings of hope. But at the same time, a weight pressed down, preventing the feeling from fully taking flight. Reminding her that life was never simple, and neglecting to keep her guard up could have dire consequences.

Like a coward, she’d run from it all, claiming she had no desire for dinner and sequestering herself in her room to rest. Which was unfair, she knew. After everything that had transpired today, Jonathan deserved more than having her shut him out so abruptly.

Under different circumstances, perhaps she would have done differently. However … something was terribly wrong with her. Something beyond the aftereffects of facing a threat and revealing a long-kept secret.

The warring desires of her heart—the yearning to make free with her trust again and the opposing need to retreat—were bad enough. But now, adding to that was a series of knots and tangles in the center of her belly.

And lower.

The feeling tugged at her, making itself known each time she took a step and her silk night rail brushed against her thighs. Almost as if the garment had grown too tight. It heated her skin, made her breathing accelerate. All while her mind kept dropping her back into the carriage, atop Jonathan’s lap, with her lips pressed to his.

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