A Duke at the Door by Susanna Allen

Author:Susanna Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2022-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Alwyn looked in the mirror, which he had kept covered with a cloth until that moment. His hair was no longer looking as well as it had, even one day after Miss Barrington had tended to it; he pawed at the tangles, snarling it further. Would it be that arduous to engage the services of a valet? His entire being rebelled. No, he would not allow anyone touching him, ordering him about, touching his hair.

Well. Not just anyone.

Looking at himself was worse than being looked at by others…or it had been. Even when less than perfect, his hair now did him justice. His ensemble for the evening made a change as well: the jacket was a castoff Weston winkled out of Georgie’s astonishing surplus of clothing, and while it did not cling like a second skin, it fit better than usual and was a sober hunter green. He remembered the color to be flattering to his eyes.

He looked his reflection in the eye then turned away.

The trousers were workmanlike and secured roughly. He ought to practice with buttons, but it galled him to have to relearn as basic a skill as that. And yet if he wanted to look well for the lady—if he wanted to look like a duke, like a man—he would need to hark back to his childhood.

His childhood, when he had a pride, a father, a mother, brothers, and a sister—no, no, no, he would not, he could not think on that, not now, not when Miss Barrington might look at him and see.

Miss Barrington, who claimed to be ambivalent about kissing. Untrue, he thought, pleasure rushing through his body at the mere remembrance of her mouth on his, her fingers in his hair, those places she touched on his scalp that made him want to melt at her feet and give her anything. Give her everything.

What had he to give? Nothing, no pride, an empty title, the barest grasp of his humanity, nothing. And yet he rebelled against that, for he had his heart to give. If she was his vera amoris, and on top of that his coniunctio, he had himself as a place of rest to offer, a lifelong companion, lover, and friend. Never mind that he still had to walk for hours to find any rest in the night, that he was alert to the slightest change in atmosphere—

He heard footfalls approaching. No one came here. Who would come here?

Who else would come here? Alwyn had ceased wondering why the lady apothecary ended up where she did, so finding her on his doorstep wasn’t that much of a surprise. Nor did her curiosity regarding his abode; what took him aback was the flash of hurt on her face when he essentially barred her from entering by stepping out and closing the door firmly behind him.

“It is a bachelor’s accommodation,” he said. “I wish to make a better impression on you.” Her expression couldn’t decide whether to be peeved or to preen. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Mr.

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