A Match, Unmasked: A Dukes of War Novella by Erica Ridley

Author:Erica Ridley [Ridley, Erica]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 6

Nathaniel froze at the sound of the lock engaging. He did not have to look over his shoulder to guess what his mother had done. The truth was etched on Kitty’s appalled face.

“Your mother,” she said grimly, “is not subtle.”

He winced. It was true.

His mother—both their mothers—had plotted the match when their children were still in the nursery. According to their mothers, they’d been born for each other. Nathaniel and Kitty both had bucked against the idea of their lives being planned for them. When he entered society, Nathaniel had become a rake, in part to prove his independence and ability to decide for himself.

He’d thought his absence would also give Kitty the freedom to choose her destiny as well. Instead, it appeared she’d chosen no one at all.

As for Nathaniel... well. Sometimes mothers were right.

But not like this.

He would never force Kitty’s hand. She hadn’t forgiven him for leaving, much less consented to being alone with him in what appeared to be a well-appointed private sitting room. Trapped in luxury.

Good God. His mother really was shameless.

Kitty’s face was pale. “We must escape before someone finds us.”

“I’ll find a way,” he promised, and spun toward the door to try the handle.

Locked. Very locked. He gave the door an experimental tug. Strong, but not stronger than Nathaniel. He could aim his shoulder at the hinges and—

“Stop.” Kitty’s voice was defeated.

He glanced over his shoulder.

Her face was pale but resolute. She motioned him away from the door. “You breaking down the doorframe like a rampaging bull will cause more attention, not less.”

“Then what?” He raised his brows. “You want to spend the rest of the party in a private chamber with me?”

“No.” Her fingers shook. “Let me be clear. This is not a liaison. I am not your conquest.”

He didn’t want to conquer her. He wanted to be on the same side. He wanted her to choose his embrace above any others. He wanted to kiss her, again and again, and feel her match his passion with hers.

The kiss in the conservatory was burned into his mind. She had kissed him back, with more passion than he had dared to hope for.

Passion she would rather not share.

This was his fault. If he hadn’t run away, if he’d told her how he felt...

But doing so would have trapped her just as efficiently as the key in the lock. Her future would have been decided. By their mothers, by Nathaniel.

Marrying Kitty before she’d had a chance to see her choices, to experience the world, would have been taking unfair advantage. Nathaniel hadn’t wanted Kitty to regret her decision. To have a wife who always wondered if there might have been something better, someone better.

Now she’d had that chance. And she’d decided the winner... was not him.

He had no choice but to respect her decision.

“I can knock at the door,” he offered. “I can crouch at the keyhole and call out if a servant walks by.”

She sighed. “Once the servants know, everyone will know. The gossip will be too juicy to keep quiet.

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