Dusk With a Dangerous Duke by Alexandra Hawkins

Author:Alexandra Hawkins [Hawkins, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical Romance, Nineteenth Century, 1820's-1830's, Fiction
ISBN: 9781466821200
Publisher: St. Martin's
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“Lady Grace!”

Grace ruthlessly quelled the excitement that rose within her at the sound of the Duke of Huntsley’s voice. She glanced up and noticed he had increased his pace to catch up to her and her companions. Was he afraid that she would run off? It did not signify that she had managed to avoid the gentleman for three days.

How had he deduced her whereabouts? If he had showed up on her doorstep, he would not have been able to charm the information from Rosemary. It was then that she noticed the two ladies with her had not spoken a single word. They appeared to be enthralled with the bonnets on display in the front window of the milliner’s shop.

Good grief—had the outing been a ruse to lure her and the duke together? Were her new friends, Regan and her cousin Miss Bramwell, attempting to play Cupid on her behalf?

“What have you done?” Grace murmured to Regan, since she was standing the closest.

“Like it or not, the man is your betrothed,” Regan said, smiling as she raised her hand in greeting to the approaching gentleman.

“Not for long,” Grace murmured back. “Lady Netherley will find me a suitable replacement.”

“I understand why you are angry,” Regan said quickly, the earnestness in her tone the only reason Grace was not heading in the opposite direction. “Men can be ars—flawed.”

Lady Bramwell giggled at her friend’s very un-lady-like description.

“Hunter was wrong when it came to his dealings with you. He usually doesn’t botch matters this badly.”

“If you say so,” Grace replied, too polite to contradict the lady’s assessment.

The duke was closing in on them, so Regan had little time to debate Grace’s sincerity. “However, those days are over and done with. Give him a second chance to know you, Grace. Hunter may surprise you.”

Even when the gentleman was in the wrong, he exuded confidence. The grin on his face never faltered as he slowed to a more leisurely stride and then stopped before the trio.

“Good afternoon, ladies.”

He bowed. All three ladies curtsied.

“Hunter, what an amazing coincidence,” Miss Bramwell said, earning a sharp quelling look from Regan.

“Astounding,” Grace said, her gaze drinking in the sight of him. His proximity always managed to send her heart racing. She wondered if she would ever grow comfortable in his presence. Then she remembered that there would be no reason to do so if he failed to meet the terms of the marriage contract. “It is as if Fate had a hand in our meeting.”

Fate being Regan.

The young marchioness possessed a romantic heart. She was in love with her husband, so naturally she thought everyone deserved love matches as well. She had not believed Grace when she had confessed that any affection for the duke would end in heartache. Regan loved Huntsley like a brother or a cousin. She saw his faults but could not accept that he was innately cruel. And the young marchioness might be correct in her assessment of the Duke of Huntsley’s character, but she was wrong about his ability to love.

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