Reunited With the Duke by Wendy Soliman

Author:Wendy Soliman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Ellie returned to her chamber on unsteady legs, unable to shake images of the fire blazing from Mr. Wainwright’s eyes when he grasped her chin and she was convinced he would kiss her. He did not, presumably because he was thinking of her reputation. Had no one ever told him it was possible to be too considerate?

Her confusion was all his fault, she decided with a mutinous toss of her head. He was the one with experience and should not have awakened her expectations, only to leave her unfulfilled. She recalled lifting a hand with the subconscious intention of running it through his thick hair—a whimsical fancy that had gripped her since first making his acquaintance. He rode hatless and the wind had tousled his curls, sending errant locks cascading across his forehead. The desire to push them away from his intelligent eyes almost overrode what little sense remained to her. Almost.

The spell was broken when he abruptly released her chin and suggested returning to the house. It took every vestige of self-control she could summon not to demand the kiss she had been so sure would be forthcoming. Several men had attempted to steal a kiss at various times in Boston. She had repelled them all without difficulty. Mr. Wainwright had not tried to take liberties and she had felt cheated as a consequence. In all fairness, she decided, it was probably she who had behaved indecorously. Agreeing to ride astride whilst dressed in a habit indeed! Agreeing to ride astride at all, come to that. Jon would be severely disappointed in her if he ever found out.

Ellie blushed as she recalled the feel of Mr. Wainwright’s strong hands on her waist as he lifted her effortlessly onto Thad. The manner in which her awareness of him as a man was heightened by the momentary contact lingered in her memory. If she closed her eyes she imagined she could still catch the earthy clean freshness of his addictive scent. It was an aroma that she would henceforward always associate with temptation.

Well, what was done, she thought with a frustrated sigh, and could not be changed. But she would not be caught unawares a second time; not because she did not trust him but because she did not trust herself to be alone with him. She would make a point of avoiding him.

She sought Jon out that afternoon and tried to discover why Zach had asked Mr. Wainwright to remain at The Park but her brother was annoyingly vague on the subject, claiming not to know himself. Ellie didn’t believe him but could tell he was distracted and so did not press the point. All of her brother’s meticulous plans for their future together as a family hinged upon securing a lease for Mr. Gorton’s steamships. It was apparent that those negotiations had not gone smoothly, otherwise Mr. Wainwright would have completed his part in them and left The Park.

And so Ellie told herself she would just have to exercise patience; never one of her strong points.

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