The Illegitimate Duke by Sophie Barnes

Author:Sophie Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-08-27T16:00:00+00:00

Juliette was trying extremely hard to focus on what Yates was saying. And failing miserably. She knew it had something to do with a painting he’d recently acquired, but with her mind occupied by Florian and his distant attitude toward her, she had no idea who the artist was or why Yates was so excited about it.

“My lady?”

Juliette blinked. “Hmm?”

Yates regarded her with a contemplative frown for a moment before offering a smile and saying, “The Vermeer painting I mentioned. It would be an honor to show it to you one day.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Juliette glanced across at Lady Warwick who was deep in conversation with Lord Elmwood, so she would find no help there.

“Enjoying your company has become my favorite thing,” Yates was saying. “You cannot imagine how pleased I was when I learned you had joined this committee. It allows us to spend more time together while pursuing a common interest. This idea of yours to quarantine the sick on a ship is particularly intriguing. I am rather impressed if you must know.”

“You flatter me, my lord.”

“I only speak the truth,” he told her while allowing his eyes to meet hers with alarming confidence. Apparently, her refusal to walk with him after their dance at Hawthorne House had not deterred him.

Juliette averted her gaze just in time to see Viola entering the parlor with Florian close behind her. The tightening of her chest dulled the beat of her heart until Viola went to join Lady Warwick and Elmwood while Florian continued toward the row of mullioned windows spanning the length of the room. He stood there looking out with his hands clasped loosely behind his back.

“Please excuse me,” Juliette told Yates. “There is something I need to discuss with Florian.”

She wasn’t sure what, but she did not wish to encourage Yates further and she also knew keeping her distance from Florian would be impossible. He drew her so powerfully she might as well go to him rather than make an attempt to fight it.

“Do you wish to be alone?” she asked once she’d crossed the room to stand beside him. Outside, the sunshine played upon the dense foliage of rhododendron leaves, creating an endless array of luminescent greens.

Florian dropped a glance in her direction before resuming his perusal of the garden. “Not if you are offering to keep me company.”

The pressure around Juliette’s heart eased. She drew a breath and savored the lightness now filling her body. Behind her, the conversations taking place faded until she felt she’d been spirited away to a private location where only she and Florian existed.

“I was starting to worry I might have done something to upset you,” she said. “You’ve hardly spoken to me since I arrived.”

A rumble rose from deep within his chest. “My dark mood has nothing to do with you. I simply have a lot of concerns.”

“I know you do, which is part of the reason why I’ve been trying so hard to help.”

“For which I am grateful.”

“I’m just not sure if charity events and donations will be enough in the long run.

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