The Return of His Promised Duchess by Lauri Robinson

Author:Lauri Robinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-07T14:50:05+00:00

* * *

Annabelle drew in a deep breath and huffed it out as she was about to enter the dining room. There was no one good and solid reason that she could find to be so upset with Drew, but she was. The mere fact that he’d thought she’d throw her attention at him made her blood boil. She had never thrown her attention at anyone, although she’d had ample opportunities. Long before coming here. Or perhaps it was the fact he’d called in a friend to divert her attention that made her so mad. Or maybe it was thinking of women throwing themselves at him.

All in all, she was mad.

Just mad.

Let them have their party. She didn’t give two hoots. She’d simply stay in her room. Stay there until word came that she could return home.

Home. Where life was normal.

‘I can see you’re still upset with me,’ Drew said as he appeared in the doorway. ‘But it is sincere when I say I do apologise. I did not mean to upset you and I do wish I’d handled our conversation differently.’

She was still mad at him, but also at herself, leastwise her heart for the way it flipped and fluttered due to that charming, boyish grin that he was momentarily settling upon her. ‘I have never thrown my attention at anyone,’ she said, even though making that clear didn’t change anything, either.

He gave his head a slight bow. ‘I believe you.’

She had to close her eyes to gather her wits because he was still smiling and her heart was still pounding. ‘You can do what you like. I don’t care. I will remain in my room.’

‘I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but that would defeat the purpose of the party.’

‘What if someone in attendance remembers my mother, thinks I look like her?’

‘That is an issue,’ he said as at the same time hurried footsteps sounded behind her.

‘By Jove, I’ve got it!’ Roger exclaimed as he rushed towards them. ‘I’m a genius!’

She glanced at Drew, and he appeared to have the same thoughts as her—that Roger was not a genius.

Arriving at the doorway, Roger dropped one of his arms around her shoulder and the other around Drew’s. ‘Wait until you hear!’

‘When will that be?’ Drew asked drily.

‘Let’s sit down,’ Roger said. ‘I’m starving.’

Annabelle wasn’t, but she walked along with them, with Roger’s arms still around her and Drew, to the table and took her seat.

Once both men were seated, Drew waved a hand at Roger. ‘Go ahead, genius.’

Holding up both hands as if was a preacher praising the Lord, Roger said, ‘A masquerade ball!’

They each took turns looking at one another, her at Drew, Drew at her, both of them at Roger and him at both of them.

He was the only one smiling. ‘No one will know who she is.’

‘Until she says something,’ Drew said. ‘Everyone will recognise her American accent.’

Roger shrugged. ‘No one knows that’s where the Duchess of Compton went and will believe she is a guest, nothing more.

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