A Shot at the Duke: A Witty Historical Romance set in Imperial Germany by Karina Heid

Author:Karina Heid [Heid, Karina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-04T16:00:00+00:00

18

Emma was getting ready when she heard a knock. She straightened her dress, her heart racing, ensuring her braid was in place. When she opened the door, it wasn't the insistent and annoying Duke of Württemberg, as she expected, but one of her sisters.

Charlotte looked at Emma with sharp eyes.

“Were you waiting for someone else?”

Emma checked both sides of the corridor before bringing Charlotte inside.

“What are you planning, Emma?” The sister asked when the door closed.

Emma took a deep breath.

“I’m meeting the Duke at the stable. He'll teach me how to ride.”

Charlotte arched her brows, and it took her nearly five seconds to reply.

“At this hour? Are you mad?”

No, Emma wanted to say. Not mad. She was bewitched, perhaps, craving something she didn’t dare to admit.

“It’s freezing outside, Emma!” The sister warned worriedly. “You can’t go out in damp air, you know. You can’t just accept a gentleman’s invitation to meet him alone. If anyone sees you...”

Emma knew all this. She wanted to control the urge to go, but she couldn’t. She loved hating that man, loved the exchange of insults… and now she knew, loved his kisses too.

“We won't be on our own.”

“Who will be with you?”

“The other Emma.”

Charlotte huffed as she paced back and forth in the room.

“Emma, frankly. You look like a different person. Where is your reason? What happened to your goals?”

Emma hadn't lost sight of any goal; she was opening up to new desires. She found herself juggling reasons to justify her interest in this man and what she wanted to do with him.

“I don’t want to choose between my goals and… my curiosity, Charlotte. I'm sick of thinking I can only have one thing or another.”

“But we can only have one thing or another!” Charlotte replied, flustered. “Either you accept a formal courtship, or you risk your name! Emma, I’ve spent all night trying to gather information about the expedition. Where was your head?”

Emma couldn’t bring herself to say where her head was.

“That’s not relevant. I want both.” Emma stated, seeing her sister’s shoulders slump in dismay. “Charlotte, I need your guidance.”

“About what?”

“Intimacy.”

The sister had to sit up in bed.

“Emma, don't be a fool.”

“I’m not being a fool, and I know you are the only woman in the kingdom who agrees with me.” Emma sat across from Charlotte, staring at her. “Charlotte, How much intimacy can we have without being completely ruined?”

Charlotte couldn’t believe Emma’s words. She took a quiet breath before answering.

“Emma, any intimacy outside of marriage can ruin a woman. A single kiss outside the lines drawn by society can get us in trouble.” A lump of saliva ran down her throat, showing that she disagreed with what she was saying. “Think twice about it. You won't want your name compromised because of intimacies, and I hope we’re talking about kisses.”

None of those words had any effect on Emma. She already knew all that; she wanted to know what the other Charlotte would say: the woman who figured out how to do what she wanted without hurting her reputation.

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