You're the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell

Author:Lenora Bell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-12-26T00:00:00+00:00

Dane recognized her immediately.

She might think she could fool him with that powdered wig, mask, and costume, but she was unmistakably Sandrine. The carmine stain applied to the lush contours of her lips made him long to kiss her, and her gown—sweet Lord! The bodice was a narrow strip of yellow silk that only covered the lower half of her breasts, barely skimming over her nipples.

She looked stunning, although no more stunning than she did in a simple white gown with a fresh-scrubbed face. She was spun from sunlight, blue skies, and proverbs. She didn’t belong here. But maybe she did. Maybe she really was becoming someone new without her mother’s overbearing, overprotective control. He wanted to know this new Sandrine who stared at him so boldly. He could dance one dance with her. That wouldn’t be so terrible, would it? No one else knew who she was tonight.

Absolutely not, damn it. He wasn’t here to dance, he was here to find the man with the scorpion stickpin, who could be a dangerous criminal mastermind that even the formidable Duke of Osborne feared.

All eyes went to Madam Avalon as she walked to the center of the ebony-inlaid dance floor. “Ladies and gentlemen, revelers of all stripes and predilections, you have entered my court. There is only room here for love, for exploration, for the worship of the beauty that lives within all of us. I have a little surprise for you this evening. Tonight we will not simply dance, we will perform for the honor of being crowned sovereigns of this ball.”

Murmurs and exclamations of surprise rose around her. This must be something new.

“I will personally judge the dance competition. Couples on the floor will be evaluated on elegance, ingenuity, and sensuality. If you display none of these attributes, I will tap upon your shoulder, and you and your partner will have to leave the dance floor without a fuss and watch from the sidelines. The final couple left on the floor will be crowned the sovereigns of tonight’s festivities and will preside over my court.”

He watched Sandrine’s bold expression become timid. She shrank back toward the wall, whispering to Miss Francesca McGovern and shaking her head. She must be refusing to enter the dance competition and determined to remain a wallflower. Elation flooded his mind, because if any other man had made a move toward her, Dane would have had to flatten him with a swift punch to the nose.

“I’ll make the same speech I always make for the benefit of those who are new this evening,” Madam Avalon said. “This salon is a safe space for all. Some are here to partake of the array of pleasures available, and some are here merely to observe. This must be respected by all my patrons. At the first hint of unwanted attentions forced on any guest, you will be forcefully ejected by my vigilant staff, all of whom were chosen for their discretion, loyalty, sizable fists, and even more sizable .

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