“I…but, I don’t love you,” she answered stepping away once more.
“That doesn’t matter. You would in time. I would see to it. Answer me, Mandy, is that your price?”
“My price?” She was shocked. “Of course, I want my brother cleared, but no, I don’t have a price and you shouldn’t want a woman with one.”
Sir Owen’s hazel eyes narrowed and she was taken aback by the glint in their depths. He said, “Is it Skippendon? I know you trust him. I know it was he you went running to for help, but Amanda, you shouldn’t trust him. Not at all.”
“Do not be absurd. We have known Skip nearly all our lives…”
“Sit beside me and when you have heard me out…I will let you go and I won’t try and follow. How is that?”
As an answer, she sat on a large fallen log and indicated with a slight movement of her hand for him to be seated, before saying, “Very well then, Sir Owen, I am sitting.”
He chuckled, “You are a handful and I can see you will not be a biddable wife. I wonder if I know what I am getting myself into?”
This made her laugh, “Excellent, I may yet pound some sense into you. Now, what is it you must tell me about Skippy?”
“As I said, it is my belief that the viscount is not to be trusted,” he said gravely.
“Don’t be absurd. Indeed, you must be jesting. Why would you say such a thing?”
“Unfortunately, I am not jesting. My valet has a friendship of sorts with the viscount’s man and although I ordinarily discourage gossip, this instance was different. You see, I have every reason to believe that the viscount was in an intimate relationship with Miss Celia and one that he terminated because he had picked up with yet another woman.”
Mandy found she could not speak. Her mouth opened wide and she gulped a breath of air before she managed to gasp out, “I don’t believe it. Not…Skip and Celia?” She then burst out with a harsh laugh and shook her head, “Upon my word, my cousin did make the rounds, did she not? Almost anyone could have killed her…” She eyed Sir Owen and said softly, “Even you, sir.”
* * *
The duke rode back to his friend’s manor home with a troubled mind. He couldn’t get the gamine Mandy out of his head. Her kiss had sent a collection of slamming shockwaves through his body. No woman had ever tasted so good. No woman had ever felt so right.
She was his ward. She was an innocent and he never, absolutely never, seduced an innocent and yet when he thought about her, it was all he wanted to do.
He wanted to lay her down and make never-ending wild love to her. He wanted to explore her body. He wanted to feel her hands on his. He wanted to…
Blister it! He was a cad and he was lusting over a young and innocent woman he had no right even thinking about in such a manner.
Besides that, he had to set his mind to other matters. For one, Skippy and his involvement in all of this was nagging at him.
It took him no time at all to send his horse off to the stables and stride purposely into the house. It took less time to discover that once again, Skip was no where on the premises. This was troubling. Where did he go off to all the time?
He inquired but the butler having no notion, suggested that perhaps the viscount had gone fishing at his favorite spot and described just where that was, as on occasion, he had gone with the viscount to set up a picnic there.
It wasn’t far. Better than waiting about for him all day, when he wanted to speak with him at once.
The duke sighed and made the short trip to the stables, saddled one of the viscount’s steeds while his was being watered and rested in the back paddock and once again, rode the pike road to the dirt turn off the butler had described to him.
He had just come upon the rivulet he was seeking, turned down the dirt path, the butler had described and immediately stopped short.
What met his gaze confounded him, for there sat Mandy sitting on a log with Sir Owen, whom he recognized at once. Sir Owen, a rake, a libertine, and inveterate gambler, near enough to touch his Mandy, for he had already begun to think of her as his…with those lips he had just kissed.
Damn the blackguard’s soul, what was he doing here with her?
Had Mandy not returned…hell, encouraged his kisses only a short time ago? Why then was she sitting in close quarters with Owen when no one was supposed to know where she was hiding?
Shock rushed through his mind as he led his horse to a nearby tree, tethered him and crept closer as quietly as he could. What was she doing? How could she be meeting this rogue clandestinely? Wasn’t she afraid she would give away her location…put her brother in danger?
He arrived within listening distance just in time to hear Sir Owen expostulate, saying something about something being preposterous and then all at once the villain pulled Mandy into his arms.
He stepped forward, all his anger ready to burst out of him as his hands fisted. He was going to plant the fellow in the ground. However, he managed to find some control and stopped himself. Was showing himself the right move?