To Bed a Beauty (Courtship Wars 2)

“I intend to,” she said sweetly. “Why do you think I have spent so much time learning your techniques? I have every intention of seducing him into loving me.”

When she smiled serenely, Drew’s gaze was drawn to her mouth. Not only did he feel the fierce urge to kiss her, but he found himself increasingly captivated by the enchanting Roslyn Loring.

Yet she clearly had no such feelings for him.

Her disinterest in him not only irked him but was beginning to be a challenge, Drew realized. It roused the primal urge in him to prove that she wasn’t nearly as indifferent to him as she pretended.

Comprehending the danger in succumbing to his urges, however, he consulted the mantel clock. “Enough about matrimony. I suggest we move on to your lesson, for I need to be in London by noon.”

He rose and moved to shut the library door. “So we won’t be disturbed,” he explained before returning to lounge on the sofa. “Tell me about the rest of Fanny’s letter. What did she advise you about clothing?”

Roslyn had been pondering the duke’s remarks about marriage when he abruptly changed the subject, so it took her a moment to shift her thoughts.

Even then she hesitated, reluctant to repeat Fanny’s suggestions, since they entailed making an effort to show off her physical charms. “She merely said I should adopt a more inviting style.”

“She’s right. That gown you’re wearing is attractive enough”-his gaze skimmed down her peach-colored muslin morning dress that was part of her new wardrobe-“but it is a trifle too modest for your purpose. The neckline should be lower to show more bosom, and the waist tighter to emphasize your figure. Your curves are ample enough, I know firsthand. But with your height and slenderness, you need to highlight the lushness of your breasts.”

Unable to stop her blush, Roslyn sent the duke a reproachful look, certain he was enjoying discomfiting her. In return he gave her a smile that was wickedly charming-one that had a deplorable effect on her pulse rate.

“Your hair is another problem,” he said, his assessment moving upward from her body to her face.

Instinctively Roslyn raised a hand to her coiffure. She had pinned it into a sedate knot at her nape, a simple style that didn’t require a maid’s help to achieve. For years the Loring sisters had been too poor to afford servants of their own, and their step-uncle had been too miserly to provide them any. “What is wrong with my hair?”

“It’s too severe. You should wear it in a more careless style. Let a few curls frame your face. Better yet, let some tresses hang down over your shoulder. It’s most appealing if you look like you’ve just risen from your bed. That gives a man notions about taking you back there.”

“I’m not certain I wish to give Haviland notions of taking me to bed,” Roslyn said dubiously.

“You need to. He’ll be more willing to tie the knot if he believes he won’t be getting a cold fish in his marriage bed.”

She frowned. “Do you think I am a cold fish?”

The duke’s expression turned enigmatic. “I know you are not, but you have to show Haviland as much. Which leads me to my next suggestion. You can do much more with your mouth.”

“More than pouting?”

“Yes. Your mouth is full and inviting, but you need to look kissable.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “How do I do that?”

“Bite your lips to make them look passion-bruised. Wet them with your tongue. You want to entice your suitor to kiss you.”

“Is that why Fanny made me wear lip rouge at the Cyprians’ ball?”

“I expect so. And it worked quite well.”

“You truly wanted to kiss me?”

“Very much. But you looked the part that night. You were much more approachable than now.”

“Approachable?”

She could see the duke almost smile at her peeved tone. “You don’t want Haviland to think of you as a delicate porcelain doll but a flesh and blood woman. It’s much more enticing to a man.”

The furrow in her brow deepened. “I don’t really understand the difference.”

“Take your friend Fanny, for example. She is considered a beauty, but that isn’t what most men find appealing about her. She has an earthy quality that’s highly alluring.”

“Which I lack.”