My Darling Duke

Katherine faltered, and her gaze met his, demanding, fierce, compelling, yet she made no reply for several seconds.

“I like you, too, very much so,” she said simply, her eyes warm with gentle amusement.

He opened his mouth, then realized he had no idea what to say. Without answering, he made his way to his chair with shuffling movements, lowered himself, and wheeled toward a crate. Her inquisitive nature, of course, prompted her to follow him, and he suppressed his smile. Alexander had never shared the contents of the room before with anyone except Penny.

“And what do you think of my treasure room?”

“It is beyond exquisite,” Katherine said gaily. “It would take me years to examine each item. They are so beautiful and unknown.” She darted from behind him, reached upon a shelf, and lifted a sapphire and turquoise necklace that glittered with resplendent light in her hands. The collar heavy with golden beads was truly a piece of exquisite workmanship, although it was probably not as old as it appeared.

“The description on the plaque says this is an item from Cleopatra’s jewels.”

“That is what I have been told. Though I believe she would have been buried with her jewels, and a tomb has not yet been found for Cleopatra, or at least no one has admitted to finding it,” he said, observing her expression of fascination.

Katherine nodded. “Still, this must be worth a fortune! And you simply have it here on a shelf?” With a smile, she rested it against her throat, and suddenly he wanted her to have the necklace.

“Consider it my gift to you.”

She sent him a bewildered frown. “What is your gift?”

“The Cleopatra necklace.”

“This is a fortune, Alexander!” she exclaimed, looking considerably astonished.

“It does not signify. Please accept it.”

“No.” She tipped on her toes slightly and placed it back on the glass pedestal where it had rested. “This is an outrageous and improper gift, and you know it.”

“How alarming that you find anything improper.”

She giggled, and he hoarded the sweet yet throaty sound like the dragon he was.

They spent the next hour touring his treasure room. Her questions were unending, and he answered each one patiently, not wishing to be anywhere else. She lingered over burial masks, rare gems and stones, a coin with Alexander the Great’s image, and silks from India. Now she stood beside a brown bowl that had a hairline crack. Her lithe form as she strolled at his side made his chair-bound state a reminder of what he had lost.

“And this is from Iraq?”

He wheeled toward a large desk, which held a globe, and she followed. Then he spun the globe, allowing his finger to stop at the correct place. “Yes, in Mesopotamia. Right here.”

She was silent for a moment. “You have been to Italy, Greece, Vienna, Paris, Egypt, Iraq, Spain, and so many more places.” Her elegant fingers danced lightly over the smooth surface of the globe. “Did I ever tell you the story of us sinful wallflowers?”

A rich pleasure arrowed through him. “I’ve earned it now?”

Her mouth curved into a small smile, and a hint of mischief glowed in her eyes. “Yes.”

“Tell me,” he said quietly. It was almost shocking how much he wished to know everything about her.

An odd vulnerability showed in her gaze, but she lifted her chin. “There are five other ladies, and they are my dearest friends. Society branded us wallflowers because despite our families’ most ardent wish to see us marry, the men of the ton are decidedly not interested.”

Her lips pursed, the gesture one of clear annoyance. “Why should we live our lives on the hopes that someone might marry us? We’ve all vowed recently to pursue the desires in our hearts, even if they are the wicked kind. My first sinful act was to pretend to be your fiancée.” She sighed. “Perhaps one day I shall see the wonders of Egypt and many other countries as well. Travel the world as freely as any gentleman would. How extraordinary and sinful that would be.”

The wistful hunger in her voice dug deep into his heart. “I know you shall.” Her will and fierceness for life were too vibrant for him to believe in any other outcome.

She sent him a bright smile. “And you will be my knowledgeable companion, perhaps? Do you not long to travel again? As you showed me each piece impregnated with the past, it was as if I could feel your hunger. It was quite beautiful to see.”

Alexander stared at her for a long moment, and she did not blush or look away but returned his regard in that impudent way of hers. “I’ve not traveled in years,” he finally said, the old need twisting inside him once more. And perplexingly, he could imagine her by his side, and the delight she would take in discovering a new culture and meeting new peoples.

“Should we make a vow to do so together?” she asked, the laughter still dancing in her eyes.

But there was something beyond the humor in her gaze, a longing so profound it made his damn throat ache to lay the world at her feet. Alexander took a deep breath, trying hard not to picture them laughing together in the shadow of the Sphinx and bathing in the warm waters of the Aegean. Was it so wrong to indulge such fantasies when they danced in her eyes so excitedly?