Bewitching the Duke

Gently she touched her lips. Would he be just as attentive in bed? Selina thought back to that kiss they shared by the pond. Oh yes, he would satisfy his wife’s every desire.

Colin shut the door to his study and walked to the brandy decanter. He poured a large snifter and then moved to his desk. Finally, he had some peace again. The women in the house were driving him mad and they’d only been here for a few hours. How would he handle them for six weeks?

And worse, the one woman not in the house would not leave his mind. He sipped his brandy and leaned back against the leather chair. He looked down at the book and caressed the leather cover. Perhaps he had overreacted that night when he’d become so incensed with Selina. But it was all he had left of Mary.

Still, Selina had looked sincere when she told him she wouldn’t burn the book. So why hadn’t he believed her? Because she was a witch. Perhaps not in the usual sense of the word but she had cast a dreadful spell over him. He wanted her when he knew he shouldn’t. If that wasn’t witchcraft, he didn’t know what was.

A knock scraped at the door.

“Come in,” he said loudly. He cringed slightly when Kate walked into the room with a happy smile. He rose from his seat, thankful his thoughts regarding Selina hadn’t had their usual effect on his manhood.

“Do you mind if I join you in a brandy?”

“You know I don’t mind.”

She took a seat closer to the fireplace and then smiled up at him. “Come sit near me. It’s been over a month since I’ve seen you.”

“I take it the nap and bath did wonders for your disposition?” He walked to the brandy and poured a small snifter for her.

She laughed softly. “I must apologize. I was not in the best of moods when I arrived this afternoon.”

After handing her the glass, he stared at her for a long moment. She’d always had a habit of tapping her fingers when something bothered her. Right now, all her fingers were tapping a staccato beat against her glass.

“What’s wrong, Kate?” He took the brown chair across from her.

She stared down at her glass. “We are going to move up the wedding date.”

“Oh?”

“Please don’t be upset. I told Mother to write to you, informing you of the change but we were so busy with everything. And please don’t worry about the house, none of that matters.”

He stared at her for a long moment. His gaze settled on her flat belly. “Is there a reason I should know about?”

“I want to be married, Colin,” she said with a laugh and then brushed a lock of dark brown hair out of her eyes. “Besides, more people will be able to attend if we have the ceremony in July instead of August.”

He supposed that made sense. Many people left the heat of London after the Season and headed for their country estates. This wouldn’t be too out of the way for many people. “What date then?”

“The eighth of July.”

“That’s only two weeks away!” He assumed she meant closer to the end of July, not the beginning.

“Everything is set. The workers will be finished with the major items on your list, won’t they?”

He blew out a long sigh. The date change should make him happy. After all, now he would be able to leave Northrop Park much sooner. “Yes, they only have a few more days to finish the roof repair.”

“Excellent! See, this will be perfect.”

“That means people may start arriving within the week,” he said aloud.

“Yes, but if we need more staff, Mother and I can hire some temporary workers from the village.”

“We might need to do just that.” He leaned in closer. “My staff is getting aged. They can barely see the dust on the tables. But I dare not let them go.”

“Why not?”

“They’ve been here since long before I was born.” He laughed and she joined in. It was comforting to have Kate here.

“Tomorrow, I will check the upstairs bedrooms and make a list of where people will stay. Because we moved up the date, we decided on fewer guests so we won’t need all the bedchambers. I’ll have the entire thing organized by tomorrow night.”