How to Beguile a Duke (Entangled Scandalous) Read Online Free PDF

customs of English society. It is my prerogative to turn away callers I do not wish to see. When my butler told you I was not at home, you should have understood it meant I did not wish to give you audience.”
    She took a step back, hoping her mind would reengage. “It is still an untruth, which is the same thing as a lie. Why not tell the truth? Then I would have known your intentions from the start.”
    The duke clenched his jaw. “Perhaps you should seek out someone who can provide you lessons in deportment.”
    “That won’t be necessary, Your Grace. I attended a class on deportment in New Orleans.”
    His gaze dropped to her unshod feet. “It’s a pity you weren’t able to complete the course.”
    She supposed he was correct that it wasn’t proper for her to have removed her shoes, but she was accustomed to running about barefoot at home, and she wasn’t going to change that habit for one overbearing duke who didn’t deserve the amount of attention she had already wasted on him.
    “Let’s get to the point, Your Grace. I would like to purchase Walsley Manor from you.”
    He widened his stance and folded his arms across his chest. “That is out of the question. I will not sell my home to you under any circumstances.”
    Her heart pounded, suffusing her face with heat. “But it’s not even your home. It has no sentimental value for you.”
    “It has no sentimental value for you, either.”
    She tapped her fingers against her arm. “It once belonged to my family. That is more than can be said for you.”
    He studied her face, looking for a sign of weakness, no doubt. He sauntered back behind his desk and turned to meet her eyes. “Would you like to take a tour of the house?”
    Her mouth nearly dropped open. What was he up to now? “I…yes, thank you. I would.”
    He glanced at her half boots and returned his steady gaze to her. “Perhaps you’d like to put your boots back on first?”
    “If it pleases you, Your Grace.” She slipped her feet back into her half boots and shot him a tentative smile.
    He held out his arm to her and she took it. His warmth and sudden nearness sent an unwelcome shiver through her. Her body betrayed her as she struggled to determine his new strategy.
    “Where would you like to begin?”
    “I should like for you to show me your home as if I were an ordinary guest.”
    He made a sound suspiciously like a snort. “Ordinary is something you shall never be, Miss Malboeuf.”
    She took that as a compliment. “Be that as it may, I should like to start the tour from whichever place you would normally start.”
    “I’m afraid I don’t often give tours of the house, but since you’re already inside, it makes sense to start with the ballroom.”
    They proceeded to the ballroom in silence while Catherine attempted to deduce whether the duke didn’t allow visitors, or if he simply let his butler or housekeeper conduct the house tours. He moved so quickly through the wide corridor she barely had time to glimpse the exposed stone and occasional tapestry.
    He glanced down at her as they reached the gallery. “Are you familiar with the history of the house?”
    “No, not really. It makes my mother sad to tell stories about her parents or the house.” She leaned her head back and noted the detailed plasterwork on the walls and ceiling.
    The duke drew in an audible breath and let go of her arm. “The original house was built as a fortified manor during the eleventh century, but additions were added at various times from the thirteenth through the seventeenth centuries.”
    Catherine walked through the room, studying the elaborate plaster decoration on the walls and ceiling. A tapestry bearing a coat of arms hung at the end of the long, rectangular room. “Was that tapestry here when you purchased the property?”
    He clasped his hands behind his back. “No. Only a handful of the furnishings that were damaged or otherwise of little value were spared by your cousin.”
    She