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

swallowed back regret at the loss of all of her family’s possessions. “So this tapestry depicts your coat of arms?”
    “This is not the Boulstridge crest, but that of my mother’s ancestors.” He pursed his lips and turned away.
    The chamber was quite long and narrow, but ideally suited to its purpose. It wasn’t difficult to imagine couples crossing back and forth across the floor in a lively dance. “Do you hold many balls here?”
    The duke came up behind her. “No. I’ve never held a ball here. My entertaining is generally limited to London.”
    Tilting her head to the side, she studied his face, the line of his chiseled jaw, his sculpted nose that was slightly crooked at the ridge, hinting that he hadn’t always been so poised and in control. He was a conundrum. Why would he want such a large house if he wasn’t going to entertain? It seemed certain the home he had inherited was equally as large. “Well, it is a shame not to take advantage of this lovely room when it is so perfectly designed for its intended use.” No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t imagine her mother in this house, but she could envision herself dancing with a handsome stranger in the ballroom.
    She ran her hand over one of the lead bars that separated the diamond patterns of the windowpanes. “I’m afraid New Orleans is very young compared to England. The oldest homes were built no more than a century ago.”
    She strolled to the end of the room to study another tapestry. The duke was strangely silent, so she continued speaking to fill the void. “Of course, there are many ruins in the Bahamas, but there is nothing that compares to this type of dwelling.” She halted in front of a faded painting at the other end of the room depicting a forest scene.
    The duke halted next to her. His scent of cedar and sage drifted to her. A flutter rushed through her as quickly as a spring storm and she leaned forward to hide her sudden nervousness.
    “This painting is one of the few decorations that remains from the time your family inhabited Walsley.”
    She turned to meet his eyes, not understanding.
    “As I said earlier, your cousin sold nearly all of the furnishings to pay his debts. When the house fell into disrepair, the roof collapsed and destroyed most of the top floor. All of the plaster and woodwork in the house has been replaced or restored to its original condition.” He took a step forward to study the painting. “Of course, as this was painted directly on the plaster, it could not be sold.”
    “I hadn’t realized. There was no way for my mother to know what happened after she left.” Her stomach lurched as if she was on a horse that had bolted. What about the journal and the tiara? “Were the contents of the library sold?”
    He raised his brows. “I did wonder how long it would take you to ask that question. The furnishings were sold, but the books were in place when I moved in. Of course, I’ve added to the collection over the years.”
    Finally, a sign that he had normal human thoughts and feelings. “Of course. I should think less of you if you had not.”
    He shot her that almost smile again. “Why, Miss Malboeuf, I didn’t think it was possible for your opinion of me to be lowered any further.”
    Catherine returned his gesture with a genuine smile. “There is always room for me to lower my opinion of someone. It is much more difficult to convince me to raise it.”
    He held out his arm again. “Shall we move on to the banqueting hall?”
    She slid her arm through his. As they worked their way toward the hall, Catherine reluctantly conceded that the convoluted nature of the house was in keeping with the duke’s personality. Normally she was able to make a decision about someone’s character within the first few minutes of meeting him, but he was difficult to interpret.
    …
    Walsley was built on a steep incline and, as such, there were a bewildering number of levels. Necessity dictated that one must