Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke Read Online Free PDF Page B

noses at Society.”
    “That’s good for me, since I was born with my proverbial thumb attached to my proverbial nose.”
    “I’m glad it’s proverbial, or you would look rather odd,” he returned, reflecting that he’d been lucky. If Francis Henning had been the only guest to make it across the bridge, for example, Adam would have locked himself—or Henning—in a storage room by now.
    His circumstances could definitely have been even worse than that. One of the marriageable chits he’d invited for inspection might just as easily have been tossed into the river, and he would have been forced either to court her or to dance about in avoidance to prevent becoming leg-shackled before he managed a look at the rest of the dress-wearing herd.
    Together they descended a side staircase, and he pushed open the door to the orangerie. Three dozen fruit-bearing plants in large pots had been arranged in a quaint indoor garden complete with benches and caged songbirds. He stood back as Sophia swirled in a circle at the center of the room.
    “This is lovely,” she exclaimed, her overlong skirts billowing out around her ankles.
    The sight was unexpectedly … charming, and for a moment he lost the track of the conversation. “It’s the only way to keep the weather from killing the orange and peach trees. I’ve been told this is a pleasant place to sit and read, if you’ve a mind to do so.”
    “How many guests were you expecting?”
    “I still am expecting,” he amended, “somewhere between thirty and forty.” He pushed back at the urge to straighten the sliding sleeve of her oversized gown. “Do you ride?”
    Sophia blinked. “I’ve sat on a pony a few times, at boarding school. I don’t believe that makes me a horsewoman. Why?”
    “I ride nearly every day.” He gestured her back through the door and down the rear hallway. “I have several ponies. We’ll go out once the weather clears.”
    “You don’t need to keep me entertained, Your Grace,” she said, stopping. “Simply being here is a gift.”
    “You need more gifts, then. I saved your life. You owe me an outing.”
    “But—”
    “And you may trust that I generally do as I please,” he interrupted. “Now. Through here is the Baswich family portrait gall…” He trailed off as he realized that she hadn’t followed him. “Is something amiss?”
    For a long moment she stood in silence, meeting his gaze. That in itself surprised him; most chits gazed demurely at his feet while conversing with him. Then she sighed. “I have noticed that you didn’t answer my question earlier. Are you going to attempt to make me your mistress?”
    A laugh pushed its way out of his chest. Attempting to ignore the fact that firstly, more than a few women would have given a great deal to become his mistress, and secondly, that he rarely attempted something without succeeding, and thirdly, that this holiday had him looking for a wife, whatever he might prefer, he lifted an eyebrow. “Well, if I meant to attempt a subtle seduction you’ve certainly foiled me.”
    She frowned. “I believe I mentioned that I’m not as foolish as many people think, Your Grace.”
    “I recall. Why?”
    “I have several requirements for my life, some of them very recent and … unexpected. My best interests are not served by being any man’s mistress. And however close your friendship with Keating might be, I have to ask myself—and you—why I’m here.”
    Adam dropped into one of the gilded chairs set in the hallway just outside the portrait gallery. “I rarely explain myself, Sophia. That said, while I might appreciate the stir your presence would cause, you are not here for anything more nefarious than that. For God’s sake, at the moment it’s either you or my sister with whom I’ll be spending time, and Eustace is remarkably unlikable.”
    Sophia decided that if the Duke of Greaves had meant to offer her the position of mistress, or even force her into it, he wasn’t the