The Duke's Accidental Wife (Dukes of War Book 7) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Ross’s blue eyes sparked up at him from beneath dusky lashes. “’Tis my museum, not yours. I’ll store my possessions wherever I please.”
    “Did I leave my bucket on the floor?” came a querulous voice from the doorway.
    Addled sometimes . He swallowed in sudden understanding. Miss Ross wasn’t the beautiful, shallow creature he’d believed her to be. Her fiery glare hadn’t been because she was cross with Ravenwood, but because she wished to protect her aunt from censure. He appreciated such a noble streak.
    “Go back to the others,” Miss Ross called over her shoulder. “I’ll find you in a moment.”
    Ravenwood’s entire body tensed as he waited to see whether Mrs. Havens would follow such a directive without asking what her niece was doing alone with a strange man in the first place.
    To his relief, Mrs. Havens nodded as if this were a perfectly normal request. “Make haste if you could, please. Daphne has questions about the pink vases and Lambley says we’re running out of champagne.”
    Ravenwood blinked at the mundane query.
    Miss Ross had been correct. Everything was going to be all right. All they had to do was slip back into the salon before anyone else noticed them missing and then life would continue as planned.
    The hardest part would be explaining why his cravat looked like he’d dropped it in bathwater.
    As Mrs. Havens turned to close the door, her voice floated back to them. “No, you’ll have to wait for the champagne. Kate needs a private moment with a young man before she can join us.”
    Miss Ross flushed pink and sucked in a breath.
    Ravenwood covered his face with his hand.
    The storage door swung back open with enough force to rattle its hinges.
    “Ravenwood?” spluttered the Duke of Lambley in disbelief. “Why are you skulking about with my cousin?”
    “A fine accusation, coming from the likes of you,” Ravenwood returned icily.
    Lambley’s more illicit parties were legendary for their hedonism. They were also precisely the wrong comparison to make whilst explaining why Ravenwood was alone with Miss Ross.
    Mrs. Havens clasped her hands to her chest and fixed her nephew with a worried gaze. “Is something wrong, dear?”
    “Ravenwood is about to ask my cousin for her hand in marriage right this very moment, that’s what’s wrong.” Lambley stalked forward with his hands clenched into fists.
    Miss Ross rushed forward. “Cousin, wait. It’s not what you think!”
    Lambley drew up short, his posture relaxing. “Please tell me there’s a reasonable explanation.”
    For a moment—a brief, glorious moment—Ravenwood let himself believe that he would be able to exit this museum the same way he had entered it: a bachelor.
    Then dozens of familiar faces swarmed the open doorway in shock and delight.
    “What is it?”
    “Lambley nearly engaged in fisticuffs with the Duke of Ravenwood!”
    “A brawl? In a museum?”
    “The Duke of Ravenwood has compromised Miss Ross!”
    “Can you imagine her as a duchess?”
    “Can you imagine Ravenwood compromising someone? His blood isn’t made of ice after all!”
    “A tryst, at a charity gala! Can there be anything more vulgar?”
    “Must not have wanted him, though. Looks like she tossed her drink right in his face.”
    “Not want a duchy? Are you mad? That’s a lover’s quarrel, that is. She wanted to be more than a mistress, but he had his sainted image to uphold.”
    Ravenwood was clenching his jaw so tight he feared his teeth would grind to dust. His “sainted” image had been one of his prized possessions. An achievement of which he’d had every right to be proud.
    In eight-and-twenty years, he’d never once given Society a reason to view his manners and his bearing with anything less than absolute respect.
    In less than a quarter hour, he’d managed to tarnish two reputations. All because he’d ducked into a quiet room for a much needed respite from this very crowd.
    He slowly turned toward Miss Ross, expecting