Chapter Fourteen

T he next day, Dustin woke up with his head spinning. He felt cold and empty despite the thick down covers he'd pulled over his head. More had happened in just two weeks on Harley Street in London than in two years of his apprenticeships—and he'd traveled across the Indian Ocean then.

He'd been found out. Even though he'd been sure nobody would recognize him in such a short time—since it was unheard of a duke to work as a dentist—it had happened. First, John had found him. Then, Mr. Klonimus had recognized him because of his mother's jewel.

Worse, he'd broken his precious tools. It was an unthinkable feat to drop them all simultaneously and damage the very instruments he needed for his livelihood. Although, what was his livelihood going to be exactly if he couldn't get away as a dentist and was bound to be recognized as a duke in hiding? What would become of John if he were discovered as an imposter? Not that he was. Dustin had virtually abdicated—but the dukedom couldn't be passed from one living heir to another. For John to be ratified as the Duke of Duncan at the House of Lords, Dustin had to be dead, or else the dukedom would pass back to the crown. Dustin's insides churned. He didn't want that to happen. It was his family's legacy. John's legacy. And he wanted to clear their name.

Moreover, Dustin couldn't stop thinking about his pretty patient, Lexi. She'd shown up at the office blinking vulnerably, and he'd never forget how his insides jumped when he'd seen her standing by the window, backlit by the golden rays of the morning sun. Her rosy cheeks aglow with such an innate beauty and her eyes filled with curiosity. Dustin suppressed a chuckle even though he was alone. She was certainly the first patient to examine his instruments before treatment. The first to show interest in his lab work… The first girl to affect him so.

Dustin turned in bed and let out a guttural groan for there were no words for his agony. As soon as he'd seen her, he knew she was a high-born lady, but an earl's daughter… she was perfect in every way. If he wanted a girl like Lexi, he had to court her. In order to do that, he had to step into his role as duke. And then what? He'd have to give up his practice, strip John of his title, and take on the stewards, the farmers, and house staff at Starcliff Castle, then spend the season wooing Lexi at evening balls while attending hearings at the House of Lords every morning. Dustin dug his face into the pillow but instead of being able to hide, a down feather quill poked him in the face. He pulled it out of the pillow cover and stared at it for a moment. Then he let it go and blew it away. Watching it tumble in an elegant swirl through the air, Dustin rather felt like the feather—in free fall, unable to tell where the winds of life would take him.

But then the feather caught what must have been a light air current and swayed back and forth as if an even path were absurd. Riding on the zig-zag in the air, the feather gently landed on his trunk lid as if it meant to make a soft landing there. Dustin sat up in bed and propped his elbows on his knees. He hadn't opened this trunk since he'd packed it. If he opened the trunk and put on what it held—the parliamentary robe he'd inherited from his father—Dustin felt uncertain, and he doubted he'd make as soft a landing as the feather.

Forcing his eyes shut, he was entranced by the simple memory of her breathing. His fingers itched to trace the gentle curve of her form, an urge he suppressed with a stern self-reprimand since he was alone in his room, and he'd probably never see her again. He was bound to leave England and hopefully never return so John could be duke. He wasn't a green boy and would soon… no, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd almost kissed her in the kitchen, but he'd held back. A poor dentist had no business kissing a patient. But a duke could kiss an earl's daughter.

His time in India had given him wild and exotic experiences. Even his classmates at Eton could not fathom what he'd learned about lovemaking while in Delhi. He had tasted the forbidden fruits of the Orient and indulged in pleasures that would make even the most seasoned rake blush. Yet, none of those experiences had affected him as deeply as the innocent beauty with lovely, dark-lined eyes. Her purity and naivety were like a balm to his lonely heart, soothing the raw wounds left by his past indulgences.

As he tossed and turned, he realized the depth of his feelings for her. She had touched something within him, something he'd thought long dead. Her innocence contrasted sharply with his worldly experience, yet he yearned for purity. A sigh escaped his lips as he surrendered to his thoughts, knowing sleep would not come tonight.

He shook his head and opened his eyes. The candle burned low, and he wished he were already on a ship to Baltimore. If the paths to Lexi were not cut off by a monstrosity like the width and depth of the Atlantic Ocean, he'd make true on his promise and kiss her. Time was almost up, and if nobody beat him to bestowing a first kiss upon those gorgeous pink lips, he'd do it.

He mustn't.

But he would.