Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The Things That Happen At Night

L eah tiptoed through the house. She treaded lightly so as not to step on any creaky floorboards. She might not have worried about being caught if the Duke had not relayed the information earlier about her previous visit to his study. It had been forgotten about with the laughter and talk of cake and vomit, but if she were caught, there would certainly be more questions about impropriety, and Leah worried her mother would never forgive herself for something that was not her fault.

Leah stopped at the corner of the hallway and listened for any faint voices or footsteps. There were none. She poked her head around the corner before stepping out. Leah had thought about wearing more clothing, but it felt right to wear her nightdress and a gown.

Light flickered from the Duke's study as she approached it. The door was open. Leah looked in to find no one at the desk. She stepped into the room and approached the desk with papers spread atop. She noticed a curious addition.

On the side of the desk she approached was a white plate with a generous slice of Queen cake. She approached it and looked down upon it as if it might be a figment of her imagination. She reached out to touch it, her mouth watering but brought her hand back. It was not hers to take.

"Please, go ahead," the Duke said from behind her.

Leah almost fell over when she jumped an inch into the air and then fell back to her feet. She whirled around, knowing it was the Duke who had spoken, but raising her hands in case she had to fight off an intruder or a ghost.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," the Duke said as he closed the door to his study.

"Why did you put the cake there?" Leah asked.

"For you," the Duke replied. He moved toward her but stepped to the side at the last moment and moved around the desk to his chair.

"For me?" Leah questioned. "Why?"

"Why?" the Duke asked. "Because it is your favorite, is it not?"

"Yes, it is, but why do you have it in here? What must I do in return for it?"

The Duke guffawed. "In return for it? Who do you think I am? What do you think I am?"

"Well, I just… don't you think we should get this over with?"

"Get it over with?" The smile left the Duke's face. "I know we made a deal, but I hoped you would get as much out of this as I will. Will we not have some fun together?"

"I-I don't know what that means."

The Duke clasped his hands together. "My dear, I wish to taste your lips again, but I will not force you into that. I believed we were being playful, but if you see this as a chore, then you can leave immediately."

"And you will stop pretending, and then everyone will find out we don't have feelings for each other."

"Where is this coming from?" Solomon asked.

Maybe I want it to be real! Maybe I wish for someone to care about me, like the way you pretended to care about me, but not you! I have to marry you, and I will not have someone truly love me!

"It is not coming from anywhere," Leah claimed. "I want this wedding to happen, and I don't wish to jeopardize that."

"You shan't," the Duke assured her. "If you step out of here right now, I will not stop pretending. You have my word. I made an agreement, and I asked for some fun on top of that, and you have the right to say now. And the cake comes with no strings attached, though it is such a large piece that I cannot guarantee your stomach will be able to hold it all. If that is the case, I must ask that you do leave my room."

Leah smiled, and she relaxed a little. "I thought for a moment about apologizing for thinking what I am thinking, but we had so much trouble with that earlier."

The Duke smiled again. "Yes, we did. So, you will stay?"

"Yes, I will stay for now."

Neither of them mentioned what that might mean.

"Please, sit and have some cake. I don't care a jot if you can't fit into any dresses. If you want to have cake, then why shouldn't you have cake."

"And if you want to have women, then why shouldn't you have women," Leah added. She immediately clamped her hand over her mouth before removing it to say, "I must apologize for that. I don't mean that."

"If you do, it is justified with my reputation. The sentiment holds true for cake and women and a hundred other things. Why should you not have what you want in life?"

The words only depressed Leah more. She was beginning to discover what she wanted in life, and the Duke could not give her that. She looked down at the desk but not at the cake.

"Please," the Duke told her, gesturing toward the cake. "I know Queen cake is your favorite, and I want you to have some. You don't have to eat it all, but the small piece you had in the conservatory was surely not enough to satisfy you."

"No, it was not enough to satisfy me," she replied.

Leah wanted to take a large bite from the cake to satisfy her cravings and to fill the hole inside that was only growing larger. Instead, she took one small nibble after another.

Why do I act so ladylike in eating cake when I am in my night clothes and alone with His Grace in his study?

"What else do you enjoy?" the Duke asked.

It unnerved Leah that he watched her eat cake. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Queen cake is your favorite cake. What are some of your other favorite things?"

Leah furrowed her brows. "Why do you want to know?"

The Duke laughed but became frustrated. "You might be the worst conversationalist I have encountered. I am asking because I want to know more about you. If we are to fool everyone into believing we are spending time together to get to know each other, then we should get to know each other."

Leah wanted to kick herself for being such a fool. "Yes, you are absolutely right. We must get to know each other. What can I tell you? I love to read. It might be one of my favorite hobbies, especially the romantic poets."

"Now, I would expect you to be well-read, but it surprises me that romantic poetry would be your favorite."

"Why does that surprise you?" Leah asked with a smile as she began to devour the cake. "Our relationship is not romantic, but that does not mean I can't appreciate romance."

"No, that is true," the Duke replied. "Maybe I assumed you would be more into fact than fiction. You appear to me as someone who possesses a strong intellect, and you know about the world and how it works. Perhaps I am way off."

"You are way off," Leah admitted, "but I like that you think that of me. How about you? What do you enjoy doing?"

Solomon sighed and leaned back in his chair. "To be honest, there hasn't been time for a lot since my father passed. I've been trying to get our business in order so that—" Solomon glanced feverishly at Leah. "Perhaps a little too honest. How about we strike that from the record and pretend I told you about all the drinking I have been doing and women I have been bedding? I am a complete rake, and I won't have you thinking otherwise."

"You don't have to be," Leah told him.

"I can be anything I want, and perhaps that is exactly what I want to be."

"Is it?" Leah challenged. "Is that what you want to be, or do you wish to be something else? It can be hard to pretend all of the time."

The Duke held her gaze without saying anything, and Leah could see she had hit a nerve, but perhaps it was a nerve that needed to be hit. The Duke opened his mouth a little, ready to say something, but he shook his head, and the moment was lost. Leah had seen through him for a moment, and he did not like it.

"This sort of talk won't help us fool our families," the Duke told her. "How about we stick to what we agreed on? Tell me what other cakes you like and how you spend an afternoon."

Leah wanted to push the Duke a little more, but the chance was gone.

"I enjoy the classics when it comes to reading, faster dances over slow dances, and I like to be by or on the water. One of my favorite things to do in the afternoon is float it on a lake or canal," Leah said.

"Then we must do that sometime," the Duke replied.

"You don't have to," Leah replied. "It is enough to put on a united front until the wedding."

"I want to do it because it sounds like fun," the Duke told her. "I like boating, too. If we are to be together, what harm is there in doing things we both enjoy?"

"No, I suppose you are right," Leah commented.

"When your father pays the dowry, I shan't have to spend as much time invested in the minute business details. I shall have more time, and I do enjoy spending time with you."

"I enjoy spending time with you," Leah found herself saying.

Leah stopped eating the cake when she realized there was only one small morsel left. She had become full and continued to eat. She removed her hand from the temptation and placed it on her lap.

"No, we can't have that," the Duke told her. "The cake is yours."

"I shouldn't," Leah said.

"It is fine to give into temptation on occasion," the Duke told her.

He stood up from his chair, the flickering flame of the candle adding some menace to his look. He was dangerous, but it did not scare Leah. Solomon rounded the table and picked up the morsel of cake between his thumb and forefinger. He towered over Leah, gazing down upon her.

Leah tilted her head to look up at him—the orange flame reflected and flickered in his eyes.

The Duke brought the small piece of cake down toward Leah's lips, holding it just out of reach.

"What is it you really want?" the Duke asked.

Leah looked up at the Duke and then at the cake held in his fingertips. She did not speak. She did not know what she truly wanted.

The Duke moved the cake slowly toward her mouth, and she found her lips parting to accept his gift. She opened her mouth wider, and he popped the morsel between her lips.

Leah closed her lips around the cake and the Duke's thumb and finger as he slowly pulled them out. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and then her top.

"Good?" he asked.

"Delicious." Leah felt someone else had inhabited her body—someone much braver and more forward than her.

This is why I came, isn't it? Why can't he be infuriating or charming all the time, and I can like or dislike him instead of feeling both?

The Duke took her chin and guided her to her feet. She stood before him as he continued to tower above her. It was not only his height but his power and stature. She parted her lips again, ready to welcome him.

He leaned down toward her and kissed her top lip and then her bottom lip. She had been expecting a passionate kiss that swept her off her feet, but the tender touch did as much as that would. Leah concentrated on standing as her legs weakened. She ached for him to kiss her again.

When he leaned forward, she thought he might, but he whispered to her instead.

"I have what I need for now," he said. "I am satisfied with you, Miss Moore. Go and get some rest. We have some big days coming up."

"I—" I need your kiss. "Thank you," Leah said.

The Duke took his hand from her chin and stood gazing at her with the fire still flickering in his eyes. Leah was not sure what she would let him do; she was not sure what she wanted him to do.

"Goodnight, Miss Moore," the Duke said.

"Goodnight, Your Grace."