The Duke Is Mine - Eloisa James [47]
But Quin had never been any good at lying to himself. He did care.
For some inscrutable reason, he had taken one good look at Miss Lytton’s pale green eyes and her luscious body and the way she held her shoulders upright, even when she was soaking wet, and he wanted her.
She was witty, lovesome, beautiful . . . wild.
Utterly wrong for a duchess.
He leaned forward. “I have a mare in my stables that will be perfect for you,” he told her.
“Lord Justin has promised to teach me to fly a kite,” she exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to fly one, ever since I saw them in Hyde Park the first time. Lady Althea, Georgiana, would you like to join us on a kite-flying expedition?”
“They would not,” the dowager stated. “There can be no kite-flying today. After luncheon, we shall all walk to the village and deliver baskets to the poor. After that, the ladies will spend several hours planning the upcoming festivities.”
“I would help you, but I know that you would be unhappy to share the morning room with little Lucy, given her marked preference for you,” Olivia said, giving the dowager a beaming smile. “Perhaps familiarity will breed something warmer than contempt? No?”
“You may dabble with your kite-flying expedition tomorrow,” the dowager continued, with crushing indifference, as if she were dictating the nursery schedule. “I cannot spare Lady Sibblethorp to act as a chaperone for the excursion, as we shall still be hard at work.” She managed to make it sound as if the ladies planned to spend the afternoon digging in the mines. “It is possible that Lady Cecily will be kind enough to accompany you, Miss Lytton, if her ankle has mended appreciably. If not, I would feel comfortable were my son to accompany you on this excursion. I think we may eschew a chaperone on our own grounds.”
Quin nodded.
His mother raised her finger as they rose from the table. “One’s digestion is always the better for a brief stroll. Ladies, I would request that you join me in the Chinese drawing room as soon as you are dressed for walking, and we shall proceed to the village.”
“I’m afraid that I have other plans,” Justin said cheerfully. “Mr. Usher and I are going to be poring over some very important lessons. Latin . . . mathematics . . . it never ends.”
Quin opened his mouth to offer a similar excuse when he realized that Olivia was bending over the stone balustrade, trying to pluck a spray of clematis that was just out of her reach.
His entire body stiffened with a flare of lust so keen that he drew in his breath. Those sweet and generous curves were pure temptation. Without conscious volition, he found himself standing beside her, their bodies touching as he reached for the flower she was straining to reach.
The spray of blossoms snapped and he turned. For once, Olivia was not laughing. She met his eyes for a moment, then long eyelashes fluttered down and she broke his gaze.
Who would have thought that pale green eyes could look so smoky? He dropped back a step, swept into an elaborate bow, the bow of a duke. As he straightened: “Miss Lytton, may I offer you this flower?”
She curtsied. Quin cursed himself silently for noticing that the movement gave him an even better glimpse of creamy breasts. What in the bloody hell was happening to him?
Then she straightened, and the look in her eyes made the blood beat like thunder in his ears. Her gaze was frank. Carnal. He wasn’t alone.
But in a second, it all changed. “Darling!” Olivia cried, turning slightly to the right and looking past his shoulder. “Look what the duke was kind enough to pluck from that vine. You must take it. You like flowers so much more than I do.”
Quin smiled politely as Georgiana took the spray of blossoms.
And Georgiana smiled back: charming, pretty . . . a perfect lady. “How kind of you, Your Grace. The clematis smells so beautiful; we were remarking on it throughout the meal.”
He hadn’t even noticed