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“Fun is a dangerous word,” the duke pointed out. “You don’t want to tell anyone you are going to an event purely for fun. There are some who go only for fun, but they are⁠—”

“Yes, yes.” Eleanor waved a hand in the air.

The duke quickly caught her wrist. “You enjoy interrupting me, don’t you?”

His grip wasn’t tight, and she could have easily pulled away from him, but the warmth around her wrist was intriguing.

“I understand what you are saying,” she replied, still caught in his embrace. “I don’t mean it like that. I only want to enjoy my time while I am looking for the right man.”

“And I will help you to find the right man,” the duke responded. He let her arm go.

She could still feel the warmth of his hand on her skin. It pulsed. “Then we are in agreement for the first time. So, let’s continue.” Eleanor smiled. “I have heard great things about Lady Havisham’s ball. I hope I have been invited, and I would very much like to attend it. That would be my first choice, whether it is efficient or not.”

“Not possible,” the duke replied, dismissing her request easily. “I shall be out of town that day, so I cannot accompany you.”

“Where will you be?” Eleanor brought her hands to her lap. He looked at her differently now, as if he knew he had marked her wrists. She avoided looking down at her hands.

“Where I will be is none of your business. I shall not be here to chaperone you, so you will be unable to go.”

“Then I shall go alone,” Eleanor stated.

“You shall not,” the duke scoffed, leaning forward. “It is out of the question. Your brother entrusted you to me, and I shan’t let you go to a ball unaccompanied.”

“You are impossible,” Eleanor huffed. “Then, I shall go with Mother.”

As if she had been waiting outside for her name to be called, Margaret re-entered the room with a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other.

She walked merrily through the room to the chair by the back window and sat down before she poured herself a glass.

“I found some wine,” she announced triumphantly. “I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Eleanor immediately regretted her previous statement.

“How are the plans going?” Margaret asked before taking a generous sip.

There was silence from Eleanor and the duke.

“Oh,” Margaret said after a second. “I can feel the tension from here.” She took another drink of wine. “Your father and I had many silences like that when we weren’t getting along. I wonder if all married couples are the same.”

“We are not a married couple,” Eleanor hissed.

“No, no, of course, not,” Margaret said dreamily. She waved a hand in the air before looking out of the window. “Ignore me and carry on. I’m sure you’re doing just fine.”

Eleanor turned back to the duke with a grimace. She lowered her voice as much as possible. “Perhaps my suggestion wasn’t entirely sound, but I can find someone else to chaperone me.”

The duke leaned forward and whispered, as if everything was a secret. “And your brother entrusted you to me. I shall not let you be accompanied by someone else. You are my responsibility. I shall accompany you. You will miss some events, and you will get to attend others. That is the end of it.”

Eleanor hissed as quietly as she could. “Yes, that’s the end of it. That’s the end of it because you say it’s the end of it. I don’t get a choice in this matter. And I just have to deal with it.”

Before the duke could answer her, a loud commotion echoed through the house. Someone shouted in fear. Then a growling bark, like a wolf, sounded from inside the house. Another shout in vain. And the scraping sound of claws scraping on wooden floors as the beast ran.

And before Eleanor had a chance to hide, the creature erupted into the room, teeth bared, and bloodlust in its eyes.

CHAPTER 7

Gabriel’s survival instincts kicked in immediately, and he immediately thought to protect the women in the room from his dog. Atlas was allowed free rein of the house, but only when there were no guests present, or they were guests he had met previously. He stood from his chair and immediately put himself between Eleanor and his wolfhound.

“Atlas!” Gabriel shouted, trying to bark louder than the dog.