The Duke Meets His Match (The Infamous Somertons #3)(5)

Sweet Lord. The knowledge was a weapon in anyone’s hands, let alone the duke’s.

Anger and fear shifted swiftly into other all too familiar feelings—remorse and regret. It didn’t matter that she’d acted to survive; the shame would never entirely go away.

She swallowed hard. There was only one possible course of action.

She had to see the duke in private. Plead her case. The duke hadn’t told Henry, that much she was certain. The adoration on Henry’ face as he gazed at her surely would evaporate if he knew of her past.

All of her past.

She stole another glimpse over her shoulder to find the Duke of Cameron watching her. Leaning against the wall, his arms were folded across his broad chest. He caught her staring and a dark eyebrow rose in challenge.

He had the power to ruin everything.





Chapter Two


Chloe pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and stared at the imposing mansion in Berkeley Square. She’d paid the hackney driver to wait for her around the corner. A full moon illuminated the massive pile of stone. The structure was even larger than her brother-in-law Huntingdon’s home, and she couldn’t imagine one person occupying such a large residence.

She took a breath and climbed the steps to reach for the brass knocker. Banging twice, she stepped back and waited. The door swung open to reveal a stern-faced butler with military bearing. His hard eyes swept her from head to toe then returned to her face.

Straightening her spine, she met the servant’s unfriendly glare. “I’m here to see His Grace.”

“Whom may I say is calling at this hour?”

“Kindly inform him that Miss Chloe Somerton would like to speak with him.”

The servant looked at her in disdain, and she could only imagine the thoughts that were running through his head. A lady of quality never visited a bachelor’s home without a proper chaperone, let alone late at night. Did he assume she was here for a secret liaison?

She raised her chin a notch. “I assure you, he’ll want to see me. It is a most important matter.”

The butler smirked. Once again, she wondered if he believed her to be the duke’s lover. She should be ashamed, but desperation pushed aside the unwelcome feelings. He opened the door wide. “Step inside, and I shall tell His Grace that he has a visitor.”

Chloe sighed with relief. Lowering her hood, she took in her surroundings. Marble pillars and a marble floor graced a magnificent vestibule. A winding staircase with an elaborate gilded balustrade led up to a second floor. Priceless artwork hung on the walls and a Chinese vase full of colorful blooms sat on a dainty Chippendale table, filling the space with a heady perfume. As a girl who’d spent time in the slums, she still appreciated such wealth. Her nervousness returned in earnest.

Before the butler could take her cloak, footsteps echoed off the marble floor and Cameron himself appeared in the vestibule.

Oh my.

He was even more striking than she’d remembered, and he was having the same effect on her as when she’d first seen him in the museum. The duke’s classical features possessed a primitive appeal. His hair was inky black, and he wore it long enough to brush his collar. She’d never before seen hair that dark, and it brought forth images of pirates, raiders, and other dangerous villains. His eyes held an unmistakable sheen of intelligence, and there was an air of isolation in his tall figure, as if he knew his place in the world, and he carried himself with the utmost confidence. An impressive man, powerfully masculine. The type of male that caused women to act foolishly.

He was without jacket or cravat, in his shirtsleeves, trousers, and hessians. He held a sheaf of papers, and she realized he must have been working.

His piercing gaze raked her form before returning to her face. “Well…well,” he drawled. “Miss Somerton. What a pleasant surprise.” His tone suggested it wasn’t a surprise at all and that he’d been expecting her to arrive late at night on his doorstep.

Impossible.

Chloe’s heart pounded in her chest as she was held captive by his dark gaze. “May we speak in private, Your Grace?”

“You are alone? No chaperone?”

She swallowed. “I thought it best this way.”

His lips quirked. “Yes. I believe we have something important to discuss that requires the utmost privacy.” He motioned toward the hallway leading from the vestibule. “We can talk in my library. Shall we?”

For a brief moment, her nerves almost faltered, and she clutched her reticule before her.

One dark brow shot upward. “Come now, Miss Somerton. You haven’t sneaked out of your home unchaperoned to visit a bachelor’s residence only to lose your nerve now, have you?”

“Of course not,” she snapped.

She stepped forward and followed as he led her down the hall. She stole a sidelong glance at the clear-cut lines of his profile.

He stopped outside a door, held it open for her, and motioned for her to enter. She swept inside the duke’s private library and halted. The room was paneled in rich mahogany, and row after row of bookshelves lined the walls. Supple leather spines of different colors occupied every inch of the shelves. Chloe knew how costly books were, and she suspected one of the leather-bound volumes could have paid their rent at the print shop for a month. A pair of matching leather chairs was situated beside a large fireplace with a coal brazier and a marble mantle. She could picture herself sitting in one of the chairs, her legs curled beneath her, as she read for hours.