Desire.
He would not use such a word in conjunction to her. He could not. Hemustnot.
He had not seen Jack since he had gone off to university, and honestly, he’d barely given her a thought since. After all, she was his best friend’s little sister.
And he’d far too many other things to be concerned about, such as ensuring that he got into Oxford. Generally speaking, dukes did not go to school, but he’d needed to stay away from home. Home had been hell.
As he drew in a slow breath, steadying himself before her surprising confidence, he found himself wondering how the devil she had found the courage to do what she had done.
Young, unmarried ladies did not, in his experience, climb trees to scale his window.
This was not Romeo and Juliet, and she…well, she was certainly not Romeo.
He smiled to himself at the rather strange thought.
In the silence that was so palpable between them he felt he could reach out and grab it, he could not stop himself from taking her in anew.
She had become an astounding person. A marvel.
He could not argue it. She wasn’t beautiful in the way society dictated beauty. There was nothing particularly notable about her person—if anything, her features were too bold. Her nose slightly too large. Her chin was jutting out as if daring someone to pop her one, rather like her brother, actually.
He bit back a smile at her stunning defiance.
Her hair was a lush dark brown, not at all the popular blonde of the season this year, and her eyebrows, they were like two raven’s wings perched over her blue eyes, giving her a most serious air as she glared at him.
Hells bells, he enjoyed that glare.
Very few people had the temerity to glare at him.
Yes, he was going to enjoy this endeavor very much.
From the outside, it was clear that finding a husband for Jack would be no easy thing, because gentlemen, in his experience, fools that it made them, did not like interesting ladies.
It was a great misfortune.
No, Jack Peabody needed a meeting of minds, and he’d do everything he could to find it for her. But at this moment, he could think of no one who was worthy of her.
He’d certainly done his best for her sister Louise. And his attempts had met success.
“Have your wits gone wandering, Your Grace?” she suddenly asked with a lovely dose of impatience.
They had not wandered at all. They’d been quite focused on her and his admiration for her person. But he wasn’t about to admit that.
He ignored the question and returned, “Tell me what it is that you like.”
She cocked her head to the side, which caused her wild hair to tumble across her neck and linen-clad breasts.
Was she even wearing stays?
Much to his shock, his mind went blank at that thought. For he did not dare contemplate her body beneath that thin fabric, and yet…
“I like being free,” she replied.
He shook himself mentally. He cleared his throat, determined to think of naught but her present needs. “You might be able to be free after you’re wed. That’s a possibility that many ladies and gentlemen choose.”
He did not add that that kind of freedom had not worked out well for his mother and father. In fact, it had driven them into absolute furies of anger and jealousy and the crashing of vases and pots.
And something had unhinged in his father that had never righted itself again.