An Apple Pie for a Duke (3 page)

Gigi
felt her bowels constrict. She had heard that voice before. Something
about it made her feel very strange inside. But where had she heard
it?

It
came to her just as the tall figure turned around to face her.

His
black eyes were gleaming like those of the devil. They had an almost
exotic slant to them.

He
watched Gigi as if she were his prey.

Gigi
felt soaring heat rush into her head. She stared at him like a rabbit
stares at a snake.

It
was
he
!
HIM
!

For
fives years it had been
his
face she put to the heroes in her
novels! For five years it had been
him
she was seeing in her
most secret dreams!
HIM
!
Dominic!

His
face was a little darker than was the fashion but who cared about
fashion when that face was so perfectly...
well, what is it?

Perfectly
perfect!

Dominic
St. Yves, The Duke of Surrey, stood before her in all his glory, most
likely come to shoot her in the head.

“
Look,
Darl, here's y’ng lady,” he hissed through his perfect teeth.
“Why d’nt ask her?”

With
a few steps he was directly in front of Gigi. She could even smell
him. Her heart was racing uncontrollably.

“
Well,
Miss, ‘t’d you ‘commend f’ grl ‘f y’r age? In’cent,
like y’self, ‘presume? ‘thing very
comme
il faut
?
”

Gigi
stared at him in utter disbelief.

The
other man coughed, obviously embarrassed by the duke’s behaviour.

He
addressed Gigi's mother and aunt who had hurried over when they saw
their
protégée
coming
under attack by a man.
“
Lady
Tarly, would you be so kind as to introduce us to the other ladies. I
believe I haven't made their acquaintance.”

Gigi's
Aunt appeared to have awoken from a terrible nightmare.

“
Of
course, of course,” Lady Tarly panted. “This is my sister-in-law,
Lady Cartwright, and her daughter, Miss Cartwright. May I present to
you the Earl of Darlington, and eh, His Grace the Duke of Surrey.”

“
The
long lost Countess Rivendon!
Enchanté
.
”
Lord Darlington bowed
deeply.

The
sublime creature looming over Gigi slightly backed away and
transferred its attention to the rest of the group. This time, he
snarled.

Is
he really snarling?
Is
that
snarling?
What does a black panther do when conversing in polite society? I
have no idea.

“
Yerrs,
yerrs... blief 've bin ‘troduced to La’y Tarl’, howd'you do...
can't ‘member ‘ving pleasu’f meeting you, La’y Crtwrght,
‘though ‘blief 've bin ‘quainted with late mother, ‘ven't
you. Yerrs... I'm Surrey.”

Somehow
the duke still managed to sound lazy even though he was
definitely
snarling.

It
was fascinating!

Strange
how anybody could even understand what he was saying. But above all,
the way
he
spoke to Gigi's mother and aunt was incredibly discourteous!

That
was not at all the way to address a lady much older than oneself.

W
hy
don't they expel him from the shop, chase him out with a broom? Why
do they keep talking to him, the silly old goats? Why doesn't anybody
do anything? They should shun him, cut him, refuse him, right now!
That man is dangerous and impossible and most certainly a rake and
very, very perfect!

Instead,
the shopkeeper stood behind his desk, gazing admiringly at the duke,
her aunt smiled an unnatural smile, only Lady Cartwright did not seem
overly impressed by His perfectly perfect but impossibly impossible
Grace.

“
Yes.
I knew Carlotta well,” Lady Cartwright nodded. “She and I had
children of the same age. We had great deal to talk about. She was a
remarkable woman and I was very sad about her passing away. You used
to look a lot like her, duke, and I can still see the resemblance.
Well, a Sforza princess surely leaves her mark on the faces of her
children.”

The
duke raised an eyebrow then he gave a little bow. A minuscule bow.

The
marriage of Dominic's father and Carlotta Sforza had, in fact, been
quite a sensation back in the day. A love match. Fortunately,
Carlotta had been so beautiful, so highly aristocratic and so
immensely rich that nobody could find fault in her. In fact,
her
family still thought
she had married below her prospects by taking one of the richest and
most powerful men in England for a husband. He had only been a duke,
after all.

“
I
believe you've been looking for a book, Your Grace?” Gigi's mother
proceeded unabashed. “I strongly believe in choosing the literature
for my daughter
myself
.
There are some books in this world that can cause quite an unbecoming
turmoil in a young head, don't you agree, duke? My Eugenia only reads
what I consider appropriate, therefore let
me
make the
recommendation for your sister.” She strode over to a table of
display and lifted a novel called
The
Birds of Cheltenham Gardens
.

Gigi
groaned inwardly, remembering a lukewarm plot and unbearable moral
teachings.

“
A
lovely little book. Gigi was quite delighted by it, weren't you?”

Again,
the dark eyes were on Gigi. Seething. Burning!

“
Quite...
delighted.” Gigi pressed out the words with the last air remaining
to her.

“
Were
you...,” the duke purred.
Purred?
Why would he purr?

A
shiver went through Gigi, she felt dizzy.

“
My
dear girl!” Her mother cried out. “You are not at all looking
well, we must go home and you'll take to bed at once! You'll
not
miss the great ball
at Lady Winston's. I'll not have you ill, my little dove.”

Gigi's
cheeks burnt with shame.

“
Yes,
she does look feverish, doesn't she,” Lord Darlington observed.

“
Eugenia,
have you been feeling unwell before?” Lady Tarly, who most
certainly felt unwell, probed from a little further away. The fact
that the duke had once threatened her and her husband over their
afternoon tea was still a vivid memory to her.

Gigi
did not speak. She tried to inhale but her lungs refused her. A few
more moments and she would faint! Right there in front of everybody,
in front of
HIM
!

“
Come
on, Surrey, we are awaited at court.” Darlington patted Surrey on
the back.

“
Right,”
Dominic St. Yves said, turned abruptly and walked away.

Out
of the door.

Out
of Gigi's life.

“
That
dreadful man! He scared our little bird so much she forgot to
breathe,” Lady Tarly whimpered as soon as the gentlemen were out.
She held a bottle of smelling salts to Gigi's nose and indeed, they
brought Gigi back to full conscious awareness.

Everything
was as it had been before. Shelves, shopkeeper, her mother, her aunt.

Had
it been an illusion? A trick of the mind?

Then
she remembered.

“
Oh
Mama,” she sighed. “Did you really give him
The
Birds of
Cheltenham Gardens
?
How awful! I think I'm going to die!”

4.

Bond
Street, London, 5 seconds later

Bloody
hell, bloody, bloody, bloody hell! Why me, why this, why me, why me?
Why ME?

“
Would
you be so genial as to explain your behaviour?” Darlington asked as
they rushed down Bond Street. “That was unheard of!”

Dominic
said nothing.

Bloody
hell!
Why
me? How did I deserve this?

“
Surrey?
Are you quite alright, man?”

“
Oomph.”

“
I
beg you pardon?” Darlington grabbed Dominic by the arm, forcing him
to stop. “Have you gone insane? We're walking into the wrong
direction! My men are waiting for us with the carriage by the park.
Where are you heading?”

“
I
love her,” Dominic whispered

“
What
did you just say?”

Dominic
wailed. “I love her, gods be damned!”

“
Whom?
What? And keep your voice down,” Darlington hissed. “What is the
matter with you? What was the business with ‘yerrrs… I’m
‘narr’gnt prick’ all about?”

“
I
love her,” Dominic repeated and wondered how Darlington could not
have seen it.

Actually,
just as he had entered the bookshop, he had been gripped by a sudden
fear: Darlington would fall in love with Gigi too, and she with him,
and they would be married and have children and live happily ever
after while Dominic would drink and whore himself into an early
grave.

“
Yes,
you said so. It seems to be the only thing you'll say for the rest of
the day. Thank Goodness.”

Darlington
dragged Dominic along, but very carefully. The Duke of Surrey was not
the kind of man one would drag along bodily.

“
Why
don't we turn around and head back to the carriage. It'll take us to
court, where, in case you forget, we
do
have an appointment
with the King
.
Remember him?
Formerly the Prince Regent? Charming fellow. Ruler of this great
nation, by the way.”

“
No!
We can't go back!” Dominic was terrified. “We can't go back!”

“
We
can't go back where?”

“
We
can't go back THERE!” He pointed towards the distant bookshop.

“
Why
ever not?”

“
Because,
I
love
her.”

“
Yes,
but
whom
?”

“
Her
!”

“
Countess
Rivendon? I grant you, she's a beautiful woman but I believe she must
be nearing fifty. We did have our share of
belles
d'automne
,
but you shouldn't go that far, now should you? I didn't even know
you'd met her before, much less that you had a secret
liaison
with her. Isn't her
husband rather the military type? I heard Lackerby mention General
Cartwright from time to time and I remember there was always a
certain amount of fear in his voice whenever he---”

“
Oh
shut up!” Dominic took off his hat and wiped his forehead with his
handkerchief. “Not her!”

“
Lady
Tarly then! Are you a pervert?”

Dominic
glared at his friend. “Do you wish to die, Darlington? Because I'm
about to strangle you.”

“
No,”
Darlington granted, “but you
can't
be serious, if what I
think
is true.”

“
And
what do you think?”

“
I
think you shouldn't be hankering after debutantes.” Darlington gave
his friend a pitying smile.

“
I'm
not hankering, I love her!” Dominic felt an urge to punch his old
chum in the stomach.

“
Yes,
yes. One minute in a bookshop and you love her.” Darlington kept
holding on to Dominic. “You must be getting really old if a pretty
face and some golden curls can heat your blood as much as that. She's
pretty, yes, if you like the type, which you do, but she's also a
shy, boring little deb. She didn't say a word. But, well, considering
the impression you made---”