Rules to Catch a Devilish Duke (40 page)

“But—”

“Quiet.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Likewise.” With a brief smile, he took two steps forward this time and stopped directly in front of her. And then he sank down on one knee.

Sophia froze. She couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it—and she thought it might. “What are you doing?” she squeaked, all the blood leaving her face.

“I’ve spent every second since you left trying to come up with a solution that addresses all of your concerns, and all of mine.”

Reaching out, he took her left hand in both of his. A shock went through her at the contact, and she stopped breathing. “You can’t do th—”

“Hush. Yes, we could argue that you’re a duke’s daughter and then a maid’s daughter, and all the messy details about your birth. But I don’t care about that, other than it made you who you are. I want you to be a part of my life, and I would like to be a part of yours. I want to live my life with you, and I want to have children with you, and I want them to be good-humored and strong like you are. I love … I love you, Sophia. I think I have since you wore that silly yellow dress. If you think perhaps you could care for me the way I c—”

“I love you, too, Adam,” she whispered, more tears running down her face.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look up at her face. “Then marry me, Sophia. Be my wife. Be my duchess. Be anything you want, but do it with me. Save me. Save us both.”

Her breath returned in a heart-rattling rasp. “But the scandal! Don’t you realize what everyone will say?”

“I realize that very well. I don’t care. I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m a duke. I do as I please. I’ve never needed anyone’s permission for anything. But I ask for yours. Will you marry me?”

How could he even ask the question? People like him didn’t marry people like her. This wasn’t a fairy tale.

And yet he continued to kneel before her, his hands shaking just a little as he held hers. His fingers were warm and gentle. His gray eyes gazed at her, hope and worry and a little bit of amusement lighting them from the inside. A duke. Her duke, if she wanted him. And she did, so very, very much.

“Yes,” she said. “You’re utterly mad, but yes.”

He stood again, drawing her into his arms. “Then I advise you to kiss me, for God’s sake, before I begin weeping.”

Sophia laughed as his mouth met hers. He had saved them both. Or perhaps, she decided as he swung her in a slow, delightful circle, they had saved each other.

ALSO BY

S
UZANNE
E
NOCH

A Beginner’s Guide to Rakes

Taming an Impossible Rogue

PRAISE FOR SUZANNE ENOCH

and her bestselling romances

“A joyride of a novel … a sensual romantic caper sure to win applause.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Reading a book by Suzanne Enoch is like stepping into a time machine. She so adeptly transports readers.”

—
New York Journal of Books

“A highly gifted author.”

—
Romantic Times

“With her carefully drawn characters and plot chock-full of political intrigue, greed, and scandal, Enoch has put a nifty Regency spin on the Beauty and the Beast story.”

—
Booklist

“Suzanne Enoch has a gift for piquing a reader’s interest.”

—
Sun Journal

“Ms. Enoch provides an entertaining read … an often amusing and just as often dangerous battle of the sexes that will delight fans.”

—Harriet Klausner

“Dazzling, delicious, and delightful.”

—Karen Hawkins

“Always an eagerly anticipated pleasure.”

—Christina Dodd

“Indulge and be delighted!”

—Stephanie Laurens

“One of my very favorite authors.”

—Julia Quinn

“With her fascinating characters, lyrical prose, and whip-smart dialogue, Enoch has created a novel to be cherished.”

—Lisa Kleypas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native and current resident of Southern California, SUZANNE ENOCH loves movies almost as much as she loves books, with a special place in her heart for anything
Star Wars
. She has written thirty Regency novels and historical romances, which are regularly to be found on the
New York Times
bestseller list. When she is not busily working on her next book, Suzanne likes to contemplate interesting phenomena, like how the 3 guppies in her aquarium became 161 guppies in 5 months.

Visit
www.suzanneenoch.com

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

RULES TO CATCH A DEVILISH DUKE

Copyright © 2012 by Suzanne Enoch.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

www.stmartins.com

eISBN: 9781466814837

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2012

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.