To Love A Duke

Her

Song Recommendation: YOU AGAIN by FABRIZIO PATERLINI

Dedication: For Tboss, the very first person to read this book and volunteer to be my British voice for the audio book. Love you!

A Lady must refrain from swearing under any circumstance, except said circumstance happens to be a k********g. Then Bollocks! All propriety must be abandoned!

London 1811

Artemis had thought of several ways to die, jumping into the Thames, venturing out into saint Giles at night or simply found dangling from the ceiling in her overly decorated room but certainly not by a pistol! Bollocks! A pistol? for crying out loud she hadn’t done anything to deserve the press of the cold metal through her blue muslin and tight corset, she hadn’t done anything wrong. As a matter of fact she had done everything right! She had lived up to her father’s expectations,she knew everything a gentle-bred lady should know, from playing the pianoforte to holding a cup of punch. she had even agreed to marry the damned earl because papa had said so. She sighed thinking back at all the things she hadn’t done all her life, she had been chaste she had never been involved in any scandal, never stolen into the gardens to be kissed senseless, never dallied with the footmen and never even flirted with the rogues of the season. she was perfect, flawless, damn it all she was the diamond of the season! Still she knew she was a grave disappointment to papa.

He had wanted a son.

she could be all the b****y stars in the sky but she could never be a man, she could never be an heir, she could never be a son, the son mama had died trying to give him and somehow papa had blamed her for that too, surely he’ll blame her for getting kidnapped, she rested her head against the suprisingly soft cushioning of the carriage they hadn’t bound her or gagged her but the cold press of the pistol reminded her that any time now her life would flash before her eyes and into nothingness and in that very moment she regretted everything she hadn’t done. The men hadn’t said a word to her in the last six hours after they had seized her in the most gentle manner from her fathers house she had spent said hours being confused as to who would want her taken and possibly killed but found no answers she was sure they were well away from London by now though with the blinds rolled up she couldn’t see a thing, the carriage rattled on taking her farther and farther from everything she was used to, taking her away from the last of mamas memories, from her only true friend penny. At least they couldn’t take her away from her dreams these were her last thoughts as she drifted off into sleep to be haunted by those green eyes.

…” I’m right here tems, don’t be scared just come to me….” The soothing voice of her little knight whispered “ but I’m scared, papa said not to climb trees” seven year old Artemis lamented knowing he won’t tease her about her fears, he cared for her too much to tease her so “…one day I’ll take you away from him to come live with me and you won’t have to be scared of him anymore I promise” staring down at her as he said this he smiled and she smiled back like it was the most natural thing in the world. When He noticed she was still hesitating he said the words he always did “ I’ve got you Artemis, slowly just come to me, I’ve always got you…” hearing these words she settled her hands on the first branch and began climbing, somehow looking into those green eyes she knew she’ll never fall that she’ll always be safe.

Orion knew she would be afraid waking in a strange place so he got here early enough for him to be the first person she saw. she had arrived early this morning. He had sent the courtesan who had entertained his bed away he couldn’t even remember her name but no matter he had left her with a promise to call on her saying he had things to take care of at first he had considered keeping her in one of the many rooms his castle boasted of but something about Artemis and some other woman under the same roof and even in the same sentence didn’t sit well with him.

Hovering above her he gazed down at the still sleeping Artemis and memories from the past threatened to ease their way to the forefront of his mind but he pushed them aside. he wouldn’t dare go there. Absently he wondered how anyone slept through an a*******n. His features softened looking at her and he hoped she hadn’t been too frightened on her journey here he would have liked to have been the one who brought her here but he had to take care of things before she got here. He studied her figure, she had never been on the plump side but she seemed paler than he remembered and he hoped to hell she hadn’t been starving herself to fit in with the trend He had been watching her for sometime now expecting her to stir awake and wage war he chuckled at the thought, he had abducted her after all. He carefully studied her from her honey blonde thick hair, down to that plump rosy lips past that slender neck and to the lush full breast constrained in that damned corset it seemed too tight, could she breathe? His fingers twitched to relieve her of her clothing but he knew he couldn’t so instead he took in the sight of her curves despite her petite Frame her waist dip gave way to an abundant endowment he almost groaned at the sight and immediately that unwelcome feeling he first experienced when they had brought her into Castle surged through him, he frowned at the jolt of arousal she stirred in him and had to adjust his breeches

Many years later and she plagued him still ?