An Affair in Winter (Seasons Book 1) (31 page)
Read An Affair in Winter (Seasons Book 1) Online
Authors: Jess Michaels
“Whatever it was.” Honora shrugged. “Or that he was driven mad over his father’s death.”
“Oh there are a dozen stories or more,” Tabitha said. “Whatever the truth is, everyone is agog over his return. He is quite the catch.”
“Despite being horribly disfigured or mad? Or both?” Celia asked mildly.
Honora let out a huff of breath. “He’s
titled
and
rich
, did you not hear that part?”
Celia held back a sigh. She hated to be mercenary, especially after all she’d gone through breaking her engagement to Stenfax, but the idea of this duke’s title did appeal to her. Since Gray had had little luck in finding out her father’s identity, she couldn’t help but wonder if her grandfather might consider honoring his original bargain with her.
Marry a title to satisfy him and receive the information that was so well-hidden. Oh, Rosalinde would hate that. She wouldn’t want Celia anywhere near the old man.
But Rosalinde didn’t need the truth as much as Celia felt she did. It didn’t eat at her at night, it didn’t haunt her every time she looked in the mirror and wondered if she had her father’s nose or chin.
“Are you well, my dear?” Tabitha asked, tilting her head to get a closer look at Celia. “You have gotten very pale.”
Celia shook her head. These were not thoughts she should entertain. Likely when this mysterious duke arrived he would not be interested in her at all. He would probably be a boring, fat aristocrat who already knew exactly what family he would merge with his own. There was no use getting one’s hopes up over a mirage.
“I’m fine, I was wool gathering,” she said with a smile to reassure her friends.
Tabitha didn’t look certain, but before she could follow up with more questions or concerns, the crowd in the room began to titter and shift. It seemed everyone in the room turned toward the door at once as the servant there made some muffled announcement.
Celia turned with them, lifting on her tiptoes to see who had caused the commotion.
“It must be him,” Honora breathed, her hand coming up to fluff her hair. “It
must
be!”
Celia supposed her friend must be correct, for this mysterious duke was the only new addition to Society that would cause such a stir. The crowd began to part, splitting apart like a torn seam and then the few people before her stepped aside and she caught her breath.
An impeccably dressed man now stood not three feet from her. And he was utterly beautiful with dark blond hair and steely gray eyes that swept over the room. He had an angled face with a strong jaw and a slightly imperfect nose, like he had broken it at some point during his life. But the imperfection only made the rest of his face that much more striking.
He shifted slightly, revealing some discomfort on his handsome face. And something else, too. Sadness. There was a sadness in his eyes that spoke to Celia in a visceral and immediate way.
“That’s him?” she breathed, unable to take her eyes off of him. Tabitha and Honora nodded mutely. “He certainly isn’t scarred.”
“Or fat,” Honora added. “Or hideous.”
“No,” Celia whispered as he turned away and smiled as their host and hostess, the Marquis and Marchioness Harrington rushed to greet their coup of a guest. He was led off into the crowd and suddenly it felt like the air had been let back into the room. Celia sucked in a gulp of it with a shiver.
She had never had such a strong reaction to a stranger before. A man. It was like her whole body was tingling and her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that the rest of the sounds in the room were muffled by the rush of blood.
“I think he’ll be even more of a catch now that we’ve all seen him,” Tabitha said with a sigh. “Some lucky girl will land him before the summer, I can almost guarantee it!”
Celia blinked as those words sank in. Of course that was true. The mamas would swarm on their newcomer before he could settle in for five minutes and he would be the focus of their manipulations until someone had landed him.
Someone who would almost certainly
not
be Celia Fitzgilbert. She turned away from where the duke had stood and took a few more deep breaths. It was foolish to be swept away by the appearance of a handsome face. And if she were smart, she’d just forget about the man.
Only she didn’t think that would be so easy to do.
Jess Michaels
The Wicked Woodleys
Forbidden
(Book 1)
Deceived
(Book 2)
Tempted
(Book 3)
Ruined
(Book 4)
Seduced
(Book 5)
The Notorious Flynns
The Other Duke
(Book 1)
The Scoundrel’s Lover
(Book 2)
The Widow Wager
(Book 3)
No Gentleman for Georgina
(Book 4)
A Marquis for Mary
(Book 5)
The Ladies Book of Pleasures
The Pleasure Wars Series
Mistress Matchmaker Series
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Jess Michaels writes erotic historical romance from her home in Tucson, AZ with her husband and one adorable kitty cat. She has written over 60 books, enjoys long walks in the desert and once wrestled a bear over a piece of pie. One of these things is a lie.
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