Free A Duchess Enraged by Alicia Quigley

you?" she murmured.
    "My wife!"
he burst out.
    Louisa thought it
best to dissemble. "Is she so homely, then?"
    "No, she isn't
homely," said Adam ruefully. "But I have come to wish she was the
dowdy I thought her. She is not only beautiful and clever, she has all London
at her feet."
    "And is that so
terrible?" asked Louisa. "Many people could desire nothing
more."
    "I do not want a
wife who does no more than flirt and dance and laugh and make merry. She is
totally heartless, Louisa. I can find no shred of softness in her."
    Louisa murmured
soothingly as she pressed up against his arm. This was even better than she had
hoped. When she had first realized the extent to which the Duchess of
Gravesmere held the town in her thrall, she had feared that she would lose Adam
to her. She had had few worries about relinquishing Adam to the homely child
bride she had expected Adam to find on his return, but she had wondered how she
might fare against the Duchess of Gravesmere, Toast of London. Pity could be a
powerful weapon, and it would be difficult to bring about a divorce if the
woman was blameless. But a woman wise in the ways of society, with many
admirers and an adventurous turn of mind, could not only be an irritant to her
husband, but could easily be discovered in a compromising situation. She
resolved to learn all she could about the duchess's favorites--and to be as
tranquil and domestic as possible when around Adam. The contrast between
accommodating mistress and headstrong wife should be strong. Perhaps she could
achieve her aims even more quickly than she had imagined.
    "Can I make you
forget your worries, Adam?" she whispered, drawing his face close to hers.
She ran her tongue lightly over his bottom lip.
    Adam looked down at
her, distracted. His thoughts had been on Allegra, but now he was very aware of
Louisa, her naked body covered by little more than a layer of lace, her
abundant charms openly available.
    "What a good
idea, Louisa. How well you know me, darling."
    Louisa smiled as she
slipped the robe off her shoulders, revealing her full breasts. "Perhaps
you can find something soft about me," she purred. "Forget her, Adam.
I will make you happy."
    "I know you
will, Louisa." Adam's finger touched one of Louisa's nipples lightly, and
she moaned deep in her throat.
    "Come darling, I
can't wait to have you inside me," she whispered, sinking back on to the
chaise, pulling Adam down with her.
    Allegra returned from
the rout with a pounding headache. She did not know why, but her enjoyment of
the evening had been less than perfect. Perhaps it was because Mr. Berkley had
demanded that she dance with him a third time, or perhaps it was simply that
the rout was such a crush that she had felt she could scarcely breathe. And
Adam's behavior had been impossible. He had glowered at her dreadfully the
whole time he had been in attendance, and then had left abruptly, without even
offering his apologies personally. It was too provoking. So she had stayed very
late, dancing with all the finest gallants and flirting outrageously.
    As her maid helped
her out of her sumptuous gown she stifled a yawn, thinking how welcoming her
bed looked. Then someone knocked gently on her door.
    "Whoever could
that be?" she asked, denying the sudden jump of her heart.
    The door opened, and
Emily stepped inside. "You were very merry tonight, Allegra," she
said.
    "It was a fine
party and the company was amusing," answered Allegra. "It would have
been difficult not to be merry. Though I noticed that Adam looked excessively
grim. Has he always been so stern?"
    "He said he was
still weary from travelling," said the dowager. "But I'm afraid that
you worry him, Allegra."
    I worry him? I don't
see how I possibly could, when he pays not the slightest attention to me. He
did not approach me even once tonight, not even to ask me to dance."
    The dowager sighed.
"The two of you seem determined to be at cross purposes. I wish you would
try to understand one