Free Seducing the Duchess by Ashley March Page B

amusing.”
    She pursed her lips, teasing his resolve to stay away. “Yes, don’t you? How ironic it is, that after all these years you would seek her out again.”
    “She would be the ideal wife.”
    Charlotte tilted her head, considering. “She does appear most proper.”
    “I have known her since childhood, and except for your brother, she has never done anything to bring shame to herself or her family.”
    “We Sheffields do have a tendency of influencing people for the worst, don’t we?”
    The very worst. Even now, there was nothing Philip wanted to do more than tumble her to the floor, to hear her scream his name, to convince her he was the only man she wanted. The only one she could ever possibly want.
    Philip stalked away, turned at the last moment before he collided with the cream silk wall, and paced back toward her. He continued the odd patterned movement, his path radiating from her to the edges of the room, but always drawn toward her again. Even though she stood still, doing nothing, he could not resist the force of her allure. It was as if she were the sun and he some hapless, pathetic object bound to be destroyed by the pull of her fierce beauty.
    And all the while, he spoke. “Perhaps she is not perfect, but she is very close to it. She has poise, grace.”
    “She’s quite pretty, also.”
    Philip scowled at Charlotte over his shoulder. Her tone held no condescension or arrogance, and he was fairly certain she didn’t intend to sound patronizing. Yet all the same, it was as though the sun, in all its brilliance and glory, was complimenting a star, a millionth of its size, for the small speck of light it shed.
    Her words may have been sincere, but there was no way Philip would believe Lady Grey could even begin to compare to Charlotte’s exquisite beauty.
    Charlotte tapped her chin. “Who knows? She might even read the Times to you. She does seem much more biddable than I could ever be.”
    “Yes.” Philip nodded. “That is exactly my point.”
    “Yet, assuming you are serious and I agree to this mad scheme, there is still one particular issue to consider and overcome.”
    Philip arched an eyebrow.
    “How do you propose to win her over? Even if you petition for a divorce, she is an intelligent woman. She knows the type of man you are.”
    It was not a wise idea, but he couldn’t seem to keep himself from stepping closer to her. “And what type of man am I, Charlotte?”
    Her mouth curved. “You are arrogant, controlling, manipulative, deceitful, unfaith—”
    He laid his finger gently across her lips. “Enough.” Drawing his arm away, he locked his hands behind his back. “You would have me change.”
    “I’m not certain it is possible, to be honest.”
    Oh, but he would. For Charlotte, he would do anything. “How would you change me? If you were Lady Grey, if you were any other woman, what would I need to do to appeal to you?”
    Charlotte shook her head, her dark hair swaying with the movement. “You do not want to change. You want to pretend, just like you did with me, when you made me believe you were—”
    She cut herself off, averted her eyes.
    “What, Charlotte?” he pressed. “I made you believe I was what?”
    It was a long moment before she spoke. “When you made me believe you were someone I could love.”
    Philip felt his entire body tense at her words. “Do you remember when you came to tell me Ethan had run off with Lady Grey? You had returned for the wedding preparations, leaving London in the middle of your first Season.”
    She frowned. “I remember.”
    “You were shy with me then, scarcely able to look me in the eye for more than two seconds. You blushed at any compliment, no matter how inane.”
    “Is there a reason—”
    “You’ve changed, Charlotte.” He leaned toward her. “You’re confident now. You’ve become a seductress, a woman who could tempt a priest to abandon his vows. It’s not just your beauty—you’ve always had that. It’s the