Free Charming a Spy by Elizabeth Chance

six. Kat had to give her credit; she certainly knew how to make an entrance. Leave it to Jessica to find a way to get to the start of the race already holding the trophy.
    Kat was trying hard to remember to cover her spite with a smile, and she almost missed seeing Jessica’s brother, Rafe Grier, parade behind the couple with his mother. She didn’t expect him to be there. It had been years since she’d seen him. Since before the war.
    He appeared thin. Pale. His eyes met hers for a brief moment and she could almost swear he was scared. She supposed war could do that to a man. The last time she’d seen Rafe he was boarding the same coach as Luke, destined for the battlefield.
    Aunt Ellie must be having the same memory because she suddenly tightened her grip on her Kat’s arm. She swayed. Kat quickly glanced around the room for a place to sit, but before she could take a step, Geoff was there taking her Aunt Ellie’s other arm and escorting her to a chair. He did it so discreetly, no one else noticed anything wrong. How did he catch that?
    “Are you alright, Mrs. Seymour?” Geoff asked in a calming, quiet voice.
    “Oh yes, just feeling a little peaked. Probably from the traveling. Nothing to worry about,” she twittered.
    “Of course,” Geoff said. He waved to the butler and suddenly a glass of sherry appeared in Aunt Ellie’s hand. She sipped the drink gratefully, beaming at Geoff. Kat sighed. Crisis averted.
    “Thank you,” Kat said to the duke.
    “It’s nothing,” he replied. He looked at her for a long moment, held her gaze and added, “But if there is anything I can do to make either of you more comfortable, anything at all…” His pause was full of unspoken promises. She knew what he was really offering. An apology. It was the first time they spoke since she’d seen him in the park and he was offering a truce. Clearly he knew taking Jessica out the morning after their assignation offended her.
    “There may be something you could do,” she said in a quiet whisper, turning away from her aunt’s ears.
    “Anything,” he answered, rising from the sofa to hear her request.
    “I will ask you later,” she said. He raised one eyebrow at her, clearly intrigued by what she might have to say once they were away from prying ears.
    She stared directly back into his eyes and did her best not to falter. Kat even added a mischievous smile for impact because she wanted to stoke his curiosity, make him wonder what salacious secrets she might have to impart. Remembering the third piece of advice from her aunt, Kat touched Geoff’s hand discreetly, lightly brushing her fingertips over his skin. Her touch was so quick and light, no one else could have noticed, except for Geoff, who stiffened all over at the sensation.
    “Now you have truly stoked my curiosity, Ms. Dubois,” he said, taking her by the elbow and steering her around the room. To the others, it must have been innocent enough, the host taking a guest for a turn, but his grip was firm on her elbow and his strides were purposeful. “I want to make you comfortable in my home, of course. If there is something you desire,” he said, then pausing and starting again. “If there is anything you desire, I want to make sure you have it.”
    “I will ask you a favor, Your Grace. But perhaps it would be wise for me to wait for a more opportune time when I can request it with less possibility of being overheard,” Kat said, letting her last words trail off to an almost whisper.
    “There is no need to wait,” he said. “Speak in metaphor. Give me some clue of what I can do. I would hate for a moment to pass when I could be doing you a favor for your comfort,” he said. By now he was stroking past her elbow, holding on with his thumb to the soft side of her arm at the crease, just above where her glove ended to the unclothed skin. It was a proper touch, undetectable and only on her arm, but it made her feel very improper. The place between her legs tingled