Beauty and the Duke Read Online Free Page B

learned to dismiss the scandal rags.
    But strangely…that night as she lay awake in bed staring at the plaster ceiling, instead of thinking about Joseph and Amelia on their way to Gretna Green and feeling sorry for herself, she was thinking about the man who had long ago introduced her to more than her first tempestuous kiss.
    It bothered her that Erik was still as handsome, just as perilous as he had always been.
    He had a little more silver at his temple. But shedoubted little else had changed. She would wager he was still prideful, stubborn, and determined to have the world served to him on his own terms. Now, after ten years, Erik Boughton, the devil Duke of Sedgwick, had returned to London, almost on her doorstep, and Christine found herself wondering why.

Chapter 2
    C hristine awoke as the sunlight burned away the darkness and the birds commenced their happy chatter. Dozens of happy birds lived in the trees outside her window. Where was her cat when she needed him? No pillow over her head could snuff out the din of cheerful chirping.
    With a groan, she finally turned and peered over her shoulder at the clock across the room. She kicked off the eiderdown. Not because it was time to be out of bed but because she had forgotten to wind the clock again. She was usually ever so sensible about such things. Punctuality was a virtue. She washed and dressed before her maid arrived, and hurried downstairs.
    Great Auntie Sophie was already at the table, bent over the morning broadsheet, poring over every word in the society columns. No frivolous periodical, newspaper, or book in all London went unread in the Sommers household.
    Lady Sophia was Christine’s paternal grandmother’s sister, and had been living at Sommershorn Abbey for as long as Christine remembered. She was a brilliant archeologist, the first in the family. Christine loved no one more, but she and Aunt Sophie could not be more different in character.
    While Christine maintained a dutiful, sensible approach to life, her aunt smoked and drank and scandalized proper society at every opportunity. It wasn’t that Christine was an angel or had never lied, but Aunt Sophie never lost her fear of the fight and remained proud of her sedition. Even this morning, her rouged cheeks and scarlet gown shouted defiance.
    “Good morning, Aunt Sophie.”
    “Morning, dear.” Aunt Sophie spoke, looking up as Christine kissed the proffered withered cheek.
    She walked to the breakfront and poured coffee from the silver service Mrs. Samuels set out every morning. “You look very bright this morning.”
    “And you look as if you are attending a funeral. Who died this time?”
    Christine stirred cream into her coffee. Other than the return of an old love and all her dreams passing into an ignoble demise, nothing in her life had changed from yesterday. “I am teaching classes this afternoon.”
    “That explains the somber look. Try to be tolerant of them, dear. The girls at this school truly do look up to you. You are a wonderful mother figure to them.”
    Aunt Sophie made her feel like a white-haired crone. She set down her spoon.
    “ Why are you teaching today?”
    “Amelia and Mr. Darlington have left Sommershorn Abbey,” she said without turning. “They eloped.”
    A tiny gasp came from Sophie’s throat. Little could shock Aunt Sophie. “Mr. Darlington and Amelia ?”
    “The museum appointed him to lead the expedition to Perth next month. He’ll be gone for years.” Christine slid her finger around the smooth cup rim. “Amelia will make him a good assistant.”
    “Oh, my. Oh, dear.”
    “This is an opportunity for Mr. Darlington.”
    “What about the projects the two of you were working on together?”
    “We have had no projects since his return from Edinburgh. With Papa gone, there is nothing I can offer him here at Sommershorn. The historical and archaeological societies denied every application I submitted. The museum was my last chance to prove I could