The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel, #3)

by Sarah MacLean

Would there ever be a time when he stopped thinking of her? Ever a date that did not remind him of her? Of the time that had stretched like an eternity since she’d left?

That was the secret, of course. If one did not fear ruin, one could not be threatened with it. As Sera had seen ruin in all its forms, had faced it and survived it, she did not fear it, and so he could not harm her. She’d been gone from London for nearly three years, her reputation in tatters long before she’d set foot in the carriage that had carried her away from the Haven estate on that long ago winter’s day. It was remarkable, the power one held when one had nothing to lose.

“Past is prologue, Angel. I think of it every day.”

“I like to think of myself as more a specific kind of scoundrel.” Malcolm raised a brow. “And which kind would that be?” “The one the ladies adore.”

Everyone laughed as Sesily winked and said, “I rarely hear complaints about the size of my bottom.” That much, Sera believed. Sesily was far and away the most voluptuous of the five Talbot sisters, and far and away the most coveted. But Sesily embraced scandal even more than the rest of the sisters, did and said whatever she liked and remained unmatched because of it—despite routinely having men slavering after her. “No doubt the male half of London is afraid of being sat upon. Sit over there,” Seleste replied, pointing to Sophie and Seline. “No. Sophie needs space. She’s increasing.” “I knew I chose well,” Seline bragged from her seat. “She’s not increasing in the next two hours!” Seleste protested, even as she pushed in, pressing Sera closer to the door. “We don’t know that!”

Not that he was noticing the skin there. The slope of her breasts. He was simply noticing that the carriage must have been warm, what with the way her flushed skin rose and fell. Straining against the heather-grey fabric of the frock. It was nearly too tight for her. Perhaps she should take it off. For her own comfort.

“You’ll follow.” She huffed a little laugh. “I have no idea why you would think such a thing.” “Because this is what we do,” he said. “We follow each other into darkness.”