by Lavinia Kent
“I trust you.” Linnette looked back at the print. She lifted it from the tray. “Take this away. I couldn’t eat a bite.”
“But, your grace, you should . . .”
“Should do as I damn well please.” The words were strong, but inside Linnette felt as if she were breaking into pieces.
She remembered back to that morning, years ago, when she’d found his note, known he was gone, known what she must do. She’d always thought that morning had been the worst of her life—the last morning of her childhood.
Was this moment worse? Probably not. She had reserves of strength and wisdom now, experience. She was no longer a girl to crumble.
She swung her legs out of the bed.
Elizabeth would pay. She must be behind this.
She was the only one who might know.
And no one else would be so spiteful. Nobody else would have reason.
The door closed with a click as Carol left with the tray.
She was alone—alone as she’d been since the moment she found his note.
Alone as she was now destined to be—forever.
She dressed quickly, choosing a dress she could manage without calling Carol back.
Moisture formed behind her lashes, but she held it back. Her life might feel as if it were over, but she would never let anyone see she cared.
She didn’t know if it was minutes or hours before she heard the clatter of hooves upon the cobblestones.
She walked to the window, stared down.
Her heart pounded with a second of absolute joy.
He was here.
He did not know.
She wrapped her arms about herself—and waited.
About the Author
Most days Lavinia Kent loves her life and knows that she has found her own happily-ever-after with her husband and three children But on those other days (you know which ones!), she is very glad for the wonderful romances, sensuous gowns, and tall, sexy men that fill her mind—and then her computer.
Lavinia lives in Washington, DC, with her family and an ever-changing menagerie of pets. She attended Wellesley College as an undergraduate and holds an MBA from Georgetown University.
What a Duke Wants is Lavinia’s fourth book from Avon Romance. She also has a fun and, sexy serial of e-novellas, The Real Duchesses of London, available from Avon Impulse.
She can be contacted at her website www.LaviniaKent.com or through Facebook and Twitter.
Also by Lavinia Kent
A Talent for Sin
Bound by Temptation
Taken by Desire
Norma
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
KATHRYN, THE KITTEN. Copyright © 2011 by Lavinia Kent. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition July 2011 ISBN: 9780062107923
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062115447
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