You are not allowed to feel more than pure lust, she reminded herself sternly. He is not for you. You know what life as a duchess is like, and you want no part of that. Nora cannot be part of that either. The Society that might be willing to tolerate me because of my presumed relationship with a newly arrived heir would tear my daughter to shreds.

“I don’t know when Griffith is returning, by the way,” the duke said. “I do appreciate your visit, although I suspect my butler gave you little choice in the matter.” He winked at her, and she smiled in return. “He worries about me being on my own so much. But I tell my staff that I am fine; I have them to keep me company, and now I have Griffith and Clark. Clark is Griffith’s valet,” he explained at seeing Della’s confused look. Ah, Clark the first mate! He’d found him after all.

And it should not hurt that he hadn’t mentioned it to her, but she couldn’t deny that it did.

It’s what you want, she reminded herself. He should not confide in you. The only thing he should do for her was locate Mr. Wattings and give her several paroxysms of pleasure.

“I should be on my way,” Della said, beginning to stand. “But I would like to visit you again, if I may.” And not just as a way of getting into Lord Handsome’s bedroom. She found she liked this duke quite a lot. “And perhaps I will bring my sisters? Not all of them at once, though,” she added quickly, more for her sake than his. She wasn’t certain she could handle all of her sisters at one time. Perhaps that was why her mother was so difficult to be around?

But no, Della recalled when it was just her and Eleanor, before the twins and Ida arrived, and the duchess had been just as unpleasant.

“That would be a pleasure,” the duke replied. “And I will inform Lord Stanbury that you came by. Did the two of you have plans this evening?”

Della shook her head. “No, he sent a note saying he couldn’t keep our plans. I am promised home to dinner and will be putting Nora to bed. My daughter,” she explained.

“Perhaps you would like to bring Nora for a visit at some point?”

Della felt as though she’d had the breath knocked out of her. That someone in his position would extend an invitation to her daughter without seeming to care about what it might look like.

“Thank you, Nora would love that.” And she would—her daughter was a sociable person and there was nothing she liked more than talking an adult’s ear off, as Della well knew. “I will come again soon,” Della said, holding her hand out to the duke. He took it and raised it to his lips.