NOT JUST A WALLFLOWER by Carole Mortimer Page B

her legs had turned to jelly, threatening to no longer support her? For the thrill of the excitement that had run so hotly through her veins!
    And all the time she had been feeling those things he had merely been ‘preparing’ her for the advances of the other gentlemen of society...
    She straightened, her shoulders back, chin held proudly high. ‘I am “prepared” enough to know I shall administer my knee to a vulnerable part of any gentleman’s anatomy should he ever attempt to take such liberties with me!’
    The duke gave a pained wince. ‘Then my time with you this evening has not been wasted.’
    Had there ever existed a gentleman as arrogant, as insufferable, as this particular one had just proved to be? Somehow Ellie doubted it. Nor did she intend to suffer his company this evening for one minute longer!
    She stepped back, her gaze cool. ‘I believe it time that I went upstairs and checked upon the dowager.’
    Blond brows rose in disbelief. ‘Are you dismissing me, Eleanor?’
    Her mouth set stubbornly as she refused to be cowed by his haughty arrogance. ‘Did it sound as if I were?’
    ‘Yes.’
    She gave a small smile of her own. ‘Then that is what I must have been doing.’
    Justin gave a surprised bark of laughter at the same time as he cursed the fact that he had realised only this evening that he found this particular young woman so damned entertaining. It was, to say the least, inconvenient, if not downright dangerous, to his peace of mind, if nothing else. As he had realised when he had kissed her just now. A mistake on his part, which Justin had felt it necessary to explain by dismissing it as a lesson for Eleanor’s future reference—even if the lesson he had learnt had been not to kiss her again. ‘I am a duke, Eleanor, you are an impoverished stepcousin; as such it is not permissible for you to dismiss me.’
    She raised auburn brows. ‘Another lesson in social etiquette, your Grace?’
    Gods, this woman had enough pride and audacity to tempt any man— Justin brought those thoughts to an abrupt halt, a scowl darkening his brow as he looked down at her between narrowed lids. ‘One of many ahead of me, I fear,’ he taunted. ‘Your social skills appear to have been sadly neglected, my dear.’ And he, Justin acknowledged bleakly, would have to take great care in future not to ‘enjoy’ those lessons too much!
    Colour blazed in Eleanor’s cheeks at his deliberate insult. ‘I assure you that I am perfectly well aware of how to behave in the company of both ladies and gentleman without your help, sir.’
    ‘Your implication being that you do not consider me as being one of the latter?’
    There was no missing the dangerous edge to his tone now, and Ellie—in keeping with her changed circumstances in life a year ago—wisely decided to heed that warning. This time. ‘There was no implication intended, your Grace. Now, if you will excuse me...’ She gave a brief curtsy before crossing to the library door.
    ‘And if I do not excuse you?’
    Ellie came to an abrupt halt, her heart pounding loudly in her chest, the hand she had raised to open the door trembling slightly as she turned to face Justin. ‘Do you have something more you wished to say to me tonight, your Grace?’
    What Justin ‘wished’ to do at this moment was place this determined but politely rebellious young lady across his knee and administer several hard slaps to her backside; indeed, he could not remember another woman infuriating him as much as this one did—or who tempted him to kiss her as much as this one did either, and all without too much effort on her part, it seemed. ‘You will remember to send word to me concerning my grandmother’s health,’ he commanded instead.
    ‘I have said I will, your Grace.’ She gave another cool inclination of her head. ‘Will that be all?’
    Justin’s hands clenched at his sides as he resisted the impulse he felt to reach out and clasp her by the shoulders before