The Duke and I by Julia Quinn Page B

extensive knowledge of men?" he teased.
     
     She shot him a devastatingly superior grin. "Of course."
     
     Simon was silent for a moment, and then he asked, "Is it worth it?"
     
     She looked bemused by his sudden change of subject. "Is what worth it?"
     
     He let go of her hand just long enough to wave at the crowd. "This. This endless parade of parties. Your mother nipping at your heels."
     
     Daphne let out a surprised chuckle. "I doubt she'd appreciate the metaphor." She fell silent for a moment, her eyes taking on a faraway look as she said, "But yes, I suppose it is worth it. It has to be worth it."
     
     She snapped back to attention and looked back to his face, her dark eyes meltingly honest. "I want a husband. I want a
    family. It's not so silly when you think about it. I'm fourth of eight children. All I know are large families. I shouldn't know how to exist outside of one."
     
     Simon caught her gaze, his eyes burning hot and intense into hers. A warning bell sounded in his mind. He wanted her. He wanted her so desperately he was straining against his clothing, but he could never, ever so much as touch her. Because to do so would be to shatter every last one of her dreams, and rake or not, Simon wasn't certain he could live with himself if he did that.
     
     He would never marry, never sire a child, and that was all she wanted out of life.
     
     He might enjoy her company; he wasn't certain he could deny himself that. But he had to leave her untouched for another man.
     
     "Your grace?" she asked quietly. When he blinked, she smiled and said, "You were woolgathering."
     
     He inclined his head graciously. "Merely pondering your words."
     
     "And did they meet with your approval?"
     
     "Actually, I can't remember the last time I conversed with someone with such obvious good sense." He added in a slow voice, "It's good to know what you want out of life."
     
     "Do you know what you want?"
     
     Ah, how to answer that. There were some things he knew he could not say. But it was so easy to talk to this girl. Something about her put his mind at ease, even as his body tingled with desire. By all rights they should not have been having such a frank conversation so soon into an acquaintance, but somehow it just felt natural.Finally, he just said, "I made some decisions when I was younger. I try to live my life according to those vows."
     
     She looked ravenously curious, but good manners prevented her from questioning him further. "My goodness," she said with a slightly forced smile, "we've grown serious. And here I thought all we meant to debate was whose evening was less pleasant."
     
     They were both trapped, Simon realized. Trapped by their society's conventions and expectations.And that's when an idea popped into his mind. A strange, wild, and appallingly wonderful idea. It was probably also a dangerous idea, since it would put him in her company for long periods of time, which would certainly leave him in a perpetual state of unfulfilled desire, but Simon valued his self-control above all else, and he was certain he could control his baser urges. "Wouldn't you like a respite?" he asked suddenly.
     
     "A respite?" she echoed bemusedly. Even as they twirled across the floor, she looked from side to side. "From this?"
     
     "Not precisely. This, you'd still have to endure. What I envision is more of a respite from your mother."
     
     Daphne choked on her surprise. "You're going to remove my mother from the social whirl? Doesn't that seem a touch extreme?"
     
     "I'm not talking about removing your mother. Rather, I want to remove you."
     
     Daphne tripped over her feet, and then, just as soon as she'd regained her balance, she tripped over his. "I beg your pardon?"
     
     "I had hoped to ignore London society altogether," he explained, "but I'm finding that may prove to be impossible."
     
     "Because you've suddenly developed a taste for ratafia and weak lemonade?" she