The Duke Conspiracy (15 page)

“You say that as though you have reasons
other than loyalty to an old friend motivating you,” Wesley
observed.

“Does that matter?” Rose countered.

“Not really, I just find it interesting is
all,” Wesley answered, searching her face for more information,
puzzled by her sweet smile. She turned his attention with her next
question.

“Do you know if the duke has found out
anything of import? Unfortunately, I have not as of yet, but I have
a plan set for tomorrow to gain as much information as
possible.”

“I have not had a chance to ask him. I know
he was planning to meet with his solicitors and man of affairs
earlier today, but we did not discuss it since.”

Wesley watched in fascination as Rose's eyes
strayed toward the duke as they passed him in conversation with
Lord Austen and Sir Broderick. Despite her usual grace she nearly
missed a step as the dance turned them away. He watched the color
rise in her cheeks as she was embarrassed over her misstep.

“I did not expect to see him actually talking
to them. You do not think he would confront them in such a place as
this, do you?” She was incredulous.

Wesley grinned. “While the duke does hate
double dealing, I can assure you that he is perfectly capable of
it. Not only would he never wish to cause a scene that would
embarrass his hosts, he would also never confront an enemy until he
was certain he knew everything about the situation. No, I believe
he is merely trying to make sure those two think he still knows
nothing.”

Rose's eyes flicked back toward the duke, but
she quickly recovered herself. “How interesting,” was all she had
to say, causing the viscount to prompt further.

“Is that all you have to say? From the look
in your eyes it would seem you are thinking many more thoughts than
that.”

He was gratified that this brought a genuine
smile of amusement to her face. “Well, it
is
interesting, my
lord. The Alex I knew, before he ever had an inkling that he would
be a duke one day, hated anything that even hinted at being less
than the truth. He would not even play games of make believe when
we were children. I find it hard to reconcile that Alex with one
who could stand and converse pleasantly with someone we suspect is
plotting against him.”

“That Alex had to grow up and learn that very
few things in life are black and white,” Wesley explained, which
brought Rose's sharp gaze returning to meet his.

“The two of you have been friends for a very
long time, have you not?” she asked quietly.

“We went to school together for many
years.”

“You are the Wes he used to talk about?” she
asked, her eyes again sparkling with interest. “He would regale me
with tales of your adventures. I was always so jealous. I was not
allowed to do nearly half of the things he told me the two of you
did.”

Wesley chuckled at the pout she displayed
briefly before she joined him in a smile of amusement. “If it is
any consolation, I was always jealous of the tales he would tell of
his Rosie whenever he returned to school from the summer
break.”

Rose grinned. “It is actually, thank you, my
lord.”

By this time their dance had come to an end
and they were standing on the side of the dance floor. “Should I
escort you back to your mother?” Wesley asked quietly.

“Heavens, no,” Rose laughed. “Elizabeth is
just over there, I should like to rejoin her.”

Wesley bowed over her hand, gallantly placing
a kiss to its back. As he stood, he could see Rose was unmoved by
his efforts as her smile was as friendly as previously without a
tinge of simpering maiden to be seen. Suppressing his sigh, he
wondered if he was losing his touch with the ladies and went off in
search of a more susceptible maiden.

Rose was still grinning as she came to
Elizabeth's side.

“Why are you looking like the cat who caught
the canary?” Elizabeth asked with suspicion.

Rose shrugged. “Lord Dunbar is starting to
make me like this Season business. It is not nearly as deadly dull
as I had first thought.”

“That is good to hear,” her friend remarked
as she turned to the next gentleman who had come to claim her hand
for the dance.

Rose was gratified to see that there were a
few gentlemen waiting to ask her to dance. Both girls were kept
energetically occupied for some time. Managing to arrange for their
escorts to bring them back so they could go in to the late supper
together, the two friends had a couple moments to talk as the
gentlemen were filling their plates.

“So were you able to learn anything from Lord
Dunbar? Did he make any reference to the duke?” Elizabeth's
curiosity had gotten the best of her and she blurted out her
questions quietly as soon as they were alone.

“Not much, I'm afraid. But I did see Wrentham
in conversation with Austen and Broderick. It turns out the sober
duke is able to act the spy when the need arises.” Rose was still
mulling that discovery over at the back of her mind, wondering if
she might actually be able to confide in him. Remembering the feud,
she shoved the possibility away once more. “I have realized I
cannot discover anything of import at a ball and have decided to
just enjoy myself. The investigation can resume tomorrow when we
have Lady Anne to ourselves.”

The two girls shared a conspiratorial smile
before Rose continued, “Have I thanked you for your help? You are
proving to be a true friend, and I so deeply appreciate it.”

Elizabeth looked surprised over her friend's
words. “But of course. No thanks are necessary. I can assure you,
as this is not my first Season, it is proving to be far more
interesting than usual being in London. I shudder to think what it
will be like next Season if I do not find a match. I shall be
forced to sabotage any chances you might have in order to ensure
you are here with me.”

Rose chuckled at her friend's words just as
the gentlemen returned, so no response was necessary.

As the four of them chatted and ate Rose felt
a prickle along the back of her neck and knew instinctively that
the duke of Wrentham had entered the room. Her breath hitched in
her throat for a second and she wondered rather frantically if it
was always going to be thus. She hated what the Wrenthams had done
to her family but she so missed Alex's friendship and she truly
despised this strange awareness that she had developed for him. It
had been so simple and uncomplicated when he was merely the boy
next door who tolerated her presence when her brothers demanded
that she shoo. She had always lived for the days when he was home
from Eton and they could wander through the countryside, climbing
trees, fishing, or riding. He had always listened so patiently as
she prattled on about whatever entered her head. And he had
confided in her all the details of his young life. Even though he
was six years her senior, he had been her best friend. She had
thought that would last for all her life. Then their brothers had
died and nothing would ever be the same again.

Once more Rose found herself shoving unwanted
thoughts to the back of her mind. She felt her lips quirk into an
amused smile as she wondered how cluttered her mind must be. One of
these days she would have to address all the things she did not
wish to think about. But now was not the time. She forced her
attention to return to the conversation that was swirling around
her, ignoring the fact that she was avidly curious about why the
duke had chosen to escort Constance Chadwick to supper.

“This supper is absolutely delicious,”
Elizabeth was enthusing. “I must say I worked up quite an appetite
this evening.” She then blushed rosily at making such a forward
comment.

Rose could see the relief etched on her
friend's face when the gentlemen merely chuckled at her words
before turning to her.

“Did you not dance enough to become hungry,
Miss Smythe?” one asked. Rose blinked for a moment, drawing a blank
at his name. Recognition dawned—it was Lord Terrance Leonard, a
young baron who was attending his first session at Parliament.

“Oh, no my lord, I danced plenty, I am just
trying to pretend I am a lady,” she replied with a laugh. “I will
agree with my dear friend, though, that our hosts have been most
generous in their hospitality. Their cook certainly knows what he
is doing. It is rare that a cook has the skill to prepare such
delicious food for a crowd like this.”

Everyone nodded agreement and continued
enjoying their repast. In an effort to keep her eyes away from
Alex, Rose began another topic of conversation.

“Tell me, Lord Leonard, how are you enjoying
your participation in the House? Is it as exciting as you had
expected?”

“At times, Miss, but there are some deadly
dull bits interspersed with the excitement that have made me wonder
if this is the right career for me.” Rose found his
self-deprecating smile to be charming.

“Whatever do you mean?” she prompted.

“Sadly, some of our lords of government seem
to like the sound of their own voices more than they actually want
resolution to the issues. They can drone on for hours and I lose
interest.” The young baron blushed over his admission. “I probably
should not be telling you this. It certainly does not please my
father when I cannot report intelligently on the session I sat
through.”

“I will share a tip with you that my father
relies upon. He said that most of these long-winded speeches are
usually written out in advance and the important sentence of each
paragraph is almost always the first one. So try to bring your
attention into focus every once in a while and you should be able
to get the gist of whatever they are droning on about.”

“Why Miss Smythe, that is a most excellent
suggestion.”

“I hope it will be of use to you. I am sure
you will be an asset to our government. Give it a little more time
before you decide whether or not to give it up.”

“Have no fear, Miss, I have every intention
of fulfilling my duties.”

This made Rose feel like rolling her eyes.
She had not meant to question the young man's dutifulness. Her
smile was a trifle wan as she returned her attention to Lady
Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was looking amused, so Rose
surmised she had heard her exchange with the baron. Rose lifted her
shoulder in a slight shrug, keeping her wry grin under control.

“Have you about finished up?” Rose asked
solicitously.

“I have, thank you,” she replied as the
gentlemen stood, taking their plates and summoning an attentive
footman.

Lord Kenneth, the gentleman who had escorted
Lady Elizabeth, hadn't had much to say over the supper but he now
asked Rose to share the next dance.

“It sounds like it's about to be a cotillion.
Those are my favorite,” he enthused, much to her surprise.

“Thank you, my lord, it shall be my
pleasure.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur of
activity as Rose spent most of it on the dance floor being handed
from one gentleman to the next, not bothering to keep track of
names or faces, just enjoying the rhythms of the dance. Her mother
would be displeased that she was not paying more attention to each
gentleman's potential as a possible husband but despite her
advancing years she was in no hurry to commit herself.

Before she knew it, it was the early hours of
the morning and her mother was collecting her to escort her
home.

“You seemed to be having a fine time this
evening,” Lady Smythe commented almost cheerfully.

“I did have an excellent time this evening,
Mama, what about you? Did you enjoy the ball?”

“I think balls are intended to be enjoyed by
the young, my dear,” her mother began in a bland tone. “But I did
have some interesting conversations with the other matrons lining
the walls of the ballroom. Not everyone there is as intolerable as
I originally thought.”

Rose laughed at her mother's choice of words.
“I am glad you were able to tolerate your evening. I must ask you,
though, why do you bother attending such events if you find them
such a challenge?”

Rose's mother displayed the most emotion she
had witnessed there in quite some time as her features were etched
in shock over her daughter's words. “I could never allow you to go
out by yourself. It is my duty to chaperone and watch over
you.”

Now Rose felt truly terrible. “Let us go home
to Eastwick, then, Mama. Neither of us enjoy the Season overly. It
would be much better to just be comfortable.”

“I do believe we have already had this
conversation, Rosamund. You need a husband. The Season is necessary
to find you one. We shall prevail.”

Now Rose grinned at her mother. “I like the
picture your words paint. Let us regard it as a battle we must
fight and win. That shall add some needed spice to the blandness of
the Season.” Her mother barely cracked a smile but after a brief
pause, Rose pushed on. “Thank you, Mama, for your efforts on my
behalf. Knowing what a sacrifice it is for you, I want you to know
that I do appreciate it. You were quite correct when you said I
would not enjoy being the aging spinster aunt in my brother's home.
If I cannot set up my own establishment, marriage is the best
option. We shall prevail.”

Lady Smythe finally softened and allowed Rose
to clasp her hand with affection. “It is what mothers do, make
sacrifices for their children. And it is not as bad as all that.
The orchestra this evening was rather skilled.”

“And was the food not delicious? Elizabeth
and I were remarking on how skilled the cook must be to be able to
prepare so well food for such a large crowd.”

“Speaking of the cook, why don't you sit in
with me when I meet with the housekeeper next week? It is time for
us to further your education on household management and you have
no experience with running a house in Town.”