The Unexpected Duchess (6 page)

“Your Grace, I prefer to remain here, and there’s something I wanted to say to you.” Her voice was steady and sure. More steady and sure than he’d ever heard it, actually.

He nodded. “Yes?”

“Stop courting me.”

He furrowed his brow. “Pardon?”

“You’re wasting your time.”

Heat rushed to Derek’s face. Wasting his time? Those were Lucy’s words, not Lady Cassandra’s. Now he understood. The waning candlelight, the balcony, the fact that her voice was a bit different. Lady Lucy was behind this. Literally. She was standing behind Lady Cassandra and speaking for her. He might not be able to see her, but he knew without a doubt she was there. He should be furious. Instead he found himself more than a little amused.

“I am?” he asked, smothering his smile. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, I want you to go away. For good.”

Derek twisted his lips. His amusement faded. He’d had just about enough of these antics. He’d made a promise to Swift, damn it. He was a decent catch. He knew that much. And he knew deep down that if Lady Cassandra had a chance to get away from her bossy friend, she might be persuaded to give him a chance. Instead, he found himself in the idiotic position of having to prove to this young lady that a duke was actually someone she might want to consider marrying. Utterly ridiculous. If he hadn’t promised Swift, he might readily walk away from this entire situation, but he
had
promised Swift. Damn inconvenient, that, and Derek refused to be dissuaded by the likes of Lucy Upton. With that thought riding high in his mind, he called back to Lady Cassandra. “What if I refuse?”

That should do it. The feisty Lady Lucy didn’t like it when anyone questioned her.

The voice became a bit more piqued. “Why would you refuse?”

He folded his hands together behind his back. “Because I intend to change your mind.”

This time the voice was decidedly disgruntled. “Your Grace. I don’t mean to be rude, but—”

“Don’t you?” he countered.

“Of course not. What an utterly stupid question.”

“Lucy!” This obviously from the real Lady Cassandra.

“Cass, stop it,” came Lady Lucy’s hushed whisper.

“I don’t
enjoy
being rude,” the fake Lady Cassandra’s voice amended. “But you leave me little choice as you’re completely insufferable.”

“Lucy!” came Lady Cassandra’s half-strangled voice in reply.

Derek unabashedly grinned up at them. “Let’s stop this, shall we? Lady Lucy, if you have something, rude or otherwise, to say to me, I suggest you say it directly.”

Lady Cassandra squeaked and fell back into the shadows and Lady Lucy’s defiant, pretty little face appeared. She leaned over the balcony and blinked at him, shooting daggers with her unusual eyes. She braced both hands against the balustrade and leaned down to challenge him head-on. “Fine,
Your Grace.
Let me be quite clear. Cass isn’t available. Leave her alone.”

Beside her, Lady Cassandra hung her head.

Derek glanced at Lady Cassandra. “Is that right, my lady? You’re not available? When I asked you yesterday you said you were not betrothed to another.”

“I’m … not,” she breathed, tugging on her gloves and looking extremely uncomfortable.

“Then I don’t understand,” he replied.

Lady Lucy hunched her shoulders and glared at him. “You don’t have to understand. I’m telling you.”

Ignoring Lady Lucy’s reddening face, he turned his gaze to the other lady again. “Is this true, Lady Cassandra?”

“Yes,” Lady Cassandra said in a shaky voice. “And you frighten me a bit, Your Grace.”

“I understand, Lady Cassandra,” Derek replied as tenderly as he could. “I hope to have the opportunity to change your mind. If you get to know me a bit better, perhaps—”

Lady Lucy nearly leaped from the balcony. He could just imagine her lithe form tangled in his arms. Truthfully, he wouldn’t put it past her to jump on him. “Good heavens, can you not take no for an answer?” she asked.

Derek arched a brow at her. “Seems not. While I can understand Lady Cassandra’s reluctance, I’m confident that once she comes to know me a bit more, she will think better of me.”

Lucy glared at him, her chin raised, her eyes flashing, defiant. “That is your problem. You’re far too confident.”

Cass slunk back into the shadows.

“Confidence wins battles,” he countered, with a grin.

“This is not a battle,” Lucy shot back.

Another eyebrow raised. “Isn’t it?”

She glared at him, her nostrils flaring. Some of her adorable little curls had sprung free from her coiffure and were bobbing jauntily along her cheeks. “I’ve found that often the things in life most worth winning are those worth fighting for, my lady.”

Lady Lucy clenched her fists. “Cass is not a prize to be won.”

Now she was angering him. Who exactly couldn’t take no for an answer here? “No, she’s a lady who has the full faculty of her tongue and can make her own decisions without her friend chasing off all her suitors.”

Lucy gasped. She straightened to her full height, which was all of nearly five and a half feet. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never presume to insert myself in Cass’s affairs. Cass
asked
me to help her.” She clenched her jaw. Without looking behind her, she addressed her friend. “Cass, will you please tell
His Grace
that you asked me to be here?”

Lady Cassandra cleared her throat. Her voice came, thin, shaky. “I did. That is true.”

“And that you want me to help you?” Lady Lucy continued.

“Yes,” Lady Cassandra added.

Derek turned his attention back to Cass. “I can appreciate that you don’t know me, my lady. And that I can be … intimidating. But I assure you, I have only your best interests at heart and I would like very much to get to know you better.”

“She doesn’t
want
to get to know you better,” Lady Lucy nearly shouted. “She’s in love with another man.”

Derek’s head snapped up. “Is that true, Lady Cassandra?”

Even in the waning light he could tell Lady Cassandra’s face was bright red. “Y … yes.” She nodded slowly.

Derek furrowed his brow. “And has this other man asked you to be his wife?”

“No, no.” She shook her head vigorously.

“But you expect him to?” he asked.

“No. Actually, Your Grace, I do not expect him to at all.”

A smile spread across Derek’s lips. “Well, then. Competition is my specialty.”

Lady Lucy snorted. “What is the matter with you? Why do you insist upon pursuing a lady who is clearly not interested?”

Derek shrugged. “I just heard her say that she does not expect an offer from this other man. Who is this fool, by the way?”

“That’s none of your affair!” Lucy shouted.

The two faced off, glaring at each other like Napoleon and Wellington. Derek had to admit, with no small amount of surprise, he was enjoying it.

“Look, Lady Lucy, I’m more than a bit tired of having this same conversation with you time and again. I have just one thing to say and Lady Cassandra might as well hear it—” He took two steps back to see her but couldn’t. “Lady Cassandra?”

Lady Lucy glanced around, too. “Cass?”

Lady Lucy turned in a circle. “She’s gone.”

CHAPTER NINE

Lucy couldn’t sleep. She slid the coverlet from her legs, draped her robe over her shoulders, and slowly paced in front of the open window. A slight summer breeze blew in, and crickets chirped in the garden behind the house. She could think of one thing and only one: Derek Hunt, Duke of Claringdon. In all of her years she’d never met anyone so … so … provocative.

She pressed a hand to her throat. That look he’d given her when she leaned down over the balcony. She felt exposed, as if she’d just been seen without her clothing. The duke’s bold gaze was that assessing. It was challenging, probing, and a bit too perceptive for her comfort. It was as if he could read her thoughts and knew she was up to something. Which of course she was. Hmm. Perhaps the duke was a more formidable opponent than she’d allowed.

Who was this man, the Duke of Claringdon? He seemed astute. She’d give him that. And he seemed to know when she was mocking him, something most men of her acquaintance never quite picked up on. Oh, they knew when she sliced them to bits with her tongue. That was certain. But most of them didn’t know, didn’t really know, that her disdain was more about their inability to match wits with her.

The duke, however, had known. It was as if he’d seen right through her. Knew what she was about. She wasn’t used to the gentlemen she encountered being as clever as she was, frankly. She breathed deeply. Why did he spark her temper so easily? She was angry at him, true, but she was also angry at herself. Where had her intellect fled when that man had accused her of inserting herself into Cass’s affairs?

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she’d countered lamely. That hadn’t been like her at all. Where was her infamous wit? Her biting words? They failed her when she needed them most.

Lucy had opened her mouth to issue a scathing retort. But nothing had happened. She’d never been so incensed in her life. Usually when she delivered withering words to men of the
ton
, they slunk off and kept their distance forevermore. Derek Hunt, however, seemed to enjoy it and return for another dose. Absolutely infuriating.

That man was completely, irrevocably convinced that he was right. He was too sure of himself by half, and it didn’t help his arrogance that he just so happened to be maddeningly handsome. Why was he so intent on courting Cass when she clearly had no interest in him? Cass was beautiful and sweet and clever and lovely, of course. Very well. No wonder he was intent on courting Cass. She was demure and quiet and an excellent choice for a bride. The whole thing might just be perfect, actually, if Cass were interested in the duke. But Cass had been hopelessly in love with Julian since she was a girl.

No one knew that better than Lucy. She’d spent countless hours hearing about how handsome and strong and noble Julian was. Cass adored a man she might never have. It was sad, to be sure, but it was true. And even if Lucy didn’t bring it up often to keep from hurting poor Garrett’s feelings, it was plain to anyone who’d heard Cass speak about Julian that she still held out some sort of hope that fate would intervene and make him hers. And Lucy intended to facilitate such an event. Only at present it seemed as if she was in a standoff with the Duke of Stubborn. Cass would just have to speak up and tell him there was no hope of changing her mind, no matter how long he waited. That was all there was to it.

Unless …

Lucy swallowed hard. What if Cass actually
had
changed her mind? The man was handsome and heroic and a duke, wasn’t he? And even if the idea of Cass loving that arrogant, assuming blowhard— No. No. That was not helpful. It did no good to call him names. Especially when he wasn’t present to hear them.

Lucy paced back over to her bed and sat with her foot curled beneath her. She and Cass hadn’t actually spoken about it since that first night, had they? Perhaps Cass
had
changed her mind. She wasn’t coming out and telling him to leave her alone outright, was she? And tonight she’d even told Lucy she didn’t need her help in the garden. Was it possible that Cass had reconsidered her feelings toward the Duke of Claringdon?

Lucy wrinkled her nose. Why did that thought make her so uneasy? She shook her head. There was only one way to discover the truth. She must ask Cass. Ask her outright if she did indeed enjoy Claringdon’s attentions, and if Cass said yes—oh, she couldn’t possibly say yes, could she? At any rate, if she did say yes, then Lucy would step aside. Step entirely aside. And leave them to their courtship. It was that simple. She pulled off her robe and snuggled under her covers again. She’d fall fast asleep now that she had such a reasonable plan of action.

But one hour later she was still tossing about and plumping the pillows. If the plan was so simple, why couldn’t she sleep?

*   *   *

Derek tossed the quill against the ledger. Why he was up in the middle of the bloody night counting the same row of figures for the eighth time, he would never know. He’d been unable to sleep, and coming down to his study had seemed like a good idea an hour ago. Now, however, he realized he was wholly unable to accomplish anything. His mind raced with thoughts of his frustrating experience at the ball tonight. Specifically with Lady Frustrating herself, Lucy Upton.

What was wrong with that woman? She refused to give him a moment’s peace. She turned up like a shadow whenever he had the slightest opportunity to be alone with Lady Cassandra. She appeared to be doing it out of some misguided sense of friendship. Derek understood all about friendship, after all. Apparently, Lady Lucy believed she was being a bosom friend to Lady Cassandra, but if the bossy little baggage would only stop for one moment and actually think about what she was doing, she might realize that preventing her friend from being courted by a young, healthy, eligible duke—who wasn’t hard on the eyes if he did say so himself—was not perhaps in Lady Cassandra’s best interest. But Lady Lucy seemed so damn stubborn and sure of herself. He doubted she was interested in seeing things in any sort of a different light. It was maddening.

Derek had even considered approaching Lady Cassandra’s parents and informing them of Lady Lucy’s interference. Surely the earl and countess wouldn’t welcome Lucy’s plans to ensure their daughter did not marry a duke. But that didn’t sit well with him, either. He had the thought for the one hundredth time: If he couldn’t even handle one little spoiled Society miss, was he worth his title?

Perhaps it was true that Lady Cassandra was indeed in love with another man as they’d told him this evening, but that didn’t bother him. If the sop didn’t even have the wherewithal to court her, he stood little chance of winning her. No, it was Lady Lucy who posed the more dire threat. Derek stood, crossed to the sideboard, and poured himself two fingers of whiskey.

And to make it even more frustrating, Lady Lucy was too beautiful. The entire thing would be much easier to deal with if she had a plain face or a giant wart on her nose. Instead, when he verbally jousted with her, he was having thoughts that had nothing to do with wanting her to go away. Instead, they were more like thoughts about rolling around naked with her in his big bed. And that was altogether distracting. Not to mention inappropriate. Damn it.