The Wild Duchess/The Willful Duchess (The Duchess Club Book 1) (3 page)

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”

“How do you think they would treat you if you had a duke as a very foremost admirer and suitor?”

Scarlett blinked. “You just said you didn’t need a wife.”

“I don’t. But if it looks as if I’ve set my sights on a lovely young heiress, who’s to question it?”

“They will question your sanity.”

“Nonsense. There would be nothing more natural.”

“I am not in your social class, fortune or not. I agree that I would instantly gain more than a small step up in standing with one dance perhaps, but beyond that, I don’t see what you have to gain from any prolonged feigned attention, Your Grace.”

“No? I disagree. I like the idea of a spirited girl gaining the upper hand over all that bellowing and puffing out there. And if we make a good show of it, then the effects will be permanent, Miss Blackwell, and you’ll have as many glittering evenings with the dance cards of your dreams as you wish.”

Scarlett’s breath caught in her throat.
A duke in tow. It’s so ridiculous and so…wonderfully unexpected. What a Season I might have!

Elgin continued, “There is no hidden agenda here, Miss Blackwell. I already have an heir in my nephew. The man stands to take up the line but he is a rake and a rogue. God, I’d love to rattle him!” The duke shook his head as he laughed. “This idea appeals more and more as every second ticks by. I retract my statement that I have no hidden agenda. Apparently I am wicked enough to see several advantages to this game and causing my nephew to run in circles is at the top of the roster.”

“You’ve only just met me, Your Grace. Surely you have a dozen women to choose from to take on such a role—and likely better actresses among them!”

“I don’t want an actress and there is no one in my acquaintance I really trust. They would accept for all the wrong reasons, willfully misunderstand my aims or betray our scheme at the first chance to forward their own causes.” He shook his head then smiled at her. “The fact that you are reasoning this out and making me argue my plan gives me immense hope.”

“Is this not a terribly risky proposition to make?”

“Yes, but you have failed miserably to look mortified so far and the way your eyes are sparkling, I have the feeling I’m in no danger of scandal.”

“I did fail to gasp, didn’t I?”

“It is another aspect of your charm, Miss Blackwell.”

“Your Grace, exactly what is it that you’re proposing?”

“I’m proposing nothing excessive or improper. I shall simply make a show of pursuing your company in the days and weeks ahead under the watchful eyes of your chaperones and with all the rules of polite courtship intact. Then whenever I can, I shall sing your praises. All innocent acts in and of themselves, but the gossips should round it all out nicely, don’t you think?”

“Never underestimate the power of gossip.” Scarlett fanned her face with her fingers. “What I mean to say is, I think you’re underestimating the power of gossip, Your Grace.”

“Not at all. We’d be harnessing it. And what do I care? It’s a chance to make a splash, the thrill of a young woman on my arm again and the dark joy of twisting my nephew into apoplectic fits as he envisions a baby boy bouncing on your knee. Perhaps he’ll mend his ways?”

“You make it sound so altruistic!” she exclaimed.

“Would a philanthropic goal like that would appeal to you?”

Scarlett nodded. “It doesn’t lessen it.”

“What do you say, Miss Blackwell? Shall we amend both of our futures in one bold move?”

“This isn’t a trick?”

“What makes you ask?”

“This feels treacherously easy. Father always says that if something sounds too fantastic for words, you’ll have words aplenty when it comes apart to make you a fool.”

“You are no fool, Miss Blackwell. And if it starts to come apart, we shall stage a very public dismissal of my unwanted attentions and you’ll have an even jauntier feather for your cap after setting a duke down.”

Scarlett pressed her palm against her heart. “Breaking someone’s heart is not cause for celebration, Your Grace.”

“You’re not really going to break it, are you, Miss Blackwell?”

“N-no, I just…” Scarlett sighed. “Sorry. As I have no feathers in my cap, jaunty or otherwise, I don’t think I have a good feel for such things.”

He stood and held out his hand. “Gentlemen make contracts with a handshake, our honor our bond and our word the collateral of the soul.”

“Oh, my!” Scarlett stood as well. “You’re sure of this?”

“I give you my word. If you enter into this agreement, Miss Blackwell, then I shall be the duke at your feet in abject worship and all of London will be eager to please you as a result. Well, please you or topple you from the pedestal, depending on their dispositions. It will be a Season of choices…to give you a lifetime of choices. What say you?”

She took a deep breath. It was such a huge leap and she had never contemplated anything without Starr’s presence at her side. But something in her rebelled, and the longing to step out on her own sprang up with a fierce weight all its own.
It’s a bit of innocent theatre and…what harm? At the very least, I’ll have danced with a duke. What do I say to that?

“I say, yes.” She reached out to take his hand, sealing the bargain. “I shall take you at your word, Your Grace.”

His hand enfolded hers, firm and warm, and Scarlett’s throat tightened at the solemn gesture.
My soul is the collateral and it is a bargain then…for I’ve shaken his hand.

“Miss Blackwell?”

“Yes?”

“May I have the next dance?”

“Oh! You—mean to start tonight? Truly?
Here
?”

“I find, Miss Blackwell, that there is no time like the present to make good on a promise. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Scarlett’s hold on his fingers tightened with fear. “I should be thrilled but I confess I really have made a mess of it already out there. If there is rotten fruit on hand, Lady Beales is bound to start throwing it if she catches sight of me. Perhaps…in friendlier waters next time?”

“Nonsense. Where is your fighting spirit? The waters will never be friendlier.”

“My fighting spirit might have taken a mortal blow when Mr. Murphy put his head in the punch bowl.”

“Miss Blackwell.” He gave her a stern look that had probably left more than one footman in want of an escape though the effect was spoiled when he started to laugh. “You just gave me your word. Are you abandoning the plan so quickly?”

“No.” Scarlett took a deep breath. “I shook your hand, didn’t I? And now that I’ve given you fair warning of what awaits us out there, I can accept with a clear conscience and then do my best to shield you from the biggest missiles. Lay on, MacDuff.”

“It has been years since I’ve ventured out for a dance. Lay on, indeed.” He lifted his arm to tuck her hand into the crook of his elbow and walked her out of the conservatory into the hallway and back into the party.

Scarlett took the liberty of discreetly studying her rescuer in brighter rooms and marveled that her duke was not as ancient as the shadows had made him seem though apparently he was her father’s age or a touch older. That was much older than any man she would consider as a potential suitor and she was mortified to imagine that the Duke of Chesterton probably knew as much. But he had kindly offered her a part in his scheme all the same. He was handsome enough with the silver touches at his temples and so stately with his striking features that Scarlett knew it was not necessarily a great leap of the imagination to see how the duke would appeal to any woman—young or old.

“What are you thinking in that lovely head, Miss Blackwell?”

“I’m thinking that meeting a mysterious man in the greenery wasn’t…at all what one imagines and that the next time my mother lectures me about being braced for life’s surprises, I shall nod obediently and pay closer attention.”

The duke laughed. “You are wiser for it already!”

Whispers fanned out as Chesterton escorted her into the ballroom and when the band began to play, he led her out with a calm authority that needed no flourish or announcement. Scarlett held her head up proudly, wary of meeting too many eyes. The sound of Lady Beales gasping in shock was enough to make her knees feel strange but at that instant, the Duke of Chesterton leaned over to speak to her softly before they took their positions on the dance floor.

“No rotten fruit, I see.”

“Not
yet,
Your Grace. Mind you keep an eye out.”

He laughed again and then the dance began. It was a simple waltz but for Scarlett, it was so much more. He was not the world’s most accomplished dancer but he was not unskilled either, and he was by far, the most considerate partner she had ever had. He guided her with utter care, using gentle strength to ensure that as they moved through the figures, she had no fears of a collision or squashed toes. He made her feel safe and very delicate in his arms, which was now that she thought of it, exactly what she wanted most.

It was like a dream as they circled the entire room, growing more confident in their steps as they went until they were grinning like errant children.

“What do you say now, Miss Blackwell?”

“I am ashamed that I did not think of dancing with a duke before now, Your Grace. It is just the thing, isn’t it?”

Elgin laughed, the years melting away from his countenance. “Yes, Miss Blackwell. It is just the very thing!”

T
alon Rush
, the Duke of Stafford stretched out his legs before returning to a more gentlemanly posture as he spotted his old friend coming into the room at White’s. In anticipation of Elgin’s company, he signaled one of the footmen for brandy and prepared to settle in for a good game of cards. “Chesterton! You’re late this evening. What have you been up to?”

Chesterton sat down with a slight wince. “I went to a ball and wore myself out.”

“You never did!” Talon laughed. “You hate such social gatherings and once told me that you’d forsworn them completely.”

“Did I? Oh, dear. Well, tonight I danced with a debutante at Aldridge’s and lost all track of time.”

Talon dropped his cards and sat up straighter as if at the sound of a gunshot. “What? You…you
never
did!”

“I did. Is it so incredibly impossible that I should, my young friend?” Chesterton smiled, picking up the cards that Talon had scattered on the table. “I danced with the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I think I heard somewhere that her father was one of the Jaded.”

Talon’s eyebrows lifted to betray his open skepticism. “The Jaded are a myth, Elgin. My father said it was a fairy tale created after the Sepoy Rebellion in India to divert good society from the horrors in the newspapers.”

“They are not a myth. You’re prone to dismiss them because you’ve never been invited to join but I understand that they are an extremely exclusive society related to the Templar Knights or was it a ring of spies for the Crown? Hmm. Wasn’t there a rumor that they were the Queen’s secret guardians of peace?”

“Dear God. It’s probably a grubbier version of another reprise of the Hellfire Club and why are we talking about this? Oh, yes, I remember. You forgot yourself and made the dangerous mistake of dancing with a child in public and are now trying to distract me.”

Chesterton smiled. “It nearly worked.”

“Do you think so?” Talon sighed. “We’ve known each other too long. What were you doing at Aldridge’s?”

“A moment of nostalgia the other day made me accept the invitation and what harm could there be in proving to my peers that I am yet living?” He began to shuffle the deck as brandy was poured for them both. “You do not approve of dancing?”

“No one doubts your continuing existence and health. I wasn’t aware there was a debate on the topic but there may now be some speculation about your sanity. You’ve been too loud an advocate of your bachelorhood for far too long, Chesterton.”

Elgin waved his hand dismissively and took up his brandy. “I am rethinking my position and considering the possibilities.”

Talon nearly fell from his chair in shock. Elgin had been alone, a cheerful solitary and an example of how sweet life could be for a man unencumbered in this world. At twenty-nine years of age himself, Talon had been seated quite securely in his own choice to put off marriage for a little while longer with Chesterton’s example before him.

It was not possible that Elgin would dally with some girl at a public social function, in front of his peers and risk ridicule at his age!
Would he?

Talon raked his fingers through his hair. “I am dumbstruck.”

“Oh, shush! Why are you looking at me like that? Aren’t you engaged to marry the Earl of Gastonbury’s eldest? That bat-faced girl with ears like kites? Of course, she’s got blood so blue I am sure she sneezes diamonds and leaves polished marble in her—”

“Don’t be crass. It isn’t becoming to a man your age.”

“I’m not ancient, damn it!” Chesterton’s brow knit in frustration. “You mean to jest but I am in no mood for it. A year past fifty does not make me Methuselah.”

“I apologize then, but I am
not
engaged to be married,” Talon said softly, wary of gossip reaching the wrong ears and offending an old family friend. “And not likely ever to be to Lady Lavinia! Don’t give me nightmares.”

“You had best tell Gastonbury. The countess has it set in stone somewhere as fact that you’ll land at her daughter’s feet.”

“If my mother and the Countess of Gastonbury liked to entertain themselves with fairy tales over my cradle, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Agreed,” Chesterton said with a smile then held out the second brandy glass for Talon to take. “Here. Amends.”

“Yes.” Rush took a small sip and accepted the truce. Chesterton had been more of a mentor and friend to him than any man and he regretted any rift between them. But the news of Chesterton’s dance warranted immediate attention. “So tell me of your evening, Chesterton. Who is this girl who draws you out to dance?”

“One of the famous Blackwell Beauties.”

“The twins I heard talk of? How…singular of you.”

“Oh, don’t be a dullard! Miss Scarlett Blackwell is as unique and peerless as any woman walking. I was quite taken with her spirit and sweet nature.”

“Quite taken? Goodness, such a choice phrase. Be careful there, but well enough if she enticed you into a dance.”

“It was two dances. No…three! I did double back for that final waltz,” Elgin said as he took a thoughtful sip of his brandy. “Yes, I believe it was three.”

It was only years of seasoned gambling that kept Talon Rush’s expression neutral at the revelation that not only had the Duke of Chesterton made a rare social appearance at a ball and danced but he’d made the incredible move of dancing with the same girl more than once. Twice would have been akin to declaring intentions to call on the chit but—three times? In one evening? It was like announcing his intentions to court and marry as far as the gossips were concerned!

Talon took a slow measured sip from his glass before composing a reply. If there was one thing Talon believed in, it was the architecture of social order and personal responsibility. “I’m sure her family was awestruck and very grateful for the gesture. They would never have dreamt of their daughter enjoying that level of privilege and she’ll be giddy with it for weeks. It’s a story she’ll tell her grandchildren that she once danced with a duke.”

Chesterton’s expression was equally difficult to read. “How generous of me.”

“You know what I meant. You’ve had your fun, Chesterton. You’ll have made a fool of every acid-tongue snipe carrying false tales and can revel in a bit of subtle triumph as they scramble to comprehend your game. But I know you don’t mean to take this further.”

“No? Why not?”

“You aren’t that cruel. You cannot give this girl false hope, Chesterton.”

Elgin set his glass down and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Hope is not a thing to be hollowed out and I would never do so lightly, Talon. Hope is the most precious thing we have.”

“I’m…lost. Are we having a philosophical discussion? Over cards?”

“I don’t want to play cards.”

“Thank God. Because after the turns of this conversation, I might lose every farthing I possess if I attempted it you’ve so rattled my senses. Chesterton, you are beginning to trouble me.”

“Is hope such a troubling subject? Now who’s the old man here?” Elgin sat back up, a more familiar cavalier attitude reappearing. “I thought you would be more encouraging.”

“Encouraging?” Talon took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “The last thing you need is encouragement. I’m not familiar with the Blackwell family but that reveals a great deal already, does it not? They are not well connected and not…”

“Go on.”

“A debutante did you say? That makes her all of seventeen?”

“She is nineteen, nearly twenty. Her father has been reluctant to let his daughters go if I guess rightly. Understandable when you see how delightful they are.”

It isn’t getting better. He looks like a besotted boy in university over there and—while I wish him happy, there can be no good outcome. He’ll look like a fool being led around by some young ambitious creature without status or connections who is a fraction of his age! She sounds like a gold digger of the worst sort and he cannot be so blind!

“If you are inclined to marriage, there are wiser ways to approach it and young women of high rank eligible and lovely enough for you to consider.” Talon shifted in his chair. “But, I’m still having trouble believing you. You’ve always seemed so content with your life and have made no hint of a wish for the matrimonial yoke.”

“You are beginning to sound like a great aunt I once had. Every time I so much as glanced at a housemaid, she would threaten me with a lecture that lasted days on end. We are equals, Talon. I’m not interested in a lecture.”

“Then I’ll do my best not to give you one.”

“Stafford, you are still young. Yet when I think back, you have long been far more mature than your years and far more conservative than I should think possible for a man with your resources. No trips to the Continent, no unseemly vices, not a single toe over the line.”

“Am I the one being lectured?” Talon set his glass down as well. “Are you chiding me for not being debauched?”

“No. No, I only marvel—Stafford it is rare air we breathe but it can disconnect you from…” Elgin waved his hand in the air as if swatting away a fly. “God, I was about to sound like a man in a loincloth on a mountaintop! I need more brandy and a chance to recover my sense of humor!”

Talon smiled. “All right, cards then. More brandy and let us speak of other things.”

“Yes. Lighter topics while I empty your pockets and teach you a lesson about experience winning out over youth.”

Both men laughed and true to his word, Talon left off the subject of inappropriate dance partners and the strange twists of an evening. The men settled back into the easy rhythm of banter and conversation that was the hallmark of their friendship.

But Talon Rush had every intention of seeing the incomparable Scarlett Blackwell for himself and surveying what this creature could possibly have to lure his friend into abandoning his common sense.

And ensuring that this daughter of the Jaded was no threat at all.

T
he carriage lurched
through the streets of London and the twins nestled next to each other as their exhausted chaperone, Sabrina Martin, did her best to stay awake on the seat across from them.

“Well, that was a night to remember!” Starr squeezed her sister’s gloved hand. “Are you going to tell me how that manifested or is it all a great mystery? A duke! What was he like?”

“He was very kind and there’s no mystery,” Scarlett answered quietly. “Please don’t make a fuss. Father will be anxious enough after missing out tonight and Mother…I don’t want her to be sad and think there was a vast development in her absence.”

“Better to hear of your triumph than tales of your time in a greenhouse,” Starr said. “Not that I’ll betray my promise to keep your secret.”

“You never betray me.” Scarlett put her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Let’s just tell them it was lovely.”

Starr laughed. “Yes, let’s try that. It is not as if Father will ask a thousand questions and demand an accounting of every conversation.”

Scarlett sat up quickly. “True. But I’ll deflect him with compliments and kisses and that will be that.”

“You are a wicked pair,” Mrs. Martin interjected though her words had no bite. She was not any more immune to the twins’ charms than their father and understood completely how they worked. Familiarity only bred more endearment and she had accepted with everyone in the Blackwell house that it was simply easier to surrender. “And how is it that you are not exhausted? My goodness! All I long for now is my bed and you both look as bright and spry as squirrels ready for another adventure.”

Sabrina Martin had once been the girls’ wet nurse and in the Blackwell family tradition, had simply been absorbed into the household as no one was willing to let her go. From wet nurse to nanny to governess, her education had improved along with her identical charges when tutors entered the frame. Caroline had come to rely on Mrs. Martin as Bellewood demanded more of her time and the respect between them was formidable as parenting twins seemed to demand more hands on deck than expected. And since Mrs. Martin was almost as dear to the twins as their own mother, it was natural that they counted her as a confidante and ally.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Mrs. Martin? What did you think of your first grand ball?” Scarlett asked.

“It was lovely.” The twins immediately started laughing as Sabrina Martin echoed Scarlett’s line and then Mrs. Martin was laughing along. “It was! It was lovely! I have never seen such finery and in all my days, I never thought to be in such company.”

“Well, we are going to insist on you continuing as our chaperone then. Even Starr will enjoy it more now that we realize it’s put color in your cheeks, Mrs. Martin.”

“Stop,” Sabrina blushed. “It isn’t nice to tease. I am in quite over my head! One of your mother’s friends would have suited better and been far more comfortable.”

“You were wonderful, Mrs. Martin,” Starr said. “I thought you were very brave considering how you were thrown into the breach tonight without any real warning.”

“I would walk into flames if your mother asked it,” Sabrina said softly.

“She has that effect, doesn’t she?”