Chapter Eight #2
She had a unique shade of hair. It was a soft red with blond streaming through it, a color he had never seen on another living soul.
Her blue eyes were as clear as a summer sky.
She possessed a willowy frame, not the current fashionable curves of so many other young ladies her age.
If he had not had his previous encounter with her, he would have said she was quite pretty in the face.
Having heard her acidic tongue, though, he knew better than to be fooled by her exterior beauty.
The butler called them in to dinner. The duke led his wife and mother in, with Lady Tia and the dowager duchess following them, while Hugo offered an arm to Mama and Dilly. When they reached the dining room, he saw Lady Tia visibly upset, and soon he realized why.
They had been seated next to one another.
He went to his seat and quietly said to her, “Neither of us is happy with this arrangement, my lady. I suggest we make the best of it and not make our family members aware of the enmity between us.”
She flashed him a smile. “Certainly, my lord.”
A footman helped her to sit, and Hugo took his place to her left. He now dreaded the meal, knowing it might go on for a couple of hours.
The soup course was served, and he politely turned to her, hoping to salvage the situation. “The soup is quite good.”
She frowned. “Is that all the conversation you have for me? If so, save your breath, my lord. I promise to concentrate on my food. You can talk with my brother and the others instead.”
Lifting her wine goblet, she sipped from it, then turned back to her soup.
He had never met a more unpleasant female.
Not that he had met many in his lifetime.
For the most part, he had avoided women.
He became tongue-tied around them. Matthew had noticed it during Hugo’s second year at university and asked him if he were a virgin.
After he had gotten over being asked such an impertinent question, his friend had insisted that he learn about intimacy.
Matthew had found a willing widow who would teach Hugo about lovemaking, and he had visited her once or twice a week during his time at Cambridge.
She had been quite the tutor, and he was pleased in the skills he had developed, confident he knew how to please a woman in bed.
Since then, however, he had been with no woman. He barely saw any women other than Mama and Dilly, save for a few servants. He knew it would be important to woo and wed so that he might get an heir. That would be for after he saw Dilly settled. Once he had her settled, he could think about himself.
In the meantime, he asked a few more questions. He had found others enjoyed talking about themselves, so if he inquired about them, they usually spoke and he listened.
The meal was very good, and he was proud he hadn’t had to engage Lady Tia further.
Then Millbrooke said, “Since it is only the two of us, Merriman, what say we dispense with port and cigars and accompany the ladies to the drawing room? Perhaps you might even play for us, Tia,” the duke suggested.
She smiled brilliantly. “I would be happy to do so.”
They adjourned, returning to the drawing room. The butler offered Hugo a drink, but he waved it away. He was curious to hear Lady Tia play.
She did so without music, having memorized the piece. Her playing was adequate but lacked any depth. It seemed as superficial as she herself was.
When she finished, they applauded her efforts, and she went to a settee where Dilly sat.
“You should play for us, Merriman,” Dilly suggested.
“You play?” His Grace asked.
Hugo nodded.
“Go and play something for us, Merriman,” the dowager duchess urged.
Knowing he could not graciously refuse his hostess, he moved to the piano and sat, cracking his knuckles.
“He insists upon doing that before he plays each time,” Mama said to the others. “A terrible habit, but he does play beautifully.”
He took a deep breath and struck the first keys. Within seconds, he was lost in the music, only coming out from its spell when he struck the final chord. Quickly, he rose and returned to his seat, the others applauding enthusiastically.
“My, you play incredibly well, my lord,” the duchess said. “I have never heard another play with such feeling.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
The others began talking, and he felt eyes upon him. Turning, he saw Lady Tia gazing at him thoughtfully. Let her look all she wanted. He neither wanted nor need the chit’s approval.
When the evening came to an end, he heard Dilly making plans with Lady Tia and decided he would need to speak to his sister and have her break them. This was not someone he wanted Dilly to be around. It did not matter that she was the sister of a duke. Lady Tia was not good enough for his Dilly.
The duke and his family walked them downstairs. As he descended the staircase, Lady Tia fell in beside him.
“You are an accomplished pianist, my lord. I envy how you become so absorbed in the music. I have never been that way. I spend too much time thinking of which finger belongs on what key.”
“Music must be felt in your soul, my lady. Apparently, you have none.”
She looked taken aback at his cruel words, and Hugo immediately wanted to apologize. He was not this kind of man. Just because he thought ill of her, he never should have voiced his opinion, especially so harshly. He would apologize.
But the words stuck in his throat. His tongue grew thick.
Fear filled him that he would start stammering, and all he could think of how this woman would cackle with glee at his predicament.
Then he caught sight of her eyes misting with tears, and he hated himself for making such a heartless remark to her.
“You are as callous as I first believed you to be, my lord. I had thought to offer you an olive branch, simply for Lady Dilly’s sake.” She paused. “I will never make that mistake again.”
Quickly, she hurried down the stairs, catching up with Dilly. Hugo stood watching her, appalled at his own behavior. He had known cruelty in his youth and had vowed never to be as vicious as those who had hurt him.
Why had he spoken as he had to her? Why did it seem as if his very blood boiled when he looked at or spoke to Lady Tia?
He left the house, handing up Mama and then Dilly. Turning back to his hosts, who had followed them outside, he manage to get out, “Thank you for a lovely evening, Your Graces.”
“I am glad we could do this,” Millbrooke said. “Will I see you at White’s tomorrow?”
“Yes, Your Grace. I shall be there tomorrow morning.”
Hugo climbed into the carriage. The door was closed, and the coachman set the vehicle into motion. He remained silent as Mama and Dilly chattered on about dining with a duke and two duchesses. Dread filled him, knowing what he must say to his sister.
When they arrived home, Mama went immediately upstairs. That gave him the opportunity to ask Dilly to join him in the library. He accompanied her there, seeing her high spirits and flushed face.
“Dilly, please sit,” he said once they entered the room.
“What? Is something the matter, Hugo?”
“Yes.”
Concern filled her face as she took a seat next to him. “What can I do?”
“I do not want to encourage a friendship between you and Lady Tia,” he said flatly.
Dilly shot to her feet. “What?”
“Please, sit.”
“No,” she said, defiance in her eyes. “I will stand. Why do you not want me to see her, Hugo?”
“I think she will be a bad influence upon you.”
“But . . . why?”
Delicately, he said, “I will only say that when we have spoken, I have not found her to be pleasant in the slightest.”
Confusion filled his sister’s face. “I do not understand. Lady Tia is very nice, Hugo. Yes, she is quite lively, but that is what I like about her.”
“You are not to continue the friendship,” he said flatly.
Her mouth set stubbornly. “Are you going to continue to be friends with her brother?” Dilly demanded.
“Yes. The duke is—”
“Then I will continue to be friends with Lady Tia.”
With that, Dilly stormed from the library. Hugo watched her go, knowing he had made a mess of things.
And he hadn’t a clue what to do next.