Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“ H ow is she doing?” Lucien asked, and Dorian looked around to see his old friend standing next to him, his face creased with worry. Glancing in the direction Lucien was looking, Dorian saw that he, also, was watching Lady Leah as she conversed with a group of gentlemen.
They were in Lucien’s music room once again, but this time, it was full of people. The Duchess had hired a quartet to play tonight for their amusement, and Dorian and Lady Leah had decided this was the perfect opportunity for her to practice speaking to gentlemen.
So far, it looked to be going well.
“She is doing well,” Dorian said, standing up as well so that he could speak to Lucien more easily. “I have been instructing her on how to feel more relaxed and conversational. Hopefully that will lead to deeper acquaintances with some of these gentlemen.”
“More relaxed and conversational?” Lucien looked even more confused. “But Leah has always been very spontaneous . Perhaps not as much as Eve, but still…”
“She converses freely around her family,” Dorian pointed out. “It’s not always as easy around strangers, especially when those are the most judgemental strangers you’ll ever meet.”
“Members of the ton?” Lucien asked with a snort. “Yes, they are very judgemental.”
“She is doing very well, though,” Dorian repeated, nodding in satisfaction as he took in his pupil. Her shoulders were relaxed, she was smiling naturally, and there was an air of calmness to her that Dorian hadn’t seen before. The small group of gentlemen seemed to be riveted. There were three of them around her, and as Dorian watched, one even offered to refill her champagne flute for her.
“As long as this leads to a proposal,” Lucien said. “I wouldn’t like to think I’m letting you spend so much time alone with my sister and she doesn’t get a husband out of it.”
Lucien moved away, and for a moment, Dorian felt a flicker of doubt. Would he be able to get Lady Leah married in such a short amount of time? He believed in himself, and he believed in her, but the stakes were so extraordinarily high.
Not only could it end in her marrying Lord Dubois, but it could end in him losing Lucien, the only real friend he’d ever had.
Just then, the music started, and Dorian was thoroughly gratified to see one of the gentlemen talking to Lady Leah bow to her and hold out his hand.
He is asking her to dance! At once, all of Dorian’s doubt vanished. In one day, she’d made so much progress that she had charmed a man into dancing with her!
Next step, wedding bells. He grinned to himself and watched as the two of them headed to the floor, where they were soon joined by half a dozen other couples. The gentleman bowed before Lady Leah, and she smiled happily and curtsied. The smile on her face was so genuine, so excited, that he wanted to share it. But instead of feeling victorious, Dorian felt something else: a small tightening in his stomach, as well as a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.
Shaking himself, he tried to focus. What had momentarily happened to him? It was a strange sensation , and one he’d never felt before.
The dance continued, and after several minutes, it became evident to Dorian that Lady Leah’s dance partner was utterly useless. He was graceless and kept messing up the steps of the simple country dance. Worse still, it was starting to make Lady Leah nervous, and she kept glancing around, her movements growing more stiff as well. No, he could have none of this.
Standing up, Dorian moved to the dancefloor, and when the gentleman and Lady Leah came to the edge of the row, he stepped forward.
“May I cut in?” he asked, taking Lady Leah’s hand with so much grace that the other man gaped at him.
“I--well--I wasn’t--”
“Very good,” Dorian said, smiling at the gentleman as if he had politely said yes, instead of gargling nonsense at him. ” It hadn’t actually been a question, anyway. If he, the Duke of Nottington, wanted to cut in, then by God, he was going to cut in.
“Have a good day,” he said to the gentleman, as he swept Lady Leah away, back into the whirl of the dance. She was smiling—not the pretty, practiced smile she’d bestowed on her admirers, but an impish and oddly alluring curve of the lips .
“That was expertly done,” she whispered, as the music swelled, and more couples joined them on the dancefloor, which thankfully distracted from Dorian’s rude interruption.
“I’ll have to send him a bottle of whiskey later,” Dorian whispered back.
“Is this another tactic to make me look more desirable?”
“Actually, I was just worried that man was such a horrible dancer it would throw you off entirely. You looked as if you were getting nervous again.”
Lady Leah swallowed. “I was, a bit. He was a very bad dancer--but I thought it was my fault.”
“It was not,” Dorian said with authority. “You are an excellent dancer. Don’t worry, you can relax now, I’ve got you.” And he felt her relax in his arms, melt into the rhythm of his lead the way she had melted against him when he had kissed her back.
No, don’t think about that! That would only get him into trouble. The focus now would be entirely on making her look graceful and alluring--which wasn’t hard, considering she actually was a great dancer.
He could feel it instinctively, being an excellent dancer himself. It was one of the many skills he needed in order to be a rake. Or to be perceived as a rake.
“I want to announce to the room, perhaps a little boldly, that you have my interest,” he murmured.
“Is that wise?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Showing men are interested in me is one thing; but won’t a Duke scare them off?”
“No. Men are very competitive with one another, especially with Dukes. And especially with me!”
“There’s that arrogance again,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“No,” he said in a low voice, and she looked back at him, taken aback. “That’s it,” he murmured. “Look me directly in the eyes. Very good. Now look down and laugh softly.”
She looked down, and the laugh that came from her was a bit choked, as if she were having trouble breathing.
Good enough.
“Now look back up at me.” She did so, and when her wild green eyes met his, they were radiating the same intensity he had seen when she’d kissed him in the garden. It made his heart beat faster, and for a second, he almost forgot the next step. But he didn’t forget it, because that would be ridiculous. Dorian Attor, Duke of Nottington, did not forget dance steps because of a pretty chit.
Still, it was better that he find Lady Leah a husband--and fast.
“Well you looked very graceful dancing with Nottington last night,” Eve said, smirking at her from across the breakfast table. Leah, who was in the middle of eating a slice of toast, frowned at her sister. At the same time, she felt as if her stomach had leapt into her throat, and she had to work hard to keep herself from blushing or giving away any of the emotions that were suddenly raging through her.
She took her time to finish chewing her toast and swallow, knowing that reacting quickly would only alert her sister to her heightened emotions.
“What do you mean?” she asked at last, arching an eyebrow.
Eve smirked even wider. “I mean that you seemed very comfortable dancing with him. That’s unusual for you. All Season, you haven’t seemed to be able to get comfortable at balls.”
“The Duke is a great dancer,” Leah said with a shrug.
“So is he your favorite of your suitors?” Eve asked, the wickedness in her eyes growing.
“He isn’t a suitor,” Leah said. “You know that. He’s trying to help me find a husband.”
“Uh huh.” Eve looked at Celeste, who was reading a book at the breakfast table and clearly trying not to get involved in this. “I think he seems like a suitor. He certainly looked like a suitor when he had his arms wrapped around you during the dance.”
“He was just performing the correct dance moves,” Leah said, even as her face began to redden. “There was no… He was not…” Of course, Eve had no way of knowing that Leah did know what it felt like to have the Duke’s arms wrapped around her.
She and Lucien had decided not to tell their sisters about her kiss and plan to entrap the Duke. They thought he was simply helping her out of kindness for the family.
So of course, Eve couldn’t know that last night, during the dance, Leah had been remembering that kiss with painful vividness.
Not that it mattered. Leah was trying to find a man who actually wanted to marry her--and she wasn’t going to let herself be distracted by a man who certainly didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Eve said with a fake look of nonchalance. “It certainly seemed like there was more going on than just dance moves.”
“Leave her alone, Eve,” Celeste said, looking up from her book at last. “She’s had a hard enough time of it as it is.”
“Thank you, Celeste,” Leah said, smiling gratefully at her middle sister before turning back to Eve with narrowed eyes. “As for you, if this is the way you gossip after one simple musicale at our home, then it is clearly a very good thing that you are not out yet! I should hate to think the way you tease people and gossip about them if you were at a real ball and witnessed all the different comings and goings of the ton.”
Even shrugged. “And so what if I do gossip about people after a ball? Isn’t that what the ton does?”
“You’re probably going to be writing in one of those gossip sheets someday!” Leah said, shaking her head. “You’re incorrigible.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks…” Eve muttered, making Leah redden even more. She turned to Celeste.
“This is why I don’t fit into the ton,” she complained. “I don’t care for all this gossip.”
“Just ignore her,” Celeste said, casting an amused look at Eve. “She’s just jealous because she wishes she were out and had such a handsome Duke to dance with.”
Eve folded her arms. “Well of course I’m jealous! Who wouldn’t want to dance with the Duke of Nottington!”
“He’s not exactly marriage material,” Leah said.
“Who said anything about marriage?” Eve raised her eyebrows. “I said dance with.”
Leah couldn’t help but laugh. Her younger sister was certainly a character--although she did worry a little about her. Was she going to be too wild when it came her turn to debut on the ton. But she couldn’t think about that right now. She had too many other worries to deal with.
There was a knock at the breakfast room door, and the butler came in, an anxious look on his face. Leah’s stomach dropped at once. Is it Lord Dubois? Is he back?
But the butler wouldn’t be in here if he were back--he would have gone to Lucien, who would have called the Bow Street Runners.
“My Lady,” the butler said, bowing before Leah, “there are several gentlemen here to see you. As well as flowers.”
“Flowers?” Leah repeated. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that the entire city’s worth of flowers seem to have been delivered to our door just now.”
Leah, Celeste, and Eve all looked at each other; then, at the same time, they all leapt to their feet.
The sisters hurried out into the corridor, where, indeed, they were greeted by the sight of about a hundred bouquets. And what bouquets they were!
In every color, every variation of flowers, from simple ones that looked as if they couldn’t have cost very much, to elaborate arrangements that stretched a yard wide and had to have cost a fortune. Leah’s mouth fell fully open as she stared around the entrance hall.
“And these are all… for me?” She asked, turning to the butler with wide eyes.
“Yes, My Lady. And the gentlemen are waiting in the parlor. I told them that you would be a few minutes. All of them except His Grace, the Duke of Nottington. He said you would want to see him.”
“I--yes, of course.” The butler nodded behind her, and Leah turned to see Nottington walking toward her down the hall, grinning from ear to ear.
“Lady Leah,” he said, bowing to her and kissing her hand. He then turned and bowed to her sisters as well. “And Ladies Celeste and Eve! How lovely to see you both.”
“What are you doing here?” Leah breathed, not aggressively, just genuinely out of shock to see him--and all the flowers.
“Well, I was at the florist this morning, buying you flowers.”
“Me?” Leah asked stupidly. “Why?”
He tilted his head to one side and gave her a lopsided smile. “Because of what we discussed. The more men who pursue you, the more desirable it makes you. And people would be suspicious if I didn’t buy you flowers after dancing with you last night.”
Behind her, Leah heard Eve giggle, and she blushed.
“Anyway,” Nottington continued, “when I was at the florist, I was intrigued to discover that at least a dozen other gentlemen were there to buy you bouquets. Our plan, it seems, is working! So I thought I would accompany my own flowers and see just how many gentlemen plan to stop by today to court you. Then we can decide which is the best for you to pursue--who is the most likely to propose and quickly.”
Leah was speechless. There were so many questions brimming in her mind and she didn’t know where to start. Six gentlemen were buying me flowers? How did you manage to pull this off so quickly? Which do you think is most likely to propose? And, most startlingly, You’re going to stick around all day to help me pick the best one?
It was such a kind offer that she beamed up at him. “You are going above and beyond to find me a husband,” she murmured, and she was embarrassed to realize her eyes had filled with tears. “It means more to me than I could ever say. Thank you, Your Grace.”
He grinned at her, although for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something else behind his eyes. “Well, I’m just eager to make sure I don’t have to marry you,” he said in a low voice, so her sisters couldn’t hear.
She laughed, then grew more serious. “So who is here to see me? Any serious prospects?”
“Lord Trembley is a promising candidate,” he said thoughtfully. “Come, let’s get you to the parlor, and then you can see for yourself.”
There were, in fact, six gentlemen waiting for her in the parlor. Six! Leah couldn’t quite believe it. And they were all sizing each other up in a way that made Leah want to laugh and also die of embarrassment. All this for her? It was almost impossible to believe after the lackluster Season she’d had.
And it was all thanks to the Duke’s lessons--and his attention. She had a feeling that a rake’s interest in her had done more than just one lesson in how to make conversation. But she planned to change that today. Today, she would make such interesting conversation with each gentleman that they would be begging for her hand.
“Good luck,” the Duke murmured, as he pushed her forward to greet the gentlemen. When she glanced up at her, he winked.
But it turned out she didn’t need luck--or to make interesting conversation. With six men vying for her time and attention, Leah felt as if she were being buffeted back and forth between them all, with barely a moment to think, let alone overthink what she was saying.
All the gentlemen had a million questions for her, all of them were eager to get to know her better, and all of them very much liked to talk about themselves--even when unprompted.
And it wasn’t just these six. Because as the day progressed, more and more gentlemen began to arrive. As a few would leave, more would come to replace them, bearing bouquets of flowers and books and other trinkets. Leah didn’t get a single moment to herself all day, except for the few times she had to excuse herself just so she could go catch a breath of fresh air outside.
It was overwhelming. And although she was grateful for how her fortunes had changed so swiftly, it also threatened to completely unmoor her. How was she supposed to know which of these men to marry, when she could barely keep track of them?
In the early evening, the river of callers had dried up to a trickle, and Leah felt comfortable excusing herself once again to have a few moments to herself. The moment she left the parlor, she felt her heart rate slow down. She was hot--sweating from nerves and from the effort of smiling and talking--and she needed a place where she could cool down. After a short hesitation, she made her way down the hall to the library. It would be empty and cool.
But when she pushed open the door to the library, she was surprised to find that it wasn’t empty. Nottington was inside, reading a book on the sofa with his feet up on the tea table.
She paused in the doorway, and Nottington looked up. He smiled when he saw her and set down his book, then stood and bowed.
“My Lady,” he said. “How are you?”
She laughed and shrugged. “It has been a trying day.”
“But a good day, surely?”
“Yes, very good,” she agreed. “Just tiring.”
“Good, I’m glad it was rewarding.” He sat back down on the sofa and indicated she should sit across from him. She was amused that he was inviting her to sit in her own home, but she did anyway, smoothing out her skirts. It was very quiet in the library, and cool, and she suddenly became very aware of how alone they were together.
“So are they all gone?” he asked.
“No, there are still a few here,” she admitted.
“Then what are you doing here?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in that characteristic way he did when he was puzzled or teasing her. “Shouldn’t you be back in there trying to woo your future husband?”
“I just needed a moment alone,” she said. “I’ve been smiling and nodding and pretending to care about gentlemen’s estates all day.”
The Duke raised an eyebrow. “I see what this is. You’re hiding from them.”
Leah sat back on the sofa and crossed her arms. “Perhaps I am. Would that be so bad?”
“Just as long as you aren’t forgetting how urgent it is that you find a husband.”
“I wouldn’t forget that,” she said, slightly annoyed. “I’m the one who would be forced to marry Lord Dubois.”
“And do you like any of your potential suitors? What did you think of Lord Trembley?”
“He was alright,” Leah said as she tried to remember him specifically. “A bit arrogant. But then, so are you, and I still like you.”
The Duke smiled slowly. “Comparing all your suitors to me, are you? Tut tut, that isn’t good. They will all be found wanting in that case.”
“You’re only proving my point, of course,” she said. “That you are extraordinarily arrogant.”
“I don’t think of arrogance as a flaw. I would much rather be arrogant than be boring. Or cold. Or rude.”
“As long as you can back up your arrogance,” she said with a coy smile.
He sat forward, his blue eyes boring into her in a way that made her heart race. “I can back it up. Can Lord Trembley?” H e sounded dismissive, and his eyes narrowed with dislike. “His arrogance derives from his wealth, which I personally find to be distasteful. He inherited everything he has. I suppose he has held onto it as well, but that’s only because he is too uptight to play hard or booze.”
“You were saying earlier that you thought he would be a good match for me!” Leah said, staring at him in surprise. “Now you sound as if you detest the man!”
“I don’t detest him, I just think he is a bore,” the Duke said with a snort. “But if he charmed you and flattered you, then I shall not object to your marrying him.”
“Object?” What made him think he had the right to object to anyone?
“You know what I mean,” he said dismissively, even though she actually had no idea . “I won’t stand in the way of you marrying Lord Trembley, even if marriage to him will mean a lifetime of being bored to tears.”
“I didn’t know you would consider standing in the way of my marrying anyone,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “Considering that the alternative is marrying me yourself, I’d think you’d be glad to see me married to whomever offered.”
“I’m not a cold-hearted bastard,” he snapped, frowning at her. “I don’t want you to end up with someone almost as bad as Lord Dubois, simply because it means I won’t have to marry you.”
“I don’t think you are a cold-hearted…” Leah trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the last word. She stared at the Duke, unsure of what to say. She didn’t know why he was so angry, but there was an edge to him that she hadn’t seen before. An irritation.
“Is everything alright?” she asked after a moment. Then she added, glancing around, “Why are you still here? You should go home. You don’t need to wait for all the gentlemen to leave to tell me who you think will propose the quickest. We can discuss it another time.”
“Are you trying to kick me out?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“I’m just saying you have done so much for me already.” She smiled at him kindly. “You don’t have to stay here just for my sake.”
A beat or two passed, during which they stared at each other, then the Duke’s face softened. “I’m sorry for being a grumpy lout,” he said. “I am just tired. And I suppose I feel a bit responsible for your happiness in your marriage, since I am the one who helped you attract all these men. Not that you wouldn’t have attracted them on your own, but--”
“I know what you mean,” she said with a smile.
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “If my lessons and attention have brought these men to your door, then I want to make sure the one you choose isn’t awful. That’s all.”
“I appreciate that very much,” she said. “But I assure you, every single man here is better than Lord Dubois. He is a lecherous old man. Lord Trembley might be a tad arrogant, but he is a good, kind man. All of these gentlemen are.”
She smiled at him. He stared back at her with a blank look for a moment. Then he smiled back--but it had a forced look to it, and she wondered if he was making himself smile at her.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “And I won’t interfere or give my opinion again. You have my word.” He stretched and then glanced at the grandfather clock above the mantle. It was nearly six o’clock. “I should probably head home,” he said. “And change for dinner.”
“I should probably go back to my guests,” Leah said, rising at the same time as the Duke. “But I shall see you in two day’s time at our dinner party?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”