Her Dragon of a Duke (Dukes & Beasts #5)

Chapter 1

“Are you ready, dearest?”

Lady Adelaide Wynn was anything but ready for what was to come, but she did not dare tell her mother that. Instead, she met her mother’s soft gray eyes with her own and assured her that she most certainly was.

“I know that it has been a long time since we have been here,” her mother said gently as they exited the carriage and made their way to the manor house, “but I believe it is time.”

“Even if it is not, I will have to return, eventually. I will be on the shelf if I do not re-enter society soon.”

If she was not already, that was.

Adelaide had been shielded from what was said about her, and though she was grateful to her mother for protecting her, she wished that she knew what she was walking into.

London was a vicious city, and though it had once been her favorite place, a mere year was all it had taken for her to no longer recognize it.

“Lady Winston understands your predicament. She is more than happy to play a role in your reintroduction, and she has promised to speak highly of you.”

“I am grateful for that. I must say, her home is most impressive.”

“Indeed, it is. It was always my favorite place to go for tea.”

Adelaide had a lot of regrets about how her life had changed, but the biggest of all was what she had done to her mother.

Not only had she ruined her own prospects, but she had given her mother no choice but to leave with her, and that meant sacrificing everything she had because of something that was not her fault.

She tucked a stray brown curl behind her ear and braced herself.

They were both welcomed at once by Lady Winston, who embraced her mother warmly and took them both to the parlor, where they met the others.

They were all older ladies, but Adelaide felt quite comfortable with that.

She would not be sized up as competition, nor would she be perceived as a threat, and that put her at ease.

“Good afternoon, Lady Adelaide,” one greeted. “It is good to see you again after so long.”

“Hello to you all. I am pleased to be home again.”

She managed all of ten minutes before one of the women, dark-haired with small dark eyes, turned to her.

“You do not seem mad.” She smirked. “Do you simply hide it well?”

“There is nothing to hide, I can assure you.”

“A lady must be mad if she attacks her fiancé.”

“That is enough, Lady Eleanor,” Lady Winston warned. “Lady Adelaide never once admitted that she did that, and we cannot simply assume that she is guilty.”

“It is all right, Lady Winston,” Adelaide said softly. “I understand that I did not make myself look any better by leaving. It will take some time before people see me in the way they did before.”

“It is remarkable that you are so different from what the rumors suggest,” Lady Eleanor continued. “You seem perfectly calm.”

“Because she is,” Lady Winston declared firmly. “Do ignore her, Lady Adelaide. My friend likes to amuse herself with scandal sheets, and you are among…” she trailed off.

But Adelaide knew what she was going to say. She was among the most notorious ladies in London. Which, given that she had allegedly attacked her fiancé, she understood.

“Regardless,” Lady Winston continued, “I am pleased that you have returned. People will gossip, but they will stop, eventually.”

“Do you plan to marry?” another lady asked.

“Not yet. I would like to reacquaint myself with London first, and of course, it will be a precarious thing to enter a courtship at this time. I have always wanted a love match, and despite everything, it is still my hope to have one.”

The other ladies nodded approvingly at that.

Adelaide hoped that they believed her. It would be a long time before she could stop wondering if everyone she spoke to was thinking the worst of her, but she had to start somewhere.

“We will wait for invitations.” Her mother laughed softly. “It is my hope that people understand that my daughter has always had an upstanding reputation, and that there is no truth in what was said about her.”

“And what is the truth?” Lady Eleanor asked. “Nobody has ever heard your side of the story.”

Adelaide opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, a footman appeared in the doorway.

“Mr. Hargrave, My Lady.”

Adelaide’s heart lurched, hoping desperately that it was someone else. Alas, she had never been that lucky.

None other than Mr. Edmund Hargrave entered, his eyes immediately finding her before he even took his seat.

“Mr. Hargrave!” Lady Winston greeted. “What a surprise.”

“My apologies,” he replied in the same soothing and calm voice that he used in front of others. “I would have given prior notice, but I did not have the time. I heard that Lady Adelaide returned, and I simply had to come see her.”

The other ladies were clearly touched by the gesture, but Adelaide was not so easily fooled. He was the same man she had escaped from a year ago, and that was terrifying to witness.

“Say something, dear,” Lady Winston muttered to her.

“Hello, Mr. Hargrave,” Adelaide greeted quietly.

“You are looking well, albeit thinner than I recall. Did you enjoy your time in the north?”

“I did. It provided some much-needed respite after what happened.”

“And you undoubtedly needed that.” Mr. Hargrave smiled. “Lady Adelaide, I want you to know that I forgive you for what happened. I understand that you have difficulties that many cannot even begin to comprehend, and you have the courage to face such battles.”

The ladies around her cooed and smiled sympathetically.

Adelaide could not blame them. Mr. Hargrave was considered one of the most impeccable gentlemen in the ton. He was even considered the most eligible bachelor in London, despite the lack of a title.

For all they knew, she had given him no choice but to run for his life. It did not matter that it was untrue; people just wanted the scandal, and that was what they got.

“Perhaps we might give you both a moment?” Lady Winston suggested.

The ladies left the room, although a maid remained in the corner. Mr. Hargrave scowled at her, before turning to Adelaide with that charming smile of his.

“You have decided to return at last.”

“How did you know that I was here?”

“I saw your carriage outside. Now, I do not mean to frighten you, nor have I ever, but I must protect myself first and foremost. I have evidence that could send you to Bedlam, so if you insist on returning to society, I must warn you not to overstep.”

“I have no intention of having anything to do with you. I did not want to see you again, which was precisely why I called off our engagement.”

“I do not recall it happening that way,” he drawled. “As I remember, you viciously attacked me, and I told you that I could not marry a lady who hated me so much.”

“Then you do not remember things correctly.”

“No, I know what happened, as does the ton. And they will not take kindly to your lies. Do I make myself clear, Adelaide?”

She pressed her lips together for a moment, knowing that the easier thing to do was to agree with him so that it could all be done with. But she had a sinking feeling that the other ladies were eavesdropping, and she could not bear the thought of them hearing what would sound like a confession.

“If you will excuse me,” she said, leaving the room quickly.

She needed air, and she needed to breathe. More than anything, she needed to be away from a man who had only come to torment her further.

She stepped out into the front garden, taking steady breaths, when she looked up to see a gentleman she did not recognize.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and strikingly dark features. To her surprise, his dark brown eyes were fixed intently on her.

Adelaide had never felt such an urge to study a person, but she could not help herself. He had an imposing figure, one that commanded attention.

Moments later, he looked away from her and left.

For a fleeting second, Adelaide forgot why she had stepped outside. But then realization made her heart sink. Mr. Hargrave was still inside, and the others saw him as a hero, which meant that she was a villain, as far as they were concerned.

They did not have to say it for her to feel it.

Composing herself, she went back inside. The others were in the drawing room, and in the center of it all was the one man she was trying to avoid. He smiled at her the way he had when they had first met, and for the briefest moment, she began to think that he had been right all along.

What if he was right, and she had been the problem? What if she had misremembered everything, and she had been a vicious and violent monster to him?

Adelaide had never questioned her actions until that moment, and it unsettled her more than what she remembered of their encounter the year prior.

“You did well,” her mother praised on the ride home. “I do wish they had not been so demanding, though.”

“We knew that it would happen. I am simply pleased that my first outing is over, as it was always going to be the worst one.”

Her mother shifted in her seat, uncertain.

“That would be the second outing,” she sighed. “Now that you have returned, and you have seen people, word will spread quickly. I do not want to scare you, dearest, but your next outing will be worse.”

“As long as Mr. Hargrave is not there, it will be better. It was awful, Mama. He made me feel as though he was the wronged party and that I am all that he claimed I was.”

“Well, that is wrong. I remember how you looked the morning after, when the scandal sheet arrived. Your fear was genuine. I may not know much, but I do know my daughter. You would never treat a person that way.”

Her mother’s words soothed her somewhat, but they were not enough to comfort her entirely. All Adelaide could think of was the way everyone looked at her, as if she were unhinged, a madwoman.

She wondered if coming back to London was the wrong decision after all, but she knew she had to trust in herself. It had been a difficult encounter, but it would improve.

The social season would begin, and she would find a nice gentleman who would look past her reputation, and she would fall for him. They would have a long courtship, and once she was convinced they were in love, they would marry.

It was unlikely, but it was something for her to believe in. If she did not have that, then she would truly be lost.

And, she realized as they arrived home, if that gentleman happened to look like the one she had seen earlier out in the street, that would not be a bad thing at all.