Chapter 1
Chapter One
“’Tis the season for romance, dear sisters,” Edmund Hartley, newly Duke of Stonewood since their father’s passing, said, rubbing his hands together with glee.
“And romance is flowing in abundance,” Lydia replied, eyes wide with hope and promise.
Charlotte, the middle sibling, pressed her lips together and said nothing.
“No pithy comment?” Edmund inquired, arching a sharp eyebrow.
“Of course not, Hart. It is a grand occasion, and I pray that you both find what you seek.”
“If I didn’t know you better, I might think you were being disingenuous, but of course, you are married to the truth.
You should be seeking a marriage of a different nature.
Look around, and you will see far more interesting things than books.
” Edmund gestured by sweeping his hand in front of him, beckoning to the crowd gathered in the hall.
Charlotte took a moment to gaze at everyone in attendance. The debutantes, like Lydia, with their hopeful eyes and twitching smiles. The gentlemen with polished expressions and glances flitting around the room, distracted by all the bejeweled women.
Unlike them, Charlotte wore a plain dress. Her wavy auburn hair was loose, and she had only applied a small dusting of makeup. She preferred to disappear into the background. Tonight, that was certainly possible, especially when she was standing beside Lydia.
“Indeed, why would one ever think of books here?” Lydia sighed, a dreamy look on her face as she drank everything in.
“You look marvelous tonight. I’m sure it won’t be long until your dance card is full,” Edmund directed the words toward his youngest sister.
“I agree. You are quite beautiful, Lydia. I would urge caution, however. Make sure you trust a man’s intentions before you promise anything.”
“Of course, sister, thank you for the advice. I’m glad that this dress suits me as well as I hoped. At least, I think it does.” She placed her hands on her hips, smoothing down the shimmering dress that she had owned for some time in anticipation of this day. She also wore a shiny hair clip.
“You have nothing to fear, Lydia. And don’t listen to Charlotte. Love is a realm for adventure, not caution,” Edmund’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “I’m always surprised by your attitude, Charlotte. For someone who enjoys learning, I would have thought you would enjoy speaking to so many people.”
Before Charlotte had a chance to reply, Edmund was distracted by a passing figure, Lady Joanne Winter.
“Your Grace, it is an honor to see you here. How do you fare?”
“I fare well, Lady Winter, and how is young Master Winter? Still flicking his marbles around?”
“Indeed,” Joanne tittered with laughter, her round face radiating with joy. “And he is enamored of the toy horse you gave him. He takes it everywhere. He’s even called it ‘Duke’ after you.”
“Oh, ‘tis but a trinket,” Edmund said modestly. “And I’m flattered, of course. It’s amusing how such a small thing can bring such joy.”
“Many joys can be found in the smallest gestures,” Joanne observed, dipping her head and offering a soulful gaze. She heard her name being called and looked a little annoyed. “I hope that we shall have a chance to speak further this evening.”
Edmund inclined his head. They moved deeper into the room with people flowing around them like water. The chatter was a cacophony, and even Charlotte was not immune to the excitement buzzing in the air.
“Please behave yourself tonight, Edmund,” Charlotte said in a low voice, leaning toward her brother.
“I behave myself every night,” he said with a wry smile, “and I don’t need these constant reminders.”
“I have not nagged you,” Charlotte replied.
“Oh no, only frequently during the last few days and especially before we departed tonight.”
“And in the carriage,” Lydia interjected, taking a moment away from gazing dreamily at her surroundings. Charlotte took a moment to consider how they could all perceive the same event so differently.
For Edmund, it was a social occasion, a chance to spread his wings and exercise his tongue, speaking to friends and acquaintances, old and new. For Lydia, it was almost magical, as though she had been given access to a realm that she had fantasized about for so many years.
And then there was Charlotte, a woman for whom marriage and romance had never held any allure. Obligation brought her to this ball rather than any sense of interest.
“I just want to make sure we are on our best behavior tonight for Mary’s sake.”
“I think Mary is the last person who needs our help. Look at her, she’s having the time of her life,” Edmund spread a palm open.
The crowd parted, offering them a view of their cousin. Mary was standing with her betrothed, Alfred Blackwood, brother of the Duke of Winthrop, with a circle of other people around them. They rocked back with laughter, and Mary had a wide smile on her face.
“It’s wonderful to see her smile again,” Lydia said.
“And it will be good to see her in a color other than black. It must be so tiring to wear the same thing every time,” Edmund added.
“Still, we must be cautious. We cannot forget about—” Tension ran through Charlotte’s body, dreading the prospect that the marriage might crumble before their eyes.
“Yes, yes, the Iron Duke. You shouldn’t live your life in fear. It doesn’t become you,” Edmund said.
“But what if—”
Edmund interrupted her again, as though he had all the answers.
“Nobody is going to interfere with their marriage. Look at them—they fit together as well as any two people ever have. And do you see the way Blackwood looks at her? There’s nothing but adoration in his eyes.”
“I hope that someone looks at me that way someday,” Lydia exhaled deeply, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
Charlotte was about to offer another warning, but looking at Mary and Alfred gave her pause.
There was an aura of bliss around them, and Alfred’s eyes were indeed shining as he basked in the glow of his fiancée.
He leaned over to whisper something secret into Mary’s ear. The smile that followed was enigmatic.
Charlotte had never experienced such intimacy before.
She wasn’t envious exactly; it was more that she possessed a curiosity to understand something that seemed so alien to her.
For other people, marriage was the height of ambition.
However, Charlotte saw marriage as interference.
No husband would ever allow her to continue with her research after all.
Marriage meant subsuming yourself into something else, and for your own ambitions to become secondary to a husband’s.
While it was something to be celebrated by other people, Charlotte was not inclined to pursue it herself.
Her dance card would once again remain empty, for she intended to rebuff any man who invited her.
Edmund was approached by another person, this time a middle-aged baron with fluffy red hair and an oiled, pointed beard. He let out a loud exclamation as he opened his arms to Edmund, taking his hand and pumping it enthusiastically.
“Lord Gubbins, how the devil are you?” Edmund said.
“Couldn’t be better, my dear boy. I’m here for Tilly. It’s her first ball.”
“Ah, what an occasion! It’s the same for my sister, Lydia,” he said, stepping aside to make the introductions.
“Charmed,” Gubbins bent low and squeezed Lydia’s hand. Edmund then introduced Charlotte, who kept her hands clasped behind her back and offered a perfunctory nod.
“A very good season ahead of us indeed. You should come and meet Tilly. I’ve told her much about you, and she’s eager to make your acquaintance,” Gubbins suggested.
“I’m sure I’ll see her when I make my rounds,” Edmund replied in a noncommittal way.
“By the way, what was the end of that joke you told at the club the other night? For the life of me, I can’t remember.”
“It’s not a bacon tree, it’s a ham bush,” Edmund replied.
Gubbins’ face broke out in laughter. Charlotte shared a glance with Lydia, who offered a helpless shrug.
Sometimes Charlotte feared for the state of the world when men like these were in charge.
What on earth could be funny about a ham bush? It made no sense at all.
Lydia wondered the same thing and asked Edmund to explain.
Instead, he tapped his nose. “What happens at the club stays at the club,” he said.
A servant passed with a tray filled with glasses. Edmund plucked a glass of champagne off the tray and sighed with happiness after he took a sip. Lydia bumped into a friend and turned away from Edmund and Charlotte slightly, which allowed Charlotte to converse with Edmund as privately as possible.
“I’m worried you’re not taking this matter as seriously as you should.”
“Balls are not supposed to be taken seriously. They are a place for fun and frivolity.”
“But Mary—”
Edmund took another sip of his champagne and sighed. “You worry too much, Charlotte. You should be careful, for it will strip you of your youth. Mary knows what she’s doing, and Blackwood loves her. Nothing is going to stop their marriage, not even his brother.”
“I fear that isn’t true. Your behavior can be somewhat… cavalier.”
Edmund drew back, looking offended. “You believe that I might ruin our cousin’s chances?”
“Given the Iron Duke’s reputation, yes, I do. You have always managed to walk the fine line between scandal and charm, but tonight, there can be no mistakes.”
The smile fell from Edmund’s face. The light dimmed in his eyes.
She saw the weight he carried with him. He finished off his glass of champagne and leaned toward her, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Nobody would have been able to hear them anyway, but this made it a certainty.
When he spoke, his breath was rank with alcohol, and it made her cough.