Chapter 3
Cora sat at the long dining room table, doing her best not to frown at Christopher as he laughed loudly with Eliza and Hannah. It was the second evening of the country estate party, and her annoyance with her childhood friend continued to grow.
He was only being polite, Cora assured herself.
They didn’t have her history with him. The two of them grew up together, sharing their hopes and dreams for the future.
They’d always been perfectly aligned. Christopher turned to Hannah and traced something on the tablecloth with his finger. Hannah's eyes widened with excitement.
Cora snorted, doubting that whatever he shared fascinated Hannah that much.
“Are you intrigued by the newly returned Bellamy as well, Lady Cora?” Blythe asked, amused.
She turned to him, surprised by his question. While she and Blythe were acquainted because of her brother, most of their conversations didn’t go beyond superficial topics. “Lord Bellamy and I have known each other for a long time. We are close.”
Eliza giggled, and Christopher grinned at her over his wineglass. Blythe lifted an insolent brown brow. Cora pursed her lips together. Well, right now they weren’t. No, Christopher's interest appeared firmly focused on sharing his adventures with every lady at the party.
“I look forward to us becoming reacquainted when the party is over,” she said.
“I traveled after my wife’s passing. Going to new places changes you. I didn’t realize it until I returned to London.”
Blythe never spoke of his wife, or at least not with Cora. He also seemed surprised by his revelation. Intrigued, she asked, “Where did you go, Your Grace?”
He took a sip of his wine. “I started in Tuscany but then found myself venturing farther east, including Constantinople and Baghdad. Those cities are part of the Ottoman Empire.”
“Constantinople is in the Bosporus region, and Baghdad is close to where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers converge.”
The corners of Blythe’s mouth tilted up, impressed. “I didn’t know you held such a detailed understanding of the world.”
Hannah’s previous snide amusement at her hobby flashed in Cora’s mind. She mumbled with less than her usual enthusiasm. “I collect maps, old and new.”
His eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to her. “Fascinating.”
She frowned at him. “Are you jesting?”
Blythe shook his head. “No, tell me more.”
Cora studied him, skeptical of his interest, but he stared back at her, waiting.
She loved her maps. “I purchase new maps and old ones. My favorite older ones are hand-drawn and feature borders that no longer exist. I have a map of the Americas from 1755. The colors tracing each region denote who lived there.”
“Is that your oldest map?”
She sat up, more excited to talk about something other than weather and society gossip. “No, I have one from the Ottoman Empire that is almost two hundred years old. It is hand-painted and remarkable. Unfortunately, the painting of maps is a skill that died out once mass printing began.”
They stared at one another, and Blythe said, “I find you to be the most intriguing lady sitting at this table.”
His words held a level of sincerity that disconcerted Cora. She felt heard and seen by Blythe.
“Are those your favorite maps?”
She grinned. “No, the one I love the most has just been published. It is designed to explain how long it takes to travel to different regions from London by using colors to emphasize distance in days. The cartographer recently released it, and it is a perfect representation of how to use symbology. My copy is in London, or I would show it to you.”
“Perhaps when I’m visiting your brother in the city.”
Cora said, “I didn’t realize you were such an admirer of maps, Your Grace.”
“I’m not, but I enjoy your passion for them.”
His words surprised her again. Blythe added, “Speaking with someone about a hobby they love is far more enjoyable than the usual dinner talk.”
They stared at one another, and warmth flared in Cora. His gaze dipped down to her mouth, and instinctively she bit her lip. Blythe’s stare intensified.
“Lady Cora helped me map out where I would travel to, prior to my departure,” Christopher said loudly.
She found herself reluctantly turning away from Blythe to focus on him. What was the matter with her? Still, Cora beamed at Christopher, remembering the memory. “Yes, I was so excited for you.”
He nodded happily, and for a moment, things felt like before his grand adventure.
There was an easiness between them that made them well suited.
Hannah leaned close to him and said something softly.
Christopher dipped his head down to better hear her, and just like that, his interaction with Cora ended.
She studied all the ladies near him. They all seemed to understand how to flirt better than she did.
She supposed most ladies mastered it during their Seasons.
Her gaze flitted to her dear friend Abigail, who coyly smiled at Jeremy and another gentleman seated further down.
Yes, she seemed to be the only one lacking when it came to the art of temptation.
Cora needed to learn quickly how to capture a man’s interest. Truthfully, she only wanted to catch Christopher’s.
How did one acquire such a skill? She suspected Abigail would have some tips.
She turned back the other way to find Blythe speaking with the widow, Lady Bennett.
She watched him. He stared at Lady Bennett as intensely as he’d studied Cora previously.
The widow beamed at Blythe, enamored with whatever he said.
The duke appeared to be the true expert in enticement.
Could he teach her to be more tempting to Christopher?
Cora sipped her wine, pondering how she could convince Blythe to help her. He was a close friend of her brother’s; perhaps he would feel obligated to assist. Yet, she couldn’t have lessons in a public setting. No, that wouldn’t do. Optimism flared in her. She glanced at Christopher, excited.
***
Damion entered his guest bedchamber, ready for sleep. He’d found the evening far more entertaining than he expected. His mind flashed to Cora’s face as she explained her love of maps. He hadn’t known about Cora’s hobby, not that he and Stanton really ever discussed her at any length.
Yet, he’d enjoyed listening to her talk about symbology and ever-changing world borders. If Bellamy did end up marrying her, her interests would complement his passion for traveling. Still, Damion questioned if the young lord was worthy of the lady.
He sighed. It wasn’t his concern. That didn’t stop Damion from thinking that Cora deserved more.
He glanced down and discovered a folded note on the floor that someone must have slid under his door.
Was it Meredith? He smirked, shaking his head.
Damion told her he was on his best behavior at Stanton’s event.
Opening the note, he frowned. The scrawl didn’t look like Meredith’s.
Who was it? Lady Bennett? The writer requested to meet in the library in thirty minutes.
Damion set the note down and considered not going.
He had no plans to carry on a rendezvous while at Stanton’s party. Truthfully, he’d promised he wouldn’t.
Yet, Lady Bennett’s vulnerability when they had spoken earlier lingered in his mind.
He was damn surprised to receive a note from her.
She appeared to be in deep mourning for her husband a year later.
Maybe he would go to the library and politely decline.
He liked her and didn’t want to add any more hurt.
He kept the note with him and quietly made his way to the library. Everyone appeared to be fast asleep, even Stanton’s staff. Only a few candles lit the way. The library door was slightly cracked, and a fire still burned. It wasn’t uncommon for the staff to let them go out on their own.
Damion would enter and tell Lady Bennett now wasn’t a good time. He pushed the door open and stopped in his tracks. The figure standing before the large fireplace wasn’t the petite Lady Clark or Lady Bennett. No, the lady was tall and slender with curls trailing down her back to almost her waist.
His first thought was how damn tempting she looked, but that was replaced by horror that the lady who wrote the note was his friend’s sister.
“Lady Cora, you must go to bed.”
Startled, she jumped and dropped the poker stick. It clattered loudly, and Damion shut the door. They stared at one another. What was her game? He said, “I won’t seduce or marry you.”
Her eyes widened, and she frowned at him. “I have no plans for either.”
Damion stayed away from her and folded his arms. “Then why am I here?”
Christ, she looked lovely in her night wrap with her hair falling around her. Damion shouldn’t see her like this, but didn’t think he’d ever forget it.
She nervously wrung her hands and remained quiet.
“Lady Cora, what is this?”
“I want you to teach me how to be tempting to a lord,” she said in a rush as if she had one chance to get the words out.
He blinked multiple times, at a loss for how to respond. Why would she think he was the person to assist her? She reached down and grabbed the poker stick, messing with the fire again. He sighed. “Would you stop that? What do you mean?”
She placed the poker stick against the mantel. “Perhaps we could sit and talk about it.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine here. Explain yourself.”
She frowned at his stern tone. “The last few Seasons, I’ve been uninterested in considering suitors, and I believe that has caused me to lack certain skills. Most of the ladies here are far more adept at flirtation or capturing a man’s interest than I am.”
Damion didn’t believe that for a minute. He wanted to tell her that her words were absurd or she was flat-out wrong. Yet, he said nothing. She swallowed and added, “I hope to capture Lord Bellamy’s attention.”
Shockingly, jealousy uncoiled in his belly.
Damion found it wasteful that this woman spent her time fixated on the young lord.
He wanted to tell her the fool was unworthy of her.
Yet, Stanton had mentioned there was a history between them, and they might marry.
Maybe he was the one making an inaccurate assessment.
It didn’t matter. None of this was his business. Flatly, he said, “No.”
“You are good at being charming. Please, Blythe.”
The earnestness in her eyes stopped him from leaving the room, even though it was in her and his best interest. Damion's own marriage flashed in his mind.
He understood wanting someone, because on paper it seemed so perfect, but he also knew what happened when reality was far different.
“Find someone else or wait until he grows up.”