Page 3 of Not the Duke's Virgin

The Duke glanced her over with an inscrutable expression. “Hm. Yes.”

Victoria bristled at his brusque dismissal. The allure of status and wealth had gone straight to the man’s head. She decided then and there that she did not like the Duke of Hayward one bit.

Oliver guided them into an elegant sitting room. Her father immediately launched into enthusiastic praise of the manor. Madeline awkwardly tried to make conversation with the aloof Duke.

Victoria found herself watching Simon closely. What sort of man was he really, beneath the noble polish? Did he know of his brother’s scheming nature? She longed to wipe that arrogant look off his face.

“Come, Victoria, sit by me,” Oliver said, patting the space beside him.

Victoria forced a smile and sat, allowing him to take her hand. She noticed the Duke’s eyes flick down to the gesture, his expression unreadable.

“My darling has been eager for this chance to meet our family properly,” Oliver told his brother. “Haven’t you, my sweet?”

“Oh, yes,” Victoria said through gritted teeth. “I have been counting down the days.”

The Duke let out a humorless chuckle. “Is that so? Funny, you seem rather less than eager to me.”

Victoria’s eyes widened in surprise. There was more perception behind that aloof facade than she had guessed. Before she could respond, Oliver jumped in.

“Do not mind my brother,” he said lightly. “I’m afraid he knows little of affairs of the heart.”

Victoria noticed a muscle in the Duke’s jaw tighten ever so slightly. “On the contrary, dear brother, I understand a great deal more than you know.” His intense gaze seemed to pierce right through her.

Her pulse quickened despite herself.

Just then, the Dowager Duchess entered the room, saving Victoria from having to respond. The aging noblewoman looked bemused at their presence. Her silvery hair was elegantly coiffed, and she wore a lavender day dress that likely cost more than most people made in a year. Still, there was a weariness in her eyes that spoke of someone who had seen too much.

“Mother, allow me to present our esteemed guests,” Simon said. “The Earl of Newton, his daughter Lady Victoria, and his niece Miss Russell.”

The Dowager Duchess looked Victoria up and down critically, then let out a derisive sniff. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

Victoria bristled. Just like her son, this woman judged her unworthy after nothing more than a glance. What she wouldn’t give to tell the arrogant Dowager Duchess exactly what she thought of her. But she held her tongue.

Oliver laughed lightly. “You’ll have to forgive my mother. I’m afraid she is rather protective of me, her darling boy.” He shot his mother a roguish wink.

Simon frowned. “Mind your manners, Oliver. We are in polite company.”

“Polite company,” the Dowager Duchess scoffed. “Is that what we call arrivistes like these now?”

“Mother!” Simon said sharply.

Victoria flushed in embarrassment and anger. Her father looked equally incensed.

Oliver stepped in swiftly. “Come now, Mother, let us not say anything we might regret.”

Victoria sat fuming as Oliver smoothed over the situation with his glib charm. The nerve of that woman, insulting her family so brazenly. And the Duke was hardly better. The only thing getting her through this torture was imagining the looks on their faces when the truth of this sham came out.

The Dowager Duchess departed, leaving an awkward tension hanging in the air. Victoria avoided the Duke’s gaze, though she could feel it lingering on her.

To her relief, a servant entered the room, announcing that tea was ready in the garden. As they went outside, Victoria hung back to walk beside Madeline.

“This is a nightmare,” she whispered furiously. “They are all horrid people.”

Madeline nodded sympathetically. “The Dowager Duchess was quite rude. But take heart, this charade cannot last forever.”

Victoria sighed. “I suppose you are right.” She glanced ahead to where the Duke strode beside Oliver. “I only hope I can bear their company that long.”

Just before Madeline could respond, Oliver interrupted them. “Come, I will show you to the solar while tea is prepared,” he said, ushering them along.

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