Page 14 of Romancing Daphne

“Believe me, Daphne, if I had wanted my efforts to go unnoticed, they would have.”

She shook her head and could not for a moment formulate a response. He’d embarrassed her on purpose. He’d likely driven James away and still remained entirely unrepentant about it.“You realize, don’t you, he’ll probably never come back.”

Adam crossed his arms in front of him, his stance of choice when feeling particularly impatient.“If he is such a lily-livered, kitten-hearted coward, he is hardly worth your time.”

Daphne returned Adam’s look of annoyance with a dry look of her own.“So I should turn my attention to the dozens of eager gentlemen waiting to take his place?”

“You have admitted defeat before the Season has even begun. There will be dozens of gentlemen, though you obviously believe otherwise,” Persephone insisted.

Adam’s expression only grew more cloudy.

“How many gentlemen do you know, Persephone, who would endure this kind of treatment?”

“I can think of one—he married our sister.” Persephone gave her a pointed look.

“Harry is the universal exception to every rule,” Daphne said.“And he wasn’t Athena’s only option.”

Persephone was undeterred.“Then let me suggest you wait and see if Lord Tilburn is every bit as exceptional as our dear Harry. If he comes back despite your well-meaning guardian’s tactics, that would be a very good sign. And I would, once again, insist you not decide before your Season even begins that you are going to be an abysmal failure.”

Daphne nodded, recognizing her sister’s wisdom. They’d taken that approach often during the years they’d gone without the luxury of funds to cover even some of their most basic needs. “No use borrowing trouble” had been Daphne’s favorite version of their oft-repeated family motto. If a childhood spent in poverty had taught her anything, it was the sustaining power of seemingly naive optimism.

So long as there remained a chance that James would come back, Daphne would allow herself to hope that tiny bit.

And tiny it was, indeed. For James had shown no inclination to return.

Chapter Six

“The duke had me followed. And I am convinced his minions were armed.” The drive he’d taken with Miss Lancaster the day before remained uncomfortably fresh in his mind.“Those are not the actions of a gentleman who invited another to call on his sister-in-law, let alone court her.”

Father sipped at his favorite sherry, not appearing terribly concerned.“One must bear in mind His Grace’s reputation.”

“He threatened to eat my liver.”

“No one would actually eat another person’s organs,” Father said.

James couldn’t be so certain. He sank back in his chair. He hadn’t been enamored of this plan when Father had first presented it, and hisdiscomfort had only grown.“You are certain His Grace wished for me to befriend Miss Lancaster?”

Father nodded, setting aside his half-emptied glass.“He was quite specific.”

That pulled the foundation out from under one of James’s theories regarding the duke’s behavior. Why, then, had he been made to feel sounwelcome? He was not so foolish as to need further proof he ought notreturn.

“I’ve called on Miss Lancaster and taken her for a ride in the park. I made introductions to every person we passed of whom I thought the duchess wouldn’t disapprove. Miss Lancaster will know a great many people when she next ventures out in Society. Surely that satisfies my obligation.” Simply saying as much out loud proved calming, reassuring.

“I trust you are not so thickheaded as that,” Father said. Their previous conversation had been blessedly thinner on insults than usual. Today’s interaction seemed likely to run closer to normal.“A gentleman would do what you have even for a lady he had little interest in,” Father said. “You are supposed to be giving the impression she is an enjoyable companion, someone of whom Society ought to take notice.” He shook his head, brow creased in thought.“Deserting the field now would only add weight to the arguments against her social desirability.”

James rubbed at the ache pounding in his temples.“I didn’t realize I was volunteering to single-handedly make her debut a success.”

“Single-handedly?” Father raised his glass to his lips once more, shooting James a quizzical look.

“Both times I called at Falstone House, no one else was there. Not asingle soul beyond the family and staff.” James hadn’t yet made sense of that.“Honestly, I had expected a crowd of people all enlisted in the cause.”

“His Grace was quite specific regardingwhenyou were to call that first time,” Father said after a long moment’s silence.“I am certain he did the same with the other young people so as to keep a constant flow of visitors coming into the house.”

“But if the point is to show thetonthat Miss Lancaster is enjoyingimmediate success, what would be the point of visitors no one else sees? Idoubt anyone beyond the staff knew of my arrival there on either occasion.”

Father huffed. “Sometimes I despair of you ever becoming a gentleman of sense.”

Yes. Here was the Father to whom James was accustomed. The coconspirator role had been rather ill-fitting from the beginning.

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