Page 7 of Romancing Daphne

“That old bat had better not even be invited to my funeral,” Adam grumbled.

“Behave,” Persephone scolded as she rose to her feet and moved to greet the first arrival of the afternoon.

Adam stood as well, though no one could possibly interpret his expression as one of pleasure. Lady Genevieve appeared appropriately alarmed at his presence and general aura. She quickly found a seat far enough from Adam to apparently feel safe once more. He offered a bow and a mumbled greeting before selecting a chair beneath the tall windows as far as possiblefrom the designated gathering area without actually leaving the room.

Persephone sat at the tea service, as was expected of a hostess. Daphnesat beside her, knowing she would be required to help serve the guests.

Why could Persephone not have left well enough alone?Daphne wanted no part in any of this. A future as an elderly, maidenly aunt appealed far more than being paraded about Town in the hope that somebody of reasonable intelligence, conversation, and hygiene took notice of her.

Lady Genevieve looked her over with an air of blatant curiosity.Daphnedoubted she would ever grow accustomed to that. For eighteen years, she had been the Lancaster sister no one ever noticed.

“I understand you mean to attempt a Season, Miss Lancaster.I applaud your determination. You have never struck me as one who could make a splash in London society.”

From his distant seat, Adam cleared his throat far too loudly for the act to have been unintentional. Lady Genevieve, obviously startled, glanced in his direction. Adam’s piercing glare did not waver from their guest.

Lady Genevieve looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment.“Thatis to say . . . I am so pleased you will be gracing Society with your presence.”

Adam’s lips silently formed the wordsold batas his eyes drifted to the window. His offense on Daphne’s behalf was touching, if unnecessary. Daphne knew all of London was not only shocked at her come-out but was also fully expecting her to fail rather spectacularly.

The presence of the Dangerous Duke had the happy effect of cutting short Lady Genevieve’s visit. She stayed not a minute longer than the quarter-hour expected of her and spent the entirety of the call glancing uneasily in the direction of her host.

Looks ranging from apprehension to full-bodied fear seemed the order of the day. A great many guests paraded through the drawing room. Every single one stopped short upon spying Adam; a few even turned around and darted back out. Persephone barely concealed her amusement, letting her annoyance show more often. For her part, Daphne rather preferred the shorter visits.

Nearly the entire two-hour allotment passed without her brother-in-law giving the slightest indication that his expected guest had arrived. Each time someone new arrived, Daphne looked quickly in Adam’s direction, wondering if his mystery acquaintance had at last come. Each time, he appeared no more pleased than before.

The ormolu clock chimed the half hour to an empty room. Daphne had nearly met her social obligation for the day.

“It seems your guest has chosen not to attend,” Persephone said.

A bit of the tension Daphne felt eased at the possibility. Two hours of conversation and polite interaction had proven exhausting. She far preferred quiet solitude.

“He will come.” Adam spoke without the least doubt.

“For heaven’s sake, Adam, whom have you invited?”Persephone’s eyesshone brightly. She obviously enjoyed the mystery.

Daphne sorely disliked surprises, especially those involving people with whom she was expected to interact.

“A gentleman,” Adam said.“One whom I find, surprisingly, is not an idiot.” For the infamous Duke of Kielder, that counted as a compliment.

Persephonenibbled at a watercress finger sandwich.“He sounds remarkable.”

Daphne heard the distinct sound of a knock at the front door. She braced herself. Was this the gentleman Adam had invited? All of the guests that day had been female, married, and many years Daphne’s senior. No other young ladies making their debuts had come, certainly no gentlemen. The house had been crawling with eager, unmarried suitors from the very first moment of Athena’s come-out.

Adam turned toward the drawing room doors.“That, I believe, is he.”

Daphne held her breath. Adam’s guest had arrived, a gentleman,apparently, and one likely to be a stranger. Her heart pounded high in her throat at the thought. How she wished she had her sisters’ courage. Evenmore than that, she wished she were not in London in the first place.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor. Daphne rose and turned toward the slightly ajar doors. She told herself repeatedly that she could face another caller. If an hour and a half of socializing had not done her in, another thirty minutes certainly would not.

The door slowly opened. The butler addressed Persephone, as was proper.“Lord Tilburn, Your Grace.”

Daphne’s mind emptied of all thoughts beyond that name.Lord Tilburn, James Tilburn’s courtesy title. James Tilburn was at Falstone House. Six years of reading about him in the papers, of listening raptly whenever his name came up in conversation, of learning all she could of him and his character and, without warning, he was in her house. She had admired him in secret for a third of her life, and there he stood in the doorway of the drawing room.

He always dressed with care but would never be labeled a dandy. His manners were ever impeccable without being pretentious. She liked so much about him but didn’t feel anything but trepidation at his arrival.

Her gaze met Adam’s.I will not survive this, she silently implored, knowing her agitation must have shown in her expression. His mouth drew tight in a line of censure. Only when he looked at her precisely that way did she truly notice his badly scarred face. She’d grown so accustomed to the disfigurement over the years that she seldom actively noted it. But that expression, the one that always meant he expected more bravery from her than she was showing, pulled on his scars in a way that brought them to her attention once more, reminding her that he wasn’t merely her beloved Adam but theDangerous Duke, whose dictates were ironclad.

Defeat seeped into her. There would be no escape from this unexpectedencounter, no opportunity to prepare herself to be in James Tilburn’s company.

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