Page 4 of His Darling Duchess
“Your father’s work keeps him busy even while Parliament is not sitting?” Grantleigh asked when the pattern of the dance brought them together again, and Aurelia sighed inaudibly.
“Always,” she said succinctly, hoping he would take the hint and stop asking about her parents.
“Does he have any bills he plans to introduce in the new session?” Grantleigh pressed.
“Perhaps you might request he step out with you in the next dance, and then you can ask him yourself.” The tart words spilled out as her frustration got the best of her, and she heard a snort of laughter from the next couple in the line. Glancing over, she met the Duke of Stowe’s dark eyes, but surely he hadn’t been the one who laughed! The pretty brown-haired girl in an overly-fussy pink gown wasn’t even looking in her direction, though.
“I can hardly dance with him,” Grantleigh scoffed, obviously missing her point entirely, “but I shall certainly seek him out later.”
Aurelia waited, but he said little of consequence for the remainder of their dance, commenting only on the warmth of the room and how many people had accepted the invitation to the ball.
“Undoubtedly everyone is excited to meet your cousin,” Aurelia suggested, and Grantleigh sneered, after a quick glance around to check Stowe wasn’t within earshot.
“They won’t be once they get to know him.”
“Why do you say that?” Aurelia could see Stowe, at the other end of the line of couples. He wasn’t smiling as he and the girl in the pink dress paced the measures, but he was light of foot and graceful despite his solid bulk.
“Takes after his father a little too much,” Grantleigh said darkly.
She had no chance to ask exactly what he meant by that, since the dance ended and everyone applauded politely. Accepting Grantleigh’s arm to return to her mother, Aurelia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.
“Will you save the supper dance for me, Aurelia?”
Not only a second dance, but the supper dance; he was certainly making his preference known. Flattered, Aurelia nodded her acceptance.
“Where is Mama?” she murmured as they approached the spot where her mother had told her to return to. There were more than a dozen men there instead, of all ages, though most of them seemed on the younger side.
“Right there.” Grantleigh looked thoroughly displeased, but he continued forward, and the group of men parted to reveal Lady Lymsey looking exceptionally pleased with herself.
“There you are, my dear! Thank you for returning her, Grantleigh.” She dismissed him with a glance. “Now, Aurelia, let me present the Earl of Chuddington. He’s very keen to ask you for a dance.”
The earl smiled hopefully at her. Small of stature, he had an almost gaunt face, but twinkling brown eyes and a cheerful demeanour. Aurelia thought he must be close to her mother’s age, but she had no objection to dancing with him. Offering a graceful curtsy as he bowed, she said “I’m honoured, my lord.”
“The honour is all mine, Lady Aurelia!”
Glancing at the eager faces of the other gentlemen, Aurelia realised with a start that they were all waiting in hopes of beinggranted a dance with her, and her mother’s intent expression warned every dance was likely to be promised before she even returned from the last. Well, she’d give fair warning that the supper dance, at least, was promised. “Until the supper dance, Lord Grantleigh,” she said, deliberately giving him an especially bright smile.
Face still dark, he nodded sharply in acknowledgement before executing a jerky bow to her mother and turning on his heel.
He has no call for jealousy, Aurelia thought crossly as she took the floor on Chuddington’s arm. He knows well how much I love dancing, and certainly I’m not going to stop once we’re married!
Grantleigh didn’t even dance with anyone else, she saw, unlike Stowe who took to the floor any number of times with very eligible young ladies. Aurelia didn’t know them all, but she did spot two duke’s daughters, the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law and a banking heiress with a dowry, it was whispered, of half a million pounds.
Grantleigh would do well to dance with a few more ladies with high connections, Aurelia thought as she executed a turn and caught him watching her with lowered brows, standing at the side of the floor alone, his arms crossed over his chest. Or failing that, go and make himself agreeable to some gentlemen of politics.
She certainly hoped he didn’t intend to demand his wife bear all the social burden of his career. Aurelia thought a marriage should be a partnership, much as her own parents had. Lord Lymsey supported his wife in all her activities, and the countess had cultivated a reputation as a hostess of unparallelled charm, at whose gatherings one could meet all sorts of interesting people.
Aurelia aspired to emulate her mother, but it would be a great deal more difficult to do so with a husband who stood at the sideof the room and scowled every time his wife so much as spoke with another man.
Perhaps he’s just insecure, Aurelia tried to tell herself, all too well aware she didn’t feel at all convinced. Since Papa won’t allow a formal engagement yet, he’s worried someone else will steal me away.
There was no danger of her allowing that to happen. Grantleigh had been the subject of her every daydream since she could remember. Nobody else was so tall, so handsome, so intelligent.
The pattern of the dance crossed, and she took the hand of the next gentleman in line, realising to her surprise that it was the Duke of Stowe.
“Lady Aurelia,” he murmured, and she started slightly, surprised he had remembered her name. He must have an exceptional memory, considering the hundreds of new people he’d been introduced to that evening.
“Your Grace,” she responded. “This is a marvellous entertainment; I must congratulate you.”
