Page 2 of Five Nights with a Rakish Duke
“You’re enjoying this far too much for my liking.”
“Ha! Would you not be the same if our roles were reversed? Without you turning so many ladies’ heads, I will attract more now,” Dorian said with glee, pulling a deep laugh from Asher.
The two of them had known each other since university days, and for all of Dorian’s bravado, Asher knew his friend had a good heart. It was just that sometimes it was hidden deep down beneath an appearance of arrogance.
“What of your widowed friend? Lady Hamilton?” Dorian asked and pointed across the room. Asher followed the gesture with his eyes until he caught sight of Lady Hamilton. She was the center of attention amongst a group of gentlemen with her long black hair swept elegantly up and her dazzling smile captivating them all.
“I have already had four nights with her,” Asher said tightly.
“With a wife, you will have to break your five-night rule regardless,” Dorian pointed out, to which Asher groaned inwardly. He’d given himself the five-night rule a long time ago, the reasons for which he never talked of out loud.
“Very well, then what of Countess Ely’s daughter, Lady Elizabeth Ely? She’s quite the favorite this Season. I heard her called the Ruby of the Season the other day,” Dorian said, motioning the other way across the room. Lady Elizabeth was indeed beautiful, as she danced with a young gentleman, with her lips as red as the rubies that described her, but Asher felt a strange rejection lingering in his chest at the idea of marrying her.
“She is very proper, is she not?” Asher said. “I spoke to her just the other day, and she was far more interested in making sure she was holding her wine glass correctly then having a conversation with me.”
“Is proper conduct not what you want in a woman?”
Asher smirked a little at the idea. He knew very well what he wanted in a woman:spirit.
“Proper is not my main priority,” Asher said with feeling.
“Then we must look for someone else. Come, follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
“On a hunt!” Dorian said with dramaticism, waving his arms around as though he was an actor on a stage. “We are hunting something rarified tonight, more prized than a lion or a leopard or any other animal. We are looking for a woman that will encourage you to break your five-night rule.”
“Good luck with that,” Asher said with bitterness as he followed, knowing it would be impossible.
* * *
“Veronica, this hardly seems appropriate,” Penelope said as she let her godmother drag her into the ballroom. Veronica Quentin, Viscountess Chambers, was a force to be reckoned with at the best of times, but this evening her husky voice was stronger than usual, and her intensely dark eyes burrowed into Penelope’s gaze more than once, making her meaning clear.
“How is attending your godmother’s ball inappropriate?” Veronica said as she released Penelope’s arm and pushed her in the lower back, encouraging her further into the room.
“Because I should still be wearing my mourning weeds. Notthis.” Penelope gestured down to the gown she was wearing. Earlier that evening, she had been told to remove her black dress and put on this fine silk Pomona green gown instead. Gathered high around the waist with a delicate skirt that fell to the floor and teased her ankles, it was a bold dress indeed, with a low neckline that flattered the hint of bosom that could be seen.
“You look beautiful, dear,” Veronica said with a full smile as she linked arms with Penelope and drew her further into the room. The moment they were amongst other people, Penelope hung her head a little, nervous to connect gazes with anyone there. It still felt wrong to her mind to be attending a ball so soon after a death.
“Sadly, you do not have the fortune to be entirely proper at this time,” Veronica said, speaking low in her ear. “Not that being entirely proper has ever bothered you so much before.”
“My father was buried less than four months ago,” Penelope said, hissing under her breath.
“I know, dear,” Veronica said sadly, squeezing Penelope’s arm with hers. Penelope breathed deeply, trying to stop the threat of tears before they came. “It is because of your father’s untimely passing that you must be here. You have to think of your future; as much as it pains us all to think of practical matters at this time, we are left with no choice.”
“You are always practical,” Penelope said with a small smile.
“You love me for it,” Veronica said, matching that smile. “Now, we must be serious. You cannot stay in your cousin’s household forever. The estates that were promised to you will only be yours when you marry, so you must marry soon.”
“What if it is the idea of marriage itself that I object to?” Penelope regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth, for Veronica’s jaw slackened in horror, and she brought the two of them to a sudden halt. “On second thoughts, forget I said that.”
“How can I?” Veronica said, almost laughing at the idea. “What is so wrong with marriage, Penelope? I was happily married for many years before my husband passed. Your mother and father were deliriously happy too. So much so, that I often teased your mother on how sweet they were together.”
“It is not love I object to, for your marriages were all based on love, it ismarriageitself.”
“You are making little sense, dear.”
“It is just…” Penelope paused, hesitating before replying. She knew it was the done thing for ladies her age to be married. She had already attended two Seasons herself, and her father had been intimating before his death that it was high time that she married, but she had put off the idea for as long as possible. “When I marry, the money and estates that should come to me will actually become the property of my husband, will they not?”
