Page 52 of Five Nights with a Rakish Duke
“We were at a ball, so the first thing they will ask was if you were drinking.”
“Exactly,” Asher agreed, pointing at his friend in acknowledgement. “They will conclude that I fell somewhere and hit my own head in a drunken stupor. Nothing will come of making a complaint.”
“It still sounds odd to me,” Dorian grimaced as they walked on through the street again. “What if the person that hit you comes after you again?”
“Then I will be more wary the next time,” Asher said plainly, as though the answer were obvious. “The more days pass, though, the more certain I am that it must have been some drunkard.”
“How are you feeling now?”
“Still a little dizzy and tired at times, but I am fine,” Asher answered, just as Dorian pulled on his arm and pointed into the window of a jeweler’s. “What?”
“It is the rules of courtship.”
“What is?”
“Gift giving! Now, come on.” Dorian took Asher’s arm and steered him into the shop though Asher tried his best to avoid it. “Stop sticking your feet into the ground like a petulant child.”
“Then stop acting like my father in instructing me how to court,” Asher teased back, just as Dorian pushed him through the door. They stepped in, watching as the jeweler looked up from the current customer he was dealing with, promising to be with them soon. “Is this really necessary?” Asher asked in a harried whisper as Dorian steered him toward one of the glass counters where gold and silver jewelry was spread out for a customer to peruse.
“I have courted in the past. You have not,” Dorian said, pointing down at some of the jewelry. “You asked for my help, didn’t you? This is me giving it.”
“Have you ever thought of courting again?” Asher asked, stepping up to Dorian’s side and peering down at the jewels. There were so many colored stones and gold bands that he had to squint, for in the harsh light of the day, the light reflecting into his eyes, was glaring.
“No thank you; I had my experiment with that particular avenue of life, and I will not be repeating it again. Fortunately, I haven’t made a promise to my father the way you have,” Dorian said, leaning on the counter and looking up at Asher with a wry smile. “I do not envy you your task of marrying, but as any good friend should do, I am more than happy to help.”
“Thank you,” Asher said with a sigh, knowing he should be more grateful for Dorian’s help then he currently felt. Despite his decision to court and marry Lady Margaret, for some reason every fiber in his body objected to the idea. It made him twitchy and unable to stand still. “I am grateful for your help. I accepted Lady Margaret’s invitation to dinner, didn’t I?”
“Yes, at my insistence. Now, you should do as any suitor does and buy your lady a gift,” Dorian ordered and gestured a hand down at the counters.
Asher inwardly groaned and looked down at the jewels again. He barely knew Lady Margaret, beyond a few dances and hearing her obsession with playing the piano; what on earth was he supposed to buy her?
“What of that?” Dorian asked, pointing to a gold bracelet inlaid with charms and rubies. “Quite beautiful and expensive enough that your lady will know you think highly of her.”
“Does she even like rubies?” Asher asked, wrinkling his nose.
“Don’t you know? You are the one courting her.”
“I know next to nothing about her,” Asher admitted with a sigh. He had attempted to draw her into conversation as they had danced the other night at the ball, but she was so concerned with propriety that she had revealed barely anything at all. “What did you buy your lady when you were courting?”
“A necklace,” Dorian said, abruptly avoiding Asher’s gaze. The pain was there again, lingering in Dorian’s face as he turned his body toward the counters. “Silver. She was always one for birds, so I bought her a swift flying. She said she loved it at the time.” Asher regretted asking now he could see how much pain it was causing his friend.
“She may yet come back to you, Dorian,” Asher said carefully in a whisper. Dorian looked up to him with a hardened gaze.
“I am no fool, Asher. I know where I stand with her. Now, today is not about me. It’s about you and your courtship.” He clapped his hands together excitedly, brushing off his earlier sadness. “What would you like to buy Lady Margaret? What of the brooch? That is a fine piece.”
Asher didn’t look toward the brooch though; his eyes were taken by something else altogether. He was leaning down toward a necklace on his side of the counter with a pure gold chain and a pendant that was tiered with three lines of clear crystal stones along the edge. In the center, was a dark emerald stone.
“Asher?” Dorian prompted, clearly recognizing he didn’t have his friend’s attention.
“That is a finer piece,” Asher said, pointing at the necklace.
“Ah, good day, gentlemen,” the jeweler greeted, stepping forward to the other side of the counter now he was done with his other customer. He was a portly man with a pair of spectacles perched on his nose and a receding hairline that made his face look rather like an eagle with a curved nose. “Have you found something you like?”
“May I see this one?” Asher asked, pointing at the necklace.
“Of course.” The jeweler hurried to pull it out as Dorian got down to the formal matters.
“How much is it?” he asked. At the figure the jeweler specified, Dorian whistled in amazement. Asher barely paid attention to the numbers; he was busy taking the necklace out of the jeweler’s hands and holding it up in the air, watching the way the light glinted off the emerald.
