Page 66 of The Lady Who Said No to the Duke
‘We already have the perfect gown,’ Thea said.
‘Yes, butRoyal Dukes.The Prince Regent.’
‘I am certain that if I am well-dressed, which I will be, they will not take the slightest interest in my gown.’Unless the neckline was too low, Thea thought, remembering her sole encounter with one of those dukes—York—all pop eyes and a very obvious interest in cleavages.And the Prince Regent was reputed to be the worst of them.
‘Yes,’ Mama agreed.‘But everyone will see you meeting the princes.You must look perfect.’
Thea assumed an expression of concerned interest and let her mind go blank.She loved both her parents, in as far as anyone could who was brought up with so little informal contact and with no expressions of affection given or expected on either side.But she had to admit, being free from Mama’s constant anxiety that everything was perfect, would be a blessed relief.
Chapter Twenty
‘Your Royal Highness.’Thea swept down into a Court curtsey and rose without a tremor, thankful for thighs strengthened by frequent riding.
‘Charming, charming.’The Prince Regent pinched her chin and she managed to keep her smile fixed.‘Well done, Leamington, you dog.Expected you to come back from the Congress with some Viennese beauty, but you’ve chosen one of our English roses, eh?What?’
‘Indeed, sir.’Hal, who had been escorting the Regent for twenty minutes by that point, also had a smile that was somewhat strained.‘May I introduce you to—’ He guided the Regent off in the direction of a number of officers in full dress uniform and Thea let out a sigh of relief.
The Duke of Sussex was making his ponderous way in her direction, and she slipped behind a group of gossiping matrons, hoping that he would be distracted by someone older and, as her mother would put it,riper, than she.All the royal brothers appeared to find lavish curves attractive, so Thea felt she should be safe from any overly warm attentions.She might no longer merit Twig as a nickname, but she most certainly was not voluptuous.
‘What has made you smile?’Hal asked, making her jump.
‘I was just thinking that there are some advantages tobeing your Twig—I am not at all the type to attract the Royal Dukes.What have you done with the Regent?’
‘Left him with a general, two colonels and a handful of lesser officers, telling them all about how he personally overcame Bonaparte.And you are still my Twig, are you?Does that mean I am forgiven for teasing you all those years ago, despite the fact that you bear absolutely no resemblance to one any more?’
‘I did not meanyourTwig,’ Thea said, flustered.‘I meant… Never mind.Yes, of course you are forgiven.’
I suppose.It still rankled, she realised, despite the fact that she had a perfectly good figure now.
‘I believe the next dance is ours,’ Hal said, tucking her hand under his elbow and strolling towards the ballroom.‘The first was very staid, but this is a waltz and so is the third I am going to claim—shocking, I know.I will have to marry you.’
Thea laughed at that, and was still chuckling as they reached the dance floor and Hal took her in his arms.A quick glance around had her sobering quickly.
‘Everyone is staring at us,’ she whispered.
‘They are staring at you in admiration and envying me my good fortune,’ Hal said as the first notes were played and he swept her into the dance.
Thea made herself relax and allow the music to take her.Hal led strongly, but not forcefully, and it was easy to let go of the inhibitions that would usually keep her at a respectable distance from her partner’s body in a potentially shocking dance like this.But now she felt the pressure of his thigh against hers in a tight turn, the heat of his gloved hand through the silk of her gown at her waist.Her skirts swirled around his legs and, when she looked up, his breath was warm on her face.And his eyes…
Was that desire she read there?It was intense, hot and stirred something inside her.Those naughty, blush-making flutterings that she sometimes felt when he was close swept through her and she trembled in his arms so that he tightened his hold.Which only made them worse.
Ladies were not supposed to feel desire.That was for men who had those physical needs that it was the duty of a wife to submit to.In return she received the blessing of children.
Thea, desperately trying to keep her footing, had long suspected this was nonsense, but now she was certain of it.Women—virginal young ladies—experienced desire.
If Hal had dragged her off the floor, out of the ballroom and up the great flight of stairs to his bedchamber here and now, she would have gone.
Did this mean that the marriage night might be…pleasurable?Dare she hope that it might?It seemed unlikely that such a thing could be, because the mechanics of it had always struck her as quite bizarre and childhood tales of storks and gooseberry bushes had seemed just as logical an explanation of where babies came from.
‘What are you thinking about to make you smile in that mysterious way?’Hal asked her.
‘Oh…gooseberries,’ she said.
‘Really?’Those dark brows arched upwards.‘I have never had a dance partner whose mind was on soft fruit when I held them in my arms.’His tone was light, but she could tell he was not really amused.
‘I am embarrassed to admit that I was noticing one or two of my acquaintances who are as green as gooseberries over my good fortune,’ she said, pleased with herself for getting out of that so easily.
‘I am flattered,’ Hal said, but his voice was dry.
