Page 50 of Her Runaway Duke
“Lord Fitzroy, you do remember my daughter, Lady Eliza?” Lady Willoughby said once she finally reached them.
“Of course. I could never forget a beauty such as she,” he said, bowing over Eliza’s hand and kissing the back of it.
Siena noted with interest that Eliza’s cheeks had grown a rather bright shade of red. Why, she had no idea, for Eliza was not one to be disconcerted by the presence of nearly anyone around her.
“And this is her dear friend, Lady Siena,” she continued, and Siena bent in a low curtsy.
Lord Fitzroy’s eyes rounded at that information. He was a handsome man indeed, with light brown hair that swept perfectly over his forehead once he had removed his hat, impish hazel eyes, and dimples that appeared in both cheeks when he smiled, which Siena guessed was quite often.
“The mysterious Lady Siena vanished right before her wedding,” he said. “Are you aware that you are the talk of London? Everyone is wondering where you went, and if they have no information, they simply make it up. How astonishing to find you here.”
“It is quite the story,” Siena managed, noting with interest that she did not receive a kiss on the back of her hand. She stole a glance at Eliza, wondering if her friend had forgotten to tell her something about this Lord Fitzroy.
“Well, I must say that it is one that I am most eager to hear. But first, as lovely as it is to be in the company of such beautifulwomen, I cannot help but ask whether my good friend the Duke of Dunmore has met with some unfortunate demise, because I can see no other circumstance in which he would welcome company – besides mine, of course – on his doorstep.”
He looked around at them expectantly, that smile still affixed to his face.
Siena opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but she couldn’t seem to find the right words to explain how this had all come to be.
But she didn’t have to.
For it was then that Levi decided to make an appearance.
When Siena had rushedout of the house, ecstatic to meet her friend, Levi had remained exactly where he was, standing still and watching out the window.
He wanted to give Siena time with Lady Eliza.
He also had no wish to greet the woman himself, nor invite her into his home, although he couldn’t exactly see a way around it at this point.
The truth was, he had no desire to welcome anyone save Siena, but he had known that to involve himself with her could have these repercussions. He just hadn’t realized they would come so soon.
Then Fitz had come thundering up the drive and he had nearly groaned aloud.
The groan emerged when the second woman made an appearance at the carriage door. A companion no doubt. Likely Lady Eliza’s mother.
Just what he needed.
Levi ran his hand over his face, wondering if he closed his eyes and waited long enough they would all simply disappear like he was waking from a bad dream.
But no. When he opened his eyes, there they were, a band of people still standing on his front drive, bowing and curtsying to one another as though they were preparing to enter a ball of debutantes and not the lion’s den.
Finally, he couldn’t take the waiting any longer and he marched to the front door, wrenching it open to stare upon the lot of them.
They all stared back.
Siena with her usual tranquility, although her expression also held a wariness that he knew was due to worry over his response to Eliza’s arrival.
Fitz with astonishment, which made sense for Levi would usually barely talk to even his oldest, most persistent friend.
And Eliza and her mother with the expressions of horror mixed with pity that he had come to expect from those seeing him for the first time. Or subsequent times, as it usually took people more than just one meeting to become used to his face.
“Your Grace.”
The mother was the first to recover, likely from years of politeness both bred and trained into her. Her daughter followed suit, although while her horror either abated or she hid it well, a sense of curiosity remained as she studied him.
“Best come inside,” Levi said, and when his stablehands and footmen quickly appeared, he wondered just how long they had been waiting, listening to see if he would welcome these visitors or turn them away.
“Truly?” Fitz said, and Levi could have throttled him. “You want all of us inside? Please tell me we can at least use the drawing room and not all freeze in the study.”
