Page 74 of A Duke Changes Everything
“Are we finished here, Calvert?” Nick asked the nobleman.
“I need your signature.” Iverson quickly added a few lines to the paper under his wrist and slid the document to the front of his desk. “After the duke signs, we’ll ask for yours and then pass the documents on to our solicitor.”
“I want the signed document now!” Calvert’s cry contained all the fervor of a childlike tantrum. “I won’t leave without it.”
Nick glanced at Huntley then Iverson and exchanged a nod with each before signing his name. After the scratch of Iverson’s pen on the foolscap and the signature of Calvert, Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the man depart.
“Thank God that’s done.” Huntley strode to gaze at himself in the mirror over the fireplace and swept a hand through his already unruly hair.
“Perhaps,” Iverson said, “we should be more particular about who we admit as members at Lyon’s.”
“Yes.” Nick agreed with Iverson, as he often did. The man was a successful investor because he mixed instinct with caution.
“Shall we join the others?” Huntley asked, already halfway to the door.
As they entered the main hall, heavy footsteps sounded at Nick’s back. He turned to find Calvert striding toward him from the front entry hall, spittle clinging to his lips, rage darkening his eyes. “Someday you’ll lose, Lyon. All you hold dear will be ripped from you. I only hope I’m alive to enjoy your misery.”
“You’re too late, Calvert. I’ve already had my share.”
Her choice was made, and it was too late to turn back now.
Mina rubbed her gloved hands together, though she wasn’t cold. Just rattling with nerves.
The two steps from the threshold of Aidan Iverson’s enormous drawing room into the fray of gathered guests seemed an enormous chasm. Strangely, the vibrant red dress she’d chosen soothed her nerves. The velvet felt delicious against her skin, and the comfortable cut of the fabric made every movement seem regal and purposeful. For the first time in her life, she understood the power of wearing a beautiful gown.
One deep breath and she took another step toward the laughter and conversation-filled room. All her hesitation dissolved when she spotted Colin. He was standing in a cluster of ladies and gentlemen and waved her over with an encouraging smile. His easy nature always allowed him to endear himself quickly to everyone he met.
“Mina, come and meet Mrs. Elmhurst. She’s writing a book on household management.”
After introductions, the lady scanned Mina from head to toe through pince-nez spectacles, brows lifted. “So young. Mr. Fairchild tells me you’re steward of a ducal estate in Sussex. What a task that must be for one your age.”
“My father taught me well, and I quite enjoy keeping busy.” Mina liked Mrs. Elmhurst immediately. The lady wasn’t shocked by Mina’s sex, only her age. A refreshing change from Magistrate Hardbrook and Vicar Pribble.
“We must sit together when the games begin. If you don’t mind a few questions about what you do and how you manage such a large staff.”
“Of course.”
“Perhaps you should consider writing a book, Miss Thorne. No doubt you have some interesting stories to tell.”
“Indeed.” Though the most interesting stories of late involved a tall, dark, moody gambling club owner who wouldn’t wish to be mentioned in print.
A round of applause broke the low murmur of voices in the room, and Mina and Colin joined in when Lady Lovelace and a man who looked to be twice her age entered.
“It’s Babbage,” Colin said in a reverential tone.
The older man, Colin had informed her, was a famed professor, inventor, and mathematician. But what caught Mina’s eye was Lady Lovelace. Mr. Iverson had been wrong about the lady’s disinterest in fashion. The noblewoman’s dark plum satin gown was by far the most striking in the room.
When guests moved forward to greet the newly arrived pair, Colin stayed back and nudged Mina’s shoulder.
“You’re clenching your jaw so fiercely,” he teased, “I believe you might break it.”
“I’m not hiding my nervousness well. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Why be nervous? This is the most perfect collection of party guests possible. Noblemen and commoners. Wealthy and poor. With a single purpose that binds them all.”
“Which is?” Mina asked, assuming he meant their connection to Mr. Iverson.
“A commitment to progress.”
