Page 63 of How to Ruin a Duke
“Slap me if I give offense, but earlier, when you thought I offered you a proposition of an objectionable nature…”
“I was peckish and out of sorts.You would never—”
He touched a finger to her lips.“If I had, if I’d intimated that I sought a discreet, intimate liaison on terms acceptable to you, would your objection have been to the nature of the relationship, or personally, to the other party involved?”
His dignity was on display, so was his willingness to be dealt a blow, not as a duke, but as a man.Edith became acutely aware of the attraction she’d denied since first watching him turn down the room with this or that marquess’s daughter.
He was a fine specimen, she’d long known that.Now he was revealing himself to be a fine man, one whom Edith might have flirted with, had their situation been different.
“My objection would not have been personal to the other party involved.”
His smile was slight as he bowed over her hand.“I see.Good to know.It’s time I was on my way.Let’s continue to consider the conundrum before us, shall we?”
Which conundrum was that?Edith helped him into his coat, and while he stood, top hat in hand, she kissed his cheek.A reward for bravery, a gesture of encouragement to a man much besieged with injustice.
“We’ll solve the riddle, Your Grace.The problem wants only time and determination.”
He tapped his hat onto his head and pulled on his gloves.“My thanks for those sentiments, and keep well until next we meet.”
Chapter Five
“No good duke goes unpunished.”
FromHow to Ruin a Duke, by Anonymous
For five days and six nights, Thaddeus debated possibilities.Was Mama writing the blasted sequel?She tended to her correspondence incessantly, with volumes of letters both arriving to and departing from the ducal residence.At the theater, Antigone sent Thaddeus brooding glances, and at the formal balls, every matchmaker and wallflower came under his scrutiny.
And through all the sorting and considering, he was haunted by one fleeting kiss from a woman he’d spent two years assiduously ignoring.He’d ignored the musical lilt in Lady Edith’s voice, the warmth in her smile.He’d ignored her humor and her patience.He had rigidly forbidden himself to do more than notice her figure—she’d been a woman in his employment, and thus her figure wasentirelyirrelevant—and yet, she had a fine figure.
“Shall you eat that trifle,” Elsmore asked, “or stare the raspberries into submission?”
Lady Edith was fond of raspberries.Was she fond of Thaddeus?“Help yourself.”He passed the bowl across the table.“Does your mama pester you to take a duchess?”
“My mother is a duchess, pestering anybody is beneath her.With so many potential heirs to the title already dangling from the family tree, she doubtless considers getting my sisters fired off a higher priority, and thank heavens for that.What has put you off your feed, my friend?”
Elsmore tucked into the dessert, and Thaddeus battled the absurd urge to snatch the sweet away, because doubtless, Lady Edith had not had trifle in months.
“I am pre-occupied,” Thaddeus said, studying the bottle of cordial brought out with the dessert.“I am considering the notion that my own mother also considers pestering beneath her, while embarrassing me into wedlock does fit her character.She thrives on intrigues and petty scandals.”
Elsmore paused, a spoonful of cream and fruit halfway to his mouth.“That book transcended petty scandal a month ago.I’ve heard some of your famous lines quoted over cards, and my valet asked if I’d like my hair styledàla épave de phaéton.”
“The vehicle was a curricle, not a phaeton, and I did not wreck it.”Though Thaddeus had doubtless finished the race looking as if he’d survived a wreck.The distinction between a curricle and a phaeton was exactly the sort of altered detail a female author would regard as insignificant.
“I heard about the floral society,” Elsmore said quietly.“You don’t really take their foolishness seriously?”
The Society for the Floral Improvement of the Metropolis was one of a dozen charitable organizations that boasted the Duke of Emory among its honorary directors.That term was a euphemism for financial sponsorship, which Emory had agreed to at the duchess’s request.
“Jeremiah didn’t grumble all that much,” Thaddeus replied.“For him to be the sponsor of record, when he hasn’t a groat to spare, amused him enormously.I won’t miss two-hour meetings devoted to the benefits of potted salvia over herbaceous borders, but I don’t care to be told to stand in the corner by yet another charity.”
“How many does that make?”
“Four.”In every case, the suggested solution to having a disgraced duke on the board of directors was to quietly request that Lord Jeremiah “serve the cause” for a time instead.Jeremiah was bearing up good-naturedly; nonetheless, a scolding from the very groups who ought to be trumpeting Thaddeus’s generosity was annoying.
“If you’d like to turn one or two charities over to me,” Elsmore said, “I can find a cousin or sister to attend most of the meetings in my stead.”
“Thank you, but I hope that won’t be necessary.Elsmore, would you mind very much if I left you in solitude to finish your dessert?The press of business intrudes on my plans.”
Elsmore regarded Thaddeus across the table.“I have never seen you so out of sorts.What could be in that sequel you’re so worried about?”
