Page 12 of The Undesirable Duke
Madame Periaux ordered her assistant to bring tea, and within a few moments, the young woman brought out a tea tray and offered tea to Lady Welsford. When she lifted it from the tray, the porcelain cup clattered against the saucer, clearly indicating the extent of Lady Welsford’s distress.
Lillian stepped onto the small stand again, and Madame Periaux continued adjusting the fabric of her bodice. She stared into the mirror at her mother’s reflection, watching her nervously sip the cup of tea, and her brow furrowed.
Why was her mother so shaken by the gossip of the Duke of Yarmouth? And why did she not wish Lillian to engage in that gossip? She had never pulled Lillian away so harshly before, andgossiping was something that Lady Welsford did not mind at all, usually, as it brought information, and she knew that Lillian did not enjoy sharing gossip, so would not spread it further.
As Lillian continued to watch her mother in the mirror subtly, she realized that this could only mean one thing; that her mother personally knew of the Duke of Yarmouth, and was greatly affected by these rumors.
But how?
Lillian was fully aware that her mother would not be the one to reveal that to her, which made her even more adamant about finding out for herself. Perhaps Timothy would be able to assist. After all, he knew how to wrap their mother around his finger.
Chapter Five
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
Samuel tipped his top hat at the small group of young women who strolled past him, and their cheeks immediately colored.
“Good afternoon, Your Grace.”
The young women reciprocated his greeting, but before they could utter another word, their concerned mamas immediately rushed towards them. Judging by the expressions on their faces, it was clear that they were well aware of the rumors floating around Town about him.
“I never thought I would see the day when you would be considered undesirable, Yarmouth,” Lord Perkins pointed out.
As well as Lord Timothy, Lord Perkins was a close friend of Samuel’s. Their parents were old friends, and they had grown up together. It had been a long while since Samuel and Lord Perkins had seen one another, and it was enjoyable to spend time together again, even it if were only on an afternoon stroll through Mayfair. On this day, Lord Timothy was otherwise engaged with his family, which was why he had not joined the two gentlemen in their stroll.
Out of the corner of Samuel’s eye, he noticed people staring at him. Some more subtly than others, some shamelessly staring with angry and disgusted scowls, while others made no attempt to speak in hushed tones as they passed.
Of course, the mamas rushed to their daughters to keep them as far away from Samuel as possible. The mere thought of having them within speaking distance of the Duke might taint their reputations and render them ruined.
“Only undesirable to those who know of the rumors,” Samuel pointed out.
Unaffected by the mamas’ scowls, Samuel tipped his hat at them as they scurried away. He found it quite amusing that a rumor had the power to change people’s behavior to such a degree. Never in his life had he experienced something like this before, and it amused him to no end. Of course, it angered him as well, as the person responsible was still at large, and Samuel had yet to speak with Lord Timothy about their strategy to catch the author of that damaging article.
But for now, Samuel relished the attention, regardless of if it was good or bad.
“That may be all the people in London at this point in time, Your Grace,” Lord Perkins chuckled.
“Yet you still remain by my side.”
“That is entirely different. You are my friend, and it is not as thoughIwish to marry you,” Lord Perkins stated.
“That is true. How is the lovely Lady Perkins?”
“She is well. She apologized for not joining us on our stroll. She had to accompany her mother to visit an elderly friend who had taken ill.”
“I see.”
“It has nothing to do with you and your supposed antics, Yarmouth.”
“Are you certain?”
Lord Perkins nodded.
“Indeed I am. It strikes me as odd that it affects you the way it does. Was it not you who said that you did not care what others thought of you.”
“That was before my name was slandered by an anonymous writer who attempted to pass off fiction as facts.”
“He certainly succeeded.”
