Page 31 of The Truth about the Duke
“Yes, of course I am,” she breathed, looking down at her dance card again as though to make sure that she had not misread what he had written. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“I am glad to have been able to rectify my mistake.” With a nod, he turned his head and made to step away. “Excuse me, I shall let you return to your mother now.”
“Wait.” Her hand snaked out and caught his though she let it go again as if it had burned her skin. “Forgive me, Your Grace, I wanted to speak with you about your uncle.”
Thankfully, he smiled, showing no frustration or irritation whatsoever. “What about him?”
Lydia hesitated, licking her lips as she considered how she was to mention to the Duke about the scar she had seen on his face. “I know that you have not yet shared with me the list of the four names that your mother suggested,” she began, speaking slowly and with great care so that the words she chose were all quite suitable. “I did wonder if your uncle might be on that list?”
This made the Duke’s smile fade in an instant. “I beg your pardon?”
She swallowed hard. “Was your uncle’s name on the list from your father?”
Slowly, the Duke nodded. “Yes, in fact. It was.”
“I have noticed that he has a scar on his face,” Lydia continued, though she moved closer to him and kept her voice low as she spoke. “I did wonder if… ”
The Duke’s eyes flared though he did not respond to her immediately. It took him some moments to reply, appearing to need to compose himself before he said anything.
“I have no close connection with my uncle,” he said, eventually. “I do not know him well. Thus, I would have not noticed any such thing on his appearance – or if I had, then I would not have connected it to my heirlooms! Thank you for informing me, Lady Lydia. Mayhap… ” Hesitating, he looked away and then turned his gaze back to her again. “Might you like to take a walk with me in the park tomorrow? There is more than I would like to share with you.”
She nodded, relieved that he had not responded badly to her. “I should like that very much, Your Grace.”
“Then I look forward to tomorrow – and to our dance later this evening.” With a smile, he inclined his head. “Good evening, Lady Lydia.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Did you find your dance… pleasing?”
Henry rolled his eyes as Lord Kendall grinned at him. “You are not in the least bit vague, are you?”
“No, I am not. I find that being direct is usually the best course of action.” Lord Kendall chuckled as they waited by the carriage for Lady Lydia to arrive. “You have not danced the waltz before, have you? I have heard many in thetonsay so and that was only last evening!”
“Yes, yes.” Henry rolled his eyes. “I danced the waltz with Lady Lydia and I am glad that I did so! She was clearly upset at my stepping away from her – ignoring her, frankly – and what she asked me did strike at my heart.” Seeing his friend’s questioning look, Henry smiled briefly. “It was evident that she believed I had chosen to forget about her deliberately, so that I would not have to dance with a bluestocking. I wanted to assure her that it was not so and thus, rather than choose the cotillion or some such thing, I chose the waltz.”
Lord Kendall’s expression brightened. “Then I think very well of you for doing so, my friend. I hope you made your point?She appeared to be quite delighted when she was dancing with you.”
Henry’s heart filled with a warmth that he had experienced only once before – when he had been dancing with Lady Lydia the previous evening. It had been both a strange and a wonderful experience, for he had not only found himself delighted at being able to have her as a dance partner, but he had also discovered a fresh sense of wonder in taking her into his arms. It was as if he had never danced the waltz before, as though he had never evensteppedinto a room with young ladies before. It filled every part of his being with happiness, making him feel as if he were practically glowing from within. They had barely said a word to one another as they had danced, but Henry had been entirely unable to look away from her. When, he had wondered, had he first realized just how beautiful the lady was? It had been something of a revelation for he saw then, for the very first time, that he was not regarding her with any sort of dislike or contempt, as he had done before. Yes, she was a bluestocking and yes, he had found that type of young lady most disagreeable in the past but now… now, there was something different.
“My friend?”
Realizing that he had been lost in his thoughts about the lady, Henry flushed and shrugged. “Yes. Lady Lydia was very pleased with our dance.”
“As were you, I think.”
Henry was spared from having to answer the question for, at that very moment, Lady Lydia stepped down from a carriage nearby, swiftly followed by her mother. Henry smiled at the first, only to see the beam of delight that had spread across Lady Hampshire’s expression. Clearly, she thought that this was a mark of interest upon her daughter, though Henry intended it to be nothing of the sort! His stomach twisted, suddenly concerned that Lady Hampshire would soon spread news ofhis walk with her daughter all through society… but then, he supposed, nothing could be done for that. If he wanted Lady Lydia’s company and her aid – which he did – then that would mean speaking with her at length. Which was precisely what he intended to do.
“Good afternoon.” Putting a smile on his face, Henry made his way towards Lady Lydia, greeting first her and then her mother. “Thank you for joining me, Lady Lydia. And for your attendance also, Lady Hampshire.”
“Oh, but of course!” Lady Hampshire put one hand on his arm for just a moment, her eyes dancing with clear hope and expectation. “I shall be a short distance away as you walk. I am sure you understand.”
“I do.” With a smile still on his face, Henry turned to Lady Lydia, a little surprised at how much his heart leaped when her eyes met his. They were like emeralds, glittering gently as she smiled at him. “How excellent to see you, Lady Lydia. Are you quite ready to walk with me?”
“I am.” She accepted his arm and they turned to walk together into the park, the sunshine beaming down around them. With a lightness in his step and a joy in his heart – a joy that he could not quite explain – Henry walked with her for a time in silence, simply enjoying being in her company. Lady Lydia too seemed quite contented, for every so often, she would glance up at him, smile, and then look away again.
“I did enjoy our dance last evening,” Henry began, as she looked up at him again. “I know there will have been some remarks made to you but I hope that there have been none that are at all distressing.”
Much to his surprise, she laughed softly at this, her expression lighting up with a fresh brightness. “Good gracious, no!” she exclaimed, as Henry found himself smiling. “I am not in the least bit concerned about anyone who might have somethingto say about me. Rather, the only thing that troubles me is whether or not anyone else discovers that I am a bluestocking and that is only because of the trouble that would fall on me because of my parents' dislike of such a thing!”
