Page 23 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
At first, Miss Huxley looked taken aback, and he feared he had taken it a step too far. But then, her eyes began searching his for sincerity. After a moment, he decided she must have believed his words genuine, for a hint of resolve washed over her face.
“It is certainly a wild plan,” she said, the corners of her lips hinting at a small smile. “But I think I could participate in such a plan, as well. I will agree to this fake courtship, Your Grace.”
Susan squealed, clearly teeming with excitement. She clapped her hands together, throwing her arms around her friend, who laughed at Susan’s exuberance. Richard was amused as his sister’s delight in their scheme, and he also wondered at himself as he found that he, too, was a little excited. Perhaps, it was the idea of finally being free from his mother’s meddling. And something about Miss Huxley made him think that he would hardly have difficulty spending the time with her required to feign a courtship.
Susan released her friend, leaping up from her seat once more and rushing at Richard. He barely had enough time to lift his arms before his sister jumped into them.
“Oh, Richard, I know that neither of you will regret this,” she said. “Anne is sweet, funny, and wonderful. And I know that you are compassionate, understanding, and charming. This will be a wonderful thing, I just know it. And I will help the two of you in any way I can.”
Richard chuckled, returning his sister’s embrace. Over her shoulder, he met Miss Huxley’s eyes. They looked hopeful for the first time since he had entered the room. She blinked bashfully at him, a grateful smile spreading across her face. As he held her gaze, Richard pondered what he had just agreed to. Was it possible that he was on the path to the right decision? Or had he just made a big mistake?
Chapter Eleven
Anne sat in amazement in her friend’s second-floor drawing room, the one into which they often sneaked in secret whenever the dowager duchess was at home and they didn’t wish to tell her that Anne had come to visit with Susan. She hadn’t had the slightest clue that her friend had been thinking of such a wild plan. She began to understand her friend’s sudden arrival at her home the previous day with her brother in tow. She also understood why Susan and the duke had had such strange facial expressions when Martha and she had entered the carriage before they went to Gunter’s.
But had Susan told her brother before she mentioned the plan to Anne? She studied the duke’s face and decided that her friend must have at least given him a clue what she was thinking. He had hardly seemed surprised, and he had agreed rather quickly. She wasn’t offended, however. It would be up to the man to make, or agree to, such an offer first, before involving a lady.
She also understood that Susan hadn’t meant to leave her out or deceive her. She guessed that Susan had thought she might get her hopes up unnecessarily if she spoke to them about faking a courtship together and the duke had refused.
But he didn’t refuse,she reminded herself with unexpected giddiness. She convinced herself it was due to the ambiance of the drawing room and the contagious joy of everyone else around her. But there was a small part of her that would take great satisfaction in flaunting a courtship, even a fake one, with a duke to her parents. She would love to show them that they were, in fact, wrong about her not being good enough for a duke.
And there was another small part of her that was curious to get to know the duke more. He was, indeed, very kind to even consider such a proposal, even if he would benefit from it, as well. And he had been so warm and understanding with her when he had overheard what she was saying to Susan. Perhaps, spending time with him would be more enjoyable than she had first thought when he set foot in her own drawing room the day before.
“When will our allegedly official courtship begin?” Anne found herself asking, surprised at her boldness in front of a duke. It was strange that she already felt almost as comfortable around him as she did with Susan. She told herself that it must only be because Susan was there with them. Surely, she would never be so brazen or blunt if that were not the case.
The Duke acted as though she had asked something as benign as the time or the weather. He gave her a warm, pleasant smile and shrugged.
“I believe it would be wise to delay making any formal appeals to your father or any declarations regarding our serious romantic intentions for as much time as we can," he stated. “We can arrange meetings and outings, and I can come visit you at your home, of course. But the longer we do those things, and the longer we wait to make the courtship official, the longer we can draw this out, I believe. What do you think, Miss Huxley?”
Anne nodded, unable to help smiling herself. It seemed that the duke was completely committed to ensuring that they were a believable couple. She was starting to believe that they might actually pull off their ruse. But it wasn’t just that. He, as a man and a duke, had just asked for her opinion. That was unfamiliar to her, but it was certainly refreshing.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said.
***
The following day, Anne chose to forego breakfast with her family, pleading a megrim. She was not ill, however. She was simply consumed by her recent agreement to the staged courtship with the Duke of Calder. It felt surreal that she was going to participate in such a ruse. She had always had fanciful ideas of courtship and marriage. But the charade they were planning surpassed even those, even if it wasn’t real. Her mind and heart were both reeling, and it was as overwhelming as it was empowering.
To try to settle her thoughts and emotions, she walked across her room to Mischief’s basket of toys. He had been eating his breakfast, which Martha had graciously brought up for him when she brought Anne her coffee and fruit, but as soon as Anne picked up his favorite toy, an orange ribbon that had once belonged to her, he darted over to her and began batting at it before she even started letting it trail the ground.
Immediately, her pet’s spirited pouncing and chasing brought her a great deal of solace. She had rescued the sweet boy from harsh weather and starvation. But it seemed he had saved her in many ways, as well. She was sure that without him, she wouldn’t have been able to endure the lectures and disapproval from her parents or the gossip and cruelty of the ton. She would have wasted away into little more than a shell. But Mischief gave her purpose, and unconditional love. He was her world, and she was very thankful for him.
Eventually, however, his energy began to fade. He stopped chasing the ribbon in favor of her bringing it right to his face to bat. Then, he stretched and yawned, rubbing her legs and giving her a single meow, as if thanking her, before waddling over to his bed and curling up. As soon as she put away the ribbon, her thoughts had drifted to the Duke once again. Her stomach fluttered with both excitement and anxiety. Was she doing the right thing? Was the duke really as keen on the idea ofparticipating in their charade as he had claimed? Or was he only doing it to appease Susan?
Later that evening, Anne, accompanied by her parents and Charlotte, left for a ball hosted by Anne’s esteemed aunt Rose. As the youngest child of the previous Viscount Huxley, her grandfather, she was without a prestigious title. However, she was a notable figure within the ton, well known for her charity work, her patronage of the arts and her thriving, spectacular parties. Anne only knew her a little, but the woman had always seemed amicable enough.
Before arriving, the viscountess reached over, gripping Anne’s arm tightly enough that it ached.
“I hope I needn’t remind you that you are to be on your best behaviour tonight,” she said. “Only impeccable behaviour is acceptable from you this evening.”
Anne blushed, as much from frustration as from embarrassment.
“Yes, Mother,” she said. Ordinarily, she would have stewed over such a remark all evening. But she reminded herself of her ruse with the duke, and that settled her down quickly. Her sister reached out and took her hand, giving her a sad, sympathetic look. Anne shook her head, smiling warmly back at her sister.
“It’s all right,” she mouthed to her younger sister. And she truly believed that it was.
However, as her family and she stepped into the lavishly decorated ballroom, many of the guests turned to watch them. To watch her, to be more specific. It didn’t take long for the murmurs about her newfound association with the Duke of Calder to begin, and her previous confidence began to wane. It wasn’t the worst way she had started a social event. But the disapproving and disdainful looks she kept getting told her that she was the only one who thought so. Clearly, other people in the ton were of the same opinion as her parents; that she didn’tbelong with a duke. She supposed they were right. She wasn’t with him, and she never would be, not truly. But if they believed she was, even for a little while, she could take joy in their confusion and disbelief.
She glanced around, hoping to spot the duke somewhere in the crowd. She didn’t know what he would expect of her as far as her part in their ruse when they were in public. But she thought if she could make her presence visible to him, he would take the lead so that she could play along. What she found, however, was the gaze of Lord Gray from across the room. His scowl told her that he hadn’t forgotten their last encounter. That was fine by her, especially since the ton now thought she was becoming involved with the Duke. But would he try to make more trouble for her that evening? Everything was so uncertain, and Anne wished she could just run and hide.
