Page 24 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
The evening began with the first dance. Anne was thrilled when Charlotte was whisked to the dance floor right away, silently celebrating her sister. Anne noticed that her parents exchanged approving, relieved looks, and she guessed they were thinking that Charlotte might still have a chance yet at a good marriage, even despite Anne’s reputation. She realized that was another bonus to her pretending to court the duke; that other men of higher, more prestigious titles and stations would take notice of Charlotte and hopefully, take an interest in her. Anne waited patiently, thinking that at any moment, the Duke would ask her to dance and begin the first big play in the game they were presenting to all of London.
As the night unfolded, however, dance after dance transpired without an invitation from the duke. She had spotted him out on the dance floor a few times, never dancing with the same woman twice. She began to second guess her decision to take part in the scheme. It seemed he wasn’t interested in helping the ton believe they were interested in each other.And the relentless gossip of the people around her who had also taken note of his many dance partners and his apparent dismissal of her only fueled that doubt. Was he changing his mind about the arrangement, after all?
Just as Anne was beginning to plan a secret escape out into her aunt’s gardens, Susan rushed up to her, kissing her cheek.
“Shall we go to the refreshment tables?” she asked, pointedly looking at Anne’s parents, who she was well aware hadn’t left her side.
Anne was confused and frustrated as to why the Duke hadn’t asked her to dance yet, and with her friend for making the silly suggestion to pretend to court in the first place. But when the viscountess opened her mouth to object, Anne turned to her friend with fire in her eyes and honey in her voice.
“I’d love to,” she said.
She allowed Susan to drag her to the refreshment tables all the way across the long, broad ballroom. When they reached the table, Anne turned to Susan, resisting the urge to put her hands on her hips.
“What is happening?” she hissed, trying to ignore the new stares and refreshed gossip about her continued abandonment by the duke who was supposedly smitten with her. “Why hasn’t your brother danced with me yet? People are gossiping, but about the wrong thing.”
Susan gave her a smug smile.
“Anne, please, trust me,” she said. “All will be well. You just need to be patient for a little while longer.”
Anne was fuming. She had been patient long enough, and all she had managed to do was look a fool to everyone present, despite having done nothing to embarrass herself or her family that evening. But precisely when she was poised to deliver a stern reprimand to Susan and commence indulging in immoderate libations, a spectral presence materialized behindher. Simultaneously, the first strands of a romantic waltz began as the musicians prepared to play the song.
“Miss Huxley, would you do me the tremendous honour of sharing this waltz with me?” The Duke asked, his voice dripping with charm and honey that made her knees weak, despite her previous anger.
She turned to see that his hand was already extended. She looked into his eyes, from which he was giving her a clear, pointed look that seemed to suggest that he had a plan. Relieved to be away from her parents and glad that it didn’t seem as though he had reneged on their arrangement, after all, she gave him a smile.
“You have finally decided to share a dance with me?” she asked. “I think the entire ballroom had decided you weren’t going to do any such thing.”
The duke gave her an impish grin and a wink that melted her.
“I imagine that us dancing this waltz will give them plenty to chatter about,” he said.
Suddenly, she thought she understood. He had intentionally danced with other women to keep the ton guessing. They weren’t officially courting, and thus, he was enjoying himself. But for their one dance to be as passionate as the waltz would show everyone what his intentions were for Anne. She could imagine the expressions on her parents’, the dowager duchess’s and Lady Eleanor’s faces as they spun around the dance floor doing the waltz. The image tickled her, and she began to laugh for the first time in what felt like ages. It was a genuine, true laugh, coming from a place within her that was suddenly filled with unrestrained joy. It seemed that the duke had a little lively spirit in him, too. And she found it positively delightful.
“I apologise for ever doubting you, Your Grace,” she said.
Chapter Twelve
Richard felt an acute jolt of awareness shoot through him as Miss Huxley placed her hand in his. He gave her a charming smile, even though everything inside him was reeling in chaos. He had found himself strangely captivated by her when they were at Gunter’s after listening to the way she spoke and seeing her smile. But as their hands held one another as he led her onto the dance floor, he felt as though he was truly seeing her for the first time.
Their first steps onto the dance floor were marked by the soft rustle of her rich pink gown. The rest of the world seemed to blur around them, and for that moment, they were the only two people in existence. As the first strains of the waltz began to play, Miss Huxley looked up at Richard, her cheeks turning the same shade as her dress. Richard gave her a small wink, leading her in getting into position. And when she smiled softly at him again, his heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful. And he felt honored to share a dance with her. Especially a waltz.
The world around them slowly came back into focus for Richard. He was acutely aware of all the judgmental eyes of the members of the ton in attendance that night focused directly on Miss Huxley and him. And he could see in Miss Huxley’s eyes that she was, as well. He wanted to look up at the clusters of dancers closest to them and glower at them until they directed their eyes back to their own partners. But he was sure that would only draw more attention to them than they were already receiving.
As the dance continued, a memory resurfaced. The sound of the genuine joy in Miss Huxley’s laughter earlier in the evening resonated in the back of his mind, even as the musicthreatened to drown it out. He had noticed the musical quality of her laughter the previous day. But when she’d laughed as they started their dance, he realized that it wasn’t just musical and delicate. There was a rawness and realness to her laugh that was rare to Richard. In fact, he couldn’t recall ever hearing a more sincere laugh with any of the other young women he’d ever encountered within the ton. All the others only giggled and laughed when they were trying to seduce a man to marry. But Miss Huxley clearly had joy in her soul, even with the way the ton gossiped about her. He realized that he wanted to hear her laugh more frequently.
As they waltzed past a group of women who were staring at the two of them with sour expressions on their faces at the very edge of the dance floor, Richard gave her an impish grin. He gave a little swish of his coat tail so that it flew out and gently bumped one of the women. She gasped, causing Richard’s smile to widen. And when Miss Huxley realized what had happened, she laughed again.
“They’ll be talking about that, for sure,” she said, her jade green eyes dancing with merriment.
Richard shrugged. He entertained doubts that they would retain such a trivial offence, particularly considering the high probability that the lady had encountered the bristle rather than experiencing its physical impact. But he didn’t care. It had been a very subtle gesture to shun the disapproving looks the women had been giving Miss Huxley. And it had made her laugh again. To him, it was all well worth it.
“Talking about what?” he asked, putting on a grand show of feigning innocence.
The young woman in his arms laughed again, and a shiver ran up his spine. It was as if divine wine ran through his blood with her every giggle, and he felt dizzy with intoxication. Heknew he would do anything he could, for as long as he could, to hear her laugh every chance he got.
The waltz came to an end all too soon, and Richard couldn't hide his disappointment. But he gave her another broad smile as he offered his arm to escort her off the dance floor.
“You dance very gracefully, Miss Huxley,” he said.
