Page 35 of The Duke's Gamble
“Then mayhap I shall have to simply make my way to his townhouse, demand to see him and thereafter, ask him if he believes my apology genuine.” With a nod, he made his way to the door, only for a knock to come to it. Frowning, he called for the butler to enter though, as he did, another figure sailed in behind him, a bright smile upon her face.
“Lady Dinah, Your Grace.” The butler offered Samuel a slightly apologetic look, but Samuel only nodded, fully aware that his servant would have done his best to keep Lady Dinahsimply from striding into the room, though he would have been powerless to prevent it.
“Lady Dinah, good morning.” He glanced at the clock, aware that it was rather early for anyone to be calling upon him. “Might I ask why you are here and, thereafter, who else is with you?”
Lady Dinah only laughed and then sat down, waving one hand vaguely behind her. “I have my maid, as you can see.”
“All the same,” Samuel replied, choosing not to sit down, “I would be happier if you had a chaperone with you, Lady Dinah. It is only that—”
With a wave of her hand towardshim—something which astonished Samuel all the more—Lady Dinah rose to her feet and then came towards him, something else in her hand.
“My mother knows that I am here. She bade me deliver our reply to your invitation. You see?” She smiled and tilted her head as Samuel plucked the reply from her, frowning as he wondered why the lady had chosen to come on her own rather than send a servant. “We wanted to ensure that you knew how grateful we are for the invitation to your ball, Your Grace. It is sure to be a wonderful evening.”
“I see.” Samuel did not so much as even open the letter, setting it down and then folding his arms over his chest. “I thank you for your quick reply and your kind words, Lady Dinah. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some of my own business to attend to.”
Lady Dinah’s smile slipped though, much to Samuel’s relief, she did not return to her seat again. “You are to hurry me from your company?”
“Alas, it must be done.” Samuel gestured to the door. “I was just about to take my leave of the house myself.”
“To see Lady Florentina, mayhap?”
The question was not lacking in boldness and Samuel’s eyebrows lifted. “No, not to see Lady Florentina,” he replied,speaking slowly as he wondered why the lady might say such a thing to him. “My business is my own, as I am sure you can understand.”
Lady Dinah took a step closer to him, her eyes searching his. “Your Grace, I came with two purposes to your door. One was to deliver that letter and the other, to ask you to be cautious when it comes to your connection with Lady Florentina.”
This made Samuel’s heart squeeze with a sudden confusion, though warnings quickly began to ring around his mind. “I beg your pardon?”
A sigh broke from Lady Dinah’s lips and she turned her head away, seemingly sorrowful. “I do not like to speak ill of other young ladies but there is something about Lady Florentina that troubles me—something that I think you ought to be aware of. You see, I have seen her in the company of many a gentleman, and she is always seeking them out.She always smiles, teases, and twinkles at the gentlemen of society, eager to have her dance card filled with the names of the very best in all of England. And I am sure that she told you she was only just introduced to Lord Finneston, and that he said the same, but Lord Finneston himself told me that she practically begged him to say such a thing!”
Something cold washed over Samuel, though it was not from any sort of belief over what Lady Dinah had said. Rather, it came from the fear of the lady, over her purposes and reasons in what she was saying for he knew, in his very heart, that she was speaking nothing but lies.
“I can see that you are often in her company, and it is only out of concern for you that I say such a thing.”
“I see.” The truth was, Samuel had very little idea of what it was he wanted to say in response, though Lady Dinah continued to look at him calmly, perhaps thinking that the steadiness of her gaze would make him all the more inclined to believe her.The coldness within him began to grow into something else, a heat which burned in his heart and made his anger begin to grow. Why was Lady Dinah saying such things? What was it about Lady Florentina that made her believe she had the right to speak as she did? It was not as though they were very closely acquainted, not that she had any true concern for him born of a long and continued friendship!
Then she speaks out of jealousy.
That made Samuel recoil inwardly. It was not as though he wanted to think himself a great gentleman, nor that he wanted to believe that his character had somehow drawn Lady Dinah to him but all the same, hehadto recognise that his title, standing and wealth were reason enough for young ladies—such as she—to be drawn to him. She had already stated that she had noticed his attentions towards Lady Florentina. Was that enough for her to push herself forward, to try and cast Lady Florentina aside in any way she could?
“You do not know what to say.” Lady Dinah sighed heavily. “I am sorry for that. I did not realise you thought of her so fondly.”
“Oh, do not think that I believe your words simply because you have spoken them.” Samuel lifted his chin, seeing how Lady Dinah’s expression instantly changed to one of shock, her eyes widening as she took a small step back. “Rather, I must consider a good many things. Indeed, I shall have to go to speak with Lord Finneston himself, to make certain that he has said such a thing to you.”
“But… but you can trust me,” Lady Dinah stammered, a forced smile on her face, though her chin wobbled just a little as she spoke. “You must know that!”
Samuel shrugged. “All the same, if something has been said to me about a lady—something which could, quite frankly, ruin her reputation, then I must now consider what to do with suchinformation. I do appreciate you coming to speak with me, Lady Dinah, but I must now ask you to take your leave. As I have said, I have business elsewhere this morning and this new information has only added to my considerations. Thank you again for your desire to call upon me and share such a thing. It has given me a good deal to think upon.”
Without hesitating, he gestured to the door and Lady Dinah, still stammering somewhat, had no other choice but to follow his lead. Relieved when she finally quit the room, Samuel closed the door behind her and then turned to lean back against it.
His heart ached.
I must go to Florentina. I must warn her.
The urgency with which those thoughts came was so great that he found himself moving before he had even decided to do so. He was in the hallway, then, calling for his carriage, when he saw a startled Lady Dinah in the doorway that led outside, but he didn’t spare her a glance. All he could think of was Lady Florentina and suddenly, in her company was the only place he wanted to be.
***
“I confess, I did not initially understand why she would come to say such a thing.” Samuel took Lady Florentina’s hand, pressing it lightly. “But then I realised that my title and standing might be a good reason for a lady to pursue me.” Wincing, he looked away. “I do not mean to speak highly of myself, you understand. I do not want to suggest that I am in any way desirable in and of myself. I know that my character is severely lacking but for Lady Dinah, mayhap that does not matter.”
