Page 12 of The Penitent Duke
“Disagreed?” Lord Radcliffe closed his eyes, a breath hissing from him. “You may not understand this, Strathmore, but I have been utterly ashamed by you this evening.”
“Ashamed?” Still confused, Lucian spread out his hands. “I do not understand. You were not a part of the conversation.”
Letting out another breath, Lord Radcliffe shook his head, put his hands to his hips and then looked away. “I am your friend. I was the one who suggested an introduction between the two ladies and yourself – one of which, I might add, I have an interest in. In speaking as you did to Lady Rosalind, you not only shamed yourself but also brought that shame to me.”
Sniffing, Lucian tried to dismiss his friend’s words. “I do not see how.”
“Because I am your friend. Or because I ammeantto be your friend. At this juncture, I am not certain that I wish to maintain our friendship.”
Lucian’s jaw dropped, shock pouring into him. “Simply because I asked a few slightly impertinent questions?”
“Because you caused Lady Rosalind pain! Because you would not desist when it was clear that you not only should stop but also apologise! Because it is clear that you care for nothing and no-one but yourself. That is not the gentleman you once were, the gentleman I knew as my friend.” Lord Radcliffe shook his head again, his hands dropping to his sides. “I do not think that I can do anything more to help you. I have tried, God knows I have tried to pull you out of this despondency you wrap yourself in, to prove to you that the guilt you insist on carrying is not your own but you are determined to let it cling to you all the same. I cannot do so any longer, not when you are as cruel and as uncaring as you have been. I am ashamed to call you my friend.”
Lucian blinked, a coldness beginning to trickle down his back.
“Good evening,Your Grace,” Lord Radcliffe continued, no longer using the less colloquial name for Lucian, making it clear that there was now a distance between them. “I do not think that I can be of any more use to you.”
“Radcliffe, wait a moment.” Lucian stepped forward, reaching out but his friend had already gone, turning on his heel and being immediately swallowed into the crowd. Dropping his head, Lucian tried to sort out the swirling feelings in his chest, tried to understand the confusion and the upset which now nestled in his heart though he did not know why. Indeed,he knew that he had behaved poorly and that he was not as he had once been but never had he expected Lord Radcliffe to turn away from him! He had thought that his friend would understand, had expected him to simply shrug and look away whenever Lucian chose to behave in a way that was a little less than proper but now, it seemed, that was not to be.
Lifting his head just a little, Lucian glanced around, seeing the way that one or two of the other guests near him were now either speaking in low tones to another or, much to Lucian’s frustration, glancing at him and then pulling their gaze away. It was clear that some had overheard what Lord Radcliffe had said and, no doubt, that would now be spread through thetonwithout delay.
Inwardly, Lucian groaned and then hung his head, pushing one hand through his thick, dark hair as he fought to find clarity.I can speak to Lord Radcliffe later,he determined, taking in a breath and raising his head.If news about what was said to me is to be spread around London, then I am best to find and speak with Lord Fairmont at once.
Aware of the slight trembling within himself from the shock of Lord Radcliffe’s words and actions, Lucian strode through the crowd, expectant that it would part for him. Quite how he was to find Lord Fairmont, he did not know, but the urgency he felt in speaking with him was now all the greater. Spying an acquaintance, he grasped his arm, interrupting the gentleman’s conversation without a flicker of hesitation.
“Lord Fairmont,” he said as the gentleman frowned. “Are you acquainted with him?”
“I am.” The fellow’s frown grew deeper. “Though I was in the midst of conversing with –”
“It is of great importance. Might you find him for me?”
The gentleman blinked, surprise in his expression, only for his gaze to travel over Lucian’s right shoulder. “He is just over there,” he answered, gesturing to a man with a small, grey beard and full head of hair, swept to one side. He was broad shouldered and tall, with a sense of authority practically emanating from him. “Now, Your Grace, if you will excuse me?”
Lucian did not even pause to thank the fellow, instead he strode towards the broad-shouldered gentleman, taking him in. He could see no similarity to Lady Rosalind though he did notice the way that one or two of the other guests were looking at him and then pulling their gazes away – just like they did with Lucian himself. Seeing that there was no-one speaking to the gentleman, Lucian paused for just a moment, cleared his throat and then came closer to him. The moment the gentleman caught his eye, Lucian inclined his head.
“Lord Fairmont?” he asked, as the gentleman nodded. “The Duke of Strathmore.” He lifted his head. “I have a matter of urgency that I should like to discuss.”
“Urgency?” Lord Fairmont’s eyebrows furrowed, sitting heavy upon his eyes. “I do not think that we have ever been introduced before this moment, Your Grace, so I cannot understand what it might be that you wish to speak to me about!”
Lucian blinked, having expected the gentleman to acquiesce at once, given Lucian’s own standing and title. Mayhap, he considered, this was where Lady Rosalind got her tenacity from. “I quite understand.” He cleared his throat and then looked to the lady next to Lord Fairmont, presuming her to be the gentleman’s wife. “Lord and Lady Fairmont, forgive me for the hasty interruption and the rushed manner in which I have spoken. It must have come as quite a surprise, I am sure.” With another clearing of his throat which gave him a moment or two to gather his thoughts, Lucian spread out his hands. “I come to speak to you about your daughter.”
“Rosalind?” Lady Fairmont asked, her voice wavering just a little, her eyes wide. “Your Grace, whatever you might have heard about her, I can promise you that it is entirely false!”
“Heard about her?” Lucian frowned.
“Yes, I presume you have heard something,” Lady Fairmont continued, her hand now on her husband’s arm. “It is a considerable distress to me – and I daresay to all of us – that once the ton becomes aware of any rumour or scandal concerning an individual, they feel compelled not only to accept it as truth but also to disparage the reputations of all those even remotely associated with that person! I can assure you that my dear Rosalind is nothing but perfectly proper, well mannered, well-spoken and genteel, regardless of what might be whispered about her at this present moment.”
Understanding what the lady was saying and what she meant in regard to rumors, Lucian shook his head. “No, my lady, you quite misunderstand me. I come to speak to you not because of any rumours or the like.”
“No?” Lord Fairmont harrumphed, his eyes like steel as he fixed his gaze to Lucian. “Then for what purpose do you wish to speak to me about my daughter?”
Lucian managed to smile, a sudden rush of nervousness flooding through him as he tried to find the right words to say. “Because I think, Lord Fairmont, that she and I might make a very fine match and, therefore, I have come to seek her hand in marriage.”
Silence came from both Lord and Lady Fairmont for some minutes. Neither of them so much as even glanced at one another but instead, both of them simply stared back at Lucian as though he were some sort of astonishing being they had never seen before.
Lucian swallowed.
“Mayhap I should call upon you to discuss this in further detail?” he asked, as Lord Fairmont began to blink furiously, running one hand over his face. “Tomorrow?”
