Page 10 of The Lyon and His Promise
“It will drive him mad to be inactive in something that he, too, has been managing all his life,” Gyles warned. “He needs to keep busy—”
“But not at the cost of his remaining health,” she interjected. “Really, Wickes, I thought you could be reasoned with. I assumed you wouldn’t object.”
Gyles ran a hand through his tawny-colored hair. “It’s not that I’m objecting, Mother. I just know that Father isn’t ready to completely hand over the reins of the duchy.”
“I will handle your father. In the meantime, there are a number of invitations to several balls that you haven’t responded to. Pick several and attend them. It’s time you picked out a bride worthy of you and your title.”
And there it finally was… The dig that he needed to marry. “There’s plenty of time for me to find someone to become my bride, Mother,” hesaid trying not to clench his teeth but failing.
She stood and he did the same. When she came over to him, she placed her hand on his cheek before she brushed a lock of his hair back off his forehead. “You look so much like your father did at your age,” she declared with a small smile before continuing. “But you’re not getting any younger, son. You know your responsibilities outweigh your desire for a carefree life. You were born to one day become a duke, and it’s well past time you find yourself a wife.”
His mother’s lecture finished, she gave him no further opportunity to reply as she left the room. He slumped into the chair and hung his head in his hands while another conversation flitted through his mind.
He had yet to learn anything of Josephine Bouchard’s whereabouts. How could one woman disappear so completely? It seemed impossible, and he had told the investigator to double his efforts to locate the woman. She had to be somewhere in London. Gyles highly doubted she would stray far from where she grew up. She might have been estranged from her brother, but Gyles knew how much the siblings had doted on each other back when they were young. Alone in the world, she would want the comfort of being someplace familiar. He had to find her but the question remained… was he finding Josephine for Simon’s benefit or for his own? The answer to that particular question would remain a mystery until the lady was brought home.
And then there was Mrs. Dove-Lyon who also seemed to have plans for him, although she had refused to give him any details as yet. Their conversation in her office was just that… idle chitchat that could have been accomplished in the gaming room. If he knew anything about the woman, he knew she never did anything without an end game in mind… God help him! Maybe it would be best if he stayed away from the Lyon’s Den and any betting. He had the notion he’d be on the losing end and would end up falling prey to whatever games the Widow of Whitehall had on her mind for his future.
Chapter Eight
It had takenJosephine several days, and nights, to finally find the courage within her to return to the Lyon’s Den. A note sent to Cassandra’s from Mrs. Dove-Lyon had advised Josephine if she didn’t show up tonight, then any obligation the widow had to find Josephine a suitable husband would be void. Nor would Cassandra see any sort of a refund of the monies she had turned over. Josephine couldn’t let Cassandra be out such a large sum with nothing to show for it, and so she conceded defeat.
But that didn’t mean she had to go out onto the balcony to see the men who wagered their fortunes on silly bets with disastrous outcomes. She prayed her brother had recovered from whatever they had put in his drink. She may be ostracized from the only family she had left but that didn’t mean she held any ill will toward Simon.
So here she sat with another losing hand of cards. There was no sense in denying her curiosity was going to get the best of her. She couldn’t help herself from wondering if Gyles would be below. She had been afraid to look let alone let her heart become fractured all over again.
She wasn’t the same girl she had been back in her younger daysalthough she still had those same insecurities. She would never be good enough for a marquis, not after her past life. She wasn’t proud of what she had done but she couldn’t change what had happened. She could only try to move forward and hope Mrs. Dove-Lyon would at least find a man for her that she could find a small amount of affection for. She wouldn’t ask for more than that.
She folded her hand and excused herself from the table, thinking she would see what the buffet table had to offer. She never got that far. Mrs. Dove-Lyon entered the card room and made her way directly to Josephine and took her elbow moving her toward the one place she didn’t want to go. The balcony!
“You try my patience, Mrs. Bouchard,” she scolded like Josephine was barely out of the school room.
“Have I offended you, Mrs. Dove-Lyon?” Josephine asked quietly wondering what she had done to anger the woman. It was hard to guess what the lady was feeling seeing as Josephine couldn’t see the woman behind her heavy black veil.
“Of course, you have,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon proclaimed wagging her finger at Josephine. “You are here to beseen, my dear, not to cower away in the lady’s salon like a frightened kitten. I make my matches after observing the men to see who is interested in which of the women who appear on the woman’s balcony. It’s an important part of choosing the right man.”
“But—”
“There are nobuts, Mrs. Bouchard,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon interrupted as she steered Josephine out onto the balcony. She waved her hand to a nearby servant who produced a chair and set it near the railing. “If you don’t want to stand, here is a chair for you to sit but I expect you to be out here for the majority of the time you are here. Is that clear?”
Josephine gulped. “Yes, my lady.”
“Good. Now enjoy the view. There are several prospective gentlemen here tonight and I want to ensure I pick only the best for you.You will be back amongst the best of thetonin no time.”
The lady left as abruptly as she had arrived, leaving Josephine to take in a deep breath of air before she turned her attention to the men below. She was completely on display since she was the only woman out here. Was this possibly another ploy of the Widow of Whitehall? Josephine didn’t know but she felt like she was being sold to the highest bidder, even though she hardly considered herself a prize given her past. How would she ever get through the night?
Josephine lifted her fingertips up to the mask concealing her face. It was still in place. At the very least she had a small measure of comfort that anyone below wouldn’t be able to recognize her… that is, if they even remembered Simon had a sister. She had done her best to hide her whereabouts not wishing to cause her brother further embarrassment. She had heard the rumors he had been looking for her over the years, but she had no desire to try to reconcile their differences. Given Mrs. Dove-Lyon was attempting to bring Josephine back into Society, her relationship with her brother might also change for the better. But that might be asking too much.
She scanned the room below her. Several gentlemen gazed up at her before returning to their cards or conversations. And then she sawhimand everything within her changed. A lock of his tawny-colored hair fell rakishly over his forehead and her hand itched to brush those locks back into place. Long fingers held onto a crystal glass until they raised the cup to his full sensual lips. What would it feel like to have him kiss her like he did in her dreams? If Mrs. Dove-Lyon had her way, Josephine would never know for she’d be married to some other man.
When his brown eyes met hers, she watched those same lips she had dreamed creep up into a wicked grin. He nodded his head and Josephine did the same before she tore her gaze away. Her heart racing, she reached out for the chair to slide down into the seat that had been provided for her. She barely made it there before her knees began to buckle.
Cassandra came out onto the balcony and another chair was provided for her. She sat down next to Josephine while she, too, took in the scene below.
“Your prospects have improved tonight. I see at least one duke, several marquises, and any number of earls here for Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s choosing,” Cassandra purred before she leaned forward to scan the men again. “I do hope she doesn’t pair you with the Earl of Blackthorn.”
Josephine shook her head. “I have no idea who the widow has plans to pair me up with, only that I’ve been told I’m to sit out here so I’m on public display. I feel like a chicken in a henhouse with a number of foxes prowling outside, waiting to come and pounce on me.”
Cassandra laughed. “My dear friend, there will be no pouncing here, and you know it. I can only stay here with you for a little while. The balcony is off limits this evening to any of the other ladies. You must have made a real impression on Mrs. Dove-Lyon.”
