Page 37 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
She gaped at the man, her eyes sweeping over him. He was impressively tall, about the same height as the imposter. He also had brown, wavy hair, a shade lighter than the man who had claimed to be him. But whereas the imposter’s eyes were brown, this man’s were hazel, an almost perfect mixture of green and brown. And they were staring at her expectantly.
He is handsome, she thought.Very handsome. But not nearly as handsome, as the man that claimed to be him.
“Could I ask you for a dance?” he asked, holding up his arm towards her.
Ara gasped. The last thing that she wanted to do was dance, and especially not withthisparticular man. It seemed to be rubbing salt into a very open wound, indeed.
But Ruth was nudging her gently, and the man kept gazing at her. She could see that others around them were staring at them. She couldn’t make a scene.
She forced a smile onto her face. “Of course, Your Grace.” She placed her hand on his arm, and he swept her out onto the floor.
Ara didn’t know how she was going to remember the dance steps at all. But soon, the music started up again, and she was moving, automatically going through the motions.
The Duke gazed at her. “Miss Nott. There is a reason I have asked you to dance.” He paused. “I needed to talk to you…”
Ara stared at him. “Your Grace?”
He sighed deeply, taking her arm and moving her around the floor. “I know that you were not expecting to see me here, tonight.” He paused. “That is, that you were expecting a different man to be standing in my place.”
Ara gasped. “You know? You know about the imposter who came to our house, and claimed to be you?”
The Duke nodded grimly. “I do, Miss Nott.” He gazed at her steadily. “That man is my younger brother, Lord Miles Comerford, and I must tell you he never wanted to hurt you, in any way…”
“I do not understand,” stammered Ara, her heart beating fast. “Why did he pretend to be you?”
The Duke sighed. “It was a wager between us, Miss Nott. He was to pretend to be me until this ball, and see if he could entrance any young ladies through the title alone.” He paused. “If he did, he won. If he didn’t, then I did. I see now it was a silly bet, but we meant no harm in it…”
Ara stiffened, gazing at him sharply. “You meant no harm? How could either of you think that you would not cause harm, in deceiving a young lady in such a manner?”
“I am terribly sorry you were hurt,” said the Duke slowly. “My brother is a considerate man who would never intentionally hurt anyone, Miss Nott.” He paused. “He feels awful about the situation. It is the reason that he decided to absent himself tonight, so that he would not embarrass you any further…”
Ara felt tears sting behind her eyes again. She simply could not believe this. The real Duke of Lancaster had been in on it the whole time. He had approved the fact that his younger brother was going about London, pretending to be him. All for the cold blooded purpose of seducing young ladies with the lure of a prestigious title, to win money.
If she had felt a fool before, she felt a bigger one now.
“Your brother lacks courage,” she hissed at him. “If he had been a decent man, he would have told me of this silly bet. But no, he skulks away, when he knows that I will finally catch him out in the lie. He does not sound like a man worthy of consideration at all.”
The Duke sighed deeply. “I understand your hurt, Miss Nott. It was unforgiveable, and Miles should have told you. But I am as much to blame as he is, and I hope that you will accept my apology on behalf of both me and my brother.”
Ara stared at him. She was so upset and angry she just didn’t know how to contain it any more.
“If you will excuse me,” she said. “I feel that I cannot dance anymore…”
She fled the dance floor, almost running through the dancers in her desire to escape. She could feel the tears that had been threatening ever since she had walked in here about to fall, and she needed to find a private place before that happened.
She knew that people were staring at her as she fled the assembly, jostling people in her haste to escape the crowd. She knew that her mother would have a pink fit if she saw her, so obviously emotional, in such society. But she could not contain it a second longer.
The bitter disappointment in herself at being duped, by a stupid prank, was sour indeed. And she was so angry at the Duke and his brother for what they had done, that she knew if she had stayed on that dance floor she would have said something her mother would never forgive her for.
She stopped, gulping air, looking around a little desperately. The private alcove that her mother had led her to after the shocking discovery that they had been duped was now occupied.
She fought back her anger, not just at the Duke and his brother, but at her mother, for insisting that they stay here, when she knew that Ara was so upset. For a brief moment she thought about finding her, and telling her that they must leave immediately. She craned her neck, searching for her, but to no avail. Her mother could be anywhere.
Suddenly, she saw two large French doors, opening to an expansive courtyard. She glimpsed a large water fountain in the centre, and many paths zigzagging away from it. There were trees, their branches interlacing above the paths, providing cover, but also privacy.
She let out a silent sigh of relief, making her way toward it. As soon as she stepped through the doors, the cool air of the night enveloped her. She took a deep breath, walking beyond the water fountain. She chose a path randomly. There were lanterns, placed haphazardly, illuminating the way.
In the distance, she saw a man and a woman meandering along an adjacent path, but she ignored them. It was as private as she could get in such a crowd, and she was thankful for it.
