Page 22 of The Wolf and the Wildflower
She smiled reassuringly at the duchess, even as uncertainty pierced her chest. If the duke only meant to pretend how could Jules guarantee there would be no misstep? “Perhaps with frequent meetings, my father and I will be able to assist the duke in this regard.”
“Surely itcannotbe that simple,” the duchess said, shaking her head. “Allof his elegance of mind and manners have been lost. There must be a deeper, malevolent reason for this!”
“The duke is a gentleman of superior senses and willpower. He is a man to be admired, not feared.”
The duchess appeared fleetingly bereft before she smiled. The transformation was rather breathtaking as the air of anxiety seemed to peel away like a layer of skin.
“It is good you believe my son a gentleman to be admired, Mr. Southby, and I am heartened to hear of the duke’s willingness to marry.”
The skirt of her gown swished over the carpeted floor as she moved to stand before the large bay windows. “I hope for my son a genteel lady who is well-educated and a model of propriety to be his wife. In truth I will accept no less. There must be no scandal attached to her name or her family as she must be the anchor to his precarious place in society. Though she must be virtuous, dignified, and submissive, his duchess should wield enough influence to see that whatever flaws society perceived will be overlooked. Nothing less will be accepted,” the duchess crisply said. “Do keep those points in mind as you guide him, Dr. Southby.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” her father said. “Most assuredly.”
The duchess nodded regally. “Dr. Southby and Mr. Southby, remain my guests for as long as needed. I will also send the invitation for a small house party immediately.”
Her father frowned. “A house party?”
“Yes, Dr. Southby. Invitations were already made, inviting seven of thehaut ton’smost eligible families with their daughters for a week here. A ball will be held at the end, and many lawn games will be organized. This will aid in Wulverton’s foray into London and hopefully prepare for the larger ball there.”
“I was not aware house parties were held at the beginning of the season,” Jules murmured.
The duchess was certainly pushing too hard; however, the inherent strength Jules had just spied in the duke informed her that he was not easily breakable or changeable. Yet that could be a faulty assumption it was best not to rely on until she learned more about his character.
The duchess’s expression grew reserved. “It will be a simple gathering for a few days. I am the Duchess of Wulverton. Many will clamor to attend, but I will only be inviting those worthy to align with my son. I will not have him tossed to those circling sharks in town but allow him to become acquainted with a few ladies here, and then Wulverton can continue his courtship in town. A brilliant set up, if I might say so.”
“It is, Your Grace,” her father said with a respectful bow.
When the door had closed on the duchess’s retreating form, her father ambled closer to Jules.
“Are you well? You seem out of sorts.”
“Do I?” Jules said with a deliberately dismissive air, quickly drawing on her mantle of professionalism.
She gave her father a concise report of what happened, carefully omitting matters about her disguise. “The sense of smell is our most primitive sense, yet the duke’s own is extraordinarily developed. He is amostinteresting specimen.”
A frown pleated his brow. “Is that all you think? That the duke is interesting?”
For an infinitesimal moment, Jules’s breath quickened along with her pulse. “Whatever do you mean, Father?”
An unusual smile touched his mouth. “I have never before seen you so animated about anything.”
“Papa, he isextraordinary!” Jules said with a laugh.
“Oh?”
“The duke is able to distinguish the biological predisposition between a man and a woman in terms of their natural scent. Think what this means, Papa. To have honed his sense of smell in such a superior manner must have been daunting. Can you imagine what environment His Grace must have endured for it to sharpen so? He would have at least been deprived of sight for a very long time.”
Her father stared at her, and Jules’s pulse tapped a brisk tattoo as the implications of her words sank in.Please do not ask, Papa, she silently pleaded. Though she could quickly provide an arbitrary explanation of how the duke had come to reveal knowing the difference between the scent of a woman versus a man, she did not want to lie. Her heart felt laden as she waited for her father’s question.
“Do you truly not think the duke feral?”
The tension unknotted. “There is nothing feral I could see. The duke is cold and calculating and…intelligent,” she murmured. “But he isnotsenseless. I am certain you will form a similar opinion.”
“He could be pretending.”
The thought astonished Jules. “If he is…that would suggest a capacity for deception that is rather alarming and even proves more his sanity is quite intact.”
Her father nodded thoughtfully. “The duke seemed rather taken with you. The duchess mentioned it was a great irregularity that he wished to speak alone with you and did so for a few minutes. She was equally perturbed and elated at this development.”
