Page 15 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
“Please, do not leave on our account,“ Lady Blackford said though it was clear from the tone of her voice that that was exactly what she wanted them to do.
“What Lady Blackford means to say is, don’t let us keep you,“ Lord Worthing put in, and Melody thought him far less handsome than she had at first believed him to be.
Petunia looked horrified and for a second Melody felt similarly, terrified that her friend was going to say something scolding towards them both.
Before she could try to stop such a thing from happening, the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her made Melody's skin crawl. The last thing she needed right now was for someone else to come and get involved in this thinly veiled confrontation.
Yet one glance in Lady Blackford's direction left Melody more than a little intrigued as to who might be behind her. The woman looked positively gobsmacked.
“Forgive me, I did not mean to interrupt but…”
The sound of that voice caused Melody to whip around so fast that her arm broke free of her mother's grip.
“Your Grace!” she exclaimed, entirely unprepared to see the duke standing behind her. She was so shocked in fact that she found herself stumbling towards him. And if it had not been for the way he reached out to grip hold of her forearms, she might well have taken a tumble.
“Miss Thornton, it is a pleasure to see you again,” he told her even as she steadied herself, bracing against his arms, and turned her gaze up to his. Those dark chocolate brown eyes of his gazed intently into hers and made her heart skip a beat.
“I…I…it is a pleasure to see you too, Your Grace.”
Suddenly, remembering herself, Melody removed herself from his grip and dropped into a curtsey.
“Mrs Thornton, I can only presume, with such a family resemblance,” the duke said, and Melody looked up to find him smiling at her mother.
“Yes, you are correct, Your Grace,” her mother said, curtseying also. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” the duke responded, and it was only then that he turned to greet Lord Worthing, Lady Blackford, and Petunia.
One glance in their direction told Melody that Lord Worthing and Lady Blackford felt entirely snubbed at his lack of greeting them first. And their angry expressions continued when the duke seemed entirely too eager to offer his attention to Melody and her mother.
Stop causing trouble!Melody thought, wishing that she could yell the words at him. She did not wish to be a pawn in his game, whatever game he was playing. And yet, when she felt his eyes upon her, her heart beat faster and her skin tingled as though he were touching her all over.
She told herself that it was simply because she was not used to the attention of a man but in truth it was likely down to it beingthisman. He wasn't the first to have ever spoken to or danced with her and yet he may as well have been with the way he made her feel.
“I do hope that you are enjoying the lovely weather,” the duke said, looking between Melody and her mother as though the others did not interest him in the slightest. It was only the flicker of a glance in Lady Blackford's direction that told Melody he was indeed trying to cause trouble, knowing that the mama of the group would be the most likely to go spreading gossip once he was gone.
“Actually, Your Grace, my daughter and I were just considering leaving,” Melody's mother explained, and Melody's stomach clenched painfully.
Though she had been eager to leave before, she was far less so now.
“Oh no, what a shame!” Lady Blackford put in, as though she was desperate to somehow be included in a conversation with one of the most eligible bachelors in London. Melody almost felt sorry for the poor marquess standing beside her. He had clearly been forgotten in favour of the duke, no longer having the full attention of Lady Blackford and her daughter.
“Indeed,” the duke agreed, shooting Lady Blackford only a glance before he turned to Melody's mother and added, “Mrs Thornton, I was rather hoping I might escort you and your daughter for a turn about the lake.”
There were three sharp inhales behind Melody though it was clear that only one of them was a gasp of excitement coming from her best friend. The other two were the sounds of shock and horror coming from Lady Blackford and Lord Worthing.
More than ever, Melody was certain that the duke had come just to cause trouble. And yet, seeing the way her mother's entire demeanour relaxed in his presence, Melody was overjoyed and grateful to him. For perhaps the first time in her life, she too felt at ease in the presence of the other members of theton.
It was almost as though nobody could touch them or gossip about them when in his presence. And for just a second, Melody felt as though she could actually breathe.
Knowing she could not rightly decline an invitation from the duke, Melody accepted readily. And it was only as she slipped her hand into the crook of his arm that she noticed a certain pair of eyes watching them from some distance away.
Like the faces of Lady Blackford and Lord Worthing, Lady Florence's face was filled with disgust as the duke offered his free arm to Melody's mother with a charming smile. In fact, the envy upon her face had turned her quite green and it reminded Melody once more that she was now in the presence of one of the most eligible bachelors in London.
Chapter 7
James was more than happy to walk with Miss Thornton. Not least of all because she was beautiful with her golden red hair, her storm grey eyes and her creamy freckled skin, but also because she spoke so easily about the things that interested her. Things like the nature all around them seemed to intrigue her in a way that he admired.
As they walked it became quite clear she was not talking about nature because she thought it might make her look interesting, or intelligent, or any other quality that other women might rely upon to attract themselves the 'perfect match'. She simply enjoyed what she was talking about.
