Page 50 of The Scarlet Lady's Duke of Desire
Before Melody could respond, Petunia insisted, “Oh, and you must come to the ball! Now that you are already spoken for, you must come with me as my escort. You must help me find myself a husband before it is too late!”
“Too late? Petunia, you are still quite young.”
“Yes, but I always imagined that I should marry before you as I am six months older,” Petunia stated, straightening up. “I had always hoped that were I not to marry we would be spinsters together but look how things have turned out! If I do not find myself a husband soon then I shall be alone forever.”
“You shall always have me,” Melody declared, squeezing her friend’s fingers. A part of her wanted to tell her friend about Mr Colton and all that the duke had accused but she couldn’t bring herself to do so, not before she had decided what it was that she was going to do to fix the matter.
“And that is all very well,” Petunia said. She reached up and stroked Melody’s cheek in such a loving manner that it warmed her heart. “But I shall also need a husband now that you have found yourself one. Be that the duke or someone else at the ball, I am not getting any younger.”
Though Melody’s heart was heavy with all that she had learned that day, she could not help but laugh at her friend’s words. It would be a long time before Petunia was considered old. She was far too young and beautiful to be worrying over such things.
“I am certain that the duke would be a lucky man to have you for a wife,” Melody said through gritted teeth, hoping to at least give her friend a little reassurance. Though the woman always acted quite confident, Melody knew her well enough to know that she too feared for what her future might hold. It was the way of all young women in their position she supposed.
“Of course, I shall escort you to the ball, if I am able.”
“Why should you not be?”
Melody responded through a clenched jaw, “I have a great many things to arrange.”And arrangements to break.
But most of all, Melody knew that overcoming her feelings towards the duke would be the very thing that might keep her from such a ball. How was she supposed to stand on the edge of a dancefloor and watch him dance with every woman of thetonknowing that any one of them could be his wife by the end of the year?
“Oh, we shall have such a wonderful time!” Petunia assured her, hugging Melody with gratitude. “I was terrified I would have to attend alone and risk missing my opportunity.”
“I would never allow that to happen,” Melody said, though it pained her.
Again, she reminded herself that just because the duke had not forced himself upon her cousin did not mean that he had any feelings towards Melody. Not like she had towards him.I shall be content to be alone.At least then she would not have to suffer the agony of being married to a man who only saw her as a means to an end; whether that be Mr Colton or the duke made no difference to her. They had both tried to use her in their games. And she had had quite enough of being a man’s plaything.
Chapter 27
James had known he would regret attending the ball that his aunt was hosting but he hadn't quite known just how badly until he was actually standing there.
At the edge of the dancefloor, he found himself bombarded by young ladies and their mothers, all flitting about him like awkward butterflies, every one of them trying to make themselves the centre of his attention.
And one by one, his aunt introduced them. Some he had met before and recognised as women he would most definitely not bother to even consider a courtship with. Others he thought he might have met before but clearly had not bothered to remember overly well. There were also several with him he had never met and would likely wish never to meet again.
But his aunt went through the list diligently without missing out a single woman within the party save for those already married, and of those there were very few.
"What is your thinking?" Lady Fyling asked when the crowd around him finally died back a little. "A truly handsome bunch, are they not?"
The pride upon his aunt's face suggested she was overjoyed at the effort she had put into bringing so many women together for him to choose from.
"Fine women indeed, aunt," James assured her, looking straight ahead so that she would not see the irritation in his gaze. He had asked for this, he knew, and yet it made it no easier. Not when there was only truly one face that he wished to see amongst the crowd.
"Lady Brianna Sterling would make a fine match," Lady Fyling stated, gesturing to a petite, mousy young woman he had met fairly recently. "Though her father is quite eccentric, and I imagine he shall cause a fuss over the dowry."
James scoffed. Any smart man would be fussy over the large sum of money he intended to use to buy his daughter a good marriage. In truth, he found the entire thing ludicrous. He had no need of more wealth, and his title could not be bought, at least where he was concerned. His aunt on the other hand was most decidedly looking at the ladies with the most wealth and the highest of reputations.
There is one I would happily marry for nothing,he realised, even as he saw all the women decorated in their most precious jewels and wrapped in the finest silks.
It was a hard thought to stomach considering how her father had reacted to his warning. He had yet to hear anything about Miss Thornton's wedding, though he prayed her father would eventually come to her senses.
James merely nodded with a small grunt when he realised his aunt was awaiting a response. After some deliberation on whether to properly engage, he added, "Who else is at the top of your list?"
Lady Fyling did not need to be told twice to jump on the opportunity. "Either of the Beecham daughters would make a fine match though the youngest is certainly the fairer and would produce handsome heirs for your grace."
James was barely listening as his aunt continued to reel off several other women, all daughters of noblemen and gentlemen with vast wealth and title. All were the daughters of families who were all connected to each other in some way. Several of them even being cousins, and all from the same bloodline.
Then came his aunt's final suggestion. "There is still the option of Lady Florence."
