Page 11 of A Duke's Lustful Portrait
“So everybody keeps telling me,” Arabella muttered to herself.
As the night wore on, Arabella caught sight of the duke only a handful of times. It seemed that he was avoiding her, and she wondered idly whether her father had warned him away.
No doubt.
She pursed her lips unhappily. It was such a strange emotion, like none she’d ever experienced. She wanted to see him again, and at once, she never wanted to see him. She wanted to know him, but she feared it at the same time. He had seemed to think the same when he stood so close to her, the static electricity bouncing between them like fire.
Either way, she knew he could not be her knight, the one she dreamed would rescue her from this life. He couldn’t be when he was such an integral part of it. No, her knight would have nothing to do with something as sordid as the Lord’s Society. The Duke of Ravenswood was a distraction and nothing more.
A pleasing one, though.
The thought came as she spotted him across the room—or the back of him, at least. He had shed his cloak and tailcoat, now walking freely around in his shirt sleeves. It was indeed warm in the room, but the duke had taken to sloughing propriety easier than most did.
Arabella watched, her lips parted and her eyes glued in fascination. Every time he shifted his weight or moved this way or that, she could see the muscles in his buttocks twitching. A hand rose to her neck, her breath shallow, and still she could not stop staring. She knew she shouldn’t, but every part of her called to him.
“Almost finished, I see, Arabella.”
Her father’s sharp voice made her jump, snapping her attention away from the room and back to her place at the easel.
“Yes, Father,” she said. She knew her cheeks had flushed, and she only hoped the room was dark enough that he had not noticed.
“Tell me,” he said. He had crouched down to her seated height and looked out across the room, his head close to hers. “What are you looking at over there that you find quite so fascinating?”
Arabella shifted in her seat, her eyes on her lap, horrified that he had caught her in the midst of her improper thoughts.
“Nothing, Father,” she said quickly. “I was … um, I was sizing up the area for my next painting. I thought it would be nice to try one from a different angle, that’s all.”
“A painting, eh?” He stood up, laughing that cold laugh of his. He looked once more towards the duke, his eyes narrowed. “Very well, Arabella. I shall look forward to seeing the finished product.”
As he walked away, Arabella steeled herself. That was far too close, and she couldn’t allow her father to suspect she even had an inkling of attraction for the duke. She decided there and then to stay away from the Duke of Ravenswood as best she could. She wouldn’t allow him to end up like poor George Heath.
The gong sounded. It was large and gold in colour and loud enough to be heard through the entire house, not merely the ballroom. She looked up, knowing what was coming.
“Can all gentlemen make their way to the drawing room for the pledging ceremony please,” Edward called, his voice almost as loud as the gong. He looked elated at the prospect. “Ladies, you may stay here and entertain yourselves in whatever means you desire.”
Arabella forced herself to remain still as the gentlemen laughed and joked, filing out of the room and towards the drawing room. As a lady, she had never attended a pledging ceremony. She had never had much of a desire to. Today, though, with the Duke of Ravenswood in attendance, it was just too tempting. Once all the men had disappeared, she put down her paintbrush and tiptoed behind them.
Chapter 6
Drawing roomwasn’t how Sebastian would describe the room. When he entered, it was completely different from how he would have expected it to be. Dark red velvet drapes had been hung around the walls, turning the room into a circular space. Around the edge were two rows of chairs, again arranged in a circular formation.
In the centre were four chairs—one for each of the remaining founding members, Sebastian assumed—and a space in front. There was a small table with an ornate, lidded silver jug and a silver chalice. There was nothing else in the room. All signs of normal life had been removed.
Edward Sinclair marched to the centre of the room, a conductor of his own orchestra, and he guided people to their places. As one of the potential new members, Sebastian sat in the front row, directly in front of the founders’ chairs. There were eight potential new members in total, and as he understood it, each founding member got to select one to initiate into the Lord’s Society. Other members sat around and behind them according to rank.
“Welcome, everyone,” Sinclair said once everyone was seated. The four founders had all removed their masks.
He was the ringleader, Sebastian realized. He’d always known Sinclair had a lot of power, but now he could see he held control even among the founder members. He would have to tread carefully, but he suspected many of the people in this room would be pleased to be free of Sinclair’s grasp.
Sebastian would not only be getting revenge for himself and justice for his mother, but he would also be relieving many of the members of the Lord’s Society.
“We’re so glad to have you all here, and we would like to thank all our potential new members for joining us this evening. As you all know, you get one chance and one chance only to join the Lord’s Society.
If you are lucky enough to receive an invitation—as we all have here—you must prove yourself at the first event of the season. If you are not selected by one of the founding members this evening, your change of joining us is over, and you will return to your normal life.”
A wave of a snigger danced around the room, and Sebastian wondered if there was a double meaning to that. Sinclair waited for the tittering to die down before continuing.
“Likewise, you will all know that we can only select one new member each, which means only four of you will be invited to join us this evening. Once the pledging ceremony is complete, you will become a provisional member and be asked to complete a series of tasks in the coming months to prove your loyalty.”
