Page 10 of How to Seduce a Duke this Autumn
“What dreary nonsense,” Charlene declared, casting a glance toward her friends. “Does virtue truly abandon a woman the moment she dons a mask? Or is this merely the invention of someone who never once experienced an afternoon worth writing about?”
“It is not dreary,” Maddie said in her usual tone of soft reproach, crossing her hands tightly in her lap. She sat with her back straight enough to make her governess proud, an untouched teacup balanced delicately near her elbow. “It is a warning.”
Ashley laughed, leaning back against the settee’s arm with the languid grace only the very content or completely shameless possessed. “Or perhaps an invitation to court romance? But for whom, one wonders? The scandal-seekers who haunt balls like carrion crows must be quite pleased with such advice. It frees up all the proper young misses to stay home and read dreary little books, exactly like this one.”
Maddie’s brow furrowed, and she looked as though she might protest. Charlene, however, grinned. “If this is what propriety requires of us, then I fear I am lost.”
“You fear it now?” Maddie said swiftly, wearing such an expression of heartfelt exasperation that Charlene stifled a laugh.
“Completely irredeemable, I’m afraid.” Charlene stood, brushing invisible creases from the folds of her breeches which she used for gardening. “And that is precisely why I will be attending the Bennett ball this Saturday evening.”
“Unmasked, of course,” Maddie said firmly, though her fingers twitched nervously closer to the edge of her teacup.
“Masked, naturally,” Charlene replied with mock innocence. “If one is to be irredeemable, one ought to enjoy it thoroughly.”
“Charlene!”
“It’s not as though I’m planning to abscond with a scandalous rake,” Charlene said quickly. “Which I think we can all agree would be the far greater sin.” She turned to Ashley then, her curiosity piqued. “Unless, of course, that might be required for true romance?”
Ashley’s laugh, rich and full of conspiratorial delight, filled the room. “Romance,” she repeated, holding Maddie’s horrified gaze with amusement. “My dear Charlene, romance requires risk. And if there is no rake to abscond with, you might still manage to shock someone enough that they think you did. Which is nearly as good.”
Maddie buried her face in her hands, muttering something about the fate of her friends being entirely out of her hands. Charlene, however, felt the smallest thrill run through her as she smiled at Ashley in quiet agreement. Masks, after all, were designed to hide what one most feared revealing. What, then, could be more alluring—for the terrified and the fearless alike?
“I want to find a man.”A good one. An orchid, not just a fern. Or someone who can be both.
Crickets met Lady Charlene Fielding’s declaration, and she chuckled, glancing over her shoulder at friends, Ashley and Maddie, who both sat at the central table beneath a canopy of vines that Charlene had strung with lanterns. On the aged wooden surface lay glossy sketches on fine ivory plates—Ashley’s wedding dress designs.
So, what if she wanted a man? It wasn’t an uncommon request.
Why was her statement that shocking?
The scent of orange blossoms blended with the earthy humidity that clung to Charlene’s cheeks. An array of orchids settled in her hands with the hope to bloom in time for Ashley’s wedding. Outside the grand panels of glass, late summer leaves rustled violently in the gusting wind, their golden hues whispering the arrival of autumn. Inside was a sanctuary of plants, the air alive with the perfume of orchids in full bloom.
Charlene knelt by a workbench in her worn breeches and carefully worked to pot a type of orchid—a rare Cymbidium she had nurtured for months.
“So, you want to find a man?” Maddie slowly. “May I ask, what for?”
Ashley burst out laughing.
Charlene scoffed. “What could it be possible for? To fall in love with!”
“You don’t just find a man to fall in love with, Char,” Ashley said. “Love finds you.”
“Please,” Charlene said. “Did you find your man first and then fell in love?”
“That’s a different story,” Ashley said. “But I’m pleased as punch that you are ready to find a man. Though, I shall advise to steal a kiss from him first when you do. Kisses say a lot about a man.”
“What sort of advice is that?” Maddie said with a frown. “Don’t listen to her unless you want to stir up a scandal instead of a betrothal. Those two rarely mix, Char.”
Honestly, at this point, Charlene didn’t mind as much. She stood after potting the orchid, dusting off her hands on her pants.
“You’ll ruin your hands and nails if you keep doing that alone,” Ashley remarked. “How will you seduce a man then?”
Charlene glanced at her smudged fingers and smiled wryly. “With gloves.”
Maddie chuckled. “Tell her, Char. Besides, a little dirt has never ruined anyone. Just look at you, Ashley.”
“Are you calling my courtship dirty?” Ashley scoffed.
