Page 2 of Fit for a Duke
‘I do, but I am settled here now, and your mama is very gracious to put up with me.’
‘We are cousins and you have saved my sanity, so it is I who should be grateful to you.’ Adele flipped through the pages of Beth’s discarded copy ofLa Belle Assembleeand, shaking her head, threw it aside again with an impatient sigh. Clio knew that like her, her cousin would prefer to immerse herself in the political pages of the day’s newspaper but would be scolded by her mama if she was caught following current affairs. ‘We shall watch the duke being charmed by Beth’s lack of guile and amuse ourselves as we observe all the disappointed misses who had planned to beat her to the spoils.’
‘I feel almost sorry for the poor man,’ Clio said, shuddering.
‘Save your sympathy, my dear. I dare say he is perfectly capable of defending himself against the wiles of a few silly females. Besides, I gather his manners are not all that they could be. I have heard that he delivered Lady Marlow the cut direct in the street just last week.’
Clio raised a brow. ‘Taking gossip at face value. That isn’t like you.’
Adele smiled. ‘True, but I dislike Lady Marlow intensely and I so desperatelywantit to be true. She is rude and forthrightandshe has a daughter the same age as Beth to marry off. Of course, she could have been married long since. I hear she has rejected several eligible offers, or more likely her mama has not permitted her to accept them because she is holding out for someone higher.’
‘The duke, one assumes. I have heard Beth remark often enough that he is beyond compare in terms of eligible gentlemen and we both know that she is an authority on the subject of eligibility.’
‘Precisely. Mama has invited Lady Marlow and the insipid Lady Cora to the party, goodness knows why. I suspect that Lady Marlow subtly petitioned for an invitation, and she is so influential within thetonthat only a man of the duke’s ilk would dare to defy her.’ Adele chuckled. ‘I hope you shall not mind the sight of blood being spilledifBeth beats Lady Cora to the spoils.’
‘You have just given me a good reason to wish Beth well in that endeavour, even if he is curmudgeonly. And if she does succeed then your own future will be assured and you will not have to submit yourself to this rigmarole when you come out next year.’
‘We come out together!’ Adele protested. ‘We agreed on that point most specifically, and I shall not release you from your promise. I cannot survive the process without you. Together we can laugh at the absurdities. Alone, I would likely give offence and say something outrageous that would displease Mama. I cannot take society seriously, but you know as well as I that the prospect of launching Beth and me has kept Mama going since our father died at Waterloo. I cannot deprive her of that pleasure.’
Clio’s expression sobered. ‘Yes, I do know that, which is why you and I should do all we can to promote the match between Beth and the duke, however disagreeable we might find him. If your mama has the pleasure of seeing her elder daughter become a duchess, then she will not mind quite so much what you do.’
‘We can but hope,’ Adele said without much optimism.
Ezra Delaney, the Duke of Wickham, whose acceptance of Lady Fletcher’s invitation had created so much speculation, yawned behind his hand as he dismounted from Pharaoh, a lively black stallion and recent acquisition with whom he was enjoying an equally lively battle of wills. An early morning mist enshrouded Hyde Park, making it hard for Ezra to discern the presence of the gentlemen awaiting them there and spooking Pharaoh, who pranced sideways and snorted as Ezra tied his reins to a low branch.
‘It’s only a little fog,’ he chided. ‘Don’t be so dramatic.’
‘That beast will be the death of you yet,’ his friend Henry Fryer predicted.
‘It is not me who should be contemplating an early demise,’ Ezra replied. ‘Are you absolutely sure about this fiasco?’
‘No choice in the matter,’ Henry replied cheerfully. ‘Carstairs called me out and a gentleman cannot ignore a thrown gauntlet. It simply isn’t done. Anyway, I want to prove my undying love for Miss Hardwick.’
The irony of that statement wasn’t lost on Ezra, who shivered. ‘Unless you die first,’ he pointed out. ‘Besides, she won’t know that you two idiots are fighting for her favours.’
‘Of course she will have heard. You are out of touch. Anything as salacious as a duel can never remain secret.’
‘Whether she knows or not is beside the point. Carstairs is a crack shot by all accounts.’
Henry straightened his shoulders. ‘I am not too shabby myself.’
‘Which is why this entire affair is so ridiculous, to say nothing of unlawful.’
‘Look on the bright side, Ezra. If we get arrested then you will have a perfect excuse not to attend the house party you haven’t stopped complaining about. I still have no idea why you find parties so objectionable.’
‘It’s not the party that I mind.’
‘Yes, sorry, I keep forgetting how eligible you’re supposed to be.’
Ezra laughed in spite of himself. ‘I wish I could forget it.’
‘Never mind. There are some attractive chits amongst this year’s debutantes. Beth Fletcher is a case in point. You could do a lot worse. I am sure that having her warming your bed as you beget a nursery full of heirs will be no great hardship.’
‘Don’t you ever take anything seriously?’
‘Not if I can possibly help it. You seem convinced that I am about to meet my maker, so there’s not a lot of point in fretting about it.’
Ezra shook his head, well aware that he had been bested by his friend’s irrepressible good humour. He extended a hand to those who awaited them as they reached the appointed spot.
