Page 40 of Fit for a Duke
Clio sent him an arch look. ‘Is that not the case with all officers?’
Salford offered her a condescending smile and shook his head. ‘You have never been in the theatre of war, Clio, so you cannot possibly know what you are saying. You should not make the error of judging everyone by your father’s standards.’
Furious to be spoken down to, Clio turned towards him with the sweetest of smiles. ‘Are you suggesting that we breed cowards as officers, Captain? Is that your first-hand experience of the theatre you refer to and if so, do you include yourself and the duke in that category?’
Anger flashed through his eyes. ‘Wickham served with distinction and was mentioned in despatches many times,’ he said grudgingly.
‘And you were not?’
‘I had different responsibilities.’
‘Ah, I see. That would probably explain it.’
‘You cannot possibly understand the complexities of war, and no more should you,’ he said stiffly.
‘Naturally I cannot, as I am but a feeble female.’
Clio turned away from him, glad that Mr Adcock had chosen that moment to address a question to her. She was unsure how much longer she could have withstood Salford’s condescending manner before retaliating. She had not, she realised, made any headway in discovering whether or not he was here with the intention of killing the duke. It was clear that he disliked and resented him but that was a far cry from killing such a man—or indeed any man—for profit and revenge.
A fine sleuth she would make, she thought with a wry smile.
When the meal finally came to an end, Clio was one of the first ladies to spring to her feet. She offered the captain perfunctory thanks for his company and left the dining room close on her aunt’s heels.
‘I hope the captain grows upon you with better acquaintance, my dear,’ her aunt remarked. ‘He is an upstanding gentleman, charming and popular, and a favourite of your father’s no less. You could do a lot worse.’
Clio made some non-committal response and wandered to the side of the room, where Adele had saved her a chair. The duchess happened to be seated close to them but sent them both a dismissive look and didn’t attempt to make conversation. Lady Walder approached her, clearly with that intention in mind, but the duchess rudely turned away and pretended not to notice her.
‘At least she shares my view of Lady Walder,’ Clio said in an undertone to Adele.
‘She clearly does not approve of the manner in which Lady Walder dominated the dining room conversation,’ Adele replied. ‘I have not seen her take much notice of her only remaining son since her arrival. She seems totally taken up by the assiduous attentions of Mr Conway. He would drive me demented with his fussing. However, I dare say she is mindful of the matter of succession. Lady Walder is no longer in the first flush of youth and, I understand, did not give her husband any children.’
‘Which may not be her fault, although equally it could well be,’ Clio replied, nodding her understanding. ‘I don’t think her grace has any cause for concern however. I watched the duke and Lady Walder during the course of dinner and the only person at that end of the table who did not appear animated was the duke himself.’
‘He doesn’t seem to like anyone very much. Certainly not Beth.’
‘He would make Beth miserable. The duke needs a wife who will challenge him.’ Clio smiled and squeezed Adele’s hand. ‘However, that is none of our concern. Tell me instead about Lord Fryer. He took you in for the second evening in a row. That honour is difficult to misinterpret. Clearly he has the good sense to be interested in you.’
‘Well…’ Adele blushed. ‘I suppose his attentions are very apparent, but I am not getting my hopes up. He has asked me to save him a dance.’
‘Excellent! I shall not even complain when you leave me to be presented alone.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’
The sound of musicians tuning their instruments in the gallery above diverted their attention. The doors to an adjoining room had been thrown open during the course of dinner and the furniture moved back to make space for the dancing. The sound of male voices and their footsteps echoing off the boarded floor gave notice of the gentlemen’s impending arrival, at which point Clio knew she had lost Adele’s attention.
Keen not to be cornered by the captain again, she stood up and slipped out onto the terrace. It was almost full dark but Clio could still see fairly well, and was familiar with the topography of her aunt’s grounds. She narrowed her gaze when she noticed a flash of red disappearing behind the stables in the direction of the orchard where she and the duke had enjoyed an earlier conversation, closely followed by a man with a military bearing and purposeful stride.
‘The captain and Lady Walder,’ she muttered, bemused. ‘Where the devil are they going?’
Without thinking about the wisdom of her actions she slipped onto the lawns and followed them.
Chapter Eleven
Mark Salford was required to swallow down bile. He curtailed his anger by focusing his mind on the allures of his mistress in order to endure Clio’s scathing looks and pithy retorts during the course of an interminable meal. Damn it, the chit would pay dearly for her impertinence once she had his ring on her finger. She could not possibly be serious in her rejection of him. No female had ever held out indefinitely when he launched a charm campaign. His appeal to the opposite sex was both a blessing and a curse. They were so damned predictable that the game had lost its appeal. But he still enjoyed the thrill of the chase and Clio had restored his appetite for it, as well as infuriating him, since it was clear that she intended to make him grovel.
So be it.
Battle lines had been drawn, and when it came to conflict there was no better strategist than Mark. He had already won Lady Fletcher over by hinting at a lasting attachment to Clio and the silly woman would now do everything in her power to throw him and her niece together. It shouldn’t have been necessary to depend upon her support but Mark had very compelling reasons to stoop to underhand tactics, his pride be damned.
