Dancing with the Duke (3 page)

Giving up, Alex folded the paper and placed
it beside his plate.

“About what?” he asked as he reached again
for his cup.

“About whom I’m going to marry, of
course.”

He narrowly avoided choking on the coffee.
“You’ve already received offers of marriage?”

She laughed. “Of course not. It’s still early
in the Season.”

Charlotte’s response gave him pause, and he
wondered why he felt out of step in her presence. It couldn’t have
been her beauty, for she was hardly the first beautiful woman he
knew. It must be the fact that he still found it so hard to believe
this was the same girl he’d once known.

“If you’ve received no offers,” he asked,
“then how have you come to a decision?”

She took another bite of her toast, and he
found himself watching the movement of her mouth far too
closely.

She waved the toast airily. “I have decided
who I will encourage, of course. I am confident that with enough
attention I can bring this person to propose to me.”

Alex could very well believe that. And to
think he’d once deemed Charlotte Grant to be without charm. He’d
watched her work her magic on other dazzled men that night at
Almack’s… had even been momentarily struck off balance by it
himself.

He was almost afraid to ask the next
question. “And who have you decided on?”

“Lord Haversham. He is a little older than
me… almost as old as you. But he seems to like me well enough,
don’t you think? He’s also very attractive. I believe we’d have
lovely children together.”

He was stunned by her announcement.
Haversham? Not if he had any say in the matter, and he very much
intended to. It occurred to him, however, that he would have to be
careful with his response. He’d heard enough from his sister over
the years to know Charlotte could be very stubborn. If he tried to
forbid her to encourage Haversham, she’d likely do the exact
opposite.

Feigning a casualness he was far from
feeling, he picked up his paper again and unfolded it. “I’m sure
Haversham would make a very good husband for you,” he said, staring
blindly at the articles on the front page. He waited a beat before
adding, “I’m sure you won’t mind having a small wedding.”

There was a brief hesitation. “I hadn’t given
thought to my future wedding.”

“Good. So you won’t have built up your
expectations.”

He suppressed his smile of satisfaction when
she took the newspaper from him, and raised a brow in question.

She sighed. “Clearly, you have something you
want to tell me.”

“Me? Of course not. I would never presume to
tell you what to do.”

Two small lines appeared between her eyes
when she frowned. “It’s obvious you know something I do not.”

He brought a forkful of his eggs to his mouth
and finished chewing, taking his time, before replying. He was
heartened when Charlotte crossed her arms, not bothering to hide
her annoyance at being kept waiting. Good. Why should he be the
only one uncomfortable with this whole absurd situation?

“Lord Haversham is currently experiencing a
slight problem with his finances. It would seem that he likes to
play cards a little too much. Unfortunately, they do not appear to
like him.”

“Oh,” she said, her annoyance deflating.

“Quite. But I am sure the two of you will get
along very well despite your reduced circumstances.”

The look she aimed at him was filled with
suspicion. “He does not appear to be living in the manner of one
who does not have much money.”

He shrugged. “Shopkeepers are very willing to
extend credit to those they feel can afford it. When word spreads,
I am sure you will find the situation much changed. Unless, of
course, you two are married by then. I am sure your dowry will keep
you afloat for a little while. Until he spends it all, at any
rate.”

She was silent for several long moments,
taking in the import of this recent piece of news. “If you’ll
excuse me, Alex. I find that I am no longer hungry.”

He watched her leave, satisfied with his work
that morning.

* * *

Charlotte hesitated only briefly outside her
friend’s bedroom but decided she really couldn’t wait until Lucy
woke on her own. She was losing hope and needed to talk to her. She
rapped lightly on the door and let herself in. As she figured, Lucy
hadn’t moved. She crossed the room and shook her shoulder
lightly.

“Lucy, wake up. I need to speak with
you.”

It took another shake before Lucy woke, her
expression one of confusion as she blinked her eyes open in the dim
room.

“Charlotte? Why are you here? Did I
oversleep?”

“No, it’s only eight o’clock.”

Lucy groaned and threw an arm over her eyes.
“In the morning? What on earth are you doing here?”

Charlotte waited while her friend heaved a
heavy sigh and sat up. She felt a twinge of guilt as watched Lucy
rub her eyes.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but I need to speak
with you.” She fell back on the bed, all her hard-won bravado
slipping away from her in a rush. “I’m thinking of giving up and
going home. I know Robert Turner wants to court me, and he really
isn’t too bad. I should get to know him. Give him a chance.”

Lucy looked at her as though she had grown
horns. “What’s brought this on? I thought things were going well
between you and Alex.”

Charlotte laughed, the sound filled with
bitterness. “Well? He has avoided me since that first night at
Almack’s. And just now he wished me well on my upcoming
marriage.”

“You spoke to him today? And what upcoming
marriage?”

Charlotte grimaced and told Lucy about her
disastrous breakfast with her brother.

“He really doesn’t care. He showed not the
faintest sign of jealousy when I told him about trying to gain Lord
Haversham’s affections. After the waltz that first night… I must
have fantasized his bad humor that night was due to jealousy. In
all likelihood, he was annoyed at me for having to tolerate my
company. This whole scheme is pointless. I should leave now while I
still have my dignity.”

Lucy shook her head. “I don’t believe Alex is
immune to you.”

Charlotte gazed at her levelly. “You’re only
saying that because you don’t want to see the truth.”

Lucy wrinkled her nose. “I am very good at
reading Alex.”

Charlotte looked away. “Well, even if there
is a chance he isn’t indifferent to me, he’s shown no sign he wants
to get to know me better, never mind actually start courting
me.”

Lucy reached out to pat her hand. “Trust me,
Charlotte. My brother is as stubborn as they come, and he has a
great aversion to all things having to do with the Season. He’s a
duke, after all, and you wouldn’t believe some of the things women
have done to gain his attention. He isn’t avoiding you. He’s
avoiding the idea of marriage in general.”

“You’re not making me feel any more
hopeful.”

Lucy tugged on her hand. Charlotte conceded
and allowed her friend to pull her into a seating position. Lucy
locked her gaze onto Charlotte’s.

“Promise me, Charlotte, that you will not
give up. Not just yet. We all stand to win with this. You will have
the man you’ve loved for as long as I’ve known you, Alex will have
someone who is far too good for him, and I will have you as a
sister. Finally.”

Charlotte couldn’t refuse. Or more
accurately, she didn’t want to refuse. More than anything, she
wanted Lucy to be right. She wanted Alex more than she could say.
She’d been right to wake Lucy, knowing she would talk her out of
any rash action.

“I promise,” she said.

Lucy smiled. “Good. Now, off with you. I have
some more sleeping to catch up on. I will seek Alex out later.
Don’t worry,” she said when she saw her concern, “I will be subtle.
I’ll casually bump into him. We do live in the same house, after
all, and he can’t hide forever. When he comes out of his study,
I’ll drop a few comments about how wonderful Lord Haversham is and
how well suited he is for you. I’m sure we’ll be able to spark that
jealousy again. The only thing you need to worry about right now is
making sure you look your absolute best tonight.”

Charlotte examined herself critically in her dressing table mirror
as her maid added the final touches to her hair. She knew the
hairstyle was becoming. Her hair was piled high in a seemingly
artless array of auburn curls, a few of which tumbled from the mass
to curl around her face.

Satisfied with the result, she dismissed her
maid and reached for her face powder. It had become a habit to add
a thick layer to her face to camouflage the hated freckles on her
nose and cheeks. Tonight, however, she stilled, the small jar
resting heavy in her hand, as she reconsidered the habit. Slowly,
not sure she was making the correct choice, she placed the jar back
on the dressing table and gazed, again, at her reflection.

Alex had commented on her freckles that first
evening, and since then she’d caught him looking at her nose. Was
it possible he liked them? She scrunched her nose in disgust and
almost changed her mind. Before she could do so, she stood and left
the room.

She rapped on her friend’s door and opened it
when Lucy bade her enter.

“You look beautiful,” Lucy exclaimed when she
saw her. “I am so jealous of your hair.”

Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. “My
hair is the bane of my existence.”

“It makes you stand out. Heads turn when you
enter a room.”

Charlotte refrained from pointing out that
everyone turned to gawk at the too-tall woman with the
unfashionably bright hair. She refused to allow doubt to hold her
back. It was time for her to don her self-assured persona, and she
would not be convincing if she allowed herself to dwell on her
flaws.

Lucy tilted her head to one side and examined
her closely. Charlotte held her breath.

“You didn’t cover your freckles.”

She shrugged. “They are a part of me. Why
hide them?”

Even with Lucy, she was embarrassed to share
her suspicion that Alex found them attractive. Of course, if Alex
was hiding in his study or had gone out to his club, as he normally
did, he would never have a chance to see them.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“You go downstairs,” Lucy said. “Alex is
still home, and there’s a chance you may run into him. Alex needs
to see you tonight, and it would be better if you were alone when
he does.”

“Perhaps I should barge into his study.”
Charlotte didn’t bother to hide her annoyance with Lucy’s
brother.

Lucy grasped her hands and have them a slight
squeeze. “Alex told Mama this afternoon that he would escort us
tonight.”

Charlotte’s stomach did a funny little flip
as the import of that revelation sunk in. “Do you think…?”

Lucy nodded, her own curls bobbing with the
movement. “I do believe my dear brother may be worried about Lord
Haversham.”

The very last thing Charlotte needed was to
have her hopes raised, only find them dashed again at Alex’s feet.
But despite her resolve not to see romantic interest where none
existed, she couldn’t contain the bubble of anticipation that
expanded within her as she descended the stairs. When she turned
into the drawing room, she found Alex was alone in the room. He
stood before the fireplace, looking down into the flames, with his
hands clasped behind his back. And he was clad in black evening
clothes. She paused in the doorway, her heart turning over as she
took in his straight posture and broad shoulders. He was turned
away from her, but she could see one side of his face. She ached to
reach out and smooth her hand along his tense jaw.

“Good evening, Alex,” she said after several
seconds had passed.

He turned at the sound of her voice. His eyes
moved down her body before returning to her face. She didn’t miss
the flare of appreciation in them.

“You look lovely this evening, Charlotte. But
then, you usually do.”

The compliment pleased her, and it took great
effort on her part not to show it.

“Your mother and Lucy should be down
shortly.” She paused briefly before asking, “Is it true you’ll be
attending the ball this evening?”

He shrugged, the movement casual. “It seems
everyone will be there tonight. There is little point in going to
the club when all my friends will be elsewhere.”

Somehow she kept her disappointment from
showing.

“Is that the only reason you’re
attending?”

He hesitated a moment before admitting, “I
was thinking about what we discussed this morning.”

“You were?”

“All this talk of marriage had me thinking
that I can’t put off the inevitable forever. I was thinking…”

He moved a step closer to her.

“Yes?” she prodded, her voice the merest hint
of a whisper.

“Perhaps we can look out for one
another.”

His words confused her. “Look out for one
another?”

“Yes. I can help you choose between the men
who show interest in you. There are things I may know, or be able
to discover about them that you wouldn’t learn until it was too
late. And in return, you can do the same for me. Let me know if you
think I am encouraging the wrong woman.”

Her heart sank. Along with her faint hope,
she temporarily lost the ability to speak.

“Oh, don’t fear that I’m likely to rush into
anything,” he continued, misreading her silence. “I won’t be making
any rash decisions.”

“You want my help in finding someone for you
to marry.” The words sounded hollow to her ears.

“I know you haven’t been in town that long,
but I am sure you’ve met many of the same women at the events
you’ve attended. And if not, you can ask Lucy about them. But
please,” he said, his expression pleading, “don’t tell her what
I’ve said.”