Ducal Encounters 02 - With the Duke's Approval (2 page)

“What of the duke?” Frankie asked, suspiciously casually. “Whom does the duchess have in mind for him?”

“I don’t think even Mama would dare to make any suggestions to Zach,” Anne said, sharing a glance with Portia. “Zach will only do what Zach wishes to do.”

“How very sensible.”

Frankie sounded as though she was speaking from bitter experience. And yet, when she spoke of her late husband, also a member of the diplomatic service and, like Lord Romsey, prominently involved in the peace negotiations following Napoleon’s defeat, she never said anything to his detriment. Frankie was a beautiful, complex, and mysterious woman, far cleverer than she allowed people to know and, in Anna’s biased opinion, absolutely perfect for Zach.

“Ah, the quadrille,” Anna said. “And here comes Mr. Duffield to claim you, Portia.”

Portia grinned. “And Lord Roker is hard on his heels.”

“Oh lord, walk with me, Frankie.” Anna linked her arm through Frankie’s, pausing only to see her sister safely delivered to Mr. Duffield’s care before turning away from the rapidly approaching Lord Roker. “He simply will not leave me alone.”

Frankie raised a brow in evident amusement. “He is a nice looking young man, from a good family. You could do worse.”

“Frankie!” Anna stopped walking and fixed her friend with an accusatory glower. “Fie, shame on you! You claim it is commendable for Zach to please himself, and yet I may not do the same thing?”

Frankie seemed perfectly unperturbed by Anna’s rebuke. “I was simply pointing out that Lord Roker is one of the catches of the season. Half the girls in this room sigh if he so much as passes their position, and yet he neglects them all in favour of you. Several people have remarked upon it and taken offence. I wasn’t suggesting you should encourage him, but merely feel the compliment.”

Anna grinned, her fit of pique forgotten. “Very well then, I shall consider myself duly complimented, but if we could turn in this direction, we shall avoid encountering Lord Roker.”

Frankie laughed. “I am entirely at your disposal.”

“When do you return to Winchester?”

“I shall stay in town for another few weeks, then return to the country for the hunting.”

“You should speak with Amos. He and Crista remained in the country, as you know, and if you need a decent mount, I’m sure Amos will be able to help.”

“Thank you. I might well do that. I have yet to purchase my own horses, and Lord Amos is so knowledgeable on the subject.” Frankie looked up and smiled. “Ah, here is the duke and Clarence.”

Anna looked up, too and saw Zach and Lord Romsey approaching them. Zach was deep in conversation with Lord Romsey, the man Anna firmly intended to waltz with. Her heart did a strange little flip as she observed thick, dark blond hair falling in sleek waves across deep blue eyes that gleamed with unsettling intelligence. His graceful movements caused more than one female eye to be drawn towards him, Anna noticed, feeling an irrational stab of jealousy. It was tempered when it occurred to her those female eyes could just as easily have been drawn to Zach. He looked every part the suave, eligible duke, all the more desirable because of the air of detached politeness he had cultivated, discouraging all but the most determined from approaching him. Their attention probably
was
for her brother, Anna decided, since he was a man of greater consequence in terms of both status and wealth.

Lord Romsey was something of an enigma—a very fascinating enigma. He had spent all his adult years as a diplomat. Frankie and her husband had frequently encountered Lord Romsey in France and Belgium during and after the war, which is why they were on such intimate terms. He had only returned to England fairly recently, following the death of his father, to assume the earldom and take control of his estate close to Southampton. But he was still kept fully occupied with his duties as a diplomat. She wondered if he ever put his own interests first and took the time to enjoy himself. He was here, at a ball. That much was true. But she very much doubted if his intention was to dance. Everyone knew all manner of important matters of state were settled at social occasions.

“It must be very lonely for Lord Romsey,” she said speculatively, watching as the gentlemen’s approach was delayed for the third time by yet another determined matron. “Zach tells me he has no siblings, and now both of his parents are dead. He must rattle around in Romsey House and wonder what to do with himself.”

Frankie laughed. “Clarence always knows precisely what to do with himself.”

“I am sure he never wants for occupation, but that is not what I meant to imply. As one of six children, and part of such a close and loving family, I can’t imagine ever being truly alone.”

“You are very fortunate, Anna. Most large families of my acquaintance fight like cats and dogs and cannot abide the sight of one another, but—” Frankie’s face came alight with comprehension. “Ah, I see. Your interest is not speculative.”

“You are as bad as Portia. I was merely making an observation. Besides, judging by the way people are reacting to Lord Romsey in this ballroom, he need not be alone if he would prefer not to be.”

“Clarence probably hates London society as much as your sister claims to. He’s just better at hiding his boredom.”

“Well, he is a diplomat, so he ought to be. But as to Portia, I think she may not dislike society as much as she pretends.”

Both ladies smiled as they watched Portia laugh at something Mr. Duffield said to her.

“Portia is very attractive…when not being compared to you.”

“Frankie!”

“Don’t sound so shocked, my dear. You know it’s true. Besides, as a widow no longer bound by the dictates of diplomacy, I have earned the right to speak as I find.”

“You,” Anna replied, fighting a grin as she squeezed Frankie’s arm, “are quite beyond redemption. I think that’s why I enjoy your society so much.”

They laughed, but before Frankie could voice another of her irreverent comments, Zach and Lord Romsey were before them. Pleasantries were exchanged.

“Mama is colluding with Lady Markham,” Anne told Zach with a mischievous grin. “Poor Vince! You really ought to do something.”

“Vince is perfectly capable of looking out for himself,” Zach replied with a negligent and very elegant flip of one wrist. “He would not thank me for interfering.”

“Frankie was just now telling me she plans to return to Winchester soon for the hunting,” Anna said. “Do you hunt, Lord Romsey?”

“Unfortunately, I seldom get the time or opportunity.”

“Surely, your duties cannot be so very arduous you cannot enjoy a day’s sport?”

“I was unaware you planned to return to the country so soon, Lady St. John,” Zach said at the same time.

“There is no earthly reason why you should have been privy to that information, your grace,” Frankie replied.

Anna bit her lip to prevent a smile from escaping. The interest Zach had just taken in Frankie’s affairs was, by his standards, extreme. It could definitely be construed as encouragement, and yet Frankie treated it almost dismissively. She was either being very clever, or she really did have no amatory interest in Zach. Anna would dearly love to know which.

“Ah, Lady Annalise, there you are.”

Damnation, Lord Roker had found her. Anna pretended not to hear him. Given there was so much noise in the ballroom, it was an acceptable ploy. At the same time, the musicians struck up a waltz. Anna slid a desperate sideways glance at Lord Roker, and a supplicating one at Lord Romsey.

“May I have the pleasure of this dance, Lady Annalise?” Lord Romsey asked, living up to his diplomatic reputation by immediately understanding her difficulty.

“By all means.”

She placed her hand on his proffered sleeve, and he led her onto the dance floor, straight past the glowering Lord Roker. Anna was pleased to notice Zach leading Frankie into the dance as well. Smiling to herself, she wondered what her mother would make of that.

“Thank you,” Lady Annalise said, as Clarence took her in his arms and they fell into step.

Clarence arched a brow. “Did I do something?”

His lovely partner smiled up at him, all sparkling eyes, dimples, and suppressed mischief. “I can understand why you excelled at your profession.”

Clarence returned her smile. “I had every intention of asking you to dance, even before I saw Roker hovering. The only surprise was that you were not already engaged, and your disinclination to dance with Roker.”

“That’s two things.”

Clarence’s lips twitched. “So it is. I can see I shall have to watch myself in your company, Lady Annalise.”

“Because I can count?”

“Because you find the attentions of one of the season’s favourites not to your liking. What hope does that leave for the rest of us?”

“Lord Roker is charming, and…er—”

“Rich, titled and handsome?”

“Actually, I was going to say, rather stupid.”

“Surely, his other attributes make up for that unfortunate happenstance.”

“Not for me.”

“Because you do not need his money, don’t care about his title, and…” Clarence canted his head, taking considerable pleasure from her lovely upturned face, eyes brimming with mirth as she bit her lower lip, presumably to hold in a smile. “Help me out, if you please, Lady Annalise. What possible objection could you have to his good looks?”

“Oh, I am perfectly prepared to admit he is handsome, and all the other things you imply. Unfortunately he has taken to writing odes…dedicated to me.”

Clarence elevated a brow. “And his efforts are not appreciated? I thought young ladies enjoyed that sort of thing.”

“They would be better appreciated if he could think of a word that rhymes with
blue.”

“Oh dear.”

“Quite. He compared by
eyes of blue
to radiant sunshine.”

“There are not blue,” Clarence said softly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your eyes are silver, with blue flecks.” He held her gaze for a protracted moment, drowning in the depths of the mesmerising eyes in question. “If the oaf cannot discern that much, then I must agree he doesn’t deserve you.”

She laughed. “I might like Lord Roker better if he stopped following me around so much. I feel stifled by him.”

“He is not the only gentleman to be captivated by you.”

She arched a brow.” You have been watching me, Lord Romsey?”

“I am a diplomat, Lady Annalise. I notice things. It’s what I am trained to do. I can’t seem to help myself.”

“Then I shall forgive you.”

Clarence led her into a turn and resisted the urge to hold her a little closer. He was already on shaky ground with Winchester following the unfortunate business with Miss Brooke, now Lady Amos Sheridan, for which Winchester rightly held him responsible. He also had good reason to know Winchester was obsessively possessive of his sisters, as were all her brothers. She was a diamond of the first water: beautiful, lively, witty, and intelligent. If Clarence had been on the market for a wife, her name would have featured high on his list of possibilities. But he was not. He couldn’t spare the time for courtship. He still had so much to do for the government, and so Lady Annalise was off limits. He and the duke needed to work closely in an effort to restore law and order to their adjoining districts. With the political unrest following the war that had swept the country, and fuelled by the Prince Regent’s ostentatious extravagance at a time when half the returning heroes were unable to find gainful employment, there was a growing need for the upper classes to pull together and lead by example.

“What a generous nature you possess.”

Her trilling laughter filled him with the kind of longing that had no place in his life.

“Hardly generous, Lord Romsey. It is very easy to be generous when it costs one little.”

“I cannot imagine you being anything other than kind and thoughtful. I saw how you were with Miss Brooke when she was first brought to your notice. You treated her quite as an equal, which she very evidently was not.”

“Oh bah, I deserve no credit for that. Crista is a delight. I realised it at once and saw no reason to stand on ceremony. Besides, it did not take a genius to observe Amos was madly in love with her, and that it could only a matter of time before she became a part of our family.”

“Perhaps I should recruit you for the diplomatic service. It seems I am not the only one with a keen sense of observation.”

“Certainly you should.” She sent him a playful smile. “If women ruled the world, there would be no occasion for wars. We are far too sensible for to resort to violence.”

Clarence laughed as he carefully negotiated them past an especially crowded part of the floor. The suggestive rustle of her silk skirts as they brushed against his legs sent his mind on an inappropriate detour. Perdition, this would not do but, devil take it, he was only human and Lady Annalise was temptation incarnate.

“In the spirit of neighbourly harmony,” he said, when they had left the clustered part of the floor in their wake, “I shall refrain from mentioning Queen Boudica or Lucrezia Borgia.”

“So I should hope.” She tilted her chin and sent him an adorably mischievous smile. “There are exceptions to every rule. Please don’t ask me to name all the men who have created wars for their own selfish reasons, Lord Romsey, because it would take me the rest of the evening.”

“Indeed, I would not dare.”

Count von Hessel sailed past them with Miss Outwood in his arms. Miss Outwood looked radiantly happy. The count look bored. He inclined his head in Clarence’s direction, his eyes lingering with speculative interest upon Lady Annalise. Clarence returned the greeting with the barest inclination of his head.

“I suppose you know the count from the peace negotiations.”

“Yes,” Clarence replied, able to hide his dislike of the man by dint of stringent diplomatic training. “He was involved.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen him, “Lady Annalise said. “Miss Outwood seems very pleased with him, but I cannot bring myself to envy her.”

“You are a very difficult lady to please. Neither Lord Roker nor the count pass muster in your eyes.”