The Decadent Duke (38 page)

“The British ambassador was good enough to put me up at the embassy.” He glanced at Georgina. “It's just a short visit.”

“How marvelous. My apartment is nearby on the Champs-Élysées. Well, actually, all of us are there. It's the most beautiful avenue in the world. Number 15. Promise you'll visit me tomorrow?”

John lowered his voice. “As a good friend, may I ask a favor?”

“Why, of course.”

“I'll come at four, if you promise to invite Lady Georgina.v

Beth's eyes widened. “I will arrange it.v

Georgina brought her young friend forward. “It gives me great pleasure to present Hortense Beauharnais. This is John Russell, the Duke of Bedford.”

He greeted the girl in French and gallantly kissed her hand.

The lovely gesture took Georgina's breath away. Garbed in elegant black, wearing his own dark hair, he looked more French than English.
Is it possible he came to Paris to see me?
His nearness made her pulse race, and she shivered.

“You are cold, Lady Georgina.” Eugene Beauharnais seemed to appear from nowhere, and solicitously placed a velvet wrap about her shoulders. “May I bring you wine,
mon cher ami
?”

Georgina murmured, “No, thank you,” and stood by quietly while Hortense introduced her brother to the duke.

John looked at him closely. The young man had an easy smile, and he wore his dark hair clipped close in the style of a Roman statue.
When he fought the Austrians, Napoleon made him a colonel. What lady

wouldn't find him irresistible?
He bowed to the company. “I believe my host is preparing to leave, so I will bid you
au revoir
, ladies.” His glance met Georgina's and held for long moments. “Until we meet again.”

 
“Good afternoon, ladies. It was most kind of you to invite me, Beth.” John was relieved to see that Georgina was in Lady Holland's sitting room when he arrived. He had not been at all sure she would come.

“I trust you left my husband well?v

“Extremely well, though I know he misses you. He is happy you are enjoying yourself, and bracing himself for your dress bills.”

Beth laughed. “What brings you to Paris, Your Grace?”

“Woburn is in need of refurbishing. The Paris shops are incomparable. This morning I bought some clocks.”

“Shopping is one of life's pleasures. It lifts the spirits.” Beth saw his attention was elsewhere. “If you'll excuse me, I shall go and see about some tea.”

John took a chair close to Georgina. Her black silk dress emphasized her pallor. “Beth is right, shopping does lift the spirits. I think it's time you set aside these mourning weeds. I know wearing black is supposedly a sign of respect, but outward appearances aren't what count. It's what you feel on the inside. Georgina, you are not a widow. You are not compelled to drape yourself in black.”

“You would not think ill of me?” she asked uncertainly.

“I could never think ill of you, Georgina. Both of us loved Francis, and we will always miss him. Like me, you would probably prefer to mourn him privately, in your heart. But you are far too young and lovely to grieve for the rest of your life.”

You would think ill of me if you knew I detested Francis! Privately, in my heart, there is room only for you.
Georgina lowered her lashes, afraid that John would read her thoughts.

“Mother is hosting a ball tomorrow night. She insists that I attend, but I told her it wouldn't be proper.”

He smiled at her. “You never used to pass up an opportunity to be improper. That's the Georgina I long to see.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at him from beneath her lashes. “I will attend the ball if you will come.”

“I will come only if you promise to dance with me. Let's be improper together?” he invited.

She caught her breath.
John Russell, are you flirting with me?

“Tomorrow you must go shopping with Beth and buy one of these outrageously sophisticated Parisian gowns that will make every female green with envy, and every man rabid with desire.v

You
are
flirting with me!
Georgina's heart began to sing.

Lady Holland returned wheeling a tea cart. John conveyed a smile of thanks for giving him time alone with Georgina. To be polite, he accepted a cup of tea and a slice of gâteau.

He set down his empty plate. “This has been delightful. We must do it again before I leave.”

“When will that be, Your Grace?” Beth asked.

John glanced at Georgina. “When I have everything I came for.” He stood up to leave. “May I escort you home, Lady Georgina?”

“Yes ... thank you,”she said quickly, and bade Beth good-bye.

When they were outside, she said, “Our house isn't far. It's this way, toward the Place de la Concorde.”

He held out his arm, and she placed her hand on it, hoping he could not hear her heart hammering in her breast. They strolled beneath the shade trees along the Champs-Élysées as the carriages drove by and dusk began to fall. “Paris in the springtime is so lovely and romantic. I want you to enjoy every moment of it.”

“Mmm, I can smell the chestnut blossoms.”

“Your senses are reawakening.”

His deep voice sent a delicious frisson of happiness spiraling inside her.
You came to Paris to see me . . . I know you did!

 
The Duchess of Gordon's ball was well attended by the English who were visiting Paris. Even those ladies of the
ton
who gossiped about Jane behind her back were eager to rub shoulders with the new elite members of French society. Lady Bessborough's daughter Caro was making her debut tonight, attending her first grown-up affair, and the Duchess of Cumberland had persuaded Charles James Fox and his wife, Elizabeth, to accompany her.

The Duchess of Gordon preened as she introduced Madame Juliette Recamier and the Duchess of Abrantes to her English guests. At ten o'clock came the moment everyone had been waiting for. Josephine Bonaparte, along with her son and daughter, arrived and it was Jane's crowning achievement. Tonight, she had become the leading London hostess in Paris.

“John, I've been watching for you,” Lady Holland chided him. “It's almost midnight—I thought you had changed your mind.”

“May I partner you in the contradance, Beth?”

“That will more than make up for your tardiness, Your Grace.”

“I expected reels and strathspeys would dominate the evening.”

Beth laughed. “Nothing so indecorous. The Duchess of Gordon is bent on impressing the first consul's lady with her elegant grace and dignity.”

“Did you persuade Lady Georgina to go shopping?”

“I did. You may not approve the results, however. Her new gown has caused quite a stir among both the ladies and the
men
.”

“I don't see her.” John's glance again swept the ballroom.

“Eugene Beauharnais has escorted her to the supper room.” Beth watched for his reaction, but his dark eyes told her nothing. “Jane Gordon is watching us. She seemed shocked when you arrived, but now she looks quite smug.”

Across the room, Lady Bessborough asked Jane, “What on earth is Bedford doing at your ball? The man is in double mourning.”

Jane Gordon had asked herself that same question when he had appeared, but the obvious answer had come to her immediately. “John Russell is on a noble errand, fulfilling his brother's last request. With his dying breath, Francis asked John to deliver a lock of his hair to Georgina. This will finally put an end to any doubts that the pair was engaged to be married.v

With satisfaction, Jane watched Henrietta Bessborough hurry off to speak with Lady Susannah Stafford. Her son was Granville Leveson Gower, and Jane knew Susannah's letters to London would convey every detail of what she had seen and heard tonight.

John saw Georgina return to the ballroom, accompanied by both Eugene and Hortense Beauharnais. He hung back until the next dance was announced, and then he walked a direct path to her. She was wearing a blush-pink empire-style gown that was deliciously diaphanous. Her upswept hair was styled in a profusion of tiny curls, held in place with pink rosebuds.
She looks like the icing on a cake.
He had an overwhelming desire to taste her.

She did not see him until he bowed before her. “John.” When she said his name, it was half whisper and half sigh.

“May I have this dance, Lady Georgina?”

She hesitated slightly. “It is a
waltz
.” This was the latest dance sweeping Paris. It was considered extremely bold and daring because the gentleman held his partner in his arms.

“That is precisely why I have chosen this dance.” He held out his hand in invitation.

Georgina placed her hand in his and felt his fingers curl about hers possessively. Then he wrapped his arm about her and swept her onto the ballroom floor. Her breasts rose and fell with the thrill of being held close in John's arms, and she was breathless from the excitement of dancing the waltz with everyone's eyes on them. “You make me feel very wicked.”

“You are the most beautiful lady in the ballroom, nay, in all Paris, tonight. Your eyes are shining like stars.”

Georgina had never waltzed before and had been afraid she would misstep, but John held her so securely and led her around the floor with such assurance that her fear quickly dissolved. “Thank you. You have restored my confidence.”

“I have a carriage waiting outside. Do you feel wickedly confident enough to steal away from the ball and take a ride with me along the Seine?v

Georgina drew in a swift breath, and the music filled her heart as she swayed in his arms. “I do, John.”
I do, I do, I do!

He smiled down into her eyes. “I shall draw everyone's attention by dancing with Josephine Bonaparte. It will give you a chance to get a dark cloak, and slip away unnoticed.”

“I'm sorry to keep you waiting.” Georgina was breathless. “My friend Hortense diverted Mother's attention so I could slip away without being seen.v

John helped her into the carriage and sat down facing her. He knew if he took the seat beside her, he could not trust himself to keep his hands from her. “You didn't take long to make friends.”

“Hortense needed a sympathetic ear to listen to her troubles. Her stepfather has chosen to marry her to his brother, Louis Bonaparte, and she has been given no choice in the matter.b”

“Napoleon has decided Hortense must marry for position, and I believe he will make the same decision for his stepson Eugene.”

“You feel you must warn me, but you need not. I have no interest in Eugene Beauharnais, except as a friend.”

“He makes no secret of his feelings for you, Georgina.”

“Eugene is a boy who has mistaken infatuation for love.”

“Your mother is doing her best to promote a match between the two of you. I don't want you to be hurt again.”

“I am aware of my mother's matchmaking ambitions, John. I don't intend to be hurt again. I will make my own decisions about my future.”

“Your future is what I would like to discuss.” He warned himself to go carefully. He had visions of her bolting from the carriage. “I am a good deal older than you, Georgina,” he began tentatively.

She caught her breath. He had stolen her heart long before he became widowed. Whenever they met, sparks had ignited, and there had always been an unspoken attraction between them. Was it possible his feelings had deepened into something more? “I find maturity a most attractive quality in a man.”

“Flattery, begod.”

She laughed softly, remembering she had once said those saucy words to him.

For God's sake, don't tell her you are in love with her. She's still in love with Francis.
He leaned forward. “Georgina, I don't want to spend my life alone. I need a political hostess for Woburn, and I can think of no other lady who would fit my needs so perfectly. You enjoy politics as much as I do.”

You're going to propose!
Inside, she was bubbling with joy.

“My two older sons don't really need a mother, but my youngest son does. Thankfully, Johnny already loves you.”

Ask me . . . Just ask me!
She wanted to scream with excitement.

“I have recently lost my wife and my brother. People will whisper that I am a decadent devil, and the last thing I want is for you to be hurt by more gossip. But if you'll have me, Georgy, I promise to do my utmost to make you happy.'”

Her heart melted with love. She reached out and touched his face tenderly. “I'll have you, old man,” she whispered.

Relief washed over him. He captured her hand and kissed it. “You had to say yes after we danced the waltz in front of everyone. I deliberately compromised you.”

“You
are
a decadent devil!”
No, John, you are a
romantic at heart, but your secret is safe with me.
“Stop the carriage! Let's get out and walk.”

John glanced through the carriage window, and when he saw where they were, signaled the coachman to stop. He alighted, asked the driver to follow them, and then helped Georgina from the coach. They were on the wide boulevard that ran between the Tuileries gardens and the Seine. With a protective hand at the small of her back, John led her from the deep shadows of the Linden trees toward the river.

She took a deep, appreciative breath. “It's such a beautiful night. The air is soft and warm . . . May is surely the loveliest month.”
And Paris is the most romantic city in the world!