The Duke's Revenge (26 page)

Her husband, on the other hand, she had no
idea what he was doing, for she hardly saw him at all during the
day. After that night he had come into her room and made love to
her, if she could call it that, he had completely ignored her. He
acted as though she did not exist. She found she liked that just
fine and ignored him, too.

“
What have you been
doing?”

She jerked and glanced at him. She saw that
he was looking at her most intensely. She swallowed and said,
“Nothing much.”

“
Do you enjoy the
season?”

She frowned at him, wondering why he was
asking her such an odd question.

“
I assume that you do,
going to endless parties and balls.” He leaned toward her, and with
narrowed eyes, he said, “And meeting handsome, young
gentlemen.”

“
What is that supposed to
mean?”

“
You know what I
mean,
wife
,” he
said. “We are nearly there. I assume this will be the first time
you’ve meet the Prince Regent.”

“
Yes,” she replied and
turned her head to look out the window. She saw that they were at
last nearly at the gate of Carlton House.

“
Are you
excited?”

“
Nay.”

He looked at her curiously.

As their carriage drew into the courtyard, a
footman came and opened the door for them. Max came out first and
then turned to help her. “Be careful,” he said.

They walked up the stairs, with many other
grandly dressed people, into the highly phrased Carlton House. Once
inside, they slowly made their way into the assembly room. There
Ivy took off her fur coat and looked about her to see where she was
supposed to keep it. Max took it from her and handed it to a maid
who came pass them. Then he grabbed her arm and led her toward the
direction in which everyone else seemed to be going.

“
Oh, Ivy,” Christine
called, “you’ve made it.”

“
Hello,
Christine.”

“
It’s so crowded, don’t
you think. I’ve never been to a ball with this many people before,”
the young duchess muttered, “Merrick, where are you?”

“
Over here,” Merrick
called to his wife who was almost swallowed by the
crowd.

Ivy was nearly suffocated as people jostled
their way around them. Max tightened his grip around her arm and
guided her toward the ball room with Merrick and Christine
following behind them. When at last they arrived, they were greeted
by Lady Hartland and Lady Mornington.

“
Hello, your grace,” Lady
Hartland said, “we’ve been looking everywhere for you all. My God,
I’ve never seen such overcrowded ball before.” She shook her
head.

“
Ah, Ivy, do come along.
You must be introduced to the Prince Regent, my dear,” Lady
Mornington said, taking Ivy’s arm.

“
Yes,” Christine said,
“but where is he?” She searched around, trying to spot the prince
amongst the arrays of colorful guests. The men were handsomely
dressed in their finely cut evening attires decorated with their
metals of honors, and the women dressed in their most beautiful and
expensive ball gown, their headdress, throat, and fingers were
glittering with diamond and other gems.

“
He was on the other side
of the ball room the last time I saw him,” Lady Hartland said. “Oh,
excuse us--so hard to get through,” she muttered as she led the
way.

“
Ah, your
grace!”

“
Mr. Wilson!” Merrick
called, watching an elderly gentleman coming toward
them.

“
Oh, hello, your grace,
and who is this?” The gentleman looked at Ivy.

“
My wife,” Max said. “Ivy,
this is Mr. Wilson.”

Ivy curtsied.

“
Charming, just charming,
a diamond of the first water indeed,” Mr. Wilson said. “Sorry we
missed your wedding.”

“
Yes, just returned from
Scotland, you know,” a woman said from behind Mr. Wilson. “I
insisted on accompanying dear Jamie and her husband to visit the
relatives. Didn’t know we would be returning to the season rather
late,” she muttered. “Didn’t want to miss out on all
the
balls and dinner
parties, you know.” She smiled at Christine who nodded in returned.
“Fortunately we’re on time for this one.”

“
Did you like Edinburgh,
Mrs. Wilson?” Christine asked.

“
Nay--and those Scots
thinks Edinburgh is
the
second London,” the woman snorted, her thickly
made up face scrunched in disgusted. “Ah hello, your grace,” she
nodded toward Maximilian, and her face expressed delight when she
saw Ivy. “And who is this?”

“
Her grace, the Duchess of
Lynwood,” Mr. Wilson said.

“
Oh, dear me, hello, your
grace.” She curtsied low. “Such a lovely creature you are,” she
said and laughed. “Ah, Lady Hart and Lady Mornington, how are both
of you?”

“
Good, thank you,” Lady
Hart said. “Have you seen the Prince?”

“
Yes, on the other side of
the ball room, with his dear sister-in-law, the Duchess of York,
and,” she lowered her voice, “the exiled King Louise the XVII. But
it’s funny that I didn’t see the Queen and Princess Caroline
here.”

“
Why on earth would they
be here?” Lady Mornington said, fluttering her fan about her face
because it was getting rather stuffy. “The Queen herself, and the
other princesses, does not approve of this ball, as we all know,
and they refused to attend. Princess Caroline, on the other hand,
is different. The Prince refused to allow her to attend the ball.
They are not on the best of term, you know.”

Ivy listened to this
rather sadly. She wondered if her husband would in time come to
hate her so much that he, too, would imprisoned her and prevented
her to come into contact with
his
world as the Regent had apparently done to his
wife.

“
Oh, there’s Lady Jersey
over there,” Mrs. Wilson waved across the room. She turned back to
the group and said, “Why don’t you all go and see the Regent before
he is swallowed by a thousand other guests.”

The hum of people talking, shouting, and
music playing screamed in Ivy’s ear as they made their way toward
the Prince Regent. She felt dizzy and forced herself to stay focus
as they pushed their ways through the throng of people.

“
There he is,” Lady
Mornington said as they came out into the clearing, “with the
Duchess of York and King Louis.” She walked to the Prince Regent
and curtsied low, almost to her knees. “Your highness.”

Prince George, dressed in his scarlet
uniform, turned. “Ah, Lady Mornington,” he said in delight, brought
her hand to his lips and kissed it. “How do you like Carlton
House?”

“
It is indeed very
beautiful, your highness,” Lady Mornington complimented.

He nodded at her phrase and turned his
attention to the Merrick and Max. “Huntingdon, Lynwood,” he said,
“What do you think of my ball? Just finished renovating, you know,
top to bottom.”

“
Very grand indeed,”
Merrick said, nodding his head.

“
Yes, yes, very grand,”
the Prince said, his boyish face showed delight as he turned his
attention to Christine. “My dear.”

“
How are you, your
highness,” Christine said and curtsied.

“
I am well, my dear,” he
said and brought her hand to his lips. He eyes assessed her from
head to toe as he did so. Then his gaze rested on her breasts.
Merrick touched his wife’s arm and moved her to his side, away from
the Prince’s preying eye. He glared at the sensitive Prince who
mumbled something to himself and turned his attention to Ivy
instead. Christine smiled at her husband’s show of
jealously.

The Prince widened his eyes once he had had
a good look at Ivy. My God, this was an angel indeed. He bowed to
her and said, “May I be oblige to be acquainted with such a lovely
creature.”

Max cleared his throat and
said, “May I introduce
my
wife
, your highness, Ivy
Lynwood.”

Prince George straightened himself and
looked at Max. He saw the sharp blue eyes glaring at him, and his
inside shuddered. “You have snatched her, Lynwood, before any of us
has the chance to court her,” he said.

Max narrowed his eyes dangerously at the
Prince.

Merrick coughed and said, “Ah, I’ve heard
that there are many rooms here set up for supper.”

The Prince gladly turned his attention to
Merrick from the tension between him and Max and said, “Yes, many,
many rooms indeed, Huntingdon, for supper and all in different
designs. Yes, you all must dine with me privately in the
conservatory for you all are my most important guests.”

“
That would be marvelous,
your highness,” Lady Mornington said for to be invited to dine with
the Prince himself was prestige indeed.

Ivy found that she was getting dizzier as
the hour wore on, and she decided to go outside to get some
fresh.

“
Ah, your grace,” a woman
stopped her as she was about to approached the door. “I am sorry to
have intercept you in such a way...I am Lady Jersey, your
grace.”

“
Yes, hello,” Ivy replied,
remembering that she was one of the patrons of Almack’s. “It’s
getting rather hot and stuffy in here. I thought that a bit of
fresh air would do me good.”

“
Why, yes of course,” the
woman said, nodding her head. “I was just curious, you know, but
you look rather a lot like a friend I know. Now what was her name?”
She frowned as she pretended to be in thought. “Ah yes, Grace, Lady
Grace Westwood.”

“
She is my mother, my
lady.” There was no surprise in that, Ivy thought, as she gazed at
the door with a longing.

“
Yes, that is why you two
are so alike. I am rather surprise that you are married to your
mother’s lover.”

Ivy flashed her gaze to the woman. “I’m
sorry?”

Lady Jersey gasped and raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, goodness, you honestly did not know?”

“
What should I know?” she
asked, her dizziness disappeared. Her heart was drumming in her
chest now.

“
I only heard rumors but
years ago your father had demanded a duel with your husband for the
good name of your mother. You see, your mother and your husband
were once lovers.” Lady Jersey explained, her eyes narrowed with
satisfaction.

Ivy clutched her hands to her stomach. Her
face paled even further and her dizziness appeared once again in
full force. “Excuse me,” she said and rushed pass the woman toward
the door. She made her way across the long, tall room toward the
luxuriant garden. There she stood, gasping in the cool night air
under a tree as tears flow down her cheeks. She sobbed and hugged
herself as the world spun around her.

A while later, her head stopped its spinning
and she felt much better. She straightened up and turned to look at
the huge mansion. From where she stood, she could hear the hums of
voices and music floating toward her. She stood up and walked
further away from them all.

Along the pathway there were Chinese
lanterns hanging at interval on the tree branches which helped her
find her way. She found herself standing near numerous tents that
had been set up. Servants were quietly rushing around and setting
up tables with wines and foods.

The mere thought of food turned her stomach.
She clutched her midsection and rushed to a tree. Her head started
spinning again. She rested against the trunk and closed her eyes,
just for a moment....

“
Is something the
matter?”

She opened her eyes and turned. In the
dimness, she saw a man, dressed in an elegant evening attire
standing before her.

“
I am sorry but I am
missing my manner, Lord Sherington at your service.” He
bowed.

She nodded at him and said, “I am all right,
thank you for your concern.” She straightened up and took a deep
breath.

“
You are very pale, are
you unwell?”

“
Nay, I am all right.
There are too many people in the ballroom, and I was just a bit
overwhelmed, that’s all,” she said and turned to go.

He caught her arm.

She gasped and turned to stare at him.

He quickly withdrawal and said, “I beg your
pardon, but I did not know your name.”

“
It is improper, my lord,
for you to come and talk to me in this dark place. I am a marry
woman, my lord, I do not want gossip to spread around me.” She
turned.

He grabbed for her arm.

She twisted around and shook her hand free.
“Please, sir!” She glared at him.

“
Very well done,
Ivy.”

“
How do you now my name?”
Her body began to shake and a coldness creep up inside her as he
stared at her with his bizarre eyes.

“
It does not matter how I
know your name, my dear. I am rather fond of you. So beautiful,
just like a butterfly you are.” He advanced toward her.

She stepped back. “Good bye, sir,” she said
and turned. He caught her arm and pulled her to him. “No, let
go!”

“
How could you marry that
bastard?”

“
Let me go!” She shoved
him.

He tightened his hold and forced his lips on
her. She shook her head as he squeezed her between him and the
tree.