A Duke to Elude: Sweet Regency Romance (Sherton Sisters Book 1) Read online

  I thought Wexford left, was her first nonsensical thought before she tried to ignore his attention. By then she had arrived in front of the three girls, and it occurred to her that she ought to have strolled less purposefully toward them. There was nought that could be done now; she was there.

  “Good afternoon, I’m Lady Rosabel. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, but seeing as none of us are gentlemen, I figured there was no need to await an introduction.”

  The three debutantes exchanged puzzled glances amongst themselves as they dipped into curtsys. Bel wondered for a moment if any of them would respond and why they appeared so puzzled. She stifled her sigh as she realized that she probably wasn’t known for speaking to others. She acknowledged her own ridiculousness as she waited to see if any of them would say anything or if she would have to try some other conversational gambit.

  “We’ve actually met before,” the one with the dull blonde hair and unfortunate violet-coloured gown finally stammered. “I’m Lord Beaverbrook’s niece, Miss Priscilla Perkins.”

  “I do apologize,” Rosabel replied, keeping her consternation to herself. “There are so very many people to meet during the Season,” she added with a smile before turning to the others. “Have I so rudely forgotten being introduced to you as well?”

  The other girls giggled and blushed. “Not at all, my lady, you’re never rude. And no, we haven’t been introduced, but of course, we know who you are.”

  Of course, Rosabel thought with a silent sigh. Why did I enter into this exercise? “Well then, now you have me at a disadvantage.” She kept her smile pleasant and her eyebrows raised in inquiry.

  The less tongue-tied of the two giggled again but managed to speak. “We’re sisters. We’re making our debut together, as our father said he couldn’t afford to do it twice. I’m Laura, and this is Lana.” Lana curtsied again when her sister introduced her.

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Rosabel said when no further information was offered before prompting, “And you would be the Misses what?”

  Laura’s ready giggle was making Bel truly regret her impulse, but she seemed pleasant enough. “I do apologize, my lady. We’re Bridgestone. Laura and Lana Bridgestone.”

  “How do you do?” Rosabel responded pleasantly when they dipped again into curtsies. It made her feel beyond awkward considering they couldn’t be much younger than she. She turned to Lana, who hadn’t yet spoken. “Do you mind sharing your Season with your sister?”

  Lana stared at her for a moment as though she didn’t understand the question. Then she giggled and shrugged. “I wasn’t presented with an option, for one thing, my lady. For another, we’ve done everything together since we were children, so I suppose I never considered this to be any different. It would probably be even more awkward without my sister.” She paused before looking uncomfortable. “Do you mind sharing your Season, my lady?”

  Rosabel smiled. “I suppose I asked for that question, didn’t I?” She glanced toward her middle sister, who was now trying to smile despite her red-rimmed eyes. “Mind is probably too strong. But I did have one Season all to myself. Since I have four sisters and am still unwed, I can hardly complain about sharing, now can I?” The three girls were back to staring at her as though she were an unknown creature. Rosabel had begun to long for her own room, preferably back home in Sherton. She kept her smile pleasant with effort. “Have you three made the acquaintance of everyone present? Ought I to introduce you to anyone?”

  “Oh, no, my lady, thank you ever so, but we are acquainted with everyone.”

  At that moment, Bel noticed the approach of two young barons she had been introduced to two nights before at Almack’s. She wasn’t sure if she ought to be relieved or dismayed. Was she about to have five awkward individuals to contend with or would the young men be able to take her place? Only time would tell.

  The gentlemen greeted Rosabel and then she quickly performed the introductions before remembering that the girls had said they knew everyone. She had to fight not to roll her eyes at herself. The three girls seemed even more uncomfortable when presented with young men, and Bel was beginning to despair of them when a deep voice just behind her filled her with equal parts relief and dread.

  “Good afternoon,” the Duke of Wexford offered the group without specifics before turning to Rosabel. “Might I have the pleasure of your company to circle the room?”

  Even if she wanted to, Rosabel couldn’t refuse, but she was pleased to see that the young men quickly offered their elbows to the other debutantes and the five set off ahead of them.

  “Did I interfere with your plans, Lady Rosabel?” His tone was quizzing, and Rosabel wasn’t sure what he was implying.

  “Not in the least, Your Grace,” she answered, her tone cool as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm, accepting his escort. She had almost forgotten he had been watching her. She was surprised he was still present. “It is generous of you to be here still, Wexford. You are a good friend to Crossley.”

  The duke almost frowned. “He has been a good friend to me. The least I could do is stay for the entirety of the celebration of his marriage.”

  Bel was a little embarrassed that she had implied otherwise. She inclined her head in acknowledgement and wished the duke to perdition. An effort to think pleasant thoughts prevented her from stamping her foot and storming out of the room as was her inclination.

  “Have you any idea where the earl will be taking Georgia for their marriage trip?”

  “Crossley wants to show his bride off to all his properties so, they’ll be traipsing all over half of England for the next age.”

  “Oh dear. My sister will be moping for months, then.”

  Despite the fact that they were walking side by side, Rosabel could feel the duke’s scrutiny burning into the side of her head. She tried to keep her gaze averted from his by scanning the dwindling crowds. It had been almost a crush, despite the vast size of their rooms. Not bad for a wedding breakfast at which Georgia had wished to keep the numbers reduced. She supposed this was reduced for an earl’s marriage.

  Rambling, even in her own thoughts, couldn’t hide the fact that the duke was staring at her as though he were trying to figure out how her mind worked. Or perhaps he was wondering if she had a mind. Rosabel wasn’t certain as she couldn’t read his thoughts, especially without even looking at his face. She couldn’t resist a quick glance at his features. His handsome face was clenched into what, for him, seemed to be a frown. He so rarely expressed his feelings in public so, she hadn’t ever seen him frowning but she rather supposed for him, this could be considered such. Rosabel was undecided if it was attractive or repellant. She was fairly sure if it weren’t directed at her, she would consider the rather fierce look to be powerfully appealing.

  She felt her eyebrows rise although she tried to remain impassive.

  “Is something amiss, Your Grace?”

  “I haven’t decided,” was his nonsensical reply.

  Bel allowed a tinkle of laughter, although she didn’t quite grin despite the fact that she was highly amused. Wexford sounded bemused. It was delightful. She would love to think she had confounded the duke, but she doubted his befuddlement actually had anything to do with her.

  “Are you in need of refreshments?” she asked in a bland tone.

  “You are a strange creature, Lady Rosabel.”

  “Are you just now figuring that out?” she asked, not bothering to meet his gaze.

  She nearly tripped over her own feet when Wexford laughed out loud, bringing the surprised gaze of everyone in the room to speculate over what they might be discussing.

  “Control yourself,” she hissed while keeping her pleasant expression in place. “People are staring.”

  “With your beauty, I would expect you to be quite inured to people’s stares.”

  “That’s different,” Rosabel replied. “Those kinds of stares are just observation. There’s little to no speculation attached. Rig
ht now, everyone is wondering what we’re talking about and guessing that I’m setting my cap at you. It’ll be in all the books by morning.”

  “What do you know about the books?”

  “I know that people with far too much time on their hands sit around making bets upon all manner of useless subjects. Such as if or when I will finally become betrothed.”

  “Who had the poor taste to tell you so?”

  Rosabel should never have brought this up and would never normally have done so, but she hadn’t been prepared for the duke’s laughter. It had sent a delicious shiver of sensation through her body, and she rather suspected it had momentarily displaced her mind. She would have enjoyed the feeling except for the awkward position it now left her in.

  “Thank you for not bothering to try to deny their existence.”

  “Would you have believed me if I did?” He still sounded amused.

  “Not in the least.”

  Wexford brought his free hand up to cover hers where it rested in the crook of his elbow. Bel tried to ignore how much she enjoyed the sensation. It was a warm, comforting feeling. Not one she ever would have thought to associate with any public activity.

  Like the pull of a magnet, her gaze was drawn back toward his and became ensnared.

  Chapter Two

  James was reasonably certain he had encountered Lady Rosabel Sherton an infinite number of times in the last few years. If he remembered correctly, she had made her debut three years previously and had, no doubt, been introduced to him promptly upon her entry into Society.

  But she had never made an impression upon him except as one more spoiled young woman in search of an acceptable marriage mate. There was the gossip that she was unwilling to wed beneath her station. Some even said she expected to marry no one lower than a duke. He had discounted that as merely the words of the catty competition, as she had never struck him as being particularly simple-minded. From what he could tell, every debutante had their Debrett’s memorized, so they would all know how very few available dukes there were. He was a member of a very select group.

  It was true that she was classically beautiful. Her hair was the right shade of yellow to suit her white and pink complexion, and her bright blue eyes were spaced very pleasantly within a face shaped just the right way to draw the eyes of anyone looking in her direction. She seemed to take care of her teeth so that when she offered one of her rare smiles no one was put off by anything unsightly. And of course, she was always dressed in what he surmised was the first stare of fashion. But she had never been of any interest to him.

  James Allingham, 6th Duke of Wexford, 7th Earl of Carstowe, and 9th Viscount Walmsley, had been made quite aware of the importance of his own existence from the moment he had come into the world. It had been tedious almost beyond bearing, and he tried not to keep it uppermost in his mind for the most part, but one couldn’t help but acknowledge that everyone he encountered was toadying to him. Except for Crossley. They had met on their first day at Eton and had been fast friends ever since.

  Almost from the same day, women had been throwing themselves in his way to the point that he barely noticed them anymore. Oh, of course, he still had eyes and couldn’t help but notice the prettiest ones when they crossed his path. But with so many young women, debutantes, ladies, widows, and sadly even wives, throwing themselves in his path, trying to catch his attention, he had become immune to their lures. And so, because of this, even though he had made the acquaintance of each of the Sherton sisters, he had not cultivated the relationship in the slightest.

  Lady Rosabel was a wellborn and beautiful young woman, so he was sure they had partnered in a dance or two in the time since she had made her debut. Her father was an acquaintance of his. The fifth Duke had been friends with Sherton. James might even refer to the earl as a friend, although they didn’t often confide in one another. They had worked together on a few matters of national concern. James considered the earl to be a steady and reliable member of the House. He could be counted upon to keep his head, even if he felt strongly on the matter. Perhaps presiding over a houseful of females had led to that ability, James thought with amusement as he now strolled along with the man’s daughter on his arm.

  He was unusually distracted in his own thoughts. He needed to rein them in and ask the lady what he intended, what had prompted him to invite her to promenade, an unusual action on his own part.

  “Why were you speaking with the Bridgestone sisters?”

  James was watching her closely. Lady Rosabel had the unique ability to almost completely control her reactions. She kept the most serene expression upon her face at all times. It was a skill he admired, as he had forced himself to learn it at an early age. It wasn’t one he had often seen a woman have to such an extent.

  If he remembered correctly, she hadn’t always been that way, either. Now that he was giving it some thought, he rather thought she had been much more demonstrative when she had first made her debut. He admired it all the more, then, since it was a recently acquired skill. It flickered across his mind to wonder what had caused her to cultivate the ability to hide her thoughts even though now was surely not the time for such speculation.

  But because of her ability, he was watching her more closely than he normally would. He had noticed that day that she gave herself away by a slight clenching around her eyes or mouth if you were watching closely enough. His question had caused her to twitch in the corner of her eyes, as though she wanted to widen them in surprise but was suppressing the reaction.

  “Why would you ask? Why wouldn’t I be speaking with them?”

  James offered her a shrug, hoping to convey negligent interest.

  “They are guests in my home,” she pointed out. “One could consider it was my duty to ensure they were enjoying themselves.”

  “Did you have reason to think they weren’t enjoying themselves?”

  “You didn’t answer my question, your grace.”

  “Neither did you answer mine.”

  Now he was becoming even more curious. He could see colour splashing up her neck and into her cheeks. James didn’t think the poised young woman had ever been embarrassed in her life, but that is what the appearances were indicating.

  The huff of sound she softly uttered conveyed a degree of frustration. “I don’t really know, to be perfectly honest, your grace, and I’m uncomfortable with you asking me about it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m unaccustomed to either of these sensations.”

  Now James was fascinated.

  “Which sensations are these?” he asked.

  “Has no one ever told you that you shouldn’t question a lady who has told you she was uncomfortable discussing something?”

  “If they did, I clearly ignored the instruction.”

  The sigh she allowed to escape was actually audible. James wanted to laugh, and in fact, felt his lips twitch with his amusement. He could tell by the crinkle of the corners of her eyes that she had noticed his revelation. Her eyebrows rose slightly.

  “So? Are you going to share your thoughts?”

  “Will you torture them out of me if I do not share them freely?”

  “Perhaps.”

  The gasp of laughter this produced from her brought him genuine pleasure. It was all he could do to restrain his own grin.

  She sighed again but finally spoke. Or rather, he thought it was more like a growl, such a surprise coming from her seemingly gentle, ladylike lips. And all the while keeping a pleasant expression on her face. It was a remarkable ability he couldn’t help but admire.

  “If you must know,” she finally said, although he knew it was grudgingly. “I have never thought about others’ discomfort. Not truly. Not like I did today seeing those three girls. They looked lonely despite the crowd and suddenly, I couldn’t seem to help myself.” She sighed again. “It was most uncomfortable.”

  James wanted to grin over the disgruntled sound of her voice, but he was consumed with inte
rest. “Speaking with them was uncomfortable?”

  She hesitated. A quick glance revealed that she was pondering his question. “No,” she said slowly, a frown in her voice. “They seem like pleasant enough women. But the urge within me was uncomfortable. A part of me feels as though I ought to ignore it in the hopes that it will go away and never return. But another part of me feels as though this is perhaps how I ought to have felt all along. So, entirely uncomfortable all around, I do say,” she concluded with a pleasant smile and a bracing tone.

  “Might I take you for a drive tomorrow?”

  For the first time, she almost displayed her emotion as her step hitched slightly. She quickly recovered, but James had noticed. As she looked at him fully for the first time, he could see amusement deep in her bright blue gaze.

  “Now who’s the strange creature?”

  He laughed out loud for the second time in her presence and perhaps the second time in his public, adult life.

  “Will you come with me?” He had never had to ask a woman twice. In fact, he’d never had to ask. Not that he took a lady driving very often, as it was sure to cause talk and give her ideas. But he was so enjoying her company and would like to speak with her further, especially when they could speak more freely than they could in the thinning crowds of her mother’s receiving rooms.

  “I didn’t think dukes did the grand promenade.”

  James blinked and came to himself. “You are quite correct. It is not something I very often have time for. But for the first time this age, I do have a few hours to spare.”