How To Seduce A Duke

Lady Upperton huffed a breath of air between her painted lips. “I was holding your hand, dear. I felt it twitch and saw your body tense whenever the duke made his ridiculous accusations about garden statuary.”

“I didn’t lie.”

“You mightn’t have, but you certainly danced a full quadrille around the truth.” Lady Upperton leaned close and tilted her chin up. She studied Mary’s face through squinted eyes. Then she gasped. “Oh, my word, Mary. He wasn’t incorrect. You were the statue in the Underwoods’ garden! What could you have been thinking?”

“I only wanted to show my sisters the gentleman I would one day marry.” She paused, but Lady Upperton folded her arms across her chest and lifted her eyebrows, as though waiting for the rest of her story.

“You see, earlier, our cook asked for the evening off to earn a few extra shillings by helping to prepare the dinner for the Underwoods’ garden party. We cannot afford to pay her much in the way of wages, so we agreed. Cook was very happy about this, as you might imagine. She began to tell us about the food that was to be served…and sometime during the conversation casually mentioned that Lord Wetherly, the young war hero, would be a guest.”

“But you said you are not acquainted with the Underwoods.”

“Well, we aren’t. So we were not included on the guest list. But I did so want Anne and Elizabeth to see the man I have set my cap at, Lady Upperton. And la, he was going to be just next door. So close. I knew I daren’t miss the opportunity, so we powdered ourselves and crept into the back garden-”

“Oh, dear me.” Lady Upperton snatched a lace handkerchief from her frothy sleeve of rose lace. “’Twas all three of you?”

“Please do not fret. No one saw my sisters. And no one saw me…well, except the duke. But it was dark, and I was completely marbleized with powder and a smear or two of paste.”

“Heavens…is Lotharian aware of any of this?”

“Am I aware of what?” Lord Lotharian and his cohorts, Gallantine and Lilywhite, were suddenly standing in a tight ring around them.

Lady Upperton became instantly agitated. “Haven’t got a tick of the minute hand to discuss this now, Lotharian. You must know, however, that our Mary has set her cap at Viscount Wetherly, and I would wager every jewel I own that he is very interested in such a match.”

Lotharian scratched his chin. “Wetherly. Why do I know that name?”

Lilywhite raised a finger. “Perhaps because Wellington mentioned the lad in every dispatch from Toulouse. Or because the Prince Regent recently bestowed on him a viscountcy in recognition of his bravery and valor. Why, Wetherly led the Sixth Division in the heroic attack above Toulouse, you know. No small feat. He’s a true hero.”

“His father was the late Duke of Blackstone,” Gallantine added. “His brother holds the title now. You certainly have heard of him-the Black Duke.”

“Ah yes, the Black Duke. Have indeed.” Lotharian chuckled, and the other two gentlemen joined him, as if the three were sharing a private joke of some sort. “Now he is a man to consider, Miss Royle.”

“Blackstone?” Mary stared at Lord Lotharian in disbelief. “How can you suggest such a thing. W-why, he is… horrid.”

“No, no. You’ve got it jumbled.” Lotharian waved her comment away like a foul odor. “Blackstone is naught but a spirited young fellow. I admit, he even reminds me of myself in my youth.”

“Oh you do flatter yourself, Lotharian.” Lady Upperton bent and peered around the towering lord. “But that is neither here nor there. The Black Duke holds some sort of a grudge against our Mary-”

“I slapped him,” Mary said matter-of-factly. “Quite hard too.”

Lady Upperton cringed. “I am almost afraid to ask, but I must. Did this occur in the Underwoods’ garden?”

“It did. But I swear to you, he deserved it thoroughly. He was about to…to touch me,” Mary bent at her knees and whispered into Lady Upperton’s ear, “most inappropriately.”

“Oh, dear.” Lady Upperton dabbed her brow with her handkerchief, taking off a bit of her facial powder in the process. “Lotharian, Lord Wetherly is Miss Royle’s choice, not his older brother. The viscount comes from an old family and has earned honor and distinction…despite his mother. Do you agree?”

“His mother?” Mary looked to each of the four for an answer, but it was as if her question fell on indifferent ears.

“Wetherly sounds like a perfectly suitable gentleman. I shall have my man investigate him further.” Lotharian smiled down at Mary. “Miss Royle, I shall have your answer within the week.”

“I fear we haven’t that long.” Lady Upperton hastened her next words. “My concern is that Blackstone will not support the match. Already this evening, he has taken great strides to shame our Mary. I fear he may do irreparable damage to the potential match unless he is persuaded to stop.”

“I can certainly distract the duke this eve. Then we shall meet again in the morn to discuss a broader strategy for keeping our two young lovers together.” Lotharian raised his quizzing glass to his eye.

“What do you mean to do?” Mary’s head was beginning to throb.

She had already set off on the worst possible footing with the duke. The Old Rakes were only going to make things worse, of that she was sure.

“Ah, what have we here?” Lotharian, who stood a full head above most others in the grand drawing room, became suddenly alert. “That’s him, the tall gentleman, with shoulders like a pugilist. Am I correct?”

Lilywhite lifted his glass as well and peered into the crowd. “You’ve got the right of it, Lotharian.”

“Well, then.” Lotharian glanced mischievously around the drawing room. “Leave Blackstone to me. Lady Upperton, you may see to the task of seeing that the viscount and Miss Royle connect again this eve.”

Lady Upperton nodded, sending her double chins quivering.

Lotharian held his quizzing glass before his eye. “Hmm…best make haste though, dear. See there.” He raised his chin, covertly gesturing to the center of the drawing room. “The duke seems to be introducing his brother to the lovely widow Lady Tidwell.”

“Oh, dear me.” Lady Upperton rose up on her toes to catch a glimpse of the young woman, who was indeed laughing with Lord Wetherly.

The duke, however, was no longer with them. With Lady Upperton’s refreshment in his hand, he was heading straight back to their party.

Lady Upperton held her fan before her face and pulled Mary close. “Lady Tidwell is out of mourning. Oh, Mary, her connection with your young man is a poor turn of events, very poor-one we must reverse at once!”

“Do not worry overmuch, ladies,” Lord Lotharian said with all confidence. “Miss Royle has innocence and superior breeding to recommend her. Lord Wetherly will make the right decision. Now, if you will pardon me, ladies, I have my own task to complete.” A wicked grin turned Lord Lotharian’s lips, and the ancient rake set off on a course for certain collision with the Black Duke.

Rogan took one last glance at his brother before delivering Lady Upperton’s glass of wine.

It was going well. Quinn was clearly taken with Lady Tidwell, which helped put his own mind at ease.

He just couldn’t endure it if his brother formed a connection with Miss Royle. Why, the chit seemed to take great pleasure in irking him at every turn.

Certainly, he had never met a more irritating woman in all his life.

What else could he have expected from her, though? Everything he now knew of her served to bolster his belief that she was common, and penny-poor at that.

Still, she was dangerous, for she was pretty and knew how to use her wiles.

She belonged to the absolute worst class of woman. The sort that snared unsuspecting men by their heartstrings, then lured them to the altar solely for their money.

Miss Royle was a guinea-grabber. Worse yet, she had Quinn fixed firmly in her sights.

Not for long, though.

When he had mentioned to Portia, Lady Tidwell that Quinn meant to marry and begin a family before the year was through, she was more than a little intrigued.

Now, she would be his perfect match.

She was from a good family, possessed a sizeable portion, was well mannered, and maintained all the best society connections. Yes, she would do quite nicely.