The Perfect Duke

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He thought Tara would sit by Cress since she wasn’t happy with him, but to his surprise, she sat across from Cress. At first, he was hopeful that this might be a sign of good things. But when he settled beside her, she crossed her arms and leaned away from him, a silent message that she didn’t want him touching her.

  She hadn’t sat like that on their way to Gretna Green. Her arms had been at her sides, and she’d been facing him. So she probably let him sit next to her in hopes that Cress wouldn’t think something was wrong between them.

  “Remember that you can only dance with the same gentleman twice,” Tara told her as the coachman led the horses forward. “If you happen to come across one you fancy, you may allow him to pay a visit in the future.”

  “Oh, I doubt I’ll meet such a gentleman at my very first ball,” Cress said with a giggle.

  “You never know. Sometimes you meet the right person when you least expect it. You’re a very pretty young lady. You’re bound to attract someone’s attention.”

  Nick hoped that if she did, it wouldn’t be someone like Lord Maten. He didn’t think he’d have to give Cress the lecture on what kind of gentleman she should avoid so soon, but maybe he should do that tomorrow. There was no point in waiting until she had a suitor to warn her about exactly what kind of gentlemen were out there. This, of course, was just another reason why he had to stay out of debtor’s prison. He had to be sure that his sister ended up with a decent gentleman.

  “Is your brother going to be at the ball tonight?” Nick asked Tara.

  “He shouldn’t be,” Tara replied. “None of us invited him. Lady Blakemoor only wants respectable people in attendance this evening, and he doesn’t qualify.”

  Nick breathed a sigh of relief. Good. That was one less thing he had to worry about this evening.

  “Who will be there this evening?” Cress asked.

  Tara answered the question, and Nick was surprised by how many people would be in attendance. He would have thought fewer people would be invited since half of the ones in London weren’t all that honorable. But perhaps they’d been invited because they gave the impression of being honorable.

  When the carriage came to a stop, the footman opened the door. Nick got out first and then helped Cress and then Tara out of the carriage. He kept his hold on Tara’s hand so that she would look at him.

  “I’m glad I’m with you this evening,” he whispered.

  She didn’t believe him. He could tell it by the way her eyebrows furrowed. But to her credit, she didn’t voice her doubts. Instead, she asked, “Will you help me make a good impression for the sake of Ladies of Grace?”

  “Of course, I will.”

  “That’s all I require of you.”

  She let go of his hand then went over to Cress. Was Lord Maten right? Was her primary concern the group? Did she care nothing for him? Or maybe she did care but not enough to love him. Maybe it hadn’t bothered her that they’d spent so little time together lately. For all he knew, she might have been relieved.

  Did this mean she would eventually tire of him and take a lover, as her brother had suggested? Was it just a matter of time before she grew bored of him and sought excitement elsewhere? Was she waiting until she was done taking care of things with her group before looking for another gentleman to take to her bed? Or perhaps, she’d be going to his.

  Nick forced the questions aside. He’d rather not think about it. At least not tonight. He was here this evening to help her, and he was going to do it regardless of what the future brought.

  ***

  “It looks like everyone we invited came,” Lady Blakemoor told Tara and Stacey an hour later. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “It is wonderful,” Tara replied.

  At the moment, Cress was dancing, leaving Tara time to talk to Lady Blakemoor about the success of the evening. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Already, Tara had overheard compliments on the music, the drinks, and the pastries. Even Lady Cadwalader had told a few people that this was one of the best balls she’d been to this year. Considering it was the beginning of December, that was one of the best things that had happened for Ladies of Grace in a long time. They hadn’t even received such praise while Lady Eloise was in the charge of the group.

  Also, as Nick had promised, he was proving to be an asset to the group. Her gaze went to him. He was dancing with one of Lady Cadwalader’s friends, and whatever he was saying to her was causing her to giggle and blush. Lady Cadwalader would be pleased by this. While Sir Tristan Blakemoor was her nephew, he was in no way as charming as Nick.

  Tara forced her gaze off of him. She didn’t want to think about how hurt she was by his lack of attention. It was to be expected. He was such an attractive gentleman. In fact, she thought he was the most attractive one in the room. Plus, he knew how to make a lady feel as if she was the most important person in the room. What lady could resist him?

  Well, besides Lady Blakemoor, but Tara had a feeling that Lady Blakemoor rejected him because Sir Tristan Blakemoor was Lady Cadwalader’s nephew and Nick had no money.

  Tara took a deep breath and released it. At some point, she was going to have to tell him she’d lied to him that night when she claimed she was having her lady’s time of month so that he wouldn’t go to her bed. He was going to figure it out anyway when she confessed that she was expecting his child. She wasn’t looking forward to telling him. She wasn’t looking forward to telling his mother and sisters, either, because as soon as they knew, they were bound to talk about the possibility of an heir.

  Perhaps if he had stayed with her the following evening instead of running back out to some lady’s bed, things might not be so awkward right now. However, he kept insisting on staying out until early in the morning. He was only with her tonight because it was part of the agreement they’d made when she married him.

  She’d had a fitful night’s rest while waiting to see if he would come to her bedchamber last night. And he hadn’t. Not that she was surprised. She’d told him he wasn’t welcome in her bed. He wasn’t her brother. He wasn’t the type of person to force his will onto another person. He would only come to a lady’s bed if he was invited, and she had no doubt he had many invitations.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her emotions. She’d already had her share of crying when she was alone. She didn’t need to give into the urge to cry right here in front of all these people.

  “I suppose we should dance and enjoy ourselves,” Lady Blakemoor said, interrupting her thoughts. “It’d be a shame to let all of our hard work go to waste.”

  Tara offered a nod to indicate she was fine with it. She didn’t feel up to socializing, but she needed to focus on the success of the evening. Her personal feelings could wait. Right now, she should just enjoy the fact that the ball was going better than either she or Lady Blakemoor had hoped.

  She scanned the room, wondering if Stacey and her husband had arrived yet. She didn’t see them right away, so she took a stroll through the room. Finally, she caught Stacey dancing with her husband. The two seemed to be enjoying each other’s company since they were both laughing.

  For a moment, Tara recalled the days she and Nick had spent in the carriage on their way to Gretna Green. They’d spent most of the time laughing. If she’d had any idea that was the best her time with him was going to get, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to return to London.

  Lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going, and she accidentally bumped into someone. “Pardon me,” she said and took a step back.

  “Please, Duchess, I implore you to stop trying to get close to me.”

  Noting the familiar voice, she turned her attention to Sir Tristan Blakemoor. His face was bright red, as if she’d just tried to do something inappropriate with him. “I didn’t mean to bump into you,” she said.

  Before she could dart off in the opposite direction, he let out a groan. “All right. I’ll have a dance with you. But only one
. Don’t you dare think anything will come of it.”

  She blinked in surprise. Good grief. Was there no end to his delusions? “I don’t want to dance with you. I wasn’t watching where I was going. It was an accident.”

  He shook his head, obviously not believing her. “I heard someone once say that nothing is an accident. We end up doing things that stem from our deepest desires.”

  “That’s not always true.”

  Hoping to put an end to the discussion, she headed back in the direction she’d come from. The dance would be over soon. Then she might get a chance to talk to Stacey or Cress.

  Unfortunately, he insisted on following her. “Your Grace, if I might have a moment of your time, I need to put something to rest.”

  She would have ignored him if he hadn’t dodged in front of her. Crossing her arms, she waited for him to continue.

  “I am going to be faithful to my wife,” he said. “There can’t ever be anything between us.”

  Though there was no way she’d ever be in his bed, much less entertain fantasies of him in bed with her, she had to admit it was wonderful that he had chosen to keep himself to Lady Blakemoor. She hadn’t envied Lady Blakemoor anything up to now, but in this one case, she did. If only Nick would tell other ladies the same thing.

  Forcing her mind off of Nick, she said, “You have nothing to worry about. I won’t come between you and your wife.”

  “Then you understand why you must not keep sneaking into my townhouse or trying to get me to leave this room with you.”

  Her eyes grew wide. He couldn’t be serious! She hadn’t once, at any time, done any of that. But by the expression on his face, she realized he believed it. It might be sweet that he was faithful to Lady Blakemoor, but he was still a complete and utter dullard.

  He offered her an apologetic gaze then left her to herself. With a shake of her head, she made a beeline for Cress, who was done dancing for the time being.

  Chapter Twenty

  Lady Cadwalader and her friends laughed as Nick told them another joke he’d recently read in a book. When he realized they had enjoyed the first one he’d told them, he decided to tell them more, and as he’d hoped, they found the jokes amusing.

  “Where did you ever get such wit?” Lady Cadwalader asked.

  “To be honest,” he began, “these jokes came from a book that’s been in my family for years. I can’t take credit for them.”

  “Oh, but the way you told them was masterful,” one of Lady Cadwalader’s friends said. “Some jokes aren’t that funny because the person telling them doesn’t have a gift for it. But you, Your Grace, have a gift for it. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.”

  “Neither have I,” Lady Cadwalader agreed. “Now I know why Miss Webb was so anxious to marry you that she went to Gretna Green.”

  “If I were twenty years younger, I would have tried to get to you before Miss Webb did,” another friend of Lady Cadwalader said. “She’s a very fortunate lady to have you for a husband.”

  Nick wasn’t sure Tara would agree, but that wasn’t exactly something he could share with anyone. He had a nagging suspicion that Tara was starting to regret marrying him. He could only hope he could make up for hurting her by pleasing Lady Cadwalader and her friends tonight. So far, he seemed to be doing a good job of it. As long as he didn’t say or do anything stupid, everything should be fine.

  “You’re one of the most entertaining gentlemen in this room,” Lady Cadwalader said. “I must talk to my husband about having you and your wife over to one of our dinner parties. We’ll have my nephew and his wife over, too, since your wife is such good friends with his.”

  An outburst came from the entrance of the ballroom. They, along with the others in the room, turned their attention to the cause of the ruckus.

  Lady Eloise shoved the butler’s hand off of her arm. “You have no right to touch me,” she hissed at him. “You’re nothing but a servant.”

  The music died down, and people stopped dancing.

  Nick searched for Tara, but he didn’t see her. He did, however, see Lady Blakemoor, and her jaw was dropped in shock.

  “Where are my betrayers?” Lady Eloise called out.

  It was then that Nick realized she’d been drinking. He didn’t know if she was drunk, but she was close to it.

  The crowd parted as Tara marched over to her. Nick’s gaze went to where she’d come from, and he experienced an overwhelming sense of relief when he realized she had been with Stacey instead of a gentleman.

  “You weren’t invited here,” Tara said.

  “I’ll say you weren’t,” Lady Blakemoor added as she joined Tara. “Your behavior is appalling.” She gestured to the people who were watching them. “Can’t you see how you look to them?”

  “I made Ladies of Grace,” Lady Eloise snapped. Then, glancing at everyone, she added, “Ladies of Grace is what it is today because of me.”

  “We’ll admit that you created the group and helped it prosper for a time,” Tara began, “but after you abused your position in the group, it was necessary to remove you. If you turn your life around, we can talk about bringing you back in, but Lady Blakemoor and I are the leaders now.”

  Lady Eloise turned her attention to the onlookers. “Do you see how unfair they’ve been to me? I gave everything I had to the group. I sacrificed for it. I spent a long time selecting only the best ladies for it. I spent a lot of money on elegant social engagements. I groomed them into the very image of propriety that you see today. It’s because of me the Duchess of Ravenshire and Lady Blakemoor stand before you as members of this very prestigious group. And my sister…” She searched the crowd. “My own flesh and blood has even betrayed me. She refuses to even face me because she knows she’s in the wrong.”

  All gazes turned to Stacey, and Nick didn’t blame her for shrinking further into the crowd.

  “She doesn’t owe you anything,” Tara said. “Until you admit it was your own actions that got you into the predicament you’re in, there’s nothing anyone can do to help you. If anyone else in the group had acted the way you did, you would have thrown them out. You must abide by the same rules you put upon others. It’s not right for one set of rules to be made for you and another set for everyone else.”

  “It was a little slip at the park,” Lady Eloise said, tears in her voice. “An ill-timed statement to Lady Youngtown and I’m to be treated like a leper for the rest of my life? Plenty of people do things that aren’t socially acceptable. Sir Tristan Blakemoor spread the rumor that Lord Mulborne relieved his bladder in one of the plants at the theatre, but the truth is, Sir Tristan Blakemoor was the one who really did it. I know because I happened to see him. And he knew I saw him.” She glared at Sir Tristan Blakemoor, who grew pale. “Poor Lord Mulborne hasn’t been able to show his face in public ever since.”

  Lady Blakemoor gasped and turned to her husband. “Is this true?”

  Sir Tristan Blakemoor glanced from his wife to Lady Eloise and then back again before he dashed out of the room in humiliation.

  “How is what I did to Lady Youngtown any worse than what he did to Lord Mulborne?” Lady Eloise demanded. “You’re all so upset that I hurt her feelings? What about Lord Mulborne’s reputation?”

  “You must stop this at once,” Tara hissed. “You’re not making things better for you. You’re only making them worse.”

  Lady Eloise looked at her and laughed. “Of course, you’d say that. You hide the secrets of others in order to advance your own goals for the group. Your husband, the Duke of Ravenshire, was ready to go to debtor’s prison until you saved him by marrying him.” When the crowd murmured, she added, “Don’t let them fool you. They’re not in love with each other. All the smiles and the times they spent out in public are all a façade.”

  Nick’s face grew warm. Unlike Sir Tristan Blakemoor, he was too much in shock to move.

  “But that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Lady Eloise yelled at everyone. “All of th
is…” She gestured to the crowd. “All of the pretty clothes and the music and the lavish ballroom…” She let out a bitter laugh. “It’s all a façade. None of it is real. And you all have the audacity to point the finger at me? As if I’m the only person in London who’s ever made one tiny little mistake. When all of you,” she pointed at them, “have done much worse.”

  This had gone on long enough. The more she talked, the worse things would be for everyone. While everyone had their secrets, no one wanted them exposed, especially not by an intoxicated lady who was bent on revenge.

  “Lady Eloise,” Nick began as an idea came to him, “it’s obvious you’ve been drinking. Your speech is slurred, and you’re wobbling. May I suggest that it’s the wine talking tonight instead of you? As you have pointed out, you established a good name for Ladies of Grace. Granted, you had one momentarily lapse in judgment that day in Hyde Park. That is why my wife and Lady Blakemoor have graciously offered you a chance to return to the group if you’d make amends for it. I suggest you start by apologizing to Lady Youngtown.”

  Since the others in the room nodded, Nick took that as his cue and walked over to Tara, Lady Blakemoor, and Lady Eloise.

  “Furthermore,” he told Lady Eloise, “we are all aware that Sir Tristan Blakemoor would never use a plant at the theatre in the way you suggested, and I’m sure he didn’t really see Lord Mulborne doing that, either. There are shadows in the theatre. Most plants happen to be in those shadows. I suspect Sir Tristan Blakemoor thought he saw Lord Mulborne at the plant but really didn’t. Sometimes the shadows can play tricks on you. I’m sure Sir Tristan Blakemoor is sorry he told someone what he thought he saw, especially since the person ran around London spreading the rumor.”