The Art 0f Pleasuring A Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance)

by Scarlett Osborne

  Anna picked it up and laid it gently over the top of the bowl, then placed the bowl on the window sill to let the dough rise in the warmth of the sun. She had helped Mrs. Hughes make bread enough times that she needed no instruction.

  “Thank you, my dear,” Mrs. Hughes said, wiping her chapped hands on her apron. “While the dough is rising, I need to chop these carrots and onions, if you really would not mind helping.”

  “Of course,” Anna said, taking a second apron off of a peg on the wall and putting it on over her gown. She picked up one of Mrs. Hughes’s heavy knives and began to slice carrots, while the landlady stood next to her chopping onions.

  “Mrs. Hughes, how long have you owned this boarding house?” Anna asked, as they worked, side by side.

  “Mr. Hughes owned it for ten years before he died. And then it passed to me, since his brother wanted nothing to do with it. That was twelve years ago now,” she said with a sigh. “Of course, I did everything around here when my husband was alive, so it hasn’t made much difference.”

  Anna wondered whether Mrs. Hughes might be bitter about all of her hard work, but when she looked over, she saw that her landlady was smiling into the distance.

  “I am very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Hughes,” Anna said, quietly.

  “What?” Mrs. Hughes said, sounding momentarily confused. “Oh, right, thank you, Anna, that is very kind of you.”

  They continued to work in silence, side by side, for a few more minutes before Mrs. Hughes said, “Mr. Hughes was a good man, God rest his soul.”

  “Has it been very hard without him?” Anna asked. They had never talked about Mr. Hughes before, and she wondered whether she might be asking too much of her landlady. On the other hand, she was incredibly curious about what it must be like for an older woman living on her own.

  Mrs. Hughes sighed, put her knife down, and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. “Well, now, that is a difficult question to answer, as it happens.”

  “I am sorry, Mrs. Hughes,” Anna said. “That is a very personal question, I ought not to have asked it.”

  “No, no, my dear,” Mrs. Hughes said, in a soothing tone that immediately put Anna at ease. “I do not mind you asking me about Thomas, it really is just a difficult question to answer.”

  “How so?” Anna asked, intrigued by this response.

  “Well,” Mrs. Hughes said, letting out a sigh and returning to her onion chopping, “as I said, I have always done just about everything here at the boarding house, even when my Thomas was alive. So, in some ways it made little difference when I had to do everything on my own. But, on the other hand…” her voice trailed off.

  “On the other hand?” Anna asked.

  “On the other hand…I miss him,” Mrs. Hughes said, simply. “I miss having him by my side, even if he could be useless sometimes. When I need to make a big decision, I sometimes wish that he was here with me.”

  Anna smiled at Mrs. Hughes. She had always liked her landlady, but thought of her as a stoic figure. Hearing her speak so fondly of her late husband, Anna saw a different side of her. It made her wonder what character traits might hide beneath the surface of the other people she knew.

  * * *

  Nathaniel had sent a note to the Marquess of Swinton asking to meet him for lunch at their gentlemen’s club the following day. He did not know how long David would be at the house near the artist’s supply shop, so he could not be sure that he had received the note, but he decided to go to the club for lunch anyway.

  Nathaniel spent the morning in the library, reading over some more of his father’s old correspondence. His anxiety over his ability to act effectively in Parliament had been somewhat lessened by his distraction over the beautiful ballerina. However, Nathaniel needed something to take his mind off of her this morning, and learning about various pieces of legislation related to the import and export of wool seemed as good a pastime as any.

  Nathaniel had taken his mother’s words to heart, when they spoke prior to his first trip to the ballet. He knew now that he did not need to understand every detail of every piece of legislation ever written. He realized that, while his education and upbringing had prepared him for the task of serving in the Lords, there was much that he would need to learn by being there. Still, he thought it wise to prepare himself as much as possible, in addition to distracting himself from his passionate thoughts.

  The letters were not very interesting, and Nathaniel found that the morning passed quite slowly. When the handsome grandfather clock in the foyer struck noon, he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was time to leave for the club. He just hoped that David would be there when he arrived.

  Nathaniel summoned a footman to the library and said, “Please fetch my hat, coat, and gloves. And have the carriage brought round, I should like to go to the club.”

  “Right away, Your Grace,” the young man said, bowing to Nathaniel as he left the room.

  A moment later, he returned with Nathaniel’s traveling things. “The carriage is being brought round now, Your Grace,” he announced.

  “Thank you, Granger,” Nathaniel said, smiling at that young servant, who looked rather nervous.

  Having grown up as a Marquess and now a Duke, Nathaniel did not see why people were so nervous around him. The footman was young, and had only recently come to work at the Yanborough household, but as far as Nathaniel knew, he had been treated well since arriving. Nathaniel made a mental note that he ought to keep an eye on Granger and make sure that he was adjusting well to his life in the household.

  Nathaniel was eager to meet with David, and tried to imagine what he might say as he climbed into the carriage and traveled across London.

  I insist that you introduce me to the prima ballerina. I must meet her, for I think that I am in love with her.

  He imagined himself saying this, and the look of shock and horror that would certainly appear on David’s face if he did.

  No, he knew that simply would not do. He would need to make his request purely about the artistry. David was a great appreciator of grace and beauty. It had always been one of the things they had in common. Nathaniel thought that he would understand the desire to meet the prima ballerina on that basis alone.

  Her ability to bring art to life, to communicate a story with the merest gesture of her hand, was reason enough to wish to speak with her. David must also appreciate the way that her lithe form seemed to create a picture, even when standing perfectly still.

  A terrible thought occurred to Nathaniel as he traveled across the city in his carriage.

  What if David refused to introduce me because he is in love with the prima ballerina as well?

  Could this possibly be true, he wondered. He was certain that the woman who had led David into her house had not been his ballerina. That woman had blonde hair, not red. Still, that did not necessarily mean that he was not smitten by the prima ballerina.

  The thought having now occurred to him, Nathaniel found that he could not easily put it out of his mind. He tried to think of the ballerina, remembering her graceful journey across the stage, but he was reminded then that David had been watching her, too. He tried to distract himself by reviewing what he had learned from his reading in the library this morning, but found that it was no use.

  The carriage ride across London took no more than twenty minutes, but to Nathaniel it felt like hours. He was relieved when they finally pulled up in front of the Wickford Club, and the coachman opened his door for him. His logical mind knew that his fears about David loving the ballerina were unfounded, but his heart would feel more content once they had spoken and he could confirm this fact.

  When he entered the club, Nathaniel handed his coat, hat, and gloves to a footman. He was then escorted into the lounge, where he looked around but did not see David anywhere. Cursing his luck, he sat down in one of the comfortable leather armchairs and picked up a newspaper that had been left on the small table to the left of it.

  He had known it was
possible that David might not be here, but in truth he had been counting on meeting his friend today, and he did not know what he would do if he had to wait one more day before setting his plan in motion. He decided to give David twenty minutes to turn up, and if he did not, then Nathaniel supposed, he would eat his lunch alone.

  Luckily for Nathaniel, it was no more than five minutes before he heard someone being greeted at the door and realized that it was his old friend. He had been running his eyes over the newspaper without reading anything, but he pretended to keep reading, letting David come to him.

  “Hello again, Nathaniel.” David said, as he approached. Nathaniel looked up from the newspaper as though he were only just noticing David now that he was poised to sit in the armchair next to him. He could not have said why, but he felt that it was important that David not know how eager he was for this meeting.

  “David, nice to see you again. Thank you for accepting my invitation,” he said in a cheerful voice, which he hoped would disguise any lingering anxiety in his tone.

  “Thank you for inviting me,” David said, smiling, “and I am terribly sorry that I wasn’t able to stay and talk longer after the ballet last week.”

  “That is quite all right,” Nathaniel reassured him. “I understand that you had business to attend to, and I would never wish to stand in the way of that.”

  “Yes, I did have some business with Mr. Bamber…” David’s voice trailed off and he cleared his throat at the end of this statement.

  “I am sorry to ask this of you again,” Nathaniel said, hoping that David would not be upset with him for it, “but I really do wish to meet the prima ballerina, and I am hoping that you might be able to arrange an introduction? Since you do business with the owner of the company, I am sure that you could manage to arrange something?”

  David sighed once again, and ran the fingers of his left hand through his thick, dark hair. He looked searchingly at Nathaniel, as though trying to determine his friend’s intentions. “Why do you wish to meet her so badly?” he asked.

  “She is very graceful, yet incredibly strong,” Nathaniel said. “Her dancing is exceptionally beautiful, and as you well know, I have always had a weakness for things of great beauty.”

  “Ah yes, your weakness for beauty, I know it well. Well, I cannot argue with your assessment of her, although I will say that she is not the only beautiful person on stage.”

  “I suppose she is not,” Nathaniel agreed, although in fact he could not have sworn to that fact, as he had barely noticed any of the other dancers when the prima ballerina was on stage.

  “But more than that, she is not a thing of beauty, but rather a person. Some of the ballerinas can be quite fragile, emotionally speaking. It is not always a good thing for them to meet their admirers.”

  “I swear to you, I mean her no harm, and my intentions are entirely pure. I merely wish to tell her, in person, how moved I was by her performance.”

  David studied Nathaniel’s face closely, as though searching for some truth there that he would not find in his friend’s words. Nathaniel looked directly back at him, never flinching or turning away, knowing in his heart that his intentions were pure.

  “Well,” David said, seeming to hesitate for a moment before making up his mind about something. “You do seem to be genuine in your desire to meet her. Perhaps I know someone who might be able to help you.”

  Chapter 8

  Nathaniel wished to leave the club at once to meet the person whom David had suggested might help him. David, on the other hand, insisted that they eat lunch first, saying that the person in question would likely not be available until later in the day in any event.

  Nathaniel knew that waiting a few more hours to meet this person could hardly make much difference, but he was frustrated by this, nevertheless.

  David is not obligated to help me at all. I must not let my frustration show.

  While the two nobles enjoyed their steak and kidney pies, Nathaniel grew increasingly curious about what might be going on with his friend.

  They shared several minutes of pleasant talk about the weather. This was followed by the requisite discussion about what all of their old school friends were up to these days. When the subject had turned to current political affairs, Nathaniel knew that he could not keep his curiosity in check any longer.

  “I saw you yesterday, when I was out for a walk in Beech Street,” he said. “I was about to call to you, but you entered a house before you saw me.”

  Nathaniel studied his friend’s face carefully as he said this, watching to see how he might react. David’s face was very still, it betrayed no emotion, but knowing David as well as he did, Nathaniel understood that this blank look was, in itself, a sign of emotion.

  David cleared his throat loudly and said, “Oh, well, I am quite sorry that I did not see you. I was visiting a friend.”

  “I see. I was going to the artist’s supply shop. I am there quite often, since, as you know, I am always searching for new materials for the perfect colors for my paintings. I did not realize that you had a friend who lived so close to the shop.”

  “Oh, I did not realize that there was an artist’s supply shop so near to my friend’s house,” David said, in a tone that Nathaniel could only describe as casually forced. “My friend just moved house recently, so I had not been there to visit before yesterday.”

  “Your friend is quite pretty,” Nathaniel said, unable to hid the wry grin that was spreading across his face as he spoke.

  David’s eyes widened in surprise at these words, but after a moment a grin began to spread across his face as well. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

  “All right, Nathaniel.” he exclaimed in mock horror. “You have found me out—my friend is a beautiful young woman. I assume that you will not need reminding that no one else ought to hear of this?”

  “Of course,” Nathaniel said, waving his friend’s worries away with a gesture of his hand.

  “If my wife should find out…” David gave a slight shudder at the thought of the Marchioness learning of his liaison with the pretty young woman in Beech Street.

  “She will not learn of it from me.” Nathaniel promised. He had no desire to cause trouble for his friend, nor any reason to speak to the Marchioness about anything of import.

  “Thank you. Of course, she seems to be happiest when I am not at home, so perhaps she would not object to my liaison, but I think it best not to test that theory.”

  Both gentlemen laughed aloud at this. Nathaniel knew as well as David that no wife would be happy to learn of such a connection, no matter how much she wanted her husband out of the house. It was an unspoken rule of the ton that husbands might do what they liked, but they must also be discreet about their behavior.

  “So, tell me about your friend.” Nathaniel asked, “Is she the person we are going to meet this afternoon?”

  “As a matter of fact, she is. She is the second ballerina in the company, and I think that she may be able to introduce you to the prima ballerina, or at least know the best way to arrange such a thing.”

  “And I thought you enjoyed the ballet for the artistry of it,” Nathaniel said with a chuckle.

  “I do,” David said, his tone sarcastic. “You wound me, Nathaniel. I have always loved the artistry of the ballet. And I have always loved the beauty of the ballerinas.”

  Nathaniel tipped his head to the side, conceding this point to his friend.

  “Just as you are now enthralled by the beauty of the prima ballerina,” David added, raising an eyebrow at Nathaniel.

  “I…” Nathaniel began, unsure of how to explain his feelings without insulting his friend. “I am enthralled by her beauty, that is true. But it is her grace and artistry that I find so impressive. I only wish to meet her and speak with her. I do not wish to make her my mistress.”

  “Oh?” David asked, looking confused by this declaration.

  “Well, I suppose I am not entirely certain of what I do wan
t,” Nathaniel said, admitting this for the first time. He knew that his notions of marrying for love were foolish. He knew, too, that the idea of marrying a ballerina was even more absurd, especially one who was a complete stranger.

  The idea of keeping her as his mistress, hidden away in a flat somewhere in London, was appealing in its way, but he could not imagine finding such an arrangement satisfactory. He felt certain that the prima ballerina would not appreciate being treated in this way, in spite of the fact that he knew nothing about her.

  “Well, you had best decide what it is you want,” David said reproachfully, “and you had best do it soon.”

  “I know. Of course you are right, but I do not see how I can possibly decide what I want until I have met the young woman in question.”