The Irish Duke

by Virginia Henley

  “Let’s hope Lord Cecil doesn’t slip out of the noose.”

  “Stop being facetious, Georgy, it is most unbecoming in a debutante. Have you decided what you will wear to the Prime Minister’s Ball?”

  “I want to see what Louisa is wearing before I choose. Let’s go up now and decide on our ball gowns.”

  After the girls went upstairs, a footman announced that the Marquis of Lansdowne was paying a morning call.

  “Henry, you’re out and about early.” Georgina knew that as the newly appointed president of the council, Petty was interested in the reform bill. “Did you wish to see John? He’s in the library.”

  “Well, actually, my formal call this morning concerns both of you. But I did want a word with you first, my dearest Georgina.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “My son, Lord Kerry, is very taken with Lady Louisa. Would you object if he paid his addresses to your daughter?”

  “Henry, how can you possibly think I would object?”

  “When you were a debutante, you rejected me when I proposed to you, Georgina. If there is no chance, I’d prefer that my son didn’t make a fool of himself.”

  “Henry, darling. Surely you didn’t think you made a fool of yourself when you proposed to me? I was highly honored. I was very fond of you. My mother was the stumbling block in our relationship. She had set her mind on my marrying a duke and that was that.”

  Henry chuckled. “The Duchess of Gordon was a woman who must be obeyed.”

  “My dear friend, there is no need to consult John about this matter, unless you are bringing us a proposal for Louisa’s hand.”

  “No, no, I just wanted to be sure you had no objections to my son paying his addresses to your daughter.”

  “No objections whatsoever. I have two daughters, you know. Since it’s too early for tea, how about a dram of fine Scotch whiskey to whet your whistle?”

  “You always did know the way to a man’s heart, my dear.”

  “I don’t know what I was thinking when I was being fitted for my gowns,” Georgy complained. “All three are different shades of blue. Everyone will think I’m wearing the same dress! The lavender silk you are planning to wear is a hundred times prettier than mine. Would you consider lending it to me, Lu?”

  Louisa could never refuse a plea from her sister. “The color would look lovely on you. Let’s ask Mother’s sewing woman if she can alter it to fit you.”

  Two weeks later, the bodice of the lavender silk had been enlarged to accommodate Georgy’s fuller figure. Louisa donned her gown of pale green tulle that she had chosen to complement her dark green eyes.

  “Do you think Lord Burlington will attend the Prime Minister’s Ball?”

  “Of course he will,” Louisa replied.

  “What makes you so sure?” Georgy asked anxiously.

  “Because the Duke of Devonshire has been appointed Lord Chamberlain by Prime Minister Grey. Since Lord Burlington is the duke’s heir, he is bound to be there.”

  “I can’t keep this political stuff straight. Your head must be crammed full of it, Lu. No wonder you don’t attract the opposite sex.”

  “I don’t want to attract the opposite sex. I have no burning desire to marry.”

  Georgy shook her head in wonder. “You are an unnatural female, Lu. It’s every woman’s goal to marry, and marry well, I might add.”

  “A sound basic knowledge of politics could help you reach your goal. This is the first time in twenty- three years the Whigs have been in power. It is a glorious time for Earl Grey and his ministers.”

  “It is a glorious time for me to finally make my debut.” She lowered her voice. “Speaking of Earl Grey, did you know that when he was young, he was the Duchess of Devonshire’s lover? He got her with child and her furious husband expelled her to France. She had a baby daughter and Earl Grey took the illegitimate child home to his parents. They named her Eliza Courtney and brought her up as his sister.”

  Louisa was astonished. “Earl Grey’s sister Eliza is really his daughter by the Duchess of Devonshire? Wherever do you hear all this gossip?”

  “By keeping my ears open and hiding around corners.” She picked up her fan. “Hurry up, Lu. I cannot waste a moment of tonight’s ball.”

  The Prime Minister’s Ball was being held in the great hall of ancient Westminster Palace. The Bedfords alighted from their carriage in the palace yard and made their way through the labyrinth of corridors to Westminster Hall.

  Prime Minister Grey and his wife, Mary, were stationed at the hall’s entrance to greet their guests. Earl Grey kissed Georgina warmly and then spoke to John. “I warrant it’s been years since you attended Parliament.” Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were in Westminster Palace.

  “Once Johnny presents the reform bill and it is sent to the Upper House, I intend to be there for the debates every day.”

  “These things move slowly, but I want to be sure the timing will be conducive to getting it passed.” Grey reached for Bedford’s hand and shook it. “Let me be the first to congratulate you, John.”

  “Congratulate me for what, pray?”

  “You are to receive the Order of the Garter. I proposed your name to the king and he agreed. It’s the least I can do for all the help and support you have given me.”

  “I deeply appreciate receiving the coveted blue ribbon. It’s most gratifying. I warrant Georgina will be pleased.”

  The prime minister’s son, George Grey, greeted Louisa and her sister. “You both look lovely. I shall put in my request for the first and second dance before you are swamped with requests. Unfortunately there won’t be any Scottish reels tonight.”

  “You may partner me in the first dance,” Georgy declared, taking his arm. “Do you know if Lord Burlington has arrived yet?”

  “I haven’t seen him. When he arrives, would you like an introduction to him, Georgy?”

  “Heavens, no. We are already intimately acquainted.”

  Teddy Fox spotted Louisa and walked a direct path to her. “I’d like the first dance, if you haven’t promised it to anyone.”

  Georgy spun about when she heard his voice. “Teddy! I promised my first dance to George, but I’m sure he won’t mind if we switch partners.” She dropped George’s arm and took hold of Teddy’s.

  Louisa was acutely embarrassed that her sister showed her preference for Teddy Fox so blatantly. She took George’s hand and squeezed it. “You’re such a good dancer . . . I always enjoy it when you partner me.” The orchestra began to play a waltz and George led her onto the floor.

  “Teddy wanted to dance with you. I could see the disappointment on his face.”

  Louisa tactfully changed the subject. “Now that your father is prime minister, don’t you have a desire to go into politics, George?”

  “No, it’s still the navy for me. When I was a small boy, Father was First Lord of the Admiralty, and I suppose that sparked my desire to become a sailor. As a politician, he didn’t wear a uniform, of course, but he exercised command over the Royal Navy. He occasionally took me to the shipyards and took me aboard a few vessels.”

  “You are fortunate to be able to fulfill your childhood dreams. When I was a young girl I wanted to be a dancer on the stage, but alas, that is quite impossible.”

  “You dance beautifully, but the public stage is out of the question.”

  When the dance ended, George fully expected that Teddy would be waiting to whisk Louisa away from him. His glance searched the large hall for his friend, but when the music began for the second dance and Teddy didn’t come to claim the prize, he was more than happy to partner Louisa once again.

  “Would you like me to show you where I sit in the House of Commons, Georgy?”

  “Are you trying to get me alone, Teddy?” she whispered provocatively.

  He bit her ear. “Absolutely—I can think of far more amusing things to do than dance.”

  “Let’s slip away before the music stops; then no one will notice. We
stminster Palace must be a fascinating place to explore. It has more than a thousand rooms.”

  They ducked through a small archway in a shadowed corner of the hall.

  “I can take you places you’ve never been before,” he promised suggestively.

  “New experiences always excite me, Teddy.”

  Hand in hand they made their way through the labyrinth of corridors until they reached the darkened House of Commons. He opened a door and they slipped inside, and stood against the wall. The vastness of the chamber and the high vaulted ceiling echoed every sound, and they instinctively lowered their voices to whispers.

  “Men have often voted for war here, but how many women can say they made love in Parliament?” he murmured.

  Her arms snaked up around his neck. “Let’s set a precedent!”

  He shoved her against the wall, pulled up the lavender silk and the petticoats beneath it, and covered her mons with his palm. “You are always ready for me, Georgy.”

  Her fingers stroked his hard cock beneath the fabric of his breeches. “What about you, Ready Teddy? I warrant we are a very well-matched pair.”

  He opened his trousers, freeing his erection, then thrust himself up inside Georgy’s sheath, pinning her against the wall. When he felt her hands grasp his buttocks and squeeze, he groaned with pleasure. The sound echoed eerily about the vaulted chamber.

  Each time he impaled her, Georgy’s bum thumped against the paneled wall. The acoustics in the empty chamber magnified the sound, turning it into a rhythmic drumbeat. She giggled, and the echo made it sound like a disembodied spirit from above was laughing at them. The muscles of her sheath tightened and Teddy immediately spent with a low moan of satisfaction. He withdrew, leaving her still aroused.

  While Teddy tucked himself back into his breeches, Georgy advanced into the chamber past the tiers of green benches and stood on the floor in the center. At one end was the Speaker’s Chair. She made her way toward it and sat down.

  “We should go.” Teddy, having achieved what he came for, was reluctant to linger.

  Georgy, however, was not finished with the Member. “I’m enjoying myself.” With her finger she beckoned him closer. “What would it take to persuade you to stay?”

  He stopped beside the Table of the House that was located in the middle of the floor. “Someone might come.”

  Georgy made a play on words. “And someone might come again,” she promised.

  He felt his cock stir.

  She stood up from the Speaker’s Chair. “If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad . . .” As she walked toward him, she asked, “What’s this line down the center of the floor?”

  “If a Member from either party takes the floor to speak, he cannot cross the line.”

  Georgy jumped playfully from one side to the other. “I never toe the line.”

  “That’s what I like about you, Mistress Russell.”

  She ran her hand along the top of the massive wooden table. “I’m going to lie down, close my eyes, and imagine the benches are filled with the Honorable Members.”

  Teddy watched her hike up her skirts and slide her bottom across the polished oak. He knew he would never be able to look at the table again without imagining her lying there in open invitation. He opened his trousers and climbed on top of her. He felt himself harden and lengthen, as he brushed against her gleaming white thighs. “How do you like this Honorable Member?” He plunged down and took her cry of pleasure into his mouth.

  Georgy climaxed a moment after he spent. As he collapsed on her, she bit his ear and whispered, “The Honorable Member for Horsham has presented an Act of Fornication before the House. All in favor say Aye.”

  “May I have the pleasure of this dance, Lady Louisa?”

  Lu smiled. “The pleasure is all mine, Lord Kerry. Isn’t Kerry an Irish title?”

  “Yes, my father became Earl of Kerry when his cousin died without issue.”

  “I see. I know your father has been appointed president of the council. Forgive my ignorance, but are you also a Member of Parliament, Lord Kerry?”

  “Yes, I am the MP for Calne, in Wiltshire. Won’t you please call me Tom?”

  “Since your father and my mother are such good friends, why not?”

  “Did you know that my father once proposed marriage to your mother?”

  Louisa’s eyes widened. “She turned down the Marquis of Lansdowne?”

  “He wasn’t a marquis at the time—he was Lord Petty.”

  Ah, that explains it. “I’m glad they remained friends all these years.”

  “So am I. If they had wed, I might be your brother.”

  “Good heavens! I have too many brothers now. I don’t need another.” Oh no, he’s gazing at me with longing. I said the wrong thing. “On the other hand, Tom, I think you would make a very nice brother.” Louisa saw his longing change to disappointment. She quickly thanked him for the dance and retreated to her brother’s side.

  “Johnny, thank goodness you’ve arrived. I think Lord Kerry is smitten with me. He told me that his father once proposed to my mother and I was terrified that he was on the verge of following in his father’s footsteps.”

  “Marriage isn’t a fate worse than death, Louisa. The whole idea of a debutante having a season is to receive offers.”

  “The thought of marriage frightens me and having children terrifies me. A female has so little control over her own life. There is no freedom to do as she pleases. She goes from her father’s home to her husband’s. A man has complete control over his wife. I realize Mother and Father have always seemed happy, but everyone knows that most women aren’t so lucky. And Aunt Susan’s husband divorced her and took her children from her.”

  “A clever woman can wrap her husband around her fingers. Look at your mother. I warrant she gets her own way ninety percent of the time,” Johnny declared.

  “But that’s because he adores her and can deny her nothing.”

  “Then there’s your answer, Louisa. Find a man who adores you.” He glanced up to see James Hamilton and his brother Claud. “Speak of the devil,” he murmured.

  Louisa raised her chin. “Devil is right.” She addressed Abercorn. “What are Tories doing at the Prime Minister’s Ball?”

  Johnny chided, “Don’t play ignorant, Lu. You know Earl Grey is prime minister over both parties and both houses.”

  “Such a pity,” she taunted.

  “May I have the next dance, Lady Louisa?” Claud asked.

  She gave him a radiant smile. “I would be delighted.”

  “My brother enjoys your teasing. He has an amazing sense of humor.”

  “You seem to idolize him,” she said lightly.

  “There’s no doubt about it, my lady,” Claud said seriously. “James has been like a father to me. I couldn’t have endured it without his steadfast care and concern.”

  “Endured losing your father at such a tender age?”

  “Endured having Aberdeen for a stepfather. He was a tyrant with a heavy whip hand. James protected me by taking the blame for all my boyhood transgressions. Many are the beatings he took on my behalf.” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “The bully doesn’t dare raise his hand to us these days. He knows it’s more than his life is worth.”

  Louisa shuddered. She had always sensed a dangerous quality about Abercorn. He keeps his temper under a tight rein, but if he ever lost control and unleashed his fury, it would be deadly.

  Lord John and Abercorn watched the couple dance. “Louisa feels safe with your brother, James. If she thinks someone is interested in her, she holds him at arm’s length.”

  “She fights fiercely to hide her vulnerability.”

  “Yes, she is skittish about marriage and terrified of having a child. She’s afraid of a husband having control over her. The thought of being a wife was always anathema to her. When she was a little girl, she vowed she would be a dancer on the stage. When she was about twelve, she learned that a duke’s daughter could never perform
on a public stage. Poor Louisa was devastated. It ruined her life for at least a year.”

  “I realize I will have a lot of competition for her hand. I take it I will have to add Lord Kerry to the list?”

  “Don’t worry. She suspects that Kerry is smitten and will try to avoid him.”

  Abercorn grinned. “Rivalry will only spur me on and harden my resolve.”

  At the end of the waltz, Claud returned Louisa to Johnny’s side. She expected James to ask for the next dance and was looking forward to denying him. When he did not offer to partner her, she was acutely disappointed.

  The Earl of Edgecombe bowed before her and begged her to dance. She smiled sweetly and allowed him to lead her onto the floor. She willed herself to stop thinking about his lack of chin. The poor fellow couldn’t choose his ancestors. She found herself thinking of Abercorn’s square jaw and felt annoyed at herself. He’s obviously from a long line of dominant Irishmen!

  When the dance was over, Louisa was approached by the handsome Earl of Winterton and happily followed as he led her onto the floor.

  “I am a great admirer of your late uncle, the Duke of Richmond. Lennox was a renowned cricketer.” He leaned toward her as if he wanted to impart a confidence. “We have much in common. Lennox played for Sussex, and I play for Sussex. He was a right- hand bat, and I am a right-hand bat.”

  “How extraordinary,” Louisa murmured, as her eyes glazed over. Her Aunt Charlotte’s husband had been deceased for over a decade and she had never seen him play. She connected cricket with her brothers, who wielded hard wooden bats as weapons to whack each other, as well as anything else that impeded their rowdy fun and games.

  When Georgy returned to the ball, she glanced about the crowded room looking for Lord Burlington. When she found him, she threaded her way through the guests until she was standing beside him. Searching for something interesting to say, she remembered Louisa’s words about politics. “Hello, William. I understand your kinsman, the Duke of Devonshire, has been appointed Lord Chamberlain by Prime Minister Grey.”

  “Yes indeed, Georgy. The ruling Whig families have finally returned to power.” He gave her a speculative look. “Would you care to dance? I quite enjoyed partnering you at your debutante ball.”