The Heart of a Duke
Page 37
“Don’t forget the burners.”
Nadya jumped at the sound of her grandmother’s voice. “I haven’t forgotten, Baba Lyunda. I will set them outside next.” She held her breath as Bunică shuffled into the tent. Her grandmother had grown unsteady since her spell two years ago, and she refused to use the cane Luca had carved for her. Nadya hurried to the tent’s entrance. “Come sit at the table.”
Her grandmother’s slim fingers clamped around Nadya’s shoulder, and she leaned on her as Nadya assisted her to the table. Her grandmother grunted softly as she lowered to her favorite pillow with Nadya’s help. Then she crossed her legs with the agility of a much younger woman and smiled up at Nadya. “Thank you, chav. You should do the readings tonight, I think.”
Nadya’s eyes widened. “Why? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No,” Bunică said with a shake of her head. “But you should do the readings.”
As usual, her grandmother provided no explanation. Nadya suppressed a sigh so as not to insult her grandmother, but she didn’t have much confidence in her own scrying abilities. Most times Nadya was certain the things she saw and heard were the result of a fanciful imagination, but the ones who came to her seemed pleased with her readings.
“Do you think it is wise when the duke wants you, Baba Lyunda?”
“You assume you know what is in the man’s mind.”
Nadya didn’t argue. It was true. She didn’t know what was in his mind, and his wishes were less important than her grandmother’s anyway. “Very well. I will do the readings if that is what you want.”
She gathered the burners from a crate sitting on the ground and slipped outside. Closing her eyes briefly, she savored the smell of burning wood and savory meat roasting on the spits at the edge of the camp. Another gift from the duke. Her clan would eat well this evening.
Several others were bustling about the green field, preparing for the gorgios. Her friend Irina called out a greeting as she passed with one of her father’s famous dancing dogs cradled in her arms.
“Papa is on a tear this afternoon,” she announced as she ruffled the pooch’s white fur. “Queenie’s tutu has been misplaced, or I would stay to chat. I suspect Goliath ate it, but I’ve been ordered to keep searching.”
Nadya chuckled. “Good luck. I would help look, but I haven’t finished with my duties.”
“I will come by later tonight then.” Irina’s colorful skirts swirled around her ankles as she picked up her pace.
Nadya’s gaze strayed toward Luca’s stage. It was empty except for the rack of swords and unlit torches. She scanned the surrounding area, eager for a glimpse of him, but her search came to a quick halt.
Five young women were strolling down the spillway, a few of them arm-in-arm, and all of them laughing together. Nadya’s heart fluttered at the sight of them. Recognition flooded her, and the day she had tricked them into buying her worthless pendant came back in clear detail.
Shame seared her body, and she turned, prepared to duck into the tent. Nadya’s jealousy had almost rotted her insides a few years ago. She had been suspicious and petty and someone she never wished to be again.
“Ahoy, there. One moment, miss.” The voice rang with familiarity. Not the merry, feminine sound of it, but the confidence threaded through the speaker’s words. It was Lady Eleanore, or rather the Duchess of Langley.
Nadya took a deep breath to brace for the confrontation, then turned to face the young women. Each one smiled brightly as they strolled toward her. Their unhurried pace made Nadya shift her weight from foot to foot. Two servants dressed in the duke’s livery held their position behind the group, mostly unobtrusive but large enough to discourage anyone from bothering the ladies.
As they reached her, Nadya wondered if she should curtsey to the duchess, then discarded the idea as inane. She wasn’t a peasant beneath the woman, nor was she certain she recalled how to perform a curtsey. Instead she crossed her arms to hide the fact she was shaking.
A small woman stepped forward. “Nadya Pankova. I can barely believe Langley found you after so many years have passed.”
It had been six years. “How do you know my name?”
“My husband told me, and how glad I was to finally put a name to a face.”
“I am sure I don’t know your husband, Madame.”
The woman’s smile grew. “Please, call me Charlotte. You may not remember me.” She gestured to her friends. “Or any of us, but we have never forgotten you. May we go inside? I have something for you.”
The urge to flee rose up in Nadya, but she pushed it back down. She couldn’t be imprisoned for selling a piece of jewelry for far more than it was worth. Although fairness was not always employed when it came to gypsies.
She nodded sharply before slipping inside the tent. Bunică looked up as she entered and said, “They have come.”
Nadya’s step faltered. Had her grandmother known about the women?
“Show them inside, Nadya. I did not raise you for rudeness.”
She did as her grandmother commanded and stood uncertainly to the side of the tent while the young women approached the low table. While Nadya had been outside, Bunică had filled the glass bowl with water.
The friends fussed over the young woman with glasses, urging her to be careful as they helped her sit on a pillow. Her gown stretched across her swollen bump as she wiggled to a comfortable position. “Thank you, but I am with child, not an invalid.”
The one with hair like sunshine, Vallie—her name was unusual enough to stick in Nadya’s mind—plunked beside her. “Now, now, Aldora. We promised your Michael we would take good care of you.”
“But I thought I might have a break from his hovering for a bit. Instead, you have stepped into his boots.” Despite her chiding tone, Aldora smoothed a hand over her belly and smiled a secret, pleasurable smile that only a woman well loved could produce.
“I’m certain Alex will be just as annoying once I am expecting.” Vallie gave a small frown before arranging her skirts around her. Nadya recognized her move for what is was, a distraction. She wandered toward the table without taking her gaze from the young woman’s face. Discouragement hung over Vallie, threatening to dim her light. But just as clear to Nadya was a silver glimmer surrounding the woman.
Nadya blinked. She must be imagining the aura of pregnancy her grandmother spoke of often. Bunică often recognized a new life forming in the womb before the woman knew she was going to be a mother, but Nadya had never seen it. She swung her head toward Bunică and met her knowing smile.
“Come, chav. It is time.” She held out her hand, gold rings glittering on her fingers.
Nadya answered her call and sat at the head of the table. Today she would accept her birthright, the gift of intuitiveness. The other women joined Aldora and Vallie on the pillows.
“Do you wish to have your fortunes told?” Nadya asked.
Charlotte shook her head and laughed. “No, I have brought you something.” As she opened her reticule, Nadya studied her. She was different somehow. Older, taller, more mature to be sure, but there was something more. An air of importance emanated from her, and she held herself proudly. Yet, there was still sweetness to her. She pulled a silk handkerchief from her reticule with the Langley coat of arms embroidered at the corner and placed it on the table.
“You won the duke’s heart,” Nadya murmured.
Charlotte’s smile grew. “And he won mine. The pendant has worked its magic.” She swept a hand toward her friends. “We all found love while wearing the necklace, and now it must be returned so others may benefit from it.”
Nadya’s jaw dropped. “You all married dukes?”
“Heaven’s no!” Lady Eleanore’s eyes shone with amusement. “There are not enough unmarried dukes of a proper age to go around, not that I would wish for one when I have Jacob.”
The confident young girl who had been engaged to a duke hadn’t married him after all. Not even Nadya’s grandmother could have made
such a prediction.
“My husband will be appointed to the King’s Court any day, I just know it.” Lady Eleanore’s chin lifted, displaying the pride she’d shown as a young girl, but it was for the man she loved. “Jacob has worked hard for his dream, and he deserves success.”
Vallie patted Lady Eleanore’s hand resting on the table between them. “Elle has worked hard too. She has charmed the Prince and the ton at large. Why, I can barely finish my greeting before the young mavens of the political circle are elbowing me aside to beg her advice on everything from throwing the perfect house party to which guests should sit together at dinner parties.”
“You are exaggerating.” Lady Eleanore rolled her eyes. “And I always have time for you. For all of you.”
Vallie smiled. “I know, but I am still proud of you, and as your sister by marriage, I may boast of your accomplishments as often as I like.”
“Anything I have managed pales in comparison to Alison’s achievements.”
Nadya’s gaze landed on the quiet one called Alison, and her face flushed.
“Jonathan and I are simply having fun,” she murmured.
“Yes, and creating magnificent inventions,” Charlotte piped up. “My sister and brother-in-law are producing glasses that make everything bigger.”
Alison’s brow knit. “Items do not actually increase in mass, Char. It is impossible to alter their properties with mere spectacles. The adjustable magnification properties of the glasses make them appear larger.”
Charlotte continued, not the least bit derailed by her older sister’s correction. “And she and Mr. Foster are involved in a project that is highly secretive. I had no idea what they are up to behind closed doors, but I am certain it is brilliant.”
Alison’s blush deepened to a ruby red, and she coughed into her fist. Oh, there were definitely things going on behind closed doors, and not necessarily all of those things were new inventions.
Aldora pushed her spectacles up on her nose and peered at the duchess. “Well, my glasses tell me Charlotte is increasing.”
The young women gasped, and then gaped at the duchess.
“She looks the same to me,” Alison said.
Charlotte laughed. “You are not the only one with secrets, dear sister. I fear I will not be able to hide my state forever.”
“Truly?” When Charlotte nodded, Alison squealed and gathered her in a hug. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She held her sister at arm’s length. “You told Aldora first?”
“No, I recognized the signs,” Aldora said. “Charlotte turned green when the footman served her eggs this morning. I had the same aversion since the beginning of my pregnancy.”
“Oh, heavens. The mere mention of eggs—” Charlotte’s hand covered her mouth and she paled. The moment passed quickly, however, and she smiled. “All better now.”
The other women congratulated her and exchanged hugs, although Vallie’s lacked a bit of the excitement her friends shared. Nadya touched Vallie’s arm to gain her attention. “Soon,” she whispered.
“How do you know?” Vallie whispered back.
Nadya exaggerated her Romany accent and flashed an enigmatic grin. “Magic, dear one. Magic.”
The young woman’s eyes lit, and the gray cloud casting a shadow over her nearly perfect life vanished. Vallie was a believer, perhaps the only one in the group, aside from Bunică. And now Nadya, too.
Charlotte returned her attention to the handkerchief, unwrapping the bundle and holding up Nadya’s necklace by the chain. It was worn and tarnished, but it filled her heart to overflowing.
“This pendant shall lead to the heart of a duke,” Charlotte repeated as she placed it in Nadya’s palm. “Or to be more exact, the man of your heart. Be prepared.”
The women giggled like the girls they were when Nadya first met them. She encouraged them each to tell of their experiences with the necklace. As they shared their tales, she marveled at each of their wondrous love stories.
When it was time for the women to leave, Nadya hated to see them go. She followed them to the entrance and watched as they walked away, laughing and teasing with one another. Their happiness was contagious and left a smile on her lips. A crowd had formed while they had been inside the tent. It swallowed the young ladies, and they disappeared from sight.
Nadya rubbed her thumb over the gold heart locket before releasing the clasp on the chain and putting it around her neck. The weight of it was comforting against her skin. This pendant shall lead to the heart of a duke.
She chuckled at the ridiculous prophecy she had made up so long ago. It was doubly ridiculous considering she would never come within ten miles of a peer of the realm under normal circumstances.
Applause drew her attention to Luca’s stage, and she forgot about the necklace. A group of men and women had gathered in front of Luca’s stage, waiting for his show to begin. Pasha, Luca’s assistant, was strutting across the stage, his red silk shirt and scarf fluttering in the breeze.
Luca would be next on stage. A small thrill passed through her as she anticipated her first glimpse of him that day.
Pasha stopped at center stage; his chest puffed up. “Ladies and gentlemen.” His deep voice rang out over their heads, commanding their attention. “Never in the history of man has there been an act more daring. More thrilling. More death defying.” He drew out the last two words, setting the crowd on edge. “With swords sharp enough to slice a hair in two and fire so hot the Devil himself is envious, this next act is not for the faint of heart. Ladies, keep your smelling salts close at hand.”
Pasha wiggled his eyebrows, and a round of chuckles travelled the circle. His serious mien returned at once, and he waved his arm with flourish toward the side of the stage. Nadya rolled her eyes, wondering at what new title Luca’s cousin would bestow on him this time. Fire-breather? Gypsy Dragon? Steel eater? They were all so silly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage the… Duke of Danger!”
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