by Tonya Brooks
Scarlett had been amused by her friends teasing, but her mood quickly changed when faced with the other woman's venom. Never one to back down from a fight, she stepped through the doorway and fully into view. Looking down her nose at the petite blonde, she replied in the driest, most bored tone that she had learned from her brother, “Indeed.”
~~~~~
“Baroness,” Priscilla gasped in surprise and quickly pasted an ingratiating smile on her face as she curtsied. “How very delightful to make your acquaintance.” Priscilla had been trying to get close to the young woman all evening, but the throng of men around her had been virtually impenetrable.
As a Viscountess, normally she would outrank a mere baroness, but Lady Scarlett was the daughter of a duke, and by right of birth she carried the same rank as a duchess. Not to mention she was a member of the all-powerful Ashbrook family. Gaining an acquaintance of Scarlett's stature would be a coup the Viscountess fully intended to accomplish.
~~~~~
Staring at the other woman as if she was something that had been scraped off the bottom of a shoe, Scarlett queried in that some bored tone, “And you are?”
“Oh, allow me the honor, dear Scarlett,” Faith interjected with a devilish grin and her nemesis looked shocked at the familiar use of the baroness’s first name. “This is Lady Priscilla, Viscountess Melville.”
“Viscountess,” Scarlett repeated distastefully and had no intention of addressing the shrewish woman as lady. “Yes. I suppose that was the best you could do.”
“I... I beg your pardon?” Priscilla blinked and did not seem to fully comprehend that she was being insulted.
“With those plump cheeks, it's obvious that you'll go to fat in a few years,” Scarlett pointed out as the other woman gasped indignantly and the Halstead sisters barely contained their mirth. “Add to that your appalling lack of personality and its surprising that you managed to snag a viscount.” When the other woman suffused a very unbecoming shade of red and looked as if she were going to explode, Scarlett dared to add, “Tell me, did you trap the poor man in a compromising situation and force him to do the honorable?”
“How... how dare you?” Priscilla demanded in outrage, completely forgetting to whom she was speaking.
Scarlett favored her with a feral smile. “Oh, there's not much I won't dare,” she informed the other woman in a no nonsense tone. “And if you ever insult my friends again, you'll find out just how easily your own reputation can be ruined.”
While Priscilla just stood there gaping in astonishment, her mouth opening and closing much like a fish out of water, Scarlett smiled at her friends and asked, “Shall we go, ladies?”
“I can't believe you did that,” Hope said in amazement as they walked away.
“Oh, gracious. Scarlett, you were magnificent!” Charity said in awe.
“I thought Priscilla was going to choke on her own poison,” Faith said gleefully.
“Being a member of one of the tons most prominent families seems to have its advantages after all,” she informed them smugly.
Priscilla wouldn't dare retaliate. No one was foolish enough to cross the Ashbrooks without fear of complete social ruin. After all, the dowager duchess was the reigning hostess in the ton. If Juliette cut you from her guest list, everyone else would follow suit.
~~~~~
The key to any successful machination was always in the details, and the dowager duchess never left anything to chance. Juliette had been as deliberate in planning the dinner as she had every other aspect of her granddaughters come out ball. Instead of using long dining tables and hosting a traditional formal dinner, she had chosen to use round tables which provided a more intimate and relaxed atmosphere and a buffet so the guests were free to mingle.
The reason for this was quite simple. At a formal dinner, seats were always assigned by rank, which meant Scarlett would have been seated at the head of the main table with the members of her family instead of mingling with her guests. Since the ball was also in her honor, she would be escorted in first and once she was seated, anyone who chose to do so could claim a chair at her table. It was just another ploy to keep her granddaughter surrounded by eligible gentlemen.
Much to her grandmother’s irritation, Scarlett had figured this out and decided not to be seated until the majority of the tables had already filled up. As none of the family had taken their places either, she deliberately chose a seat next to Dexter Pennington. Scandalous rake he may be, but at least she could talk to him.
The gentleman who'd escorted her in, was seated on her right and barely seemed capable of speech. The poor sod just kept staring at her as if he were dicked in the nob. Carrying on a conversation with him was proving tedious at best, so she gladly turned to Dexter and asked formally, “Are you enjoying the ball, Lord Vale?”
~~~~~
“Oh, I say. It's been highly entertaining, Lady Scarlett,” he replied in his usual friendly manner and actually remembered to address her properly. Dexter's manners were always impeccable around a lady. He just had to keep reminding himself that Scarlett was a lady. She certainly looked like one for a change and he couldn't help noticing that the gown did remarkable things for her bosom. “I say. I see that you solved the corset dilemma rather nicely. Everything appears to be quite well proportioned, what?”
~~~~~
Scarlett promptly snapped her sagging jaw shut and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Leave it to Dexter to mention something so outlandish, and at dinner of all places. For a man with such exemplary manners, he was as dumb as a box of rocks. “Dex, you just won't do,” she said and fought to maintain an even expression.
The viscount frowned in obvious confusion. “Does that mean you didn't have one custom made?” He asked and eyed her bosom critically. An appalled expression suddenly covered his handsome face, and he said a bit anxiously, “Oh, bugger. You are wearing one... aren't you, Scarlett?”
On that note, Scarlett promptly lost the battle, lifted the napkin to her mouth and tried to smother a fit of giggles.
~~~~~
Having seen the pair sitting next to each other, and fearing the worst, Devlin made his way through the tables to lean down between them and issue a soft warning. “Both of you behave.”
“Oh, I say, we are old chap,” Dexter nodded amiably. “Scarlett and I were just discussing her corset dilemma, you see. I can't tell if she's wearing...”
“Shut up, you bloody ass,” Devlin hissed menacingly and glanced around the table to make sure that no one had overheard. His expression appeared as bored as ever, but the pale blue eyes were as hard as shards of glass. “Keep your mind and your eyes off of my sister’s bosom, or I will kill you.”
“Oh. I say,” Dexter replied, completely chagrined. “Didn't mean to offend, old chap. Wouldn't insult Lady Scarlett for the world, what?”
~~~~~
Having overcome her amusement, Scarlett laid her hand on his arm in a conciliatory gesture. “No offense taken, Dex,” she assured him with a fond smile. “I appreciate the concern, but perhaps we should find another topic. I heard you purchased a horse from Nicky. Are you planning to race this one?”
That display did not go unnoticed by their fellow diners. Physical contact between ladies and gentlemen was not permissible in public. For the lady to touch the handsome viscount so freely, and in her brother’s presence no less, the two of them must be practically engaged. Before dinner was over, the gossipmongers were claiming that Lord Vale was paying court to the lovely baroness, with her brother's blessing. This galvanized the rest of the gentlemen into action, and before the night was over, Devlin would be bombarded with requests to court his sister.
~~~~~
Devlin moved on around the room, nodding cordially to his guests until he made his way to Nicholas. “One of these days, I really am going to kill Dex,” he swore.
His old friend laughed at that since they had all felt that way on more than one occasion. As boys at Eton, the two of them
had managed to save Dexter from a sound thrashing from some older lads. After that, Dexter had followed them about like a lost pup and neither of them had the heart to make him go away. He'd proven to be a loyal friend time and again throughout the years, and a good man to have at your back in a tavern brawl.
“What did he do now?” Nicholas asked in amusement.
“He and Scarlett were discussing that damn corset again,” Devlin muttered. “I swear, she's gonna send me to an early grave.”
Nicholas clapped him on the back and said, “What you need is a drink. Come on. I know you've got a decent bottle of brandy in the study. Let's see if we can't give it a black eye.”
“Best idea you've had yet.”
~~~~~
Later on in the evening, Nicholas stood beside the dowager and commented, “You've outdone yourself tonight, Duchy.” He had been forced to endure a great many of her functions over the years, but this one topped them all in sheer numbers alone.
Langford House was one of the largest mansions in Mayfair and had an enormous ballroom in comparison to its neighbors. Tonight it was literally overflowing as the ball had become a complete crush, and guests were being forced to move outside on the veranda and into the garden.
~~~~~
As was the norm, there were generally several events held on any given night, and most of the ton would flit from one to the other. Juliette had known that would not be the case tonight, so she had arranged for the veranda and garden to be well lit and used as an extension of the ballroom.
Just as she had predicted, the male guests who had arrived when the ball began, had chosen to stay rather than move on, and the late arrivals weren't about to leave now that they had seen Scarlett.
“Glad you approve, Nicholas,” she nodded regally and was well pleased with her granddaughter’s success.
After tonight, Scarlett would be the toast of the ton and have more offers than she could choose from. Hopefully, that would prod the young man at her side into offering for the chit himself. Jealousy was a powerful motivator, and it was practically rolling off of Nicholas in waves. Juliette couldn't have been more pleased.
“The question is, how the deuce are you going to get them to leave?”
“I believe they will leave quite willingly once I send Scarlett up to bed,” she informed him with a smile of utmost confidence and decided to dig a little deeper. “In spite of my skill as a hostess, we both know what's keeping the guests here tonight.”
~~~~~
“Indeed,” he said dryly as he watched Scarlett being twirled around the floor on the arm of yet another besotted gentleman. Interestingly enough, this one was old enough to be her grandfather. It seemed the lady had managed to dazzle every single man in the ballroom, regardless of their age.
Not that it came as a surprise.
Nicholas had already been fully aware that the youngest Ashbrook was an incredibly beautiful woman to begin with, but tonight she really was a goddess come to life in earthly form. That damn gown she was wearing didn't do a thing to mask her voluptuous curves. The tightly fitted bodice displayed her tiny waist and those magnificent breasts to perfect advantage, while the straight, simple lines of the design emphasized her long length of leg.
Even knowing that she would be stunning, he'd been rendered speechless when she'd made her entrance, and by the time he'd made his way to her side, her dance card was already filled. However, the mischievous minx had informed him that she had saved him a waltz, as promised, and he'd quite simply have to wait his turn to claim it.
Oh, he'd wait all right. He'd wait until the gates of hell froze solid if he had to. There was no way that Nicholas would miss something as important as dancing with Scarlett at her very first ball. Much to his disgust, the majority of the men present shared the sentiment.
His possessive instincts wanted nothing more than to carry her away from all the leering eyes and lustful looks she was receiving from men who would never be able to see beyond her beauty and appreciate her for the intelligent woman she really was.
When the dance ended, she had just reached her grandmothers side where her partner reluctantly handed her over to a much younger man, and a sharp pang of jealousy stabbed Nicholas yet again.
Scarlett barely had the chance to leave the floor before another partner claimed her. Such had been the pattern all evening as several of the gentlemen unlucky enough not to be on her dance card had tried to cut in. It was frustrating as hell to watch, so he had stayed as far away from the ballroom as possible.
“Would you care to dance, Duchy?” He asked courteously.
“Why, thank you, Nicholas. I would... oh, dear lord,” the dowager gasped.
Nicholas turned back to the dance floor and saw that Scarlett's latest partner had dropped down on one knee before her, his face a mask of enraptured awe as he clutched both of her hands in his. Scarlett was staring down at him in astonishment as was everyone else who witnessed the scene.
~~~~~
Oh, this was just perfect! Juliette couldn't have planned it better if she'd tried. This marvelous display should push the handsome young duke right over the edge and into her granddaughter’s arms. The dowager grasped his arm with some urgency and commanded, “Nicholas, do something.”
~~~~~
Infuriated, Nicholas needed no prodding. In full protective mode, he strode across the dance floor where several couples had stopped dancing and were now staring in disbelief at the scene before them.
He felt not an ounce of sympathy for young Carstairs as he deftly removed Scarlett from his grasp, turned her expertly into his arms and commanded in his coldest tone, “Get up, you bloody ass.” The dazed expression on the younger man’s face barely registered before he whisked her into the steps of the waltz and across the floor.
“That man is either cup shot or insane,” Scarlett said as she stared up at Nicholas in disbelief at what had just happened.
A wry smile touched his lips because she was not at all flattered by Carstairs proposal. Scarlett was far too intelligent to be swayed with such juvenile tactics and the knowledge soothed his ire nicely. “Because he professed his undying love?” He deduced.
~~~~~
“Yes,” she nodded, her expression completely bewildered. “He doesn't even know me.”
“He was obviously struck senseless by your beauty, kitten,” he pointed out, that wicked little smile on his lips.
She snorted inelegantly in response. The smile grew even more as he stared down at her with those dark, mysterious eyes and flirted shamelessly. “What mere mortal could gaze upon you tonight and not be carried away by fanciful thoughts? You are indeed a goddess from above, come down to tempt a man beyond the bounds of sanity.”
Even though she knew he was teasing her, hearing such lovely compliments in his silken voice sent a tingle of awareness through her, which effectively reminded Scarlett of their last dance in an empty ballroom. That warm, sultry laughter escaped her lips and her smile was as brilliant as her eyes as she gazed up at him in open adoration.
“Oh, Nicky. You always know exactly what to say to make me laugh.”
He managed to contrive a hurt expression. “You wound me to my very soul, Lady Scarlett. I vow I'll never recover from such a crushing blow.” Her laughter rang out again and Nicholas sighed dramatically. “It would appear that you doubt my sincerity.”
“'Course I do,” she said in genuine amusement.
“Pray tell, my beautiful Baroness, why would you doubt me?” He asked in such a solemn tone that it could almost be mistaken for sincerity, had she not known him so well.
“Because, my dear Ryder, you do know me,” she informed him, that brilliant smile turning mischievous. “And I know you for the scandalous rake you are.”
“But you adore me anyway,” he grinned devilishly.
“How could I not?” She teased. “After all, you did rescue me from... what was his name again?”
~~~~~
“Carstairs,” he informed h
er in disgust. Geoffrey Billings, Viscount Carstairs, was Nicholas's first cousin and heir. All in all, the young pup was a less than sterling example of the family name. Oh, he wasn't a bad sort. Not given to excesses of any kind, just young and green and in need of a mentor to guide him.
His greedy father had been a complete and utter ass, and his fluff brained mother had spoiled and pampered him to a ridiculous degree. Nicholas had tried to take the boy under his wing several years ago when his father had died, but the Viscountess had quickly put a halt to that. She didn't want a rakes wicked ways rubbing off on her precious baby boy.
Not that it had done a whit of good for her to protest. Geoffrey idolized his older cousin and had hounded Nicholas's heels since his graduation from Eton last year. He was going to have to have a talk with the young man about his appalling behavior tonight.
Preferably before Devlin broke the pup in half.
~~~~~
Devlin had never despised a ball more than he did this one.
Word of Carstairs outrageous behavior quickly reached him in the card room and he sent a footman to invite the young fool to join him in his study. If this was the kind of nonsense he was going to be forced to deal with, he seriously regretted insisting his sister have a season.
Hell, so far he'd had more men than he could count asking his permission to call on Scarlett, and damned if he hadn't already been plagued with as many offers of marriage. And this was just her debut. God preserve him through the rest of the season.
Turning that disgruntlement on his oldest friend, Devlin growled, “Don't know why you couldn't have handled this when you had the chance. Carstairs would cut off his ballocks to please you.”
“Appearances, don't ya know,” Nicholas said dryly as he poured them both a measure of brandy. “In spite of the fact that everyone knows the three of us were raised as siblings, Scarlett and I are not by any stretch of the imagination, related. If just one person got it into their head that I was behaving like a jealous lover...”
