To Catch A Duke

by Bethany Sefchick

  Julia gestured to the parlor she and Amy had just vacated. "If you would be so kind as to wait in there, sir, I shall be with you once I see my guest out." Then, she noticed that Amy was still staring at Blackwell as if he were a ice from Gunter's and it was the hottest summer's day on record.

  "Dr. Blackwell," Julia finally said, hoping to pull one or both of them from their trance-like state, "may I present Lady Amy Cheltenham, the daughter of the Earl of Evanston. Lady Amy, this is Dr. Gibson Blackwell, an associate of Dr. Hastings, the doctor who saved my life the other day."

  Blackwell offered Lady Amy a deep bow, never taking his eyes from hers. "My lady, I am honored."

  "As am I," Amy practically sighed as she curtsied in return. Then she looked at Julia as if remembering why she had come in the first place. "I shall see you tomorrow night."

  "Of course." Julia led her new friend to the door, though it was clear that Amy wished to linger and ogle Blackwell a bit more. "I would not wish to be any place else."

  When she was certain Amy was safely in the carriage, she turned back to Blackwell who, despite being told to wait in the parlor, had remained in the front hall until Amy had departed. Watching her leave.

  "Gibbs," Julia cautioned as she turned back to the man she'd developed a kind of friendship with over the last few days, "she is not for you." She could have used his title, she knew, but the use of his nickname would drive her point home in a much clearer fashion. If nothing else, in the last few days Julia had learned that sometimes it was best to address a situation head on.

  He gave her a cheeky look and hoisted his bag, trying to deflect attention from his obvious attraction to Lady Amy. "I'm only here for you, my lady. No other woman could capture my attention at the moment." The words were lies but he spun them so well that Julia could not help but laugh.

  "Scoundrel." She led him towards the parlor. "Just examine me, and then I will tell you all you need to know about Lady Amy." Julia found that she could not be cruel to Gibbs, especially when he was so clearly enamored of the other woman.

  "Give me a few moments to set up, and I shall be ready for you, along with Cosgrove, of course, and a maid or two," Blackwell replied jovially. "But you must promise to tell me everything. She is downright captivating." Then he entered the parlor where Julia knew he would set up his tools to examine her wound, and, hopefully, pronounce her fit and more or less healthy. It was easier there than in her bedroom, even though it was probably a bit more scandalous. Not that she cared about such things any longer.

  She did, however care a great deal about Benjamin. Both Amy and Lady Evanston insisted that he loved her. Did he? He had never said so, and he'd had several opportunities, including when they were in bed lying together after their lovemaking. Then again, she reasoned, she had never said the words, either, and her heart was positively bursting with love for the dark, handsome man who was also her best friend.

  Could it be that two people who were in love with each other were also too afraid to admit it? Even to each other? Looking at the invitation in her hand once more, she knew that by tomorrow night, she would have her answer, for she had a suspicion that if Benjamin didn't offer the words - any words - willingly, her new friend would drag them from him

  For once, Julia couldn't wait.

  Chapter Fourteen

  "Are you enjoying yourself?" Nicholas whispered the words in Julia's ear, but she was terrified that someone else might overhear them. What had seemed like such a brilliant idea yesterday in her drawing room now, most decidedly, didn't.

  "Of course," she responded, swallowing hard and trying not to show any fear. "Why wouldn't I? I have a lovely new dress and the most handsome escort in the room." Though that was only because Benjamin wasn't here yet.

  Nicholas made a very un-gentlemanly noise. "Perhaps because you are petrified to be in the viper's den knowing that all eyes are on you?"

  He did have a point, though she was loathe to admit it. Despite the invitation from Lady Evanston, Julia was feeling less than welcome at the ball. She could have blamed it on her gown, which was a bold, emerald green and not at all the thing a first-season debutante wore, no matter her age. She could have also blamed it on her hair, which was up in an elegant twist, making her appear older, again something that most young women did not do.

  However, she knew it was because everywhere she went, the whispers followed, much as they had the evening she'd hidden behind the large Grecian columns several weeks ago, even though that ball now seemed like something from another lifetime. Despite Lady Evanston's assurances of welcome, people were talking - about her, about the duel, and about the damnable bet regarding her scars. Someone had ended the bet earlier in the day, and the book on it was now closed. The gentlemen in the room would not reveal who had claimed the bet, but someone had. It was all the talk. And the men who knew were looking at Julia as if they could see beneath the silk she wore right down to her very skin.

  It made her want to hide. But she would not. Amy, her new friend, had encouraged her to be strong when they'd met at the door. Amy had also told her not to flee or run, but to stand tall and proud, to let them talk.

  That was, of course, easy for Amy to say. She was not the subject of rabid gossip, though if she didn't stop mooning over one Doctor Gibson Blackwell, that might change, as well.

  "They do not frighten me," Julia declared with more conviction than she felt. "I will stay for a few sets, and then I shall depart. You can remain all evening if you wish. It is the last ball of the season and I mean to be here, at least for a time. They cannot chase me away." She did not need to add that, most likely, it would be the last ball she would ever attend in London, and not being present would have left a hole in her spirit in some small way. She would leave, but on her own terms.

  She turned to gaze across the ballroom. "Besides, I wish to see Radcliffe one last time before we depart for Sussex. It is the proper thing to do." Not to mention that she wanted to look into those lavender eyes and see if what Amy and her mother had said the day before was the truth. She knew that if he loved her, the truth would be there, hidden from the world except for her. No one could read him as well as she could.

  "Still angling after the duke?" From behind Julia, she heard Henrietta Cartwright snipe at her, though it was not unexpected. Out of all of the young unmarried ladies of the ton, none had tried harder all season long to catch Benjamin's eye than she. "Just because he saved your life - twice - doesn't mean he wants you for a wife." She patted her hair. "After all, you're hardly a diamond, as I am."

  In that one sentence, Lady Henrietta had broken so many rules that Julia couldn't catalog them all. From referring to the scandals of her scarring and the duel, to calling herself a diamond - something no proper young lady ever did - Henrietta had committed any number of transgressions. And from the glare Nicholas was shooting her, he was more than ready to announce it to everyone. They did not need that, so Julia laid a hand on his arm.

  "I am afraid I do not know what you mean." Julia took Lady Evanston's advice and appeared unaffected by the other woman's words. She intended to keep up the act she'd perfected the day before. "I see that you have been listening to silly gossip again. On all counts. That is unbecoming for a young lady of your station." She knew she was dangerously close to crossing a line herself, but coming near and actually crossing were two very different things.

  "Why of all the nerve!" Henrietta sputtered, unable to believe that anyone had spoken to her unkindly. "I'll have you know that..."

  "That you are a shrew with a sharp tongue?" The familiar, deep voice swept over Julia like a balm, soothing her instantly. He was here. She knew he would be. "That is what you meant to say, Lady Henrietta, was it not?"

  Benjamin stood before them, tall and strong, cutting an imposing figure in the crowd. He raised a single eyebrow that told Julia that, for him anyway, the fun was just beginning. Oh, how she loved him!

  "My lord!" Henrietta simpered unabashedly. "I did not see you ther
e. Rest assured that if I had, I would not have..."

  "Would not have spoken to my intended as if she were less than you?" There was an edge to his voice and Julia had to bite her lip to keep silent at his words. Intended? When had that happened? Not that she was about to correct him.

  Henrietta was nothing but apologies now. "I would never, my lord. I have the utmost..."

  He waved a hand in the air, unimpressed. This was the chilly, vaguely angry Duke of Radcliffe, and in that moment, Julia could not have loved him more. "You would have simpered and bowed before me. Yes, I know. You and a dozen other young ladies like you."

  Benjamin glanced back at Julia, a wicked sparkle in his eyes. He was enjoying himself and saw no reason to stop so long as the woman he loved could bear the spectacle he was about to make of himself. When she did not object, he continued gleefully. "That is precisely why it is so difficult to pick a woman to be your duchess. She must be able to stand up to you, to tell you when you are being a 'mutton-brained idiot.' I believe that is the precise phrasing, anyway."

  He paused and when Julia nodded, he fairly beamed at her with joy. "She must be kind and loyal, but she must possess a good heart, one that has the capacity to forgive even the most grievous of hurts." He reached out and clasped Julia's hand in his. "Above all, she must love you for who you are and not what you are. She must love you with her whole heart so that when you offer her yours in return, she treasures it and treats it carefully. For the heart of a duke is a very fragile thing, indeed."

  Henrietta stood there with her mouth agape, but Julia didn't see her. She didn't see anyone else at all. The only person she saw was Benjamin. There was love shining from his eyes, warming her heart and making her feel as if she was the most beautiful woman alive. In that moment, there were no scars, no whisper of scandal. There was no duel and no Landover. There was nothing but Benjamin and his love for her.

  "May I have this dance, my love?" he asked and extended his hand to her.

  "I would be honored," Julia replied, barely able to breathe. She was thankful that he was mindful of her injury when he swept her into his arms and onto the dance floor where a waltz was just beginning.

  Once they were lost in the crowd, she looked up at him, needing to be certain that he'd meant what he said. "You called me your intended," she whispered, her voice hitching slightly. "Did you mean that?"

  "I did." There was a softness to his gaze that hadn't been there before, as if the jaded duke had finally found what he was searching for. "For so long, I told myself that what was between us was just friendship, that it was me repaying you a debt for what my father had done. And in the beginning, that might have been true. But no longer. It hasn't been like that for a good long time."

  He pulled her closer then, far closer than was proper. "I meant what I said, Jules. My wife must love me for me. Not because I am a duke, or because I am wealthy." He let his gaze take in the other dancers. "Those other women, they do not see me as you do. They do not know me. None of them ever have. They never wanted to."

  "I know you," she breathed, unable to believe in the magic of the moment, but allowing it to fill her, flow around her. "I know all of you, Ben, the good and the bad, and I love what I see. The hot and the cold, the anger and the passion. Without it, you would not be you, and that would be a tragedy. So yes, I love you. All of you. Each and every part."

  "Thank God." He let out a breath, and until then, Julia didn't realize he'd been uncertain of her response. "Jules, I love you so much that sometimes, I think my heart will break with the sheer power of it."

  She looked up at him through lowered lashes, a coy glance that she knew he would find humorous. "Then I think you should allow me to look after your heart. For always. Just in case. I promise that I will not break it."

  He laughed, causing the other dancers to stare at him, not that he cared a bit. "I think that's a splendid idea." Then he leaned close, so close that only she could hear. "Julia, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife? I'm afraid that if you don't, my heart would not be able to tolerate life much longer. And it will break without you."

  "Yes." A tear slipped down her cheek, though for once, it was a tear of joy and not pain. "Yes, Benjamin, my love. I will marry you." Then she looked up, needing him to see her love for him shining in her eyes, just as she had seen it in his. "I should not be able to live with myself if I neglected to watch over your heart."

  She wanted to kiss him then. In fact, she wanted to do a great deal more, but it was completely inappropriate for anywhere outside of a bedroom. Or a secluded, dark garden. Instead, she basked in his love and the thrill of the dance as they spun around, the entire room a blur of color and light, laughter and music.

  For once, Julia felt a part of life, not separate from it. Over the last few weeks, she had learned to live and embrace everything that life offered, even if she feared it. There would always be women like Henrietta, women who would rather ridicule and hurt than be her friend. She could not change them. She saw that now. However, there would also be those like Lady Amy and her mother, people with good hearts who wanted to help, even if it wasn't always the easy thing to do.

  By the time the waltz had ended, Julia was positively giddy with delight and she could see Nicholas across the room. He was smiling, and she knew that Benjamin had clearly already spoken to him about asking for her hand. All that was missing was a betrothal ring, but that would come soon enough. She had the man. The jewels were secondary.

  As Benjamin led her to the refreshment table, Lady Amy approached, her own face glowing with happiness. "Julia! Lord Radcliffe!" There was no hint of malice in her tone, just pure joy for her new friends. "I only now received the wonderful news! Congratulations!"

  "Thank you." Benjamin offered Lady Amy a bow. "I was uncertain as to whether or not Lady Julia would accept, but I am pleased to see that my fears were unfounded." Then he inclined his head. If this woman had befriended Julia, then she was a friend to him as well. "And please, since we are all friends now, call me Benjamin."

  "Benjamin, thank you." Amy nodded her approval. "You and Julia belong together. Though I have only known both of you a short time, I believe that it's true."

  A tightness constricted Benjamin's chest for he was surprised how much it meant to him to have Lady Amy's approval. "You honor me, my lady. I can only hope that..."

  He wasn't able to finish his thought as Lady Henrietta pushed her way through the crush of people to reach them. She was nearly out of breath, but she marched up to the group, determined as any military man he'd ever encountered.

  "Ah, the good and noble Duke of Radcliffe," she sneered, and he knew it was because he had rejected her. Given the slightly glassy look to her eyes, he also wondered if she had snuck into their host's liquor supply. "Such a fine, upstanding gentleman, one who is magnanimous enough to marry poor, disfigured Lady Julia."

  Beside him, Julia stiffened, but it was Lady Amy's reaction that interested him the most. "Lady Henrietta," she snipped icily as she drew herself to her full height, almost regal in her bearing, "I do not know what you are about, but I would ask that you please refrain from insulting my friends. To do so insults me as well." Among the ton, there were a few people that most would not wish to risk insulting. The Duke of Radcliffe was one. The Earl of Evanston, as well as his wife and daughter, were among the others.

  "As if you don't know." Henrietta was just as icy now though not nearly as imposing. "I know all about that bet at White's. How the duke himself claimed the bet just morning." She turned to Julia, and if looks could have killed, Julia would have been struck dead where she stood. "He must have already lifted your skirts, my dear, to know precisely how far down those scars went!" She was enraged at having been denied her sought-after prize and was striking out at those whom she felt had wronged her.

  "Lady Henrietta, that is enough!"

  Benjamin hadn't seen Lady Evanston approach the refreshment area, but given the scene Henrietta was making, he wasn't surpr
ised to know that everyone was watching them. He risked a glance at Julia, prepared to whisk her away if necessary, but he was both proud and astounded that she was standing tall and meeting everyone's eyes rather than flinching and looking away.

  "Admit it. You ended the bet and the only way you could do that was if you saw her naked!" There was an unholy light in Henrietta's eyes, and Benjamin wondered if she might do Julia some serious harm. It was time to end this farce now, he decided.

  "Yes," he said evenly, his tone one of boredom. "I did end the bet. But rather than collect on it I simply paid off the wagers for everyone in the book once I knew that I loved Julia and intended to ask her to be my duchess."

  His response must have shocked Henrietta for she openly gaped at him for a moment before snapping again. "But how did you know?"

  Shrugging, he reached for Julia's hand. "I was there when the animal attacked her. After all, our families were long-time friends. I helped the doctor treat her when he needed an extra set of hands. She was four years old at the time. A mere child."

  "Then why didn't you collect sooner?" Henrietta demanded, unwilling to give up, whatever alcohol she'd consumed making her braver, albeit far more foolish, than she normally would have been.

  "Because I didn't know of the bet until three days ago," he countered, even though he was certain everyone in the room knew that was a lie. "I am a member at White's, but I do not gamble, nor do I spend much time there. Once I did find out, I made it a point to end that nonsense as soon as I possibly could. I do not want my future duchess to be the subject of such gossip." He sniffed disdainfully. "And if you wish to secure yourself a husband, Miss Cartwright, I suggest that you learn a little bit of decorum. You are making a proper cake of yourself."