Though he tried to keep his gaze to the window where he got a good view of people as they passed by, he kept glancing over at the room where several gentlemen had gathered to record names into a ledger as they placed bets on him. And it seemed that most were in agreement with Toplyn.
He recalled the way Helena had laughed when he told her about the wager. It didn’t bother her one bit. She had no doubt she could help him secure a wife by the end of the month. Considering she did this all the time, she knew what she was talking about, and she wouldn’t lead him to believe it was possible if it wasn’t. He’d just have to trust her judgment and ignore the naysayers. Deciding he’d had enough of the stupid bet, he left White’s.
***
Helena stood up from her settee, smiling at Miss Clarkson. “Now, remember what I said. Stop doubting yourself. You have a lot to offer gentlemen. They’d be fortunate to receive your affections.”
Mrs. Clarkson gave her daughter a proud smile then turned to Helena. “You’ll be with us at the ball tomorrow to guide her, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will. I make it a point to go to all the balls where one of my clients will be. I have no doubt your daughter will get the attention of at least three gentlemen.”
Mrs. Clarkson let out an excited cry and started telling her daughter where they should go to buy some jewelry to match her gown. Helena tuned them out as she saw them to the door. As she wished them a good afternoon, she caught sight of her friend, Chloe, who was coming down the street, a worried frown on her face.
Helena descended her townhouse steps and waved to get Chloe’s attention. Chloe saw her and returned the greeting then headed toward her. After giving Mrs. Clarkson and her daughter another smile as they stepped into their carriage, Helena turned to Chloe.
“Would you like to come in for some tea?” Helena asked when Chloe reached her.
Chloe fiddled with the reticule in her hands. “Are you expecting another lady to teach?”
“No. I just got done with one of the lessons and am free for the next hour. Come in, and we’ll talk.”
With a nod, Chloe followed her inside, and Helena instructed the butler to bring more tea and scones.
“You don’t have to go through all this trouble for me,” Chloe told Helena. “I don’t think I could eat or drink anything.”
Helena glanced at the butler. “Never mind about the tea and scones.” Then she wrapped her arm around Chloe’s shoulders and guided her into the drawing room, only stopping to close the doors so they could have their privacy. “Let’s sit on the settee.”
“All right.”
Helena sat next to her friend and took her hand and squeezed it. “What’s troubling you?”
“It’s my husband,” Chloe began, tears in her voice. “I thought he’d come home from India next month, but I just received word he’ll be delayed for another three months. He has a new trading agreement he believes will be profitable. I don’t understand it, Helena. What good is money if my husband’s never around? My father and mother only care that he has money and has provided very well for them. It makes little difference to them if he’s gone all the time.”
Helena wasn’t sure what to say. When Chloe’s parents came to her last year, they made it clear their main goal was for their daughter to marry a gentleman who had money, and the more money, the better. Helena had been careful to find out which available gentlemen had the most to offer, and Lord Hawkins had been one of them.
Despite the interest Chloe had in other gentlemen, her father insisted Helena find a way to work an agreement between his daughter and Lord Hawkins. And she had. But now Helena wished she had advised Chloe’s father to wait and see if a suitable gentleman with significant wealth stepped forward to court his daughter.
“I’m sorry, Chloe,” Helena whispered. “I had no idea it’d be like this.”
“It’s not your fault. My parents were so insistent.” Chloe swallowed then let go of Helena’s hand and retrieved a handkerchief from her reticule.
“Perhaps, but there were other gentlemen who could have paid for your brother’s operation and saved your parents’ home. Lord Hawkins might have had the most money, but others had enough.”
And Chloe had attracted some interest. Helena had no doubt she would have secured a betrothal with a wealthy gentleman in a couple more weeks, had she waited.
“They didn’t act fast enough,” Chloe replied. “With my father, something must be done right away or he’s not satisfied. It was a lot of pressure.”
“I know.” Most parents were supportive, but there were some who were more concerned with their welfare than their daughter’s. After a moment, she asked, “Do you like your husband?”
“I hardly know him well enough to make a claim. I’ve been married for about a year, but we haven’t seen each other for more than a couple hours after the wedding.”
“But with the correspondence you two have shared, do you feel any connection to him?”
“All he writes about are the different trades he’s doing, the people he’s met, and the exotic places he sees. There are never any questions about me, and if I share anything, he doesn’t seem to care.”
Oh. Then it was worse than Helena thought. She knew Chloe hadn’t been thrilled to marry Lord Hawkins, but she’d done it with the hope the arrangement would lead to more. Even if she could have a child, it’d give her someone to devote her attention to. But as it was, there was no child yet.
Chloe wiped the tears from her eyes. “I shouldn’t complain. Other ladies have it worse than I do. My husband is all the way in India, and he lets me do whatever I want with the sizable allowance he gives me. I’m not restricted like wives usually are.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting companionship,” Helena softly told her. “Deep down, I think every lady wants to be loved by her husband. There are some things no one but a husband can give us.”
A gentleman called out a greeting to someone from outside, and Helena’s gaze went to the window where a carriage came to a stop so the passenger could talk to a gentleman who was walking on the sidewalk. But it wasn’t the carriage owner or the pedestrian who caught her attention. She noticed Camden, who wasn’t far away.
Her heartbeat picked up in unexpected excitement, and she immediately pushed the strange sensation aside. It was just talk of husbands and longing for something more than convenience that made her react the way she did. It had nothing to do with Camden specifically.
“What are you looking at?” Chloe asked, following her gaze.
“Oh, nothing. I heard someone out there and glanced over to see what was going on.” She turned back to Chloe and smiled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m interested in what you’re saying. Continue.”
She returned her smile. “I was done talking. All I really needed was for someone to listen to me. My parents won’t hear any of it. And when I talked to a couple other wives, they said they wished their husbands were in another country.”
“It’s true not everyone is happy in their marriage.”
“Were you happy with your husband?”
Helena hesitated to answer her, but perhaps Chloe would feel better knowing she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t had an ideal marriage. “We were friends ever since we were children,” she slowly began. “Our marriage was arranged from the time we were young, so we always knew we’d end up together.”
“That’s good then, isn’t it? You were already well acquainted and enjoyed each other’s company.”
“Well, yes. That part was good. It was nice not having to worry about whether or not we’d find someone.”
“Didn’t you have a good marriage?”
“As good as could be, I suppose.” Helena shrugged and glanced out the window again, her gaze unwittingly going to Camden. “My husband was my friend, and that was the extent of his feelings for me. But to be fair, that was the extent of my feelings for him as well.” At least that’d been the case when they got married.
>
“So it was never a love match?”
Helena’s attention went back to Chloe. “No, it wasn’t.” Nor could it ever be, but she couldn’t say it aloud. It seemed like it wasn’t appropriate to speak about her husband that way. “We were content. But it was never a love match.”
“I understand. Thank you for letting me talk to you.”
“Anytime.”
“You’re a good friend.” Chloe hugged her then stood up. “I promised my mother I’d meet her for tea.”
“I’m glad you stopped by.”
As Helena led Chloe to the door, Chloe asked, “Do you plan to marry again? Your husband has been gone for a couple years. Your time of mourning has well passed.”
“To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it.”
“I bet you could get a husband right away if you wanted. You are an expert on securing them.”
Chuckling at her friend’s joke, Helena stopped at the doors. “If I did marry again, I’d do it for love.”
“I would, too,” Chloe whispered.
“I really am sorry I didn’t protest the match between you and Lord Hawkins.”
“You didn’t know it’d be this way. And, as others have pointed out, he’s not a bad gentleman. He provides very well for me and my family, and he’s pleasant.”
“Yes, but it can be a lonely feeling when you know your husband would rather be elsewhere than with you.” Releasing her breath, she opened the doors and saw her friend to the entrance. “If you come to the ball tomorrow, please find me.”
“I will.”
After she watched her friend leave, she instructed the butler to bring in a fresh pot of tea and scones to get ready for Miss Jasper’s arrival.
Chapter Seven
“This evening,” Helena began as she sat across from Camden in her drawing room, “I want you to ask ten ladies to dance.”
Camden nearly choked on the scone he was trying to eat. Ten? Did he really hear her right? Once he finally managed to swallow the food, he placed the rest of the scone on the tray. He was right in not choosing to eat or drink anything while with her. He shouldn’t have assumed that since this was his second lesson he’d be relaxed enough to partake in the refreshments.
“Do you need something to drink?” she asked, reaching for a cup.
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine, thanks.” He wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin then folded it and set it on the tray, next to the scone. “It’s just that I don’t think I can manage to ask ten ladies to dance. To be honest, I had trouble asking one at Lord Edon’s ball. Well, I didn’t even do the asking. Lord Toplyn did it for me.”
“Camden, you’ll only limit yourself if you keep thinking this way. You must be more confident. You’re handsome, gentle, and kind. Ladies seek that kind of thing.”
Now, he was really glad he wasn’t holding either food or drink. If he had, he would have dropped them. No one had paid him such a compliment before, except for his mother. But she was his mother, and mothers had to say those kinds of things to their children. Helena, however, had no such reason to speak to him this way.
“Today, we’re going to practice how you can approach a lady and ask her to dance,” Helena continued. “The more you do it, the easier it’ll get.”
“But…well…” He started to slump back in his chair but reminded himself he needed to keep sitting straight. Even if he didn’t feel confident, he must give the impression that he was. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment then nodded. “All right.”
“You’ll feel awkward at first, but I promise, it will pass.” She rose to her feet and went to the center of the room. “Come. We’ll do this standing up.”
“Do we have to?”
“This evening, when you’re asking ladies to dance, you’ll be standing, so yes, it’d be best to practice this way. Come.” She waved him forward and gestured to the spot next to her. “You have nothing to worry about. It’s just the two of us.”
While that was true, he could still trip or do something to make himself look foolish. He released his breath and slowly stood up. After a moment to make sure the path in front of him was clear, he stepped forward. No awkward folds in the rug. Good. No nearby table for him to bump into. Even better. When he made it to her, he waited for her to give her next instruction.
“Pretend I am a lady you wish to dance with. An opening line doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Start with a smile then ask, ‘May I have this dance?’” she encouraged. “Go on and try it.”
He forced a smile and asked, “May I have this dance?”
She stared at him for a moment then said, “I know you’re going to have difficulty with this, but while you’re talking to the lady, try to think of something that makes you happy.”
“Do I still look like I’m in pain when I smile?” He couldn’t help but be disappointed. He’d done his best to try to look more relaxed when he practiced smiling yesterday evening. Obviously, his attempts had been in vain.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”
Not sure where she was going with this, he obeyed.
“Think of a time when you were happy,” she said.
It took him a minute to select such a time. His mother and the butler had been the biggest influences in his life, at least ones that made him happy. But his brother, Ellis, had always been a good friend, even though Camden didn’t see him often. But there was a day when Ellis found him holed up in his bedchamber when he was sixteen. Ellis had returned from his studies and wanted to go horseback riding. Camden couldn’t believe his brother would take the time to be with him when their father wanted him to go to one of his friend’s estates.
“There. That’s a wonderful smile,” Helena said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
He opened his eyes, immediately returning to the present.
“Whatever you’re thinking, think of that this evening when you approach a lady,” she added. “A lady’s heart would have to be made of stone to say no to that smile.”
He wondered what was so significant about his smile. He’d have to take a look in the mirror when he got home and see for himself why it seemed to please her so much. But right now, he had to focus on the rest of his lesson.
“Ask me to dance,” she said when he didn’t say anything.
Making sure he kept smiling, he resumed eye contact with her and asked, “May I have this dance?”
With a nod, she curtsied. “I’d be honored, Your Grace.” She waited for a moment then added, “Put your hand out so I can take it.”
“Are we going to actually dance?”
“No, but I wanted to get an idea of how you’ll lead her to the dance area.”
“Oh.” He should have realized that was what she wanted. It was going to take him some time to get used to the way people did things. He held his hand out.
“A little higher.” He did as she instructed, and she placed her hand in his. Then, with a hint of a smile, she said, “You can wrap your fingers around mine.”
He quickly obeyed, and his skin warmed in pleasure. It was nice to hold her hand. Unsure of what to do next, he asked, “What do I do now?”
“Take me over there.” She gestured to another area of the room. As he did, she said, “From what I saw at Lord Edon’s ball, you know the steps to every dance.”
“I watched the people and figured out the movements.”
She studied his face. “You’ve been watching them over a course of time, correct?”
“Well, I had been to other balls last year and saw people dancing then, but I really didn’t pay attention to them until Lord Edon’s ball.”
They reached the area of the room she’d motioned to, and she took her hand out of his. “Are you telling me you’ve had no dance lessons?”
“I don’t need them. Seeing how people move is enough.”
“Do you do that in other areas of life?”
His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
&nbs
p; “Do you learn how to do things by simply watching other people do it first?”
He took a moment to consider the question then nodded. “I suppose so. I never had any formal schooling, so I had to watch others.”
“You never had formal schooling? But you’re a duke.”
“Because my brother—my older brother—can no longer fill that role.”
“I’m sorry. When did he die?”
“Two years ago.”
“May I ask why you never went to school?” Helena asked. “Even if you weren’t the duke until recently, certainly you would have benefited from formal education.”
His gut tightened. Granted, she knew he was awkward enough as it was, but just how much did he really want to reveal? He cleared his throat, his gaze going to the floor. “I suppose it was because I never talked to anyone when I was a child.”
“You never talked to anyone?”
“I could talk. When it was just me and my mother, I had no trouble talking, but it was hard when others were around.”
“You were shy?”
“Yes. To the point where people assumed something was wrong with me.” And he let them think it since it was easier than trying to talk to the group of strangers his father would bring over from time to time. In these cases, he stayed in his bedchamber, reading or playing with his toys. Forcing a chuckle, he said, “I don’t mean to bore you. This isn’t what you planned to do with the hour I’m paying you for. Do you want me to ask you to dance again and lead you over there?” He pointed to the spot they had been standing moments before.
He couldn’t be sure, but he suspected she wasn’t all that pleased he’d put an end to their conversation. It was a silly notion, of course. She wasn’t interested in him or his life. She was only doing her job to help him secure a wife. That was all.
Her gaze meeting his, she said, “Yes. Give me the same smile you were using before.”
He closed his eyes for a couple seconds to recall that day with his brother then opened them. With a smile, he asked, “May I have this dance?”
Love Lessons with the Duke Page 6
