Her Devilish Marquess

by Ruth Ann Nordin

Her mother laughed and waved her hand at him. “You’re a sly one, my lord. All we’d have to do is call you by your title, and you’d look over at us. Then we’d know who you were.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted. “But seeing as how I only recently acquired the title, I might have thought you meant my brother and failed to acknowledge the greeting.”

  “I’m sorry to hear your brother died,” her mother replied. “He must have been young.”

  “He received an injury that didn’t receive a doctor’s attention right away.” Even thinking about it upset him. His brother and his foolish pride. It wasn’t a weakness to seek help when one needed it. “Nevertheless, I promised him I would do right by him and honor the title he left me.”

  “That’s a wonderful gesture,” Danette said, her voice almost so soft he barely heard the compliment.

  “It’s what he requested on his deathbed,” he replied.

  “I’m sure you miss your brother,” Mrs. Everson spoke up. “Danette’s father and I wanted to give her a brother or sister, but it wasn’t meant to be. She’s an only child. We’ve always been proud of her.”

  Though Danette blushed, Derek caught the pleased smile on her lips at her mother’s words. Derek was glad for her. Not all parents thought so well of their children. He didn’t often envy anyone anything, but in this one regard, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret at displeasing his parents. Danette was very fortunate, indeed, but not knowing anything else, she didn’t understand the significance in her mother’s statement.

  “Lady Cantrell is the closest lady Danette has to a sister,” her mother continued. “The two did everything together while growing up, and even as grown ladies, they are close. You’ll be seeing Lady Cantrell at the wedding.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting her next week.” Then, as an afterthought, he asked Danette, “Is next week all right with you, or would you prefer we read banns?”

  “I’ve read banns with two other gentlemen,” Danette said. “I’d rather not this time.”

  “She’s a bit superstitious,” her mother added. “But I assure you, the broken engagements weren’t her fault. She was a lady at all times.”

  He offered a comforting smile. “I have no doubt she was. She’s been that way since I came into this room. You did a good job in raising her.”

  Her mother grinned in pleasure. “Flattery will get you everywhere, my lord.”

  “In that case, I’ll make it a point to offer lots of flattery in the future,” he teased. “I want to make sure I stay in your good graces.”

  She giggled and waved his comment aside. “I bet you have a bit of mischief in you.”

  “Not too much. I want to make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass your daughter,” he promised, just in case either of them worried about it. He glanced at Danette. “You mentioned that you enjoyed watching people. Would you both be interested in going to Hyde Park? We could sit and watch people stroll by. If you feel inspired, we could even guess what people are talking about.”

  “Guess what they’re talking about?” Danette asked, a hint of intrigue in her voice.

  “Don’t you ever guess what the couples dancing are talking about when you watch them at the balls?” he replied.

  “I hadn’t thought to do that,” Danette said. “I mainly overhear what others are saying.”

  “But wouldn’t it be fun to make up things they might be talking about?”

  Even as he asked the question, he caught the spark of interest in her eye. Yes, she was shy, and she most likely was insecure about her worth. But he suspected she had a bit of mischief hovering beneath the surface of her controlled exterior.

  “I don’t mind doing that as long as they don’t know we’re doing it,” Mrs. Everson said.

  “We’ll be discreet,” he assured her.

  “Why not?” Mrs. Everson looked at her daughter. “It sounds like an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. What do you think?”

  Danette didn’t answer right away. Though she seemed very interested, Derek caught that part of her which held her back. He was about to suggest they go to the museum instead, something that would be a safer, albeit boring, choice.

  But then Danette said, “I don’t see the harm in it. Let’s go to the park.”

  “Splendid!” Derek thought this would be a game she’d like once she started playing it.

  Plus, he was anxious to see if it would help her get to know him better. He was definitely looking forward to getting to know her. He just hoped the feeling was reciprocated. It’d be nice if they might be one of the few couples who enjoyed a love match.

  Chapter Five

  Danette hadn’t seen Derek since that day he took her and her mother to Hyde Park. Granted, he was a doctor and he had a lot of patients who needed him, but she had hoped to see him again before their wedding day, which was in two days. The time seemed to drag on, however, as she waited to see whether or not he’d end things at the last moment.

  She went to the Duke of Rumsey’s ball in hopes she’d see him again. Surely, there wouldn’t be patients to tend to so late in the evening. But he wasn’t anywhere, so maybe he did have someone to visit after all. People did get sick at all hours of the day. Though she kept telling herself this, she couldn’t deny how disappointed she was.

  Of the gentlemen she’d been engaged to, he seemed the most promising. Not only was he much more interesting to listen to, but he seemed to genuinely care for her.

  A silly notion, she chided herself. She wanted him to care for her, and as a result, she fancied the idea he returned her new feelings.

  Despite her disappointment, she turned her attention to the couples dancing. She decided to play the game Derek had taught her. She imagined what they might be saying, and while the game was amusing, it was much more fun when she’d done it with him and her mother. Having them add their comments had made the thing a lot more fun. So she stopped doing it, and instead, she turned her attention to the people talking nearby.

  Most of it was the usual. The ladies fretted over which gentleman might ask them to dance or tried to figure out ways to get the attention of the most viable bachelors in the room. This alone made Danette grateful the Duchess of Ashbourne had a service helping people find their ideal matches.

  Danette had never been good at the whole courting thing, nor did she enjoy the process of trying to attract gentlemen. It had been much easier to let her father do the work for her. This time, the duchess had done it. Hopefully, the duchess was better at pairing couples up than her father had been.

  “Once again, you’re sitting at a ball all by yourself,” a familiar voice said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  Danette grinned and turned her attention to Regan as she sat next to her. “I’m surprised you left your husband to talk to me.”

  Regan shot her an amused smile. “What kind of friend would I be if I left you alone all evening?”

  “I know you don’t believe me, but I enjoy sitting here and watching people.”

  “So you keep telling me.” After a moment, Regan asked, “Have you met your betrothed yet?”

  Despite her best intentions, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. “I did. It was a couple days ago.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “I tried, but you were hard to reach.”

  “You’re right. I’ve been distracted. Malcolm and I have been spending time with his parents so they can get better acquainted with me and Leonard. Then I had to attend one of Lord Steinbeck’s boring dinner parties. And when we were home and I thought about paying you a visit, Malcolm found ways to distract me.”

  “How? Did he start telling you all about his business plans?” Danette knew Regan was trying to get Malcolm to open up to her by asking him questions about his business dealings, but she didn’t think those would truly be of interest to her friend.

  Regan giggled. “No. He had a much better way of distracting me.”

  “Really? What
way is that?”

  “I think I’ll let your soon-to-be husband show you that on your wedding night.”

  That was the first time Regan hadn’t ever come out and answered her question. Why was her friend being so mysterious about this? And if Danette was right, she caught a mischievous spark in her eye, as if her friend was excited that Danette would soon learn the very thing she was being so secretive about.

  “Tell me,” Regan continued, not the least bit disturbed she’d withheld information from her, “how did your visit with the Marquess of Dodsworth go?”

  Just hearing Derek’s title made Danette’s skin tingle with excitement.

  “Ah, I see it went much better than you thought it would,” Regan said.

  It wasn’t surprising Regan could read her expression so well. Danette didn’t know if Regan was able to do that because she was so transparent in her emotions or because Regan had known her since childhood. Either way, no one understood her better than Regan. She was beginning to suspect Regan pushed so hard for her to get married because she knew, deep down, Danette wanted a husband.

  This was something Danette had kept a secret from everyone. She’d kept it such a good secret, in fact, that even she hadn’t been aware of it. It wasn’t until Derek teased her about gentlemen lining up to dance with her that she realized she’d hoped someone would venture over to her during one of the balls, whisk her off her feet, and spend the rest of his life with her. She’d rather die than admit such a thing to anyone, even Regan, and she shared everything with her friend.

  “Is he handsome?” Regan asked. “Were you attracted to him?”

  Danette chuckled. Leave it to her friend to think of the physical side of a relationship. “Yes, I was. He’s very good looking.”

  “That’s a promising start. It’s hard to kiss a gentleman you’re not attracted to.”

  Danette couldn’t argue that. She’d tried with all her might to kiss Lord Simpleton when he asked for one, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she’d made up an excuse about not wanting to kiss a gentleman until she married him, thinking, of course, that it would buy her some much needed time to gather up the strength to do so. She bit her lower lip. Perhaps Lord Simpleton had realized that and decided to end the engagement. Maybe that one was her fault.

  “What does Lord Dodsworth look like?” Regan pressed.

  Forcing her attention back to their conversation, Danette said, “He’s tall with dark hair and a well-trimmed beard. I don’t usually like any facial hair on gentlemen. I think they look much cleaner without it, but in his case, it makes him all the more…” Unable to think of the right word, she shrugged.

  “Sexy?” Regan filled in.

  Though Regan had kept her voice low, Danette glanced around to make sure no one else overheard her.

  Regan laughed and clapped her hands. “I just knew the duchess would do a marvelous job.”

  “There’s more to marriage than attraction.”

  “I’m well aware of that, but attraction always helps. Now, tell me what you think of him as a companion? You’re obviously taken with him.”

  “This will probably sound wrong in some way, but in many respects, he reminds me of you.”

  Regan’s eyes grew wide. “Why would that be wrong? I happen to think I make a delightful companion.”

  “You are. As a friend. But I never thought I’d want to be with a gentleman who has a sense of humor.”

  “He makes you laugh, does he?”

  “Yes. Just as you do. Really, it’s uncanny. One would swear you two were separated at birth.”

  “In that case, I adore him already. I must send the duchess a gift to thank her for making such a good match. You could use someone like him. It wouldn’t hurt you to laugh more and worry less.”

  “I know. My mother says the same thing.”

  “Your mother is a wise lady,” Regan replied with a twinkle in her eye. “What did you and your handsome betrothed discuss?”

  “Now that I think about it, we talked mainly about me. I mean, he told me he made a promise to his dying brother he’d do well with the title. I thought that was a lovely thing for him to do. He must have thought very well of his brother to do such a thing.” Even as she thought about it, her heart warmed. “He has a caring soul. He wants to do what’s right and noble. It’s hard not to like a gentleman like that.”

  “The important thing is, he’s not boring. Since he makes you laugh, I’m assured he’s not all business.”

  “Oh, even if he was serious, I’d like him.” She smiled. “He paid me some nice compliments. It seems gentlemen are often interested in money and heirs, but with Derek, I think he sincerely wants someone to spend his life with. You know, to share its joys and sorrows. I don’t get the feeling I’d be just his wife. I’d also be his friend.”

  Regan returned her smile and pressed her hand to her heart. “I never thought I’d see the day when you fell in love.”

  Surprised, Danette gasped. “It’s too soon for love.”

  “No, it’s not. I loved Malcolm the first time I talked to him. Sure, it took him longer to return my feelings, but I assure you, with me, it was instant. I think love is one of those things that doesn’t take time to develop for everyone.”

  “But you don’t know the person enough to love them when you’ve only talked to them one time.”

  Regan shook her head in amusement. “When will you learn that it’s all right to think with your heart? Throw caution to the wind and enjoy the moment. Put down your wall, and live life to the fullest. You’ll get so much more enjoyment from it.”

  “I understand what you’re saying.” Then when Danette caught the flicker of disappointment in her friend’s eye, she added, “Really, I do. But I can’t separate my mind from my heart like you can. We’re two different people. What works for you doesn’t work for me.”

  “If being with Malcolm has taught me anything, it’s that there’s always room for compromise. Just because you’ve done something a certain way, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it another way.”

  “Let’s agree that this is a very promising match the duchess has put together.”

  “See? Already you’re compromising. I like Derek. He’s exactly what you need.”

  Danette nodded, thinking her friend could very well be right. The question, however, was whether she might be what he needed. If so, they would compliment each other very well, and perhaps, they might enjoy a love match.

  ***

  The next morning, Derek arrived at Mr. and Mrs. Boyle’s residence to check on eleven-year-old Alexander. As soon as he entered the drawing room, he examined the lad, who stood in front of him, his face lit up with excitement.

  Derek resisted the urge to chuckle. Of all his young patients, this particular lad was the most enthusiastic one. And because of that, Derek couldn’t help but oblige him with the lad’s favorite game.

  “Let’s see if you have any coins today,” Derek said.

  As he expected, Alexander stood up a little straighter. “I think I do.”

  “Oh? What makes you think that?”

  “I helped my mother when she needed it, and I was nice to my brothers and sisters. You said I would gain more money that way.”

  Surprised Alexander had taken his words to heart, Derek laughed. “In that case, I have a feeling you might be correct. All right. We’ll take a look and see if you’re good works have paid off.”

  While Derek allowed some coins to slip from his sleeve and into his hand without Alexander noticing, Mrs. Boyle came into the room. “I think we’ll have the tea and scones by the window,” she told the butler.

  Derek put his hand behind Alexander’s ear and produced a coin for him. Reaching up to his other ear, he glanced at Mrs. Boyle as the butler left the room. “You don’t have to go through all this trouble for me,” Derek said.

  “It’s no trouble at all,” Mrs. Boyle replied. “Besides, my daughter wished to speak with you today.” She shot him a
n apologetic smile. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, I don’t.” It was because of Chloe that business was even better for him. Who knew a lady’s word could have such an impact on so many people? He produced two coins from the lad’s ear. “Hmm…”

  “What is it?” Alexander asked, inspecting Derek’s hand.

  “It seems two coins came from this ear,” he replied. “I wonder what we’ll find under your armpits.”

  Mrs. Boyle shook her head and walked over to them. “I don’t understand why you always check under his armpits,” she told Derek.

  He shrugged. “Sometimes coins can drop from his head, roll down his neck, and slide to his armpits.”

  Alexander chuckled. “Check them. I’m seeing if I made more money this month, Mother. Remember how I helped you calm Gretchen down after her nightmare? Then I let Bethany borrow my comb.”

  Mrs. Boyle frowned. “What did she want with your comb?”

  “I don’t know.” Alexander lifted his arms. “She didn’t say.”

  “Bethany already has a comb. There’s no reason why she should need to borrow yours,” his mother insisted.

  “I didn’t think to ask why she wanted it,” Alexander replied. “I told her she could borrow anything if she needed it, and that’s what she chose.”

  “I’ll have to talk to your sister about this later.”

  By the expression on her face, Derek suspected Bethany had used the comb for something other than her hair, but not having children, he couldn’t begin to guess what that something was. However, since the lad would probably need a new comb after this, Derek decided to give him three coins from one armpit and two from the other.

  “Well, look at that,” Derek said, showing him the coins. “Your good works have paid off. Maybe you should refrain from letting your sisters borrow anything. Maybe you can compliment them instead.” He winked at Mrs. Boyle and handed Alexander the coins. “Good job on making so much.”

  The lad gasped and took them. “I made all of this?”

  “Yes, you did.” Derek patted his shoulder. “Now, let’s get down to the reason I’m here. How have you been feeling?”