The Duke of Distraction
Page 24
“Just another week or so,” Ivy said. “Then we must return to the country because I’m going to become an aunt.”
“Oh, that’s right, Fanny is expecting,” Eugenia said, mentally counting the number of women here who were with child, and ultimately giving up.
Another couple joined them—the Marquess and Marchioness of Axbridge. Emmaline’s state, that of rather advanced pregnancy, was quite obvious. “We wanted to come and pay our respects, Lady Satterfield,” Axbridge said. “I’m afraid we need to be leaving. We probably should not have come, but Emmaline was adamant that she not miss your ball, even if we stayed only five minutes.”
Ivy moved to put her arm on Emmaline’s waist, her face creasing with concern. “Are you all right? Do you want me to escort you home?”
Emmaline waved a hand. “No, I’ll be fine. I’m just a bit overheated.”
Eugenia gazed at her in sympathy. “It may be time for me to allow Titus to host this ball. His house is so much bigger. He has a proper ballroom.”
“No.” All four of them said the word in unison, and Eugenia laughed.
“It’s tradition,” Axbridge said. “You host the first must-attend event of the Season. That’s simply the way it is.”
“You’ve convinced me,” Lady Satterfield said with a laugh. “Now, how about you go downstairs to our private library and put your feet up while your coach is brought round? I’ll have lemonade and port sent down.”
Emmaline’s entire body wilted with relief. “You are an angel. Thank you.”
“It is my pleasure, and do let me know when Axbridge’s heir arrives.”
“It’s going to be a girl,” Axbridge said.
Ivy looked at Clare. “You said that about Leah, and you were right.”
He chuckled. “As right as I was about marrying you.” He winked at his wife, and a moment later, Eugenia saw the Axbridges down the stairs.
When she returned, a new set had begun. She scanned the room—which was really two rooms opened up together—looking for Nora and Titus. Instead, she saw Ivy’s sister Fanny and made her way to the young woman’s side.
They embraced, and Fanny’s husband, the Earl of St. Ives, bowed.
“I understand you’ll be leaving for the country soon,” Eugenia said. “I shall pray for your safe delivery.”
Fanny’s hand drifted over her abdomen. “Thank you. I’m a bit nervous, but Ivy says it will be fine.”
“Of course it will, dear.” St. Ives gave her an encouraging smile.
“I’m glad to have plenty of support,” Fanny said. “Oh, here they come. Lady Satterfield, you’ve met my friends Lady Northam and Lady Ware, have you not?”
The two ladies arrived with their husbands, and it was evident that they too had breathed the childbearing air. There seemed to be an epidemic of exceptionally happy—and productive—unions.
“Yes, of course,” Eugenia said, greeting the new arrivals. “It looks as though many of my guests will be very busy over the next few months.”
“Oh, you mean because of all the babies,” Lavinia, Lady Northam, said. “I have to think that some of them will grow up and marry each other.”
“I do think that’s likely,” Eugenia said. “Jo told me her daughter Evie has befriended the Duke of Blackburn.” She looked toward Verity Powell, the duke’s mother, and saw that Jo and Bran were now speaking with her and her husband, Kit. “Perhaps a match is already in the offing.”
The conversation continued, and Eugenia waited for an appropriate moment to draw Lady Colton aside. “I understand I am to thank you for my headdress.”
Lady Colton’s gaze shot up to Eugenia’s head, and she smiled. “Who told you? Not that I mind. It looks absolutely lovely on you.”
“Lady Dartford. She was most complimentary. I hope you don’t mind that she shared—I would never tell.”
“I don’t mind at all. I conceived of the shop when I was certain I would be a spinster.”
“You, a spinster? Never. You’re far too engaging and charming. You were simply waiting for the right man to realize you were standing right next to him.” Eugenia looked to Felix, the Earl of Ware, who kept sending lovestruck glances toward his wife. She knew they had known each other for years, given Felix’s close friendship with her brother.
“Lucky for me, that’s precisely what happened,” Lady Colton said, her eyes glowing.
Eugenia promised to visit the shop again soon, then saw Titus and Nora standing near her husband, whose audience had seemed to diminish, at least temporarily. Eager for a moment’s respite from her circuit, Eugenia made her way to her family.
“Thank you for starting off the ball tonight,” she said to Titus and Nora, her chest full of pride. “I’d begun to think that perhaps you should take over hosting the ball next year, but several people have disabused me of that notion tonight.”
“And I’m glad they did,” Titus said. “This is your ball. What makes you think I’d want to host it anyway?” He gave a shudder, then exchanged a small smile with Nora, who shook her head.
“He would host it if you asked him to,” Nora said. “He would do anything you asked him to.”
“No, he would do anything you asked him to, which is why I would ask you first.” Eugenia winked at her daughter-in-law, who laughed in response.
“Oh, they’re here,” Nora said, looking toward the door.
Three ladies stood at the threshold. Eugenia recognized them, but then she recognized nearly everyone. What she didn’t know, however, was why their arrival was noteworthy. “Have you been waiting for them?” she asked Nora.
“No, but I heard talk of them earlier. That’s Jane Pemberton, Arabella Stoke, and Phoebe Lennox. They are, apparently, the ladies of Leavenworth Square.”
Titus groaned. “This isn’t another nicknaming scheme, is it? Those bloody Untouchables names were finally beginning to die off.”
“No, dear,” Nora said patiently. “They are ladies, and they live in Leavenworth Square.”
“Together?” Eugenia asked. She thought they were all single young women.
“That’s why people are talking,” Nora said. “Two of them are living together—they’ve opened a boarding house of sorts. The other lives next door. Or so I heard.” She wrinkled her nose. “I shouldn’t repeat gossip.”
“You aren’t,” Eugenia said. “You’re sharing information with your hostess so she may be informed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall go welcome them and make sure everyone here knows they have my support.”
Nora looked at her with love and admiration. “You are the champion of young women everywhere. You were certainly mine, and I shall never forget it.”
Eugenia leaned forward and kissed Nora’s cheek. “Everyone is worthy, my dear. Everyone.”
* * *
The end
Author’s Note
Scott’s Grotto is an actual place and you can view images of it at scotts-grotto.org. There is also a detailed map, but as you can see, there really isn’t a hidden alcove. I took a bit of authorial license with that one.
* * *
The epilogue is a love letter from me to all of you who have read and enjoyed The Untouchables. Creating and writing these characters and telling their stories these past three years has given me incredible joy, but not as much as sharing them with you. It is very unlikely Lady Satterfield would discuss, gasp, pregnancy with any of the women at her ball, regardless of how well she knew them. However, I wanted to craft a scene in which you could see all your favorite people together, and Lady Satterfield’s ball—the place where it all began—seemed perfect.
* * *
I hope you’ll continue the journey with me in The Spitfire Society which will include visits from your favorite Untouchables.
xoxox,
Darcy
Thank You!
Thank you so much for reading The Duke of Distraction I hope you enjoyed it! Coming next: The Spitfire Society - smart, independent women who’ve decided they don
’t need Society’s rules, their families’ expectations, or, most importantly, a husband. But just because they don’t need a man doesn’t mean they might not want one...
Would you like to know when my next book is available? Sign up for my reader club at http://www.darcyburke.com/readerclub, follow me on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/DarcyBurkeFans
Twitter at @darcyburke
Instagram at darcyburkeauthor
Pinterest at darcyburkewrite
I hope you’ll consider leaving a review at your favorite online vendor or networking site!
* * *
Follow me on Bookbub to receive updates on pre-orders, new releases, and deals!
The Duke of Distraction is the twelfth book in The Untouchables series. Catch up with my other historical series: Secrets and Scandals and Legendary Rogues and don’t miss Wicked Dukes Club - my shared series with my BFF and NYT bestselling author Erica Ridley. If you like contemporary romance, I hope you’ll check out my Ribbon Ridge series available from Avon Impulse, and the continuation of Ribbon Ridge in So Hot.
I appreciate my readers so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Books by Darcy Burke
Historical Romance
The Untouchables
* * *
The Forbidden Duke
The Duke of Daring
The Duke of Deception
The Duke of Desire
The Duke of Defiance
The Duke of Danger
The Duke of Ice
The Duke of Ruin
The Duke of Lies
The Duke of Seduction
The Duke of Kisses
The Duke of Distraction
* * *
The Spitfire Society
* * *
Never Have I Ever with a Duke
A Duke is Never Enough
A Duke Will Never Do
* * *
Wicked Dukes Club
by Darcy Burke and Erica Ridley
* * *
One Night for Seduction
One Night of Surrender
One Night of Passion
One Night of Scandal
One Night to Remember
One Night of Temptation
* * *
Secrets and Scandals
* * *
Her Wicked Ways
His Wicked Heart
To Seduce a Scoundrel
To Love a Thief (a novella)
Never Love a Scoundrel
Scoundrel Ever After
* * *
Legendary Rogues
* * *
Lady of Desire
Romancing the Earl
Lord of Fortune
Captivating the Scoundrel
* * *
Contemporary Romance
* * *
Ribbon Ridge
* * *
Where the Heart Is (a prequel novella)
Only in My Dreams
Yours to Hold
When Love Happens
The Idea of You
When We Kiss
You’re Still the One
* * *
Ribbon Ridge: So Hot
* * *
So Good
So Right
So Wrong
The Jewels of Historical Romance
The Jewels are my sisters in historical romance: New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors who sparkle! Download our two boxed sets for just 99c each so you can meet the rest of the Jewels…
Fabulous Firsts: The Blue Collection - 6 novels for just 99c
Fabulous Firsts: The Red Collection - 6 novels for just 99c!
Enter our monthly contest at:
JewelsofHistoricalRomance.com
* * *
And join the Jewels Salon on Facebook!
About the Author
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Join her Reader Club at http://www.darcyburke.com/readerclub.
* * *
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene. They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, and an older rescue Maine Coon who is the master of chill and five a.m. serenading. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and follow her social media: Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans, Twitter @darcyburke at http://www.twitter.com/darcyburke, Instagram at http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor, and Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite.