Page 1 of Ravished By the Beastly Duke

CHAPTER 1

“Is this not your third Season, Miss Eveline?” Lady Sarah, daughter of the Earl of Barnes, asked, taking a delicate bite of her strawberry tart.

She and her group of loyal followers—because calling them friends would be greatly overestimating the bond between the five ladies—had accosted Eveline at the refreshments table following the dance she had just had with Lord Salsbury. She had known that dancing with him would cause nothing but trouble for her, but her sister had been adamant that she accept his hand.

He was currently one of the most eligible bachelors in England simply because he was handsome. Most of the unmarried ladies of the ton dreamt of becoming the wife of the Adonis, and after one dance with him, she understood why.

He had been charming and well-versed in history and poetry, with a smile that made every woman blush, but she felt nothing more towards him than simple appreciation. There was no sparkof attraction or burning desire as she had read described in novels, so she politely declined his request for a second dance and scurried off to the refreshments table, claiming the need for a respite.

It was then that Lady Sarah and her cronies had accosted her. Apparently, the girl also had her eyes on him.

“Indeed,” Eveline answered, eyeing the odd group standing menacingly before her.

She recognized a few of them from the past two Seasons and wondered how they felt no shame deferring to Lady Sarah, who had only just had her debut.

Miss Emily and Fiona Hemsworth, daughters of the Viscount Hemsworth, had good prospects, what with the beauty they possessed. If only they were more confident when speaking to gentlemen. Lady Helen, sister to the Earl of Mallory, was not handsome by all standards, but she had a dowry that more than made up for it. Then, there was the daughter of the Baron Featherington, Miss Patricia. She had fewer prospects, seeing her father’s lower rank, but her beautiful face and skill with the pianoforte had earned her praise among some of the upper echelons of Society.

Eveline could understand their desperation in trying to share in the light of the lady who had been declared the belle of the ton, but still, a certain inkling of pride would never have allowed her to stoop so low even if she was desperate.

Lady Sarah was beautiful, with light blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes that gave her an innocent look. Her smooth, pale complexion drew men to her like bees to a flower, and her famed charm and wit had her on the lips of many a gentleman, undeterred by the rejection she faced at the hand of Lord Caldwell a few weeks prior.

But Eveline had seen nothing but an acid personality from the young lady and did not think she could stand to spend longer than a few polite minutes with her. The fox mask dangling from her delicate hand was a perfect testament to her character.

“And yet you still have no prospects?” Lady Sarah asked with a mocking smile. “What a shame. Your family must be disappointed.”

The other ladies tittered, hiding their smiles behind their fans.

Eveline tried hard to mask her frown, not wanting to feed the flame of whatever the lady was trying to do, but it was hard to, considering how pretty Lady Sarah was and how disappointed Eveline was in her education on polite conversation.

“It’s almost the end of the Season, and you are also yet to be claimed, Lady Sarah,” Eveline retorted. “I believe you should be putting your time to good use, so you do not end up like me.”

Lady Sarah sneered and stepped closer. “You are right, Miss Eveline,” she sneered. “I should not want to end up like you or your sister, who is already a spinster.”

Her posse giggled.

“At least she has a better chance of securing a match. You, on the other hand, should reduce the amount of sweets you consume. Your voluptuous figure is not very becoming,” she continued. “I do not think it will help your chances in the least bit.”

Eveline couldn’t hide her frown now because they had struck a sore spot. It had always been a bone of contention for her how she did not meet Society’s beauty standards.

From a young age, she had not thought it an issue, until, close to her debut, the seamstresses that were hired to make her dresses talked about how they would have to add extra fabric to accommodate her curves, and rakish gentlemen hinted at it.

The other ladies, seeing the attention she was getting for it, used it as a weapon to try to put her down, but it had never bothered her until now.

Recently, she had begun to fear that she would remain unwed because of her curves. Her sister, a conventional beauty, had not married even at the age of twenty-four, so what hopes did she have when she did not fit into that mold?

“You, on the other hand, should consume more sweets, seeing how waif-thin you’ve become,” a familiar voice said. “Do you think that is why you are yet unspoken for? Perhaps the gentlemen think you have some life-threatening disease, or maybe their mothers presume your hips aren’t that sufficient for bearing heirs.”

“Lady Lily, you speak abhorrently!” Lady Sarah snapped, stomping her foot. “I now see why you’re also a spinster.”

Lily, daughter of the Earl of Brightwater, stepped closer to her, eyeing her.

Lady Sarah cowered, knowing her words held no weight with Lily, who did not care if she remained unwed.

Lily had always been vocal about her views on marriage and how it was only a fancy cage for women, but that did not stop her from helping other ladies escape ill-fated relationships with rakes. She had earned the respect of the ladies of the ton because of it.

“I only take a step in your shoes, Lady Sarah,” Lily said in a playful tone, smiling sweetly. “If you cannot take such comments, then you should not serve it, no? I wonder about the education of young ladies today. It is so… lacking.”

“I was only stating the obvious, Lady Lily,” Lady Sarah said, undeterred.

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