Page 15 of A Duke to Seal the Deal
She stared at him. He was right. Her mind had not been occupied by him just then, but now that he was here next to her, she could not help but feel that he was telling the truth and that it pleased her and reassured her to hear it.
“I seek only your company, Miss Hervey, that is all,” he continued. “And the desire to spend time with you is genuine. You have misunderstood me entirely, and I am sorry for it. I do not see you as an exotic bird, or a toy, or anything of the sort.”
She nodded. “Yes, I see that now, Your Grace. I am sorry for speaking in such a forthright manner, just now.”
“I do not blame you, Miss Hervey,” he replied. “It seems to me, sadly, that you are used to being treated dishonorably by gentlemen. Or those who call themselves gentlemen, I should say.”
She was about to protest but found she could not find the words to defend Lord Harry. What he had done did seem to be dishonorable. Was it, in fact, unforgivable? At that moment, as she stood in the cold, in the company of the Duke, she did not know.
* * *
Luke could see that she had been crying when he found Miss Hervey standing out there alone in the evening light. And he was not surprised by the fact, not in the slightest. Should he ever have had a sister, he felt sure that if any man were to treat her in such a way as Lord Harry had treated this poor young lady, he would feel compelled to challenge them to a duel. And yet, it did not seem right to urge her to forget all about him, not while her heart was still sore from the shock of the engagement announcement.
The idea began to dawn on him as they stood together in the gardens. He knew they should not linger out here long; it would not be quite proper for them to be seen together alone in the dark. But he also knew that he could not make his suggestion to her within the confines of the ballroom, as they would surely be overheard. No, they must speak of it out here, and if he could get her to agree to his plan, then so much the better.
“Miss Hervey, I have an idea I would like to suggest to you,” he said after a few moments of silence between them. It had taken him a few moments to work the plan through in his head and to convince himself that it was indeed a good idea, but now he was sure that it would be a great success for both of them.
“An idea?” she replied, watching him closely in the darkness. He thought he could see a hint of suspicion remaining in her eyes, but he could not be sure. The moon had hidden behind a cloud, and it was growing increasingly dark outside, so he could not see her face clearly.
“Yes, I would like to suggest something to you. A ruse, of sorts, that I think could benefit us both.”
“I am intrigued, Your Grace,” she replied. She moved a little closer to him. He detected a slight hesitancy in her movement, but she was near enough now that he could see the curiosity on her face.
“I would like the chance, Miss Hervey, to show that feckless man in there, that Lord Harry, what a fool he has been to pass you by,” he said. “And I would like, therefore, to propose a deal.” He waited for her to interrupt him, to ask a question, but she stayed quiet, so he continued. “I propose that we embark on a pretend courtship. I will visit your father in the next few days to ask his permission for us to begin courting, and you will, of course, be delighted.”
Charlotte giggled. It did not seem to Luke that she was taking his proposal seriously. He resolved to try again.
“I am perfectly in earnest, Miss Hervey. I would not joke about such things. What do you think of my plan?”
She frowned. “I cannot make you out, Your Grace,” she replied, peering at him in the darkness.
“What is there to make out?” he asked. “Surely you see the benefits of such an arrangement for both of us?”
She shook her head. “Indeed, I am struggling to understand what possible benefit a gentleman such as yourself could glean from pretending to be besotted by me.”
Luke sighed. He could see that this was not going to be as easy as he had anticipated. But he found that he was utterly determined to make it work.
* * *
Charlotte stared at the Duke in confusion. She could not work him out at all. Despite his earlier protestations, she was still almost expecting one of his friends to jump out from behind a bush and declare the whole thing to be an elaborate ruse, a practical joke. But even as she imagined it, she found that she expected better of the Duke than such juvenile japes. She sensed, even after so short an acquaintance, that he would not trifle with her, especially not in such a serious matter.
After her last words, he let out a great sigh.
“I shall explain it to you, Miss Hervey, step by step,” he said with exaggerated slowness.
She nodded. “I beg that you do, Your Grace.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “But please make haste. I am anxious in case someone should see us along out here. It would be a great scandal, as I am sure you know.”
“Indeed,” he concurred. “I quite understand. Now, I will try to explain it again. If you are seen to be courting me, a grand duke, if you please…” He waved his hand in a somewhat ironic manner, and she stifled a chuckle. “Then no one can ignore you anymore. It may spur the hapless Lord Harry into action if he sees what he is missing and that you have the power to enrapture a duke.”
“I see this much,” Charlotte said slowly. “But why would you do this for me? What do you gain from it?”
“I…, well,” the Duke hesitated. “I will be able to enjoy the pleasure of your company and your friendship, and avoid the pressure of finding a wife for the time being. If everyone thinks I am courting you, they will not try to foist their marriageable offspring onto me at every opportunity.”
“And how shall we bring the arrangement to an end?” Charlotte asked, her mind whirring at what he was saying. Surely such an arrangement could not go on indefinitely.
The Duke paused. “I have not quite thought that part of the plan through,” he confessed. “But I am sure we can work something out between us. I can tell that you are a clever woman.” He coughed. “A clever young lady, I should say.”
Charlotte laughed at that. “Perhaps I can be a young lady, and a woman, at the same time, if that is not too radical an idea?”
