Page 6 of A Duke to Seal the Deal
“I had hoped that he would be here, indeed,” she confessed to Martha, keeping her voice low even though there was no one close enough to overhear them. “But after what happened last time, when he barely spoke to me, I know I should not hope for anything. I know he will not dance with me.”
“I do not understand it, Charlotte,” Martha said, turning to her with a frown crumpling her pretty features and a concerned look in her blue eyes. “If he loves you, as he says he does in his letters, then why will he not even speak to you in public?”
“His family do not approve of me; it is as simple as that,” Charlotte said flatly. “You know that everyone thought our mother was strange. And even though we have decent enough dowries, due to our father’s position, they cannot overlook the fact that our mother was not a lady and would not conform to their expectations. I expect they fear that you and I might both turn out to be oddities, too.” She stifled a giggle at that. She knew it was a serious point, but she found it hard to take it all seriously, the strictures of society that she found so hard to abide by.
“And, of course, these dresses do not help our cause,” Martha said in a small voice, looking down at her bright orange frock in despair. “I so wanted the pale blue, Charlotte, but she would not allow it! Why must we be dressed like this, like dolls from the last century?”
“You know the reason, sister, as well as I do.” Charlotte reached out and stroked her sister’s cheek gently. “She thinks that if we look ridiculous, her precious Alison will shine all the more brightly in comparison to us. But she is wrong. Even the most unfashionable garment imaginable could not make you look anything less than beautiful.”
Martha flushed at the praise and looked away. She was not the sort of girl to be comfortable with compliments, even from her sister, her closest friend, and confidante in all the world.
Charlotte looked around the room and despite how she was feeling, not only about her attire but also about the delicate situation with Lord Harry, she had to admit that the ballroom was beautiful. Lord and Lady Thomas were famous for their hospitality and the exquisite quality of food that they served at events like this. And the décor in the ballroom was tasteful as always, with huge vases of flowers on every surface and the room softly lit with candles.
The ensemble in the corner was beginning to tune their instruments, ready for the dancing to begin. Ladies around the room were looking around them, some more boldly than others, in the hope of finding partners for the first set. Nobody wanted to be left standing at the side watching the dancing, making it clear to all around them that they had not been able to attract a partner.
Charlotte glanced at her sister. She knew that she must not allow her own shyness and natural reserve to hinder Martha’s prospects.
“Shall we venture out and find something to drink?” she suggested.
Martha nodded. “I am thirsty, indeed. Let’s go and get some punch.”
They stepped forward, out of the shadows and into the ballroom, and at that moment, Charlotte saw a familiar face on the other side of the room. Luke, the Duke of Seton, that impertinent man who had read her letter! Of course, he would be here, a man of his position, returning to society after his long trip to London. Her stepmother had been talking about him only this morning, over breakfast. She was all of a flutter at the prospect of encountering a newly titled duke and no doubt shoving Alison in front of his nose like some sort of gift-wrapped present.
He had seen her too and held her gaze, with that calm, even look that he had about him a few days ago when they had met so unexpectedly in the woods.
“Martha, my dear, there seems to be something amiss with one of my shoes,” Charlotte said, taking a step back into the shadows. “Might you bring me some punch while I attempt to resolve it? It is a slim chance, indeed, that I shall dance tonight, but it is better, I think, to have both shoes firmly on my feet, just in case.”
Martha gave her a knowing smile. She could never hide anything from her sister. “I will bring you some punch, my dear.” She pushed her shoulders back and crossed the room to where a footman was doling out glasses of punch for the Thomas’ guests.
Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief from the safety of the anteroom, where she could once again see what was going on in the ballroom but could not be seen. Her heart dropped, though, when she saw that the Duke of Seton was now striding purposefully across the room, heading exactly in her direction. What on earth could he want with her?
CHAPTERFOUR
Luke had been watching Miss Hervey for a while before she noticed him. The younger lady with her, he assumed, was her sister. There was something very similar about their eyes and the shape of their brows. He had seen them crossing the room when they arrived, then going immediately to hide behind the flower arch.
He would be the first to admit that he knew very little about ladies’ fashions, but he couldn’t help but observe that there was something rather strange about the sisters’ attire. The colors, that bright orange of her sister’s and the lemon-like tone of Miss Hervey’s dress – they were unlike the shades of the dresses of any other women in the room. He wondered if they had chosen them deliberately to stand out. But from what he had discovered about Miss Hervey when they met a few days ago in the woods, he doubted it. And if they wanted to be noticed, why would they have immediately gone to stand where they could hardly be seen? He could not make sense of it at all.
He watched her sister scurrying away towards the punch and found himself crossing the room towards Miss Hervey, almost against his will. But he could not resist the urge to go and speak to her.
“Miss Hervey,” he said with a low bow. “It is most pleasant to see you again.”
She dropped a curtsy. He noticed that her cheeks were turning a pleasant shade of pink as she returned his greeting.
“Your Grace,” she said demurely. “Your return, it seems, is all the people of the ton can talk about.”
He gave a wry smile. He had not failed to notice all eyes up on him as he had crossed the room to speak to her.Well, so be it; let them stare,he thought, somewhat defiantly.
“Sadly, it seems impossible to avoid gossip in this town,” he replied out loud. “Am I correct in assuming that the young lady with you is your sister?”
“Indeed, that is my sister Martha. She has just gone to fetch some punch.”
“But you chose to stay here, hiding away from everyone?”
She scoffed a little at this. “I did not do a very good job of hiding since you have managed to find me!”
He looked at her curiously. He really could not make her out. What kind of a young lady would come to a ball such as this, which was almost designed to provide opportunities for showing oneself to society, and then choose to hide away in a corner? It was most baffling.
“I would say that I am shocked that no gentleman has offered to fetch the drinks for you, but I expect that barely any have seen you from your covert position behind these flowers.” He would not have dreamt of saying it out loud, but the somewhat garish shade of her dress actually matched those of the blooms of the flower arch almost perfectly. He chuckled inwardly that he should even notice such a thing.
