Page 1 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
CHAPTER 1
London,
October, 1819
Vaughan Stanhope,the Duke of Ashford, had never wanted a wife. Unfortunately, one could not get heirs without a wife, and without an heir, his title would pass to his bullying cousin, Reginald, and his brood of entitled brats.
Thus, here he was, in his best carriage, bedecked in his finest evening wear, and accompanied by his long-suffering friend, Andrew Drake, the Earl of Longley, on the way to a ball.
“I always knew you’d be the first of us to find a wife,” Longley said, glancing out of the window as they arrived outside the Earl of Wembley’s townhouse.
Vaughan scoffed and resisted the urge to look for himself. He was anxious enough without laying eyes on the crush of society that would no doubt be turning up tonight.
“Yes. After growing up with such a splendid example of matrimonial bliss, how could I possibly resist?”
Longley rolled his eyes. “Not because of your awful parents. Purely to spite that loathsome jackanapes, Reginald.”
“Ah, yes. Him.”
“Darling Reggie” as Vaughan’s dearly departed mother had called him, had spent years tormenting him behind their parents’ backs. Calling him names, mocking his shyness, and telling everyone who’d listen what a joke it was that he’d one day be a duke.
“He is the reason we’re here, is he not?” Longley asked.
“In a roundabout way.” At that moment, the carriage came to a stop. The door opened, and Vaughan climbed out, only too eager to be free of the conversation.
They made their way up the stone steps to the house’s main entrance and stepped inside the foyer, where they were met by their hosts.
“Your Grace.” The Earl of Wembley greeted Vaughan with a nod, then turned to Longley. “Lord Longley. Welcome to Wembley House.”
“Felicitations. It seems as if you have a success on your hands,” Longley said, and Vaughan shot him a look of gratitude for taking the lead. He was so much better in social situations than Vaughan was. Longley took the countess’s hand and bowed over it. “My lady.”
“Lord Longley,” the countess demurred, then smiled slyly at Vaughan. “Your Grace, please allow me to introduce my eldest daughter, Lady Henrietta.”
Vaughan acknowledged the girl with a tilt of his head. “Lady Henrietta. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”
Lady Henrietta’s blond curls bounced as she angled her head back to look up at him, a friendly smile on her face. “The honor is all mine, Your Grace.”
He glanced at Longley, who discreetly bumped him in the ribs with his elbow.
“I hope you will save me a dance,” Vaughan said, the words difficult to get out past the lump in his throat. Still, this was whathe was here for. To find a wife. Lady Henrietta was both pretty and suitable in terms of her connections. He could do worse.
“I would be delighted.” She offered him her dance card and he filled a spot.
“We must move along,” Longley urged as more guests arrived behind them. “Until later, Lady Henrietta.”
They moved into the ballroom, which was massive, with high ceilings, white walls gilded with gold, and a polished wooden floor. It was also packed.Vaughan grew warmer, and not only from the mass of bodies pressing in around him. He and Longley seemed to have attracted a lot of attention with their arrival. Many young misses glanced their way, while their mothers studied the men more openly.
Heat prickled at the back of Vaughan’s neck. He had the unmistakable feeling that he was being hunted. He drew in a shaky breath, his nostrils filling with the scent of the shrubbery somebody had felt the need to drag inside. He shrugged, trying to shake off the sensation of his skin being too tight for his body.
“Your Grace.” A redheaded woman appeared in front of him with two younger ladies in tow. “Ah, and Lord Longley too.” She looked like the cat that had eaten the canary.
“Lady Bowling,” Vaughan replied, glancing over to make sure Longley hadn’t beaten a rapid escape. His friend may be kind enough to have accompanied him tonight, but he had no desire for a wife of his own.
“May I present my daughter, Lady Esther, and her cousin, Miss Rose Hawthorne. They are new to society this season.”
Vaughan blinked at the girls, one of whom wore a ridiculous feather construction in her hair, and the other of whom seemed to have been cinched so tightly into her ball gown that she might pass out at any moment.
“Charmed,” Longley said, covering for Vaughan’s hesitation. “I daren’t hope that either of you lovely ladies have any space on your dance cards for His Grace or myself?”
