Page 4 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
The song picked up, and Emma’s foot tapped as she watched the dancers.
“Oh, Emma, please stop that,” her mother snapped.
Emma scowled, but stilled her foot. All she wanted was to dance. And perhaps to eat a few more of those pastries.
When the dance finished, the duke returned Violet to them. His expression gave nothing away, but Violet appeared to be in raptures.
“His Grace is truly accomplished at the cotillion,” she said.
The duke seemed to shrink an inch, and Emma frowned. She’d have expected him to either preen at the comment or not acknowledge it at all.
“It was a delightful dance,” he said with all the enthusiasm Emma saved for when her governess had made her practice her sums as a girl.
He turned to Emma, and those pale gray eyes met hers. He hesitated, actually pausing to look at her, whereas many people simply swept straight over her. His lips parted, and anticipation fizzed in her stomach. Would he ask her to dance too?
CHAPTER 2
Attraction punchedVaughan in the gut as Violet Carlisle’s sister met his gaze. He tried to recall her name, but he’d already been introduced to so many young ladies today that it had dropped from his mind.
He released Violet and took a subtle step to the side, thanking his lucky stars that society did not dictate he ask both sisters to dance. Perhaps doing so would be good manners, but he had no wish to get closer to the woman with those soulful blue eyes.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then reminded himself that dukes did not fidget. Instead, he took a moment to study Violet’s sister. Violet’s white-blonde hair curled artfully around her shoulders, whereas her sister’s was golden and pulled back. Violet’s vivid cornflower eyes sparkled with life. In contrast, her sister’s were darker and impossible to read.
But the most marked difference was in how they presented themselves. From only one dance, he could already judge that Violet was a lively conversationalist and would brighten any place with her presence. She reminded him of a bubbling brook.
Her sister was a still pond.
Ordinary at first glance, but he suspected there was more to her than appeared on the surface.
“Please excuse me,” he said. “I am engaged for this next dance.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Violet said, her pretty lips lifting at the corners.
Vaughan glanced at the stairs as he left them, briefly considering whether he could escape to the upper level once again. Nobody would call him out on his behavior if he missed a few dances. He was a duke, after all.
But no. Like it or not, he needed a wife.
He hunted down the young lady to whom he owed a dance and spent the next hour being shepherded from one marriageable miss to another until he struggled to recall which of them was which.
He wasn’t good at meeting new people. Especially not when he was so overwhelmed already.
His shoulders sagged with relief when Longley finally agreed he’d had enough, and they said their goodbyes and summoned the carriage. They sauntered down the front stairs, and Vaughan shivered, shoving his hands into his pockets to ward off the chill from the cool wind.
After a few minutes, the carriage trundled into position in front of the house, and the footman held the door open while they entered. The dark interior wasn’t much warmer than outside, but at least they were sheltered from the blasted wind.
“So?” Longley asked, rubbing his gloved fingers together.
Vaughan huffed. “Give me a minute to recover.”
They lurched into motion, and Vaughan laid his hand against the polished wood of the wall to steady himself.
“I forget, sometimes, how tedious you find social outings,” Longley said.
Vaughan rubbed his throbbing temples. “That’s because we spend most of our time alone or at the club. These affairs are completely different.” He sighed. “It’s amazing that most of the ton aren’t abed for days following every ball.”
Longley shook his head. “Most of the ton aren’t like you, my friend.”
Vaughan didn’t take the comment as an insult. He knew it wasn’t intended as such. It was true. He was a homebody, preferring the company of horses and dogs to people.
