Page 15 of The Duke of Aces
“You must be a little curious as to what Avondale and his sister might be discussing in code.”
“No. My instincts tell me whatever the Avondales are involved in, it is dangerous. I was present when Lady Charlotte single-handedly outmatched Lord Mansville. You were not there to witness it. For three Seasons the vile man had me quaking in my slippers, and that lady…” Minerva pointed to Lady Charlotte. “She is no sweet young innocent, she brought Mansville to heel like a puppy on a leash—I’m still slightly in shock.”
“Manville under a woman’s control? Impossible.”
“So I thought.” Minerva smiled. “And yet Lady Charlotte accomplished the feat right before my own eyes. She is simultaneously remarkable and scary.” Coming from Minerva, Isadora considered her sister’s comment as rather high praise. No one scared or intimidated her sister, for it was normally Minerva who did the intimidating.
“Sister, dear, as you know, I have the sole responsibility of keeping the Wicked Ladies safe. Mayhap I should investigate more…before approving Lady Charlotte’s application.”
“Hmm…” Minerva searched Isadora’s features. “Is it your intention to launch an investigation into Lady Charlotte or her brother?”
Isadora shrugged. Minerva might not admit it, but she loved solving a mystery as much as Isadora did.
Chapter Eight
Tom walked alongsidehis sister as they followed the Malbury sisters through the crowd to the finish line. He wanted Isadora next to him, but first, he needed to speak to Charlotte. “I assume you were able to handle Mansville and his lot.”
Charlotte’s pleasant smile remained as she replied, “The dastardly man is persistent. His obsession with Lady Minerva is unwavering. Mansville will prove a challenge for yet another Season if Lord Drake doesn’t come up to snuff.”
“We are not to interfere unless Lady Minerva’s life is placed in jeopardy.”
“Why must we wait until a situation becomes dire? The man is an ogre.”
Tom clenched his hands behind his back, not liking the orders handed down any more than his sister. It took him years to accept the rules. Regardless of whether he agreed with or found the parameters they were bound to abide by illogical, Tom followed them the same. “You ask this as if I’m able to provide you with the answer.”
“Mansville may be titled and own a great many estates, but why the members of thetonand the Head of the Foreign Office continue to overlook his fiendish behavior toward Lady Minerva, I do not understand.” Charlotte closed her eyes for a second and filled her lungs. After expelling a deep breath, his sister forced the corners of her lips back into a smile. “I apologize, brother.”
They both nodded at a group of ladies as they tittered behind their fans.
Once out of earshot, Charlotte continued, “I have little confidence in Lord Drake after witnessing his behavior today. He remains within sight at all times, but he is also content to maintain his distance. Lady Minerva is acutely aware of his constant presence and directly advised me to ignore Lord Drake as she does. It wouldn’t surprise me if Lady Minerva was devising a plan to flee from our social construct, but Mansville is cunning, and she won’t be free of him unless…” Charlotte’s gaze darted to her right. “Lady Sattersburg is here.”
It was no surprise to see his former lover, Lady Abigail Sattersburg, on the arm of her new…older husband. Tom was fully aware that Abigail often bribed his staff for information on his whereabouts. “I wish for us to continue our discussion of Lady Minerva, but it will have to wait until after I’ve dealt with Abigail. Why don’t you continue on without me.”
Charlotte scowled at him, letting him know of her displeasure before quickening her pace to join the Malbury sisters.
His sister fell into step next to Lady Isadora, whose lips thinned into a straight line as she glanced at Charlotte’s features. Immediately, Lady Isadora scanned the crowd. When her supple body stiffened, Tom suspected Lady Isadora had spotted Abigail approaching their party. He made it a practice to never dally with married women and had ended his affair with Abigail the eve of her wedding. Not that it appeared the woman marching toward him had accepted the fact that he was no longer interested, for the blazing desire in Abigail’s eyes was evident to all.
Lady Isadora glanced over her shoulder at him with an overly bright smile. What the devil! Given her stiff posture, he had half-expected a glare of jealously, not a beaming smile that had his heart skipping a beat. The woman had him at sixes and sevens.
What was preventing him from declaring Lady Isadora as his intended? No logical reason to delay except his instincts were screaming at him to slow down. He normally never ignored his intuition, yet the sudden urge to assert his claim was hard to dismiss. Lady Isadora turned her head away from him, and a chill descended over him. Tom disliked the frosty aloofness that was settling between them, but what was he to do?
He stood frozen, inundated by his rioting thoughts. The idea of marriage to Lady Isadora was quickly becoming a conundrum. He wanted a marriage of convenience. An uncomplicated arrangement that would fit in his already complex and convoluted life. He did not need to embroil himself in matters of the heart or enter into a marriage that might resemble his parents’, which was proclaimed as an unparalleled love match by theton. His gaze was once again trained on Lady Isadora’s fine form. It was time he married. Every fiber of his body ached to be back within arm’s length of Lady Isadora. With a nod, it was decided. Lady Isadora will be the next Duchess of Avondale. With his mind made up, why then did he remain rooted to the spot? The fear of rejection plunged ice through his veins.
He was no coward. Rather than heading off to deal with Abigail, Tom caught up to the trio of ladies. “Lady Isadora, a word please.” If he intended to court the woman, he should start by dropping the honorific when thinking of her.
Isadora arched one brow. “As you wish, Your Grace.”
He took two large steps away and waited for Lady Minerva and his sister to continue on in front. He was well aware that both wouldn’t give it a second thought to eavesdrop if given the opportunity. As soon as their sisters were a safe distance ahead of them, Tom turned to Isadora and said, “I would like to alter our side wager for the race.”
“I’m listening.”
For the first time in a lady’s presence, Tom’s skill at charm seemed to evade him. “If I win, I gain the privilege of courting you this Season.” He wanted to plant his palm flat against his forehead at his lack of finesse.
“Hmm… Why would you wish to raise the stakes to such levels?” Isadora glanced over Tom’s shoulder. Who had Isadora spotted? Had it been Abigail?
Isadora turned back around and took a step back in the direction of the finish line. When he followed, she continued, “Some would say agreeing to be courted is akin to agreeing to marriage, and I assure you, Your Grace, I’m not on the hunt for a husband this Season.”
Astonished at her rebuff, Tom asked, “Are you refusing my offer or worried the Arabian might not win?”
