Page 58 of Alone with the Beastly Duke
She could only imagine what would happen when Axel finally had dinner with her family.
ChapterNineteen
“Jasmine, is my dress all right?” Daphne asked as she burst into Jasmine’s room, not knocking. Daphne gasped as soon as she took Jasmine in. “Jasmine, you look absolutely radiant,” she said to Jasmine, who blushed.
“You too, Daphne. Your dress fits you perfectly,” Jasmine said to Daphne.
“Thank you! Mama would like for you to come down as soon as you can. The guests are beginning to arrive.”
“Guests? How many guests are we expecting?” Jasmine asked. “I thought this dinner was simply to appreciate His Grace?”
Daphne laughed. “You know that Mama is the most social person in the Ton. Even though she said the dinner is a small one, she has managed to invite half of the Ton.”
Jasmine sighed in frustration. Axel had been reluctant to accept the dinner invitation even when he thought that only Jasmine’s family would be at the dinner. Now, half of London would be attending, too, and Jasmine could only imagine how out of place Axel would feel.
However, when she stood in front of her mirror and regarded her beautiful figure and radiant face, she could not help but break into a smile. She knew she looked breathtaking and could not wait for Axel to see her.
She descended the stairs with a smile plastered on her face and realized that Daphne was not exaggerating when she said that half of London was around for the party. Jasmine went over to greet people while looking out for Axel’s arrival.
“I heard you had no choice but to stay with the Nordic Beast when your parents forgot you at home, your poor thing!” Lady Feathering commented.
She was an aging dowager countess who now spent most of her time discussing others and spreading rumors around the Ton. If an unsavory rumor was being spread, you could always trace it back to Lady Feathering.
Jasmine smiled. “Indeed. I had no other choice but to spend a couple of days in his estate. Chaperoned…of course.”
Lady Feathering gasped as she clutched her pearls, “That must have been absolutely dreadful for you, poor dear,” she said.
Jasmine nodded. “Being left all alone at home, yes. It was absolutely dreadful and terrifying. All the servants were gone and–”
“Nonsense, child,” the Dowager said, swatting playfully at Jasmine. “I am talking about the Nordic Beast himself. Tell me, was he really as beastly as they say?”
Her eyes twinkled maliciously as she listened with rapt attention to Jasmine.
Jasmine shook her head. “Quite the contrary, in fact. Ax–His Grace was charming to be around, and he made my stay in his house a comfortable one.”
Lady Feathering looked disappointed at this.
“You must have noticed something about him that does not quite seem right, my dear?” she prodded.
Jasmine could tell that what Lady Feathering really wanted was for her to tell her that Axel had been a dreadful person, or he was somehow a beast who ate children for breakfast, as the rumors had opined.
“He is quite–”
“Jasmine, would you kindly help me look at this,” a voice that Jasmine recognized as Rose’s said.
“You have to excuse me now, Lady Feathering,” Jasmine said, grateful that Rose had saved her from the claws of the Dowager Countess.
Jasmine walked away, hearing Lady Feathering tell another person a different version of the story Jasmine had just told her.
“I noticed that you needed help being rescued from the claws of Lady Feathering,” Rose said, smiling.
“Whatever can I do to repay you for this great favor!” Jasmine exclaimed. “Lady Feathering just would not stop until she got me to say something terrible about the Duke.”
“You know that one thing the Ton loves more than a controversy is having their unfounded stereotypes validated,” Rose pointed out.
“It was almost as though the Lady would rather I lied to her about the Duke,” Jasmine related.
“Isn’t that what most of the rumors in the Ton are? All lies,” Rose commented.
