Page 29 of Her Cursed Duke
She nodded, frustrated to realize that her cheeks had grown hot again. Luckily, Aiden seemed to have met his socialization quota for the day and suggested they return to Fitzroy House.
They walked back, casually conversing about possible things they might do together when the time came. Prudence had not expected her day to go like this and could not find any faults in what had transpired.
When they arrived at her doorstep, Aiden smiled at her sweetly and thanked her for agreeing to walk with him. It was such a strange thing to be thankful for, but Prudence had no desire to turn down his gratitude, so she accepted it with a smile of her own.
“It was my pleasure.”
She started to turn around when his hand darted out to stop her. When her attention was back on him, she noticed that his smile was still present, and that, along with his words, caused her heart to quake.
“I am glad I got to meet you, however late it might have been. At least each of us has a friend now.”
Chapter Eleven
The horse race took place three days after Aiden had brought Prudence flowers.
At the end of their walk, they had agreed that their next meeting could be at the races, seeing as it was a public event and they had already planned to attend together. In his excitement, Aiden had even offered everyone to ride in his carriage, which Silas and Agnes graciously accepted.
Prudence was less than thrilled about the whole affair, as she was not as starstruck by horses as her sister was, but she convinced herself to remain in high spirits because at least she would get to spend some time with her sister and her newfriend.
Still, there was something that hung over her heavily whenever she thought about him. Her heart seemed to beat a little faster, and her fingers itched to cling to him. The sensations were unlike anything she had ever felt before, and they left herconfused. She could only hope that whatever it was that was happening would pass without incident.
“Are you ready, Prudence? The Duke of Serpenhood has arrived,” Agnes called, walking into Prudence’s dressing room.
Aria pinned one last pearl brooch in Prudence’s hair and stood back, a smile of satisfaction with her handiwork plain on her face. Prudence would have preferred to attend the race with a more demure and simple look, but her lady’s maid had been aghast, pointing out that this was Prudence’s first public outing with the Duke.
“You need to steal the hearts and attention of others, even though he is all you truly desire. You have found favor with His Grace, my lady. It is important that everyone knows that you are special and deserving of that favor. While looks are not everything, you are too beautiful to hide yours away, especially not when you are to spend the better part of an afternoon hanging off the arm of the most eligible bachelor in this area,” Aria had insisted.
Thus, she had spent an hour picking out a dress and planning what to do with Prudence’s hair, and after all the work was done, Prudence had to admit that even she was surprised by the sight that met her when she looked in the mirror. Aria had suggested a light blue dress made of fabric that delicately shimmered in the light, and her brown curls were held up and back, constrained by silver ribbons and butterfly pins, with a few wavy tendrils framing her face.
Prudence looked…
“Oh, darling, you look lovely! The Duke is going to have a hard time keeping his eyes off you,” Agnes gushed.
“Would that not be problematic, seeing as we are going to watch horses run around for a while?” Prudence reasoned, feeling shy.
“I am sure he can multitask.” Agnes waved her hand dismissively, reaching out to take Prudence’s gloved hands in hers. “Now, let us give those men a memorable day.”
Prudence giggled at her sister’s words and followed her quickly, telling herself to relax, as this was not the first time she would meet with the Duke or spend time with him. Just because the circumstances had changed did not mean everything else would be different. They were still the same people and would make it through the day with as minimal issues as possible.
At least, she hoped they would.
Aiden and Silas were waiting for them outside, talking in low voices that fell completely silent when they arrived. Agnes led her sister to Aiden’s side before approaching her husband, standing a few feet away.
Aiden’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Prudence, and she felt herself blushing, clenching her fists by her sides in an effort to steel her nerves.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Prudence greeted with a curtsey.
“It is a good morning, indeed,” Aiden mumbled with a smile, bowing low. “You look… wonderful today, Lady Prudence.”
“Do you mean to say that I do not look wonderful every other day? Or at least on the days you have seen me?” she teased lightly, silently praying her blush was not as apparent as it felt.
“No, I am merely choosing to voice that today, especially, you have succeeded in stealing my breath away,” he replied coyly.
And perhaps he was laying it on too thickly for the sake of their ruse. Maybe it was a remark he wanted to utter in response to her joking query in order to keep their banter going. Whatever the reason might be, Prudence still could not keep her breath from hitching at his words, unable to hold his gaze any longer.
“Shall we set off, then?” Silas asked, breaking the sudden silence that had fallen over them.
“Yes, we should. Please.” Aiden gestured to the carriage door, allowing Silas and Agnes to climb in first. Then, he turned to Prudence and held out a hand. “my lady?”
