Page 38 of Her Ruse with the Rakish Duke
“What on earth are you talking about?”
He had to know if there was some kind of witchcraft his friend practiced to be so astute when it came to him. But he became a complete idiot when he was around Amelia. It was really not the kind of thing a man enjoyed.
Stymied, he quickened his steps. Harry followed easily.
“It is a mere reminder, old boy. I see the darkness in your eyes when you look in his direction.”
“For a man about to be wed, you are awfully inquisitive and concerned about my affairs.”
Harry clapped him on the back. “Did you not know? I share in your affairs, too.”
“The bloody hell you do.”
Harry’s lips quirked. A line of shooters had already formed. There was an appropriate space between them, with servants rechecking the equipment. They awaited Harry’s signal to release the first batch of birds and servants circulated food and drinks among the guests.
Victor found Daphne and her family easily because Pheasant was beside her, talking and gesturing. Victor’s steps quickened with Harry hurrying after him.
There was a hat shadowing her face and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking from that distance. That made Victor’s gut clench with anxiety. He wondered if the night had changed her mind, if her parents had managed to convince her.
He had to remind himself again, that even if they had convinced her, their courtship was fake.
He raised his hat, greeted her parents, passed a hesitant nod to Farton, and then smiled at Amelia, Melanie, and Daphne. He held a brief conversation with her parents, ignoring their shifty looks. After they repeated a comment about the weather twice, Victor shifted his attention to Daphne.
Each of the women was exquisitely dressed but there was something special about Daphne. She shared a likeness with the fresh dew of the morning.
Under her cream-colored hat, a few curls bounced free, feathering her blushing cheeks. Her eyes brightened on meeting his, her smile widening. She placed another space between her and Percy as if silently declaring her alliance. This warmed Victor’s heart. He struggled to remember how to form words as he stared at her.
“Good luck today, Your Grace.”
Victor coughed slightly, “You look beautiful today, my lady.”
Her light laugh filled his heart to bursting, “Thank you. Are you prepared for today?”
Victor turned the gun in his hand, “It has been a while. But it cannot be that difficult, given the caliber of shooters available.”
“Well, prove it,” she said. “Or will you only let your ego talk?”
“Confidence, my lady,” he corrected with a wink. Her blush rose higher, highlighting her freckles.
“I should warn you that I am extremely and perfectly precise. You will be lucky to match half of my numbers,” Percy boasted, eyeing his gun.
“Then I am truly doomed,” Victor said.
He wore the flat hat again, then held Daphne’s slender right hand, he bowed low and kissed the back of her palm. Once his lips made contact with her creamy skin, he felt her jerk with a low gasp.
He stood erect, thinking he had offended her, but there was heat in her gaze which she tried to extinguish by appearing fierce. Victor hid a smile and tipped his hat, “I shall see you later, my lady. Come along Farton, floor me with your talent.”
“Good luck, Your Grace!” Amelia and Melanie called out to him.
ChapterTen
“It is quite hot today, is it not?” Amelia said, breaking the awkward silence after the men’s departure.
“Yes, and I am afraid it might only worsen,” their mother commented drily with a slicing glance at Daphne.
She gulped and stared down at her shoes. To her family, she had become a betrayer of sorts. She was sent away from the ball to her quarters because she had refused to break the courtship with Victor.
When Amelia heard, she quickly went to pacify their mother. However, she was chastised to within an inch of her life. They reminded Amelia that she was to be married to one of the most eligible men in the country. Did she not want her sister to have the same? A person who would not threaten her future.
