Page 22 of Never Dare a Duke
Everyone laughed, and Abigail tried to imagine an infant with such a title.
“Chesterton had been a knight in the service of his king, Henry V, and won renown at the Battle of Agincourt against the French in 1415. For that he was given the title and this land, where he built a magnificent castle.” She glanced with amusement to the ruins behind her. And then her face grew almost serious, as she said, “I am showing you this because there are those who believe that the ghost could date from the period of the first earl.”
“Does the ghost appear here?” Lady May asked in a high voice.
Lady Elizabeth smiled. “I do not know. I have only heard about servants’ sighting the ghost inside Madingley Court itself. I myself have never been lucky enough to see it.” She glanced at her brother mischievously. “Madingley, did you ever see the ghost?”
The women on either side gaped up at him, and although there were chuckles, everyone seemed to wait expectantly on the duke’s answer, as did Abigail. Was he the sort of man who would see ghosts—or even admit such a thing?
“No, my dear sister, I never saw a ghost.”
There were sounds of dismay from around them, and Lady Elizabeth’s happy expression faded a bit.
The duke sighed. “But my father’s valet said he once woke up in the night with it above him, face-to-face—or so he claimed.”
As Lady Elizabeth brightened, Gwen leaned close to Abigail. “What a nice man to help out his sister.”
Abigail felt uncomfortable, as if she didn’t want him to be such a nice man. Butshewas the villain here, much as she wished to lay blame on the duke.
Lady Elizabeth continued, “I wish you all to start on equal footing, so I will say that the ghost is a male figure, dressed in old-fashioned clothes. No one was able to date when the garments might have been in fashion.”
“How very convenient,” Lord Keane said dryly.
Abigail exchanged a glance with Gwen and had to resist a chuckle. It was almost as if they were in school again, exchanging stories to frighten each other.
“The ghost appeared concerned, even agitated, but not in a threatening way. And the strange thing was”—Lady Elizabeth added dramatically—“he was always carrying a quill pen.”
The guests murmured to each other with animation.
“Could he have stabbed someone with it, and the victim had his revenge?” Gwen called out, and her question inspired good-natured laughter.
“No dripping blood, I’m afraid,” Lady Elizabeth replied, smiling. “Just one agitated male ghost who might have been making a shopping list when he died.”
Abigail watched the Ladies May and Theodosia begin to pester the duke. The next time he looked up at Abigail, she gave him a smile and a raised eyebrow. Like magic, he excused himself and made his way toward her. Suddenly she understood his concern about her feelings, because for just a moment, the heady sensation of being able to attract this enigmatic man overwhelmed her. And then she remembered who—and what she was. Their relationship was all business.
Eyes bright as if she were trying not to laugh, Gwen quickly excused herself, leaving Abigail standing alone. Watching the duke approach, his dark eyes intent on her, she imagined for a breathless moment what it would be like if he really wanted to be with her. If those eyes smoldered with sensual, rather than practical, need.
But she was a practical woman and did not let such wistful dreams tease her for long. She curtsied to the duke and did not look beyond him to the jealous expressions of the other women.
“Your Grace,” she murmured, biting her lip to keep from smiling her triumph.
“I accept your terms on what we discussed.”
She almost said, “You mean my proposition?” But if someone overheard and misunderstood, she would not be helping her cause. Instead, she nodded. “I am happy to be of assistance. You’ll have to tell me how to proceed, because I’m not certain what people expect.”
He cocked his head as he looked down at her. “Surely a lovely woman such as yourself is often courted by men.”
She didn’t have to fake her blush at his flirtatious words. “Society in Durham is rather limited. And after all, shouldn’t being courted by a duke be far more exciting?”
He briefly frowned at her, and this time she could not help chuckling.
“You are so easy to tease, Your Grace, because you take everything I say at face value. If I cannot tease you, what fun will this be?”
She thought he would smile then, but instead his eyes seemed to roam her face.
“If you can tease me, then you must expect that I will do the same,” he said in a low voice.
Her smile faltered. She wanted to tell him to stop doing that with his voice, but she could not so easily reveal her vulnerability. “How does a duke tease?”
