Page 76 of The Beast of Beswick
“She’s so young.”
“Darling, if she’s anything like you, I’d say you have nothing to worry about.”
Astrid searched the duchess’s eyes, finding nothing there but admiration. “Surely you must have heard of my connection with that odious man. If Isobel is anything like I was then, meaning starry-eyed and stupid, then I do have cause to worry. I’ve left her with the wolves.”
She attempted to compose herself, not unmindful of the attention flocking toward their box from the rest of the theater. Gossip traveled fast. Titillating gossip, even faster. After the altercation with Beaumont, people would be putting the connections together.
Astrid Everleigh—ruined heiress.
Astrid Harte—Duchess of Beswick.
Both impostors.
“You’re forgetting one thing, dear,” Mabel said.
“What is that?”
The duchess smiled gleefully. “Lady Isobel grew up withyouas a role model…as a self-reliant female for the past ten years. You don’t think any of that has rubbed off? She may be consorting with the wolves, that is true, but have a little faith.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
She patted Astrid’s arm. “Then, focus on something else. Like the auction you have planned. Last I heard,everyone’scoming.”
Likethatwas better?
Astrid’s stomach fluttered at the thought of the auction that was scheduled for the next day, but her nerves crackled with excitement. She had no idea how it would go or whether it would be the rousing success she hoped for, but Astrid knew her antiquities, and she was confident in her proficiency. She might be worried about Isobel and her own new status as a duchess, but there were two things that never failed her…knowledge and preparation.
And in this, she had both.
…
The teeming auction at Christie’s had gone off without a hitch, thanks to Thane’s very clever, very competent duchess. Thane had never felt prouder, standing in the shadows and watching from the private balcony, when the Duchess of Beswick was publicly and profusely thanked by the owner of the auction house. The total monies the collection had fetched was astronomical…and every extra cent of it was going toward a gift for his wife. He grinned, not that she knew about it yet.
“I’ll miss cricket,” he told Fletcher, who stood beside him.
The valet shot him a dry stare. “I’ll buy you a ball like the normal children.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Doesn’t quite give the same satisfaction to not hear that crashing sound or imagine my father’s reaction,” Thane grumbled, but he clapped an arm over the man’s shoulder. “You did a good thing, Fletch. With the collection and with her.”
“Do I get an increase in my wages?”
“I already pay you a king’s ransom, you ingrate.” Thane rolled his eyes. “That reminds me, I haven’t dismissed you yet this week, so tread lightly. I’ll be waiting in the coach, if you could be so kind as to retrieve my duchess.” He took the private staircase to the waiting conveyance at the side of the building.
In the confines of the carriage, Thane removed the heavy metal key from his pocket and felt a shiver of apprehension at the sight of it in his fingers. He was nervous. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d given anyone a gift, and here he was, about to embarrass himself with the largest gift ever given. She wouldn’t accept, and he’d look a fool.
The coach door opened, and the footman assisted his wife inside. Astrid was glowing as she took the seat opposite him. “Did you see?” she asked breathlessly.
“Yes.”
“Thank you for coming,” she said, her lovely face earnest. “I know these public events can be taxing.”
Thane grinned at her and rapped on the roof for them to be away. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“Well, thank you.” A satisfied smile on her face, she stared out the window at the evening crowds, most of them leaving the auction house. “All of those pieces have found good homes. Your father would be happy.”
“My father can rot in hell,” he said and then bit his lip. He didn’t want to ruin her good humor with unpleasant feelings about the former duke. His father deserved to have every single one of those antiques smashed and destroyed without a qualm, just as he’d destroyed Astrid’s hopes for her future. Thane cleared his throat. “Speaking of good homes,” he began. “I have a present for you.”
“A present? For me?” Her sparkling eyes went wide with childlike delight. “What is it?”
