Page 10 of A Duke But No Gentleman
Her friend was attired in the latest fashion, and Imogene thought London suited her.“No one told me that you were attending this ball.How long has it been?No, first, I owe you an apology.I received your last letter, but I have been neglectful in responding—”
“You can apologize to me later,” Cassia interrupted.Her hazel eyes were welcoming, but there was a sense of urgency in her voice.“You have bigger problems.Where have you been hiding?Your mother is demanding that a search of the house be done.She fears you have been beguiled by an unscrupulous fortune hunter or possibly seduced by a dashing rake.”
Imogene’s lips parted in surprise.For a few seconds, she could not fathom why her mother would assume she would behave so foolishly.First she was chastised by her father, and now she sensed a future lecture from her mother.“Of all the ridiculous conjectures!”She gestured downward at her skirt.“My hem was torn so I asked one of the servants to repair it.”
Cassia pouted.“Fine, don’t tell me!Nevertheless, you might want to come up with a better explanation for your absence when you confront your mother.”
Indignation stiffened her spine.“It is the truth.Just ask Lord Asher.He—I have to find my mother.”
Imogene expected Cassia and her friend to continue their stroll in the opposite direction, but they chose to walk with her as she headed for the stairs.
“Aha!So a gentleman was involved.I thought that might be the case,” her friend said, sending her companion a knowing glance.“Though I should warn you, Lord Asher is hunting for a wife.He has visited our house twice in the past fortnight, and has managed to charm my mother.”
“We have had the pleasure of his company three times,” the tall, plain-looking woman standing beside Cassia announced.“He has been making the rounds, calling on every nobleman who has an unmarried daughter.Rest assured, you have been added to the list.”
Imogene was mildly startled that she had managed to impress the gentleman so easily.“It was only one dance.I barely spoke to the gentleman,” she protested.Their brief conversation had been cut short after he had stepped on the hem of her dress.
“It makes little difference,” the woman confided.“You will soon discover that London moves at a different pace than what you are used to.”
For a stranger, the woman was making quite a few assumptions about her.If it wasn’t for Cassia’s presence, Imogene might have taken umbrage at the subtly delivered insult that she had spent too much of her life in the country.
Imogene halted when they reached the staircase.
“I appreciate your sage observations, Miss…?”
Embarrassed by her oversight, Cassia covered her mouth with her fingers as she giggled.“How dreadfully remiss of me.I do beg your forgiveness.Lady Imogene, may I present my good friend, Miss Faston.She is a distant cousin of mine so naturally she has heard all about you.”
Imogene was not heartened by the news, but it was ingrained in her to be polite.She curtsied.“Miss Faston.”
“Lady Imogene,” she said cordially, curtsying as well.
“Good,” Cassia said, her hazel eyes gleaming with satisfaction.“Now that the pleasantries are done with, I am certain the two of you shall become marvelous friends.”
Neither she nor Miss Faston appeared to be excited by the prospect.
“However, we can discuss this later.You, my dear friend, need to leave us.”At Imogene’s questioning look, she added, “Your mother awaits you downstairs.”
“Of course,” Imogene said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her own foolishness since Miss Faston already had a low opinion of her intelligence.She embraced her friend.“I have missed you, Cassia.I will be disappointed if we do not plan an outing or two while I am in town.”
“You can count on it,” Cassia said, her friendliness contrasting sharply with the dourness of her cousin.
Imogene pulled away and waved farewell to the ladies.At the risk of showing too much ankle, she hurried down the stairs.She picked up her pace as she crossed the front hall.Her evening slippers slid sideways on the polished marble floor as she rushed through the nearest doorway.Was it a right or left turn?Without slowing her stride, she glanced over her shoulder at the door on the opposite side of the front hall and collided into an unexpected obstacle.The gentleman grunted, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist as her momentum knocked both of them backward.
Whether it was providence or the man’s quick reflexes, they landed on the firm cushions of a sofa instead of the marble floor.A faint breathy squeak escaped Imogene’s lips on impact.Her chin bounced against his solid chest while the underside of his jaw struck the top of her head.
“Merde,” her disgruntled companion murmured under his breath.“Are you injured?On fire?”
It was such an odd question that she lifted her head to get a closer look at the man who had saved her from a nasty fall.Any coherent response faded from her mind as she stared into the most beautiful eyes ever bestowed on a male.Long dark lashes framed blue-gray eyes that reflected curiosity and amusement.Imogene’s gaze dropped down to his mouth as the corners curled upward into a smug grin, as if her reaction to his masculine beauty was not unusual.
The handsome stranger was patiently awaiting her reply to his question, and here she was gaping at him as if she had never encountered a man.“Did you ask me about a fire?”she asked, her tongue feeling thick and awkward in her mouth.
He smiled, and it was quite a magnificent sight.His teeth were straight and his breath was infused with his favorite brandy.“Aye.The manner in which you burst through the doorway, I was certain your skirts were ablaze,” he said, his gaze lingering on her face.“Have you hurt yourself, darling?”
“No.”She frowned, belatedly realizing their reclining position on the sofa.She tried to move and found herself anchored to his muscled chest.His arms were still around her waist and one of his hands was indecently low enough to touch her backside.“I—we… you should let me go.”
“I disagree.I am rather comfortable having you draped over my body.”
“Well, I am not,” she said primly, flattening her palms against his chest in an attempt to push away from him.Or at least she tried to free herself.The wicked man seemed determined to hold her captive.“It is indecent, and you are no gentleman if you persist in delaying my departure.”
