Page 16 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
She had been too nervous on the ride into town to think about anything except the disrupting sudden arrival of Susan and the duke at her home and the unplanned outing to the tea-house. But as conversations ceased abruptly and scrutinizing, judgmental eyes shifted straight to Anne’s face as they made their way to a table, it occurred to her why she should have reconsidered showing her face in public the same day that her most recent feat made its way to the scandal sheets.
She pointed her gaze to the floor, but the damage was already done. She could hear people whispering as she and her little group walked past, and her cheeks were growing noticeably redder by the second. It was bad enough that the other patrons of the tea-house were judging her. But as they passed one particularly large table, she heard someone whispering about Susan and the duke. They could very well be ostracized for being affiliated with her. She couldn’t bear to bring shame on people who didn’t deserve it.
To her surprise, however, the duke stayed right by her side. He cunningly linked his arm through hers and stood up perfectlystraight with his head held high. He glanced around the room with his typical stern expression, which sent many clusters of people turning quickly away from their group and taking their eyes off Anne. She understood that he was likely using his imposing status to protect himself and his sister. Nonetheless, she was grateful for the reprieve it granted her from at least a few of the other customers.
As they took their seats in a corner table in the tea-house, Richard silently excused himself to order their ice treats. Anne saw her opportunity and couldn’t keep her questions in any longer. She put her lips to her friend’s ear and prayed that the duke would remain occupied by speaking to the waitress long enough for her to interrogate her friend.
“What is the meaning of all this?” she hissed, looking at Susan as though she had gone mad. “You come to my home with your brother without announcement, and then you drag me here. Surely, you saw the scandal sheets. I am delighted to see you, but I wonder what your motives could possibly be.”
Susan looked at Anne with eyes that seemed a bit too wide and innocent.
“I got the note you sent to me,” she said. “One of your footmen brought it to me this morning. And as far as me bringing Richard with me, he needed an escape from our mother. Nothing more.”
Anne nodded, disbelieving more than half of what her friend said. Susan was typically very straightforward with her. But there was something in her eyes that made Anne acutely suspicious. It was possible that one of the footmen had delivered her letter to Susan. It wouldn’t be the first time, and she was grateful that her friend knew what was troubling her. But if that was the case, it made it that much more baffling as to why Susan would bring the duke along with her. How did Susan expecther to speak about something so personal with a man, who was basically a stranger to her, present?
To Anne’s chagrin, their hushed conversation didn't go unnoticed by the nearby patrons, and curious glances were cast their way. Anne fought the urge to bury her face in her hands as she had that morning and try to pretend that she wasn’t there. Why had she ever agreed to leave the safety and peace of her home with Susan and the Duke of Calder?
“Susan,” she whispered frantically, purposely avoiding the gazes of even the closest patrons. “Do you really think this was a good idea?”
Susan gazed upon Anne, clearly devoid of any comprehension of the whispered commotion encircling them. Anne glanced around pointedly, which guided Susan’s eyes to the groups of people who were clearly trying to listen in on their conversations. As soon as the realization hit her, Susan blushed, and she opened her mouth to speak. But just then, the duke returned with three ice treats in his hands. Anne glowered at her friend, promptly sitting up straight and pretending to ignore the stares of the people around them, just as she pretended that her cheeks weren’t flaming red.
Just as he had when they had entered the tea-house, the duke glanced around at the tables nearest to them with a stern, no-nonsense expression on his face. Anne blushed, realizing that he must have heard some of the whispers, and she felt terrible that he had to protect her, even in such a covert manner.
As he took his seat, which happened to be beside her, Anne opened her mouth to apologize and ask if they should just leave. But as he placed her fruit ice in front of her, she realized, to her surprise, that he was still holding a strawberry treat. Not only must he have been paying attention when she was talking about the fruit ices with Susan in the carriage but it seemed as though they had the same opinions about them.
“It seems we have similar tastes in ices, Your Grace,” she said with a soft giggle.
To her surprise, the duke gave her a warm smile, raising his fruit ice to her in a gesture of a toast.
“Strawberry ices are the best ones here, in my humble opinion,” he said.
Susan, always quick with a witty remark, grinned at the two of them.
“Oh, Brother,” she said. “I believe that makes the two of you intellectual equals, at least in matters of frozen treats.”
Richard smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously.
“Great minds think alike, I suppose,” he said.
Anne studied the duke carefully. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought he was flirting with her. But she knew that was impossible. No one of his station would ever consider a romance with her, especially not after her appearance in that day’s scandal sheets. She reminded herself that he was simply trying to protect her from the prying eyes and the hateful whispers of the other patrons. She couldn’t deny that she was glad for his commitment to shielding her, even if it were only for propriety’s sake.
With that, the ice was broken, both in the sense of the easing of the tension that had clung to everyone since Susan and the duke had arrived at Anne’s home, and in the fact that they each enjoyed their ices. She was still uncertain as to what had made Susan make such a spontaneous trip. But once she got the taste of her strawberry fruit ice on her tongue, she was glad that her friend had acted so impulsively.
When the duke snorted, she glanced over at Susan and saw that she had rhubarb juice dribbling down her chin. She could help giggling, which caused some of her own juice to trickle over her lip. These circumstances provoked Anne to laugh evenharder, and before long, both Susan and she were struggling to contain their mirth.
The duke laughed, pulling out two handkerchiefs, handing one to Susan. Then, he handed one to Anne, his eyes sparkling with warm amusement.
“That would make a lovely shade of lipstick, I believe,” he said with a small wink.
Anne’s heard skipped as she took the handkerchief, feeling her cheeks turn as red as her fruit ice.
“Perhaps, we should submit that to the department stores nearby,” she said, pointing to Susan. “That would be a lovely shade, as well.”
Susan pretended to glower at Anne, but she was still smiling broadly. She dabbed at her mouth, the pink juice leaving a mouth-shaped stain on her brother’s handkerchief. Anne pulled hers away from her face and saw that hers looked much the same, only with a deeper red color. She laughed again, grateful for the lighthearted fun. And the duke was surprising her with his warm and carefree disposition. She had only seen him as firm and aloof. It was a pleasant surprise to see that he could enjoy a little silliness, even in public, as well.
Their jovial conversation, however, was abruptly halted by the arrival of Lady Beatrice, Lord Gray’s cousin who was notorious for being one of the biggest gossips in all of London. The tall, rail-thin, raven-haired woman approached, looking down her nose at the trio sitting at their table, with the four women who followed her everywhere right on the tail of her purple dress.
Anne felt a pang of unease under Beatrice's predatory gaze. She discreetly sipped her drink, her hand trembling as Susan attempted to divert the women’s attention.
