Page 17 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
“Richard,” she said, beaming a little too sweetly at her brother. “Didn’t you say that you would take us shopping after this?”
The duke didn’t miss a beat once he took a look at Anne’s face. He grinned broadly, giving her another small wink, invisible to Lady Beatrice and her entourage.
“I certainly did,” he said. “And if we are still out around supper time, we shall find a nice place to eat before we return home.”
Anne offered him a weak smile, but she couldn’t shake the sensation of five sets of eyes fixed directly on her. She tried to appear unfazed, but her whole body was starting to tremble. It was bad enough that the entire tea-house had been whispering about her earlier. What would happen now that Lady Beatrice had spotted her sitting with the duke of Calder?
Lady Beatrice was undeterred by being so blatantly ignored. With a honey smile, she dipped into a mocking curtsey.
“Your Grace, how odd to see you in such,” she paused, giving Anne a long, cold, hateful look up and down, “unusual company.”
The veiled insult was not lost on Anne. She steadied herself, preparing for what was to come. She had thought that, once the other patrons had gone back to minding their business, there would be no trouble or embarrassment for Susan or her brother. But she had clearly been very wrong, and she felt both mortified and ashamed. She should have never agreed to go out into public with them. And now, they would suffer gossip spreading about them, just as it did about her.
She sat up straight, determined to hold her head high and pretend that she was unbothered by Lady Beatrice. But when she tried to speak, she found that her voice failed her. This caused the women surrounding Lady Beatrice to titter with giggles, and Lady Beatrice herself gave Anne a cold, evil smirk. Sheswallowed, taking another sip of her melting fruit ice.Please, do not let me say or do something that will make this situation any worse than it already is,she prayed silently to the heavens.
As she floundered for a response to the cruel women who were still boring holes through Anne with their burning gazes, the Duke rose, straightening his coat and looking Lady Beatrice right in the eyes.
“Miss Huxley is my sister’s dear friend,” he said. “I hardly see why it’s any of your business with whom I spend my time.”
Anne stared at the duke, surprised that he was still stepping in to help her. Lady Beatrice, however, was completely unmoved. She batted her eyelashes, glancing at Susan with a look that bordered somewhere between disgust and pity.
“What a shame,” she said, blinking rapidly at the duke. “I always rather liked Susan. It’s a pity that she associates herself with someone as troublesome as her.”
Anne’s embarrassment began to transition to the same anger she had felt the night before when Lord Gray had issued his snide remarks. What gave anyone the right to be so judgmental, especially when they had been sitting there, minding their own business? And who was Lady Beatrice to think she could attack someone as sweet and innocent as Susan? It was becoming harder for her to keep her wits about her, even though she was with a duke. She didn’t take kindly to people being nasty to her loved once, and Lady Beatrice knew very well that Anne would react if she persisted.
“Lady Beatrice,” Richard said, putting a toxic emphasis on her name as he addressed the hateful woman. “I am with the exact manner of company that I happen to prefer. Their refreshing perspectives are far more stimulating and intriguing than that of the usual drab, boring society banter. There is nothing more dull or tasteless than gossip, talk of dressshopping and feigning interest in musical instruments to try to prove how special people are.”
Lady Beatrice’s face fell instantly, her cheeks growing first pink, then red, then crimson, almost to the point of purple as she cycled through various shades of embarrassment. She looked around at the women behind her, who kept their eyes to the floor. It seemed that, as foolish and empty-headed as they were, they had sense enough to look chastised when scolded by a duke.
She took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders. Her eyes never left those of the duke, but she looked wounded and sulking.
“Good day to you,” she said curtly, turning on her heel. In her flustered state, she bumped into the woman who was closest to her. She shoved her shoulder into the woman, pushing her aside. Then, the women marched away, leaving Anne swimming in a sea of emotions.
She glanced at the Duke, expecting to see that his aloof coldness had returned. She could hardly blame him, after all, especially after such an embarrassing encounter. But to her utter shock, he was looking right at her, and when their eyes met, he gave her a playful smirk.
“I think we can finish our ices and leave as soon as you are ready, Miss Huxley,” he said.
Anne blushed again, this time from the sparkle in the duke’s eyes. But she nodded, giving him a grateful smile.
“Thank you,” she mouthed, putting a cold hand to her burning cheek.
The duke shrugged, smiling once more.
“My pleasure,” he mouthed in return.
As they finished their ices and prepared to depart, the duke rose first. He offered his arm to Anne, his eyes still warm and reassuring. She took it timidly, her cheeks heating once more. She glanced at Susan, who looked like she could burst withexcitement. Still reeling from all the events of the afternoon, she allowed the duke to lead her out of Gunter's.
When they emerged onto the bustling street, Anne couldn't help but contemplate the confining standards which society imposed on women. She hadn’t done anything that warranted society to shun her so, and yet, she was being treated just as though she had soiled her reputation in other ways. She also considered the ease with which the duke had dismissed the gossiping women.
She marveled that a man of his refined nature and status would get involved. But more than that, it had seemed to come from a place of genuine protectiveness. Was it just because she was his sister’s best friend? Gratitude, confusion, and a growing curiosity about the enigmatic duke of Calder swirled within Anne's mind. She still didn’t know why Susan had brought him with her that day. But she was starting to be very glad that she had.
Chapter Eight
“Richard,” the dowager duchess said as Richard passed his mother’s pink parlor after returning with Susan. “Where have you been? It’s nearly time to prepare for dinner.”
Richard reluctantly paused outside the door, carefully peeking inside to see if she still had her guests. The room was blissfully empty apart from his mother, however, and he allowed himself to relax just a little.
“Susan asked me to serve as her escort in town after our first stop,” he said truthfully. There was no reason to mention with whom his sister and he had spent the early afternoon. Lady Beatrice had tried to disrupt their outing with her nonsense, but Richard had succeeded in embarrassing her enough that he felt sure she would make no mention of it to anyone who wasn’t present.
