Page 25 of A Fake Courtship with the Duke
Her cheeks flushed and she gave him a shy smile.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said. “You are a wonderful dancer, as well.”
Richard smiled at her, dipping his head slightly.
“Thank you, Miss Huxley,” he said, captivated by how much lovelier she was when her cheeks turned pink. “But only if I have a good dancing partner. Which you most certainly were.”
She blushed again, but her smile widened.
“I’ve never danced the waltz before,” she said. “Not outside my dancing lessons when I was a girl.”
Richard gave her a look of sincere approval.
“Well, then you deserve still more praise,” he said. “You danced it like natural tonight.”
She grinned at him, and he masked the emptiness he felt at having to leave her company by keeping his own smile. He bowed to her once they reached the other side of the ballroom, and she curtseyed in return.
“I hope to see you again this evening,” he said truthfully.
Miss Huxley looked surprised, but she nodded with another small smile.
“That would be lovely, Your Grace,” she said.
As they parted ways, the hushed murmurs of gossip concerning their dance became audible. The ever-judgmental ton had made them the evening's focal point, and without her smile and laugh to distract him from the weight of so much attention fixed firmly on him, he suddenly wanted to flee the ballroom. He realized, as he had with his sudden infatuationwith her laugh, that he admired Miss Huxley right then. She, too, had been aware of all the eyes on them. And yet, she had carried herself with all the poise and grace of a noblewoman of a much higher status.
As he reflected on the evening and the woman he was soon to pretend to court, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a voice that caused him to shudder.
“Miss Huxley?” Sebastian Gray said with a chortle. “Surely you merely took pity on her. After all, she did receive quite an unflattering piece in the scandal sheets.” The man snorted. “Again.”
Richard took a long, slow breath. He had expected for people to whisper about the two of them. What he hadn’t expected was for someone to approach him and try to cause trouble with a duke at a ball. He turned slowly to face Lord Gray, giving him a playful smirk.
“Are you jealous that I earned her attention?” he quipped.
Lord Gray’s expression dropped as he studied Richard’s face for a hint of seriousness. Then, he snickered once more.
“Hardly,” he said, examining his perfectly groomed fingernails as though bored. “I would never get myself involved with a woman who was so well-known for her past… antics.”
Richard bristled. He had found Miss Huxley perfectly delightful, as well as kind and witty. And even though he didn’t have a real interest in her love, he didn’t feel that he should let someone get away with saying such things about her.
“It’s interesting how everyone enjoys the scandal sheets, until they find themselves being discussed there,” he said with an overly sweet smile. “It would be a shame to be the next one to find your name there for stirring up your own ‘antics,’ wouldn’t it?”
At that, Lord Gray’s face fell completely, anger flashing in his eyes. The tension between the men was palpable, but Richardwouldn’t allow slander to mar Miss Huxley’s name any more than it already had. He stood firm, ready to protect her honor at any cost.
After a long moment of attempting to intimidate Richard with a glaring contest, Sebastian Gray turned on his heel, giving Richard the satisfaction of watching him storm off in a huff. With a sigh of relief, he made his way to the side of the ballroom, where the door to the terrace was open. When he stepped outside, he heard another familiar voice; this one far more welcomed and appreciated.
“Excellent timing, Richard,” Thomas said, holding up a cigar and grinning. “I was just thinking about how lonesome it would be to stand out here and smoke alone.”
Grateful for the reprieve, Richard grinned, pulling a cigar from his own pocket. The men lit their cigars and Richard took a long, satisfying pull from his. As his nerves began to settle, he looked at Thomas and shook his head.
“This is just what I needed, I believe,” he said. “These people with their incessant gossip will be the death of me.”
Thomas laughed again and looked over Richard’s shoulder at what he knew had to be a ballroom full of people looking in his direction.
“Yes,” he said. “It seems that your dance with Miss Huxley has caused quite a buzz.”
Richard grinned, lifting his cigar.
“Good,” he said in the hopes that one of the nosy gossips might overhear. “And they’ll see plenty more of it in the coming weeks.”
