Page 9 of Tamed By a Duke
"So," Orsino, as usual, seemed to have grasped the matter at hand before anyone else, "You have come to see if you can persuade a duke to dance attendance on this Miss Drew?"
"Well," Dubarry shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Yes."
"Don't look to me," Montague cast a smug smile toward his friends, "I'm merely a marquess."
"Nor I," Orsino grunted, "I have no time for chasing after chits in white dresses and, besides, I have Lady Olivia to think of."
He did? Hugh raised a surprised eyebrow at this declaration; Lady Olivia had been engaged to Orsino's late brother. Orsino, ever honourable, must have decided that upon his brother's untimely death, that he had inherited the fiancée as well as the title. Though most women would jump at the chance to become a duchess, Hugh was wont to wonder if his friend had told Lady Olivia of his decision. Orsino, having spent years as a high-ranking general, was the type of man who gave orders and expected them to be followed. Except a woman was not an underling in the army...
Hugh was so lost in pondering on Orsino's marriage problems, that he did not note the three expectant pairs of eyes watching him for some time.
"What?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder to see if someone was standing behind him.
"You're a duke," Montague said helpfully.
"And you're related," Orsino added, his green eyes dancing wickedly. "Blood is thicker than water, and all that."
"The proper saying is that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," Hugh corrected his army friend, with no shortness of irritation in his tone. Montague and Orsino were supposed to be his brothers in arms, his covenant, but here they were selling him out to Dubarry for their amusement. The cads.
"You wouldn't have to marry her," Dubarry hastily interjected, as he sensed his opportunity. Convincing Hugh alone was almost impossible, but with two Upstarts on his side, he might stand a chance.
"Oh, well that makes everything all right then, what man could refuse," Hugh replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"I knew I could count on you," Dubarry replied, so earnestly that Hugh could not discern if he was being wilfully ignorant, or if he was so love-addled that his brain had turned to mush.
Glancing at the star-struck lad before him, Hugh sadly reflected that it was probably the latter.
"We must begin at once," Dubarry continued, running a hand through his hair, so that it stood even more on end, "Miss Drew will attend Almack's tomorrow night, and it should not be too difficult to engineer an introduction."
"Blast it, Dubarry," Hugh grumbled, "I was being sarcastic. There is no way that I would agree to such a hare-brained scheme."
"Oh," Montague interrupted, a gleam in his blue eyes, "But you did. I heard you, and I vouch that Orsino did too."
"That I did," Orsino added, offering Hugh a smile of pure wickedness, "And honour forbids a man to go back on his word."
Hugh stared, open-mouthed, at his two supposed friends. They were doing this for their own amusement, but in the process, they were raising poor Dubarry's hopes. His cousin, who lived in a different world to most, had spent a lifetime as a source of amusement for others. Hugh allowed himself a moment of chagrin, as he realised that his conscience—as well as his friends' needling—were pushing him toward accepting the challenge before he gave a rueful sigh of acceptance.
"You're certain that she has no desire to wed?" he clarified; he would hang, draw and quarter Orsino and Montague if he ended up leg-shackled to this chit.
"Gemini, no," Dubarry insisted, "By all accounts, she's quite the determined spinster."
"You're supposed to be selling the girl, Dubs," Montague chortled, "Not putting him off her."
"Oh," Dubarry nervously licked his lips, "I just wanted to assure Hugh that there was no chance, whatsoever, of this ending in matrimony. All he needs to do is call upon Miss Drew, perhaps take her for a ride on Rotten Row, and once Miss Bianca's father is convinced of it all, then she will call it off."
"So, I am to suffer the indignity of being jilted, as well as the company of a determined spinster?" Hugh asked irritably. Montague was correct in saying that his cousin needed to polish his proposition; Dubarry was currently offering him the sow's ear instead of the silk purse.
"All in the name of familial bonds," Montague interrupted, "And I am willing to offer my services as your escort to Almack's."
"You were already going," Hugh retorted, unwilling to accept his friend's self-canonisation so easily.
"That's beside the point," Montague shrugged, "As your friend, I could not stand by and let you begin this arduous journey alone."
"And I could not stand by and let Montague witness all the fun," Orsino added, with a grin, "I shall come too."
Lud. Hugh waved for the footman to bring more brandy.
"A bottle, this time," he instructed; his friend's merry-making had left him feeling rather thirsty. He knew that the two bachelors would extract great amusement from his plight over the next few weeks. Hugh was many things, but humble was not one of them, and he loathed the idea of being the butt of their jokes for the foreseeable future.
