Page 44 of Sinfully Wed
“You look very much like Emily tonight.” Sadness clouded Lady Curchon’s eyes for a moment. “Enjoy yourself, Odessa. Be discreet. Don’t make me regret my invitation.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Whitehall isn’t lingering about, is he?” A hard glint entered the eyes of her hostess. “You are welcome, but your father is not.”
Odessa wasbarelywelcome. Mama’s family blamed Papa for many things, but mostly, for stealing Emily Maplehurst away from them.
“No, my lady.” Odessa dipped obediently.
Cousin Alice, as Odessa was permitted to call Lady Curchon in private, didn’t want anyone in London to know of the distant connection to Angus Whitehall and his daughter. She never acknowledged the relationship to Odessa publicly and barely did so even when the gossips weren’t watching. Still, Cousin Alice did issue an invitation to Odessa several times a year to her smaller, less formal events.
She departed the presence of Lady Curchon, ignoring the sigh of relief from the older woman at her departure. Making her way around the perimeter of the ballroom, Odessa searched for anyone in uniform resembling Captain Phillips. Though there were several handsome officers in attendance, owing to Cousin Alice’s diverse guest list for the evening and her youngest son’s recently acquired commission, none were Captain Phillips.
And, more importantly, there was no sign of Emerson. Her unwelcome suitor had remained absent for the better part of two weeks.
Cerulean blue silk floated about Odessa’s ankles as she passed through the crowd, few bothering to acknowledge her. A massive form in rumpled evening clothes was wedged in a small, darkened corner, one that couldn’t possibly hide him from view. Unsociable to a fault, her cousin had picked a spot as far from everyone as possible while still being in the room. He must have promised Lady Curchon to make an appearance among her guests. A notebook was clasped in one hand, the other scribbling madly away with a tiny pencil.
“Your Grace,” Odessa whispered, tapping one colossal shoulder. He often reminded Odessa of an overly large, poorly-mannered bear, one you’ve unwittingly awakened from slumber, much to your detriment.
Nothing happened for several moments.
“Odessa.” He continued to write, not bothering to look down at her. “Don’t interrupt. A thought has just come to me, and I must commit it to paper.”
She waited patiently, used to his little bouts of scientific focus. Hayden Redford, Duke of Ware, shouldn’t have even been a duke. He was happiest tromping through the woods collecting insects, not fulfilling his ducal duties, which included, according to Lady Curchon, who was also his aunt, marriage. Thank goodness Papa hadn’t even attempted to set his sights on Hayden. Angus Whitehall’s fortune was a mere pittance to the Duke of Ware and his family. Odessa’s dowry, no better than the amount the dowager duchess might spend on a month-long trip to the Continent. There was nothing Angus Whitehall could do to entice them.
“Cousin.” She tapped her foot impatiently.
Hayden wasn’ttrulyher cousin, of course. They weren’t related by blood. But she and Hayden had found each other in childhood when both were declared too unsuitable by their families and a bond was formed. Odessa was unacceptable for the obvious reasons due to her birth, but Hayden, who had been the youngest of the Duke of Ware’s sons, had earned his father’s disappointment by being…different. Ironic that the eccentric, scholarly, third son had inherited the title after a tragic accident several years ago took the other males of his family. Poor Hayden was ill-prepared to be a duke. He wanted to study his beloved insects and not attend balls. At present, Hayden was compiling a book of his findings on the moths indigenous to England, an enormous undertaking which took up a great deal of his time.
After a few moments, Odessa tapped him on the arm once more. “Are you finished?”
“Odessa.” Eyes like quicksilver turned on her. “Donotinterrupt. I am documenting theartica cajaI observed earlier in Lady Curchon’s garden. Very unusual to have one flying about. Typically, they aren’t found until much later in the summer.”
“I see.” Odessa rocked back on her heels, content to wait. “What is anartica caja?”
If Hayden had any other friends but Odessa, she had yet to meet them. He was a solitary creature. Neither duke nor a man of science, but a struggling blend of the two. Awkward in most social situations. He didn’t have the easy charm of say…Lord Emerson.
Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, remembering the press of his mouth on hers.
Drat.
“Tiger moth,” Hayden informed her. “Did you know that no two are alike? The wings have a distinctive design.” He opened the book to a sketch he’d done showing a pair of wings with a series of spots.
“I did not,” Odessa admitted. She had absolutely no interest in the moth, or insects in general. When they’d been children, Hayden had often dragged her through the park to observe various insects in their natural habitat. Once, Odessa had brought Hayden a dead spider, hoping to please him. He’d informed her in a disappointed tone that the spider wasarachnidaand notinsecta.
“Lady Curchon gave me leave to collect from her garden for an entire week if I agreed to attend tonight,” Hayden said. “She even dismissed the gardener if I promised to be here.”
Given that Hayden was an unmarried duke who was under the age of seventy, Odessa could see why her hostess might have resorted to such temptation. He wasn’t unattractive, but his manner made him unapproachable.
A button was missing from Hayden’s coat. Cravat hastily tied. He’d probably frightened off yet another valet and resorted to either dressing himself or enlisting his butler.
“I was surprised when Lady Curchon told me you were expected tonight. I assumed you would still be in disguise until you could get rid of the latest Lord Emerson.” There was an amused glint in his silver eyes. “Aren’t you worried he’ll see you looking and smelling very unlike yourself?”
Odessa shot him a look. “You are the one who suggested onions.”
Hayden shrugged.
“Keep your voice down.” She nudged him with her elbow. Hayden was well aware of Odessa’s efforts to dissuade her suitors. He understood, somewhat, since his mother and aunt were pressuring him to wed. “I managed to get him to depart London for his country estate, but had to take extreme measures.”
