Page 58 of Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke
How no one else could see how absurd the match between Lord Torrington and Lady Callum was aside from her was baffling. She slipped her hands around her teacup and sighed. She had heard of ladies having something over a man that would make him fall in line, but surely the incident in the library did not bear that much importance in the mind of the earl or the duke to weigh them down in that regard.
Francesca set her tea down in dissatisfaction. She would have to keep a closer eye on the lady. The woman must have secret wiles hidden behind her boarish exterior.
She went to the window. The pattern of hedges and roses intertwined to make the gardens laid out before her. Among the hedges she spotted Lady Callum wandering in an aimless fashion.
As she stood looking out over the garden, a male figure strode out from the direction of the patio. Francesca could see that it was Lord Torrington. She bit her lip at the sight of him. He was a striking figure, even if unforgivably dull for his taste in women.
The two figures below met near one of the benches. Lady Callum sat while the duke stood. There seemed to be some sort of a heated discussion taking place and Francesca leaned closer to the window even though there was no chance to make out what they were saying.
An idea struck her that perhaps she should talk to Gerald. He was a man of few words, but she had often overlooked him. He would have the perfect opportunity to see what was happening between the duke and Lady Callum. Francesca smiled. Perhaps she would get to the bottom of the mystery after all.
***
He leaned towards the woman in front of him who had her hands firmly on her hips, as if she were waiting for a reason to lay into him. “She has left the window,” Nash whispered.
Lady Callum blew out a puff of air and turned back toward the garden. “Gerald is still watching.” Her voice was soft and full of something that Nash could not discern. It might have been anger, but it was gone when she spoke again. “Have you and Harcourt decided about the planning of the engagement party?”
“My mother was insistent that she wanted to throw the party at our home, but Harcourt’s stubbornness has won through.” Nash had been quite relieved when Harcourt had taken his side. It had genuinely surprised him that Harcourt had persisted long enough to win out over his mother, whose will was as if iron.
Lady Callum breathed a sigh of relief. “He had not mentioned that, but I imagine he shall come to me soon enough, given that he will probably want my input. He would do better to have Francesca’s opinions than mine. I hardly know what a good party should be.”
“Having an eye for what is fashionable in high society, does not always qualify someone for planning parties. Dresses really do not make or break an evening.” Nash removed his gloves and stretched his fingers. He longed to shed the coat, but thought that might be too brazen even for Lady Callum’s indulgent company.
Lady Callum glanced around at the now empty window where Francesca had been peering down earlier. “She will be quite eager to figure out what was so amiss between us.”
“And I am glad that she will have a way to spend her time other than tormenting me,” Nash said with a grunt. The look Lady Callum gave him made Nash regret his words. “She is a little overt in her attentions toward me. And while it is harmless, it is also grating.”
Lady Callum shrugged. She gave him a small smile. “She is a beauty. I should think that attentions from her would be quite pleasing to most men.”
“You must not have met many women like her in Scotland. We have them aplenty at court and they are not to be trusted.” Nash felt a bit of a sting that Lady Callum did not seem the least bit offended that Miss Durant had been flirtatious with him. Then again, he had made it quite clear that he had not been impressed by the Frenchwoman, so there was no due cause for jealousy, even if she had been attached to him by the heartstrings.
She tugged her shawl around her shoulders and Nash thought it had to be from habit. The heat in the sun was too warm to warrant a chill. “Jasmine said something earlier about Miss Durant that made me wonder if I could trust her. I have not told anyone of our arrangement, mind you. But I have been worried that Miss Durant would guess.”
“What did she say?” Nash slapped his gloves against his open palm. He did not like the idea of the cagey Frenchwoman figuring out their plans. She could cause a big enough scandal to ruin Lady Callum’s chances of ever finding a good match.
Lady Callum clutched her shawl, clearly uncomfortable repeating what her maid had said. “She said that Miss Durant was not happy with her lot in life and that she tended to take it out on those below her station.”
“And you think she might be using your good graces to lever herself up into nobility?” Nash could not say he was surprised. Just two years ago he had heard of a duke marrying a courtesan. It might not happen that often, but it did happen.
Lady Callum sighed. “I would hate to think that any love she had shown me was out of selfishness. But I have learnt that people of society often do not get as attached to such notion as do I.”
“It will all be behind us soon and she will not be able to make trouble for you after the engagement party. If she wishes to marry above her station, then all speed to her. She just need not look in my direction.” Nash chuckled at the look on Lady Callum’s face. “Breathe. She has no reason to cause you woe. After all, you have aided her at every turn.”
Her face fell as she whispered, “I know your words are true, but if I have failed so miserably to judge her, then could I not also have failed to value others appropriately?”
“Are you now unsure of your choice with Lord Hawley?” Nash eyed Lady Callum with interest. She lifted a hand to brush her hair from her face as it fought to be free of her bonnet.
She offered him a wry smile that made him remember the first time he saw her. “You do not need to chide me about being too flighty in my impressions. Besides, even if I failed to find a match, you have kept up your end of our arrangement splendidly. I owe you a great debt, Lord Torrington.”
“We are even and matched in gratitude,” Nash said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I fear that the time I can spend calling on you is fast approaching a close. If I tarry too long past the acceptable limits of society, Gerald might very well take me to task about it.”
Lady Callum smiled and glanced over at the butler, who waited on the patio, watching them at a comfortable distance. “He is quite a mystery that one.”
“Gerald? He is just a man of his time. He tries to be staunch and proper, but even he knows how youth is.” Nash lifted his hand to the butler who dipped his head in return. “Shall I call on you tomorrow?”
She gave him an inquisitive look. “You call far more often on me than my brother these days.”
“Well, we are soon to be betrothed,” Nash replied with a bow. As he rose he gave her a smile. “At least for the time being,” he added in a whisper to her.
