Page 62 of Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke
“Leave off now,” the first stable boy said to his friend. “Just thought the duke might want to steer clear of that area.”
“I assure you that I am not going in that direction, but I do thank you for the warning.” Nash gave the two boys a couple of coins before he swung up into the saddle.
He thought of the fire and all the trials as of late. With wars destabilising everything and courts shouting libel at every turn, the days seemed dark indeed. Nash looked up at the clear skies.
“Not today though,” Nash whispered to the sky as he set out for the Pentworth household, which was only a few streets from his own home.
As often was the case, it took far too little time to get to where he was going when the weather was nice enough to actually enjoy the ride. As he slid out of his saddle and handed the stallion off to the stable boy at the Pentworth household, Nash breathed in one last breath before heading up the steps.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Gerald said as he opened the door.
Nash gave him a look of surprise before he smiled. “Filling in for the doorman now, too?”
“He is under the weather, Your Grace,” Gerald said, giving Nash a bow.
Nash hurried on through the door to stop Gerald from having to hold it open for any longer. The wooden door was deceptively heavy. “I trust that I am expected?”
“Lady Callum awaits you in the conservatory, Your Grace,” Gerald said. “Lord Pentworth is there as well.”
Nash nodded and saw himself to the conservatory. After all, he knew this house as well as any member of Harcourt’s household did. He certainly was here enough to have the floor plan mapped out in his mind. He gave the door to the conservatory a sharp rap before peering in. “It is just me,” he called.
Harcourt rolled his eyes as he sat on a loveseat near one of the large windows. “Do come in, Nash.”
Nash stepped fully inside and let the door close to on its own. Lady Callum smiled at him, her white dress showcasing just how fine and pale her hair actually was. He could almost imagine what it would be like to come to one of these things and truly be enthralled with her and her with him. “Lady Callum, you look beautiful this morning.”
“You are too kind, Lord Torrington. Please sit with us. Would you like some tea?” She had already picked up the teapot.
Nash nodded. He accepted the tea graciously as he took a seat next to Harcourt. “I had no idea we were going to be joined by you today, Harcourt. You have been so busy, I thought you might have a lady of your own stashed around here somewhere.”
“Hardly,” Harcourt said with a sigh. “I have simply been working more lately.”
Nash gave his friend a smile. “You would not have to work so hard if you would just sign on with my fleet. Your workload could be almost halved with further profits to boot.”
“Your insistence makes me wary. It is like when you wanted me to pick a particular horse in riding class because you had rigged the saddle.”
He laughed. “You blame your hesitancy on childhood pranks, and yet you insist that I am the less mature one in our friendship.”
Harcourt grumbled under his breath, “Those pranks hurt a good deal.”
Nash wanted to point out that it was Harcourt’s willingness to continue taking his suggestion for horses that kept the pranks going. However, pointing that fact out might hurt his cause as he was very much wanting Harcourt to take his suggestion now. He shrugged. “Do what you will, Harcourt, but it is a more than amicable deal for the both of us.”
Harcourt waved off the whole matter and looked at his sister. “How are the plans for the party going?”
“Quite well, all things considered. I have been getting suggestions from everyone on how they would do it. Now I have to figure out how I would go about putting on a party of this sort.” Lady Callum sounded more nervous than she probably intended.
Nash assured her, “As long as there is music, dancing and something to drink, then you shall be fine.”
“That much we have covered,” Lady Callum confirmed. “I wish to decorate the house with flowers from the garden, but Miss Durant is not as onboard with that idea.”
Nash tried not to let his confusion show through as he asked, “Why does it matter what she thinks? If you want it done a certain way, then do it your way.”
“That is what I said,” Harcourt chimed in.
Lady Callum shot her brother a look. “I have been doing as I wished for the most part, but I do value her opinion on matters of taste.”
“It is hardly a fashionable dress. What on earth does the current trend of fashion have to do with what you put in vases?” Nash had to admit that the ways of women in this particular capacity were a mystery to him. He had been to plenty of parties that were lovely that had not one stitch of décor that he could ascertain, yet ladies found it ceaselessly fascinating to debate over which colour was the best to use in a vase in September.
Lady Callum sighed. “Fashion has to do with everything around you. Some years patterns are favoured over solids, for instance. It literally runs throughout a house, Lord Torrington.”
