Page 8 of A Wounded Duke's Passion
She laughed a little at the jest and smiled at him. Anthony gestured towards the seat across from him.
“You are quite right, my lady. I am delighted to see you, and I do forgive you.” That was not entirely true; the past few years had caused Anthony to develop a particular aversion to unexpected events. “We have much to discuss. Kitty, will you fetch tea and biscuits? I am sure Lady Victoria would delight in some refreshments.”
Kitty curtsied and departed. Anthony led Lady Victoria to the chair and waited until she was seated before returning to hisown place behind his desk. “Lady Rose will be delighted to see you,” he said. “She had just mentioned that she was preparing her wardrobe for the Season.”
“Preparing it now?” Lady Victoria asked. “Why, that should have happened months ago.”
Anthony chuckled anxiously. “She has a few gowns for the Season’s earliest events,” he clarified. “She could do with a few more, though.”
“That is good,” Lady Victoria said. “No matter! I shall help her procure what she needs, and I have no doubt that we will find her a husband this Season.”
Anthony nodded. He hoped they did. If Lady Rose married, she would no longer be his ward. It was not as though he disliked his cousin. She was pretty and kind enough. He had no daughters of his own, though. Nor did he have a wife. Anthony had not the faintest idea what he ought to do to prepare a young lady for her Season.
Lady Victoria could be helpful in that regard, but he could not really depend on her. She had already made a habit of fleeing unexpectedly, something that always won his sympathy but that also made Anthony hesitant to assign her the task of ensuring Lady Rose’s success that Season. The dowager duchess was seldom better in that regard; she enjoyed being a widow and had a tendency to disappear to Scotland or Wales in flights of fancy.
At the moment, though, it seemed Anthony had the cheerful version of Lady Victoria, the one who was determined to see her daughter successfully wed to a gentleman.
“Her Grace extended an invitation to the ball for me,” Lady Victoria said. “Why, I can scarcely remember the last time I attended a ball!”
“I imagine it has been some time,” Anthony replied, treading carefully. He did not want to say anything that might remind Lady Victoria of her deceased husband.
“I assume you intend on accompanying Rose as her chaperone?” Lady Victoria asked. “It would be beneficial, I think, if you were to attend the ball with her.”
Anthony nodded. “I did intend on acting as her chaperone, yes.”
He had not thought much about his duty to ensure that Lady Rose found a husband at the ball, though. Anthony had not considered the occasion much beyond it being yet another duty that he was expected to fulfill. His thoughts drifted to Lady Rose’s friend, the beautiful Lady Bridget.
Perhaps she would be at the ball. Anthony felt a tightness between his legs when he thought of the young lady with her flushed face and the mud staining the hem of her gown. Shewould look even more exquisite if she were in attendance at the ball. Anthony had always had an appreciation for women in all their finery, for the way that the candlelight of ballrooms traced the delicate lines of their bodies.
“I am pleased to hear it,” Lady Victoria said, dragging Anthony’s thoughts way from Lady Bridget. “I am uncertain if I will attend yet, but I have brought a fine gown with me just in case.”
“Of course,” Anthony said.
“Well, I see your attention is otherwise occupied,” Lady Victoria said, her face softening. “My William spent many evenings just like this, surrounded by papers and books. He liked his solitude during such times.”
Anthony smiled politely. Lady Victoria stood and set her shoulders, just as Kitty entered with the tea and biscuits. Anthony offered the maid an apologetic glance.
“Lady Victoria, perhaps, you wish to speak with your daughter? I believe that she is usually practicing the pianoforte at this time.”
“Indeed!” Lady Victoria’s expression brightened. “I wish to see which gown she is considering for the ball.”
“Kitty, take the tea to the drawing room for Lady Victoria and Lady Rose,” Anthony said.
“At once, Your Grace.”
Lady Victoria clapped her hands together in delight. “Oh, this will be simply wonderful!”
Anthony managed to keep smiling until his aunt was well out of sight. Only then did he let his expression relax. His muscles remained tense, and the cause of them was readily identifiable: Lady Bridget. He raked his hands through his hair and shifted in his seat, adjusting his trousers. How embarrassing to be affected so! He was not a young man any longer, and he had far more important matters to think about than Lady Bridget.
When he thought of placing his hands on her waist, gathering handfuls of her sodden skirts, and pulling the gown away—bearing her body to the eyes of London—it nearly undid him. Anthony groaned. He had best be careful around Lady Bridget. Anthony had had no desire to wed after Anastasia’s passing, but that did not mean he was as adept at resisting the desires of the flesh.
Very careful, indeed, he thought.
The last thing he wanted to do was dishonor a young lady, especially the dearest friend of his new ward.
Chapter 5
Bridget tried to resist the impulse to glance around the ballroom for the millionth time that night. She found herself looking constantly for the Marquess of Thornton and dreading the eventuality when her father would reveal his arrangement.
