Page 48 of Tempted By an Unconventional Lady
“And nothing at all to do with a handsome duke we just happened upon in the intermission.”
“Nothing whatsoever.”
She kept her eyes firmly forward, her lips pursed with a tickling annoyance. Because her uncle was right. The play seemed richer, the actors more talented, the scenery brighter. But as she laughed along to the jokes, she began to wonder whether it had been Chelsea she was missing or someone else entirely.
Chapter 18
The following morning, Charlotte was sitting in the drawing room, her stockinged feet on the warm wooden floor as she embroidered small flowers into a tablecloth. Her mood had indeed lightened. Seeing the duke had lifted her spirits in ways she had not truly expected—and she still didn’t understand why that might be. Was she really so frivolous as to fall for a handsome face? But he had made her feel better, it was as simple as that.
That was why she was both surprised and overjoyed when the butler entered.
“The Duke of Ashbourne for Miss Charlotte,” he said.
Her aunt, who was sitting opposite her reading a novel, looked up. “I didn’t realize you were expecting guests,” she said. “What is the purpose of his visit?”
“It is the calling hour,” Charlotte replied. “It should hardly be a surprise that someone calls, even if it is rare these days. As for the purpose, I don’t think there is one. Uncle Elliot and I bumped into him at the theater last night, and he asked if he could call on me. I agreed, naturally, because it was the polite thing to do.”
And because I want it more than anything.
“There is always a purpose,” Aunt Lydia hissed as she slid the ribbon in her book and placed it to the side. “Men like that always want something.”
Charlotte frowned. “He seems quite decent, actually. I would have thought you’d be pleased.”
Aunt Lydia didn’t reply with her words, but her expression was oddly thunderous. “Show him in, Beaumont,” she snapped.
Charlotte quickly pushed her embroidery beneath the cushion, suddenly embarrassed by the thought of being caught doing something so mundane, so conventional. It was her being different that attracted him, after all, was it not? She ran her fingers through the fine locks of hair that fell around her face, then pinched her cheeks to bring a little color.
“Stop fussing,” Aunt Lydia snapped. “There is no need for it. It’s not like you are trying to attract the man!”
“Good morning, Lady Fairchild, Miss Charlotte,” the duke said as he entered, bowing to them both.
Charlotte got to her feet to curtsy but to her surprise, her aunt remained seated, not even offering the duke the courtesy of a greeting.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” Charlotte replied. She kept her gaze lowered, acting demure as she had seen so many do before. “What an unexpected surprise this is.”
“Unexpected?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “I suggested it last night.”
Charlotte’s cheeks colored further with no need of pinching fingernails. “Yes, of course, but so soon?”
The duke grinned. “I have always believed that when one wants to do something, they should do it immediately and without hesitation.”
“I suppose you would like some tea, Your Grace,” Aunt Lydia said.
Charlotte once again blinked at her in surprise as she waved for the maid to fetch the tea. Her aunt could never have been accused of generosity, but she was normally at least polite. In that moment, her civility was spread so thin as to be see-through.
“That would be lovely,” the duke replied, bowing once again to Charlotte’s aunt. He glanced at Charlotte, his lips twitching into an amused smile as they shared a moment, and she saw that he was not bothered by her rudeness at all. If anything, it amused him.
“Very well,” Aunt Lydia said with a barely concealed huff.
“But actually,” the duke interrupted her, “I cannot stay that long. Alas, business calls. But I promised I would visit, and I have.”
“Going so soon?” Charlotte asked.
The man hadn’t even sat down, and he was already looking for a way to escape. Perhaps seeing her in her natural environment made him realize what a terrible mistake he had made. That Charlotte was not worthy of his time after all.
“I’m afraid so, but I wanted to call to ask you a question.”
“Oh yes?” Hope reared again, and she wondered if these wavering emotions were all part of that elusive thing they called love.
