Page 27 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
Lucy was relieved to hear it.
Ivy turned toward the door. “I need to check on Lady Dunn. I settled her in the gaming room. She’ll likely want refreshment soon.”
“We’ll all go,” Lucy said. They departed the room together.
Ivy left them to attend her employer, while Lucy and Aquilla went back to the ballroom—slowly.
“Marriage wouldn’t be so bad, you know,” Aquilla said softly. “My parents are quite content.”
Content, yes, but Lucy didn’t think they could be described as happy. They certainly didn’t engender a sense of love or family, which made Aquilla’s eternal optimism and charm a curious thing. If Lucy was going to bother with marriage, she wanted those things—family and love. She also demanded trust. She needed to know she could depend on a husband. That was paramount. She refused to end up like her grandmother, scraping for a comfortable retirement.
She supposed some gentlemancouldcome up to scratch, at least providing dependability and a family. But after years of being ignored, she just didn’t think that was likely. “Tonight is peculiar, a one-time oddity,” she said. “I doubt this will encourage anything at all. Tomorrow, Society will go right back to not even seeing me.”
Aquilla looked at her askance. “I don’t know if I believe that. The Duke of Daring asked you to dance. That’s extraordinary, don’t you agree?”
He’d only done so because he knew her, not because he was interested in a courtship. “No.”
Aquilla looked at her as if she’d gone mad. “He never dances!” She placed her finger against her chin in a contemplative pose. “In fact, he rarely attends balls. I wonder what he was doing here.” Her gaze turned expectant as if Lucy might know.
And of course shedidknow. He’d been looking for her. She ignored the rush of heat flashing through her. “I have no idea.”
“He didn’t say when you were dancing? Whatdidyou talk about?”
“Waltzing.”
Aquilla eyed her with skepticism. “How mundane. You’re a better conversationalist than that.”
“I might have told him about how we conjure ideas of potential disasters.”
Aquilla’s gaze filled with horror, but was quickly replaced with humor as she dissolved into giggles. “Youdidn’t.”
Lucy smiled, recalling his reaction. “He wasn’t terribly amused. I daresay I needn’t worry about him pursuing me in the future.”
Aquilla shook her head. “Pity. He’s my favorite of your dance partners this evening. What of the others? Any idea why they wanted to partner you?”
Her question didn’t offend Lucy in the slightest. It was, after all, very strange, and they both knew it. “I would guess it was borne of male competition. They want what they think they need to battle for.”
“How primitive.”
A thought blasted into Lucy’s brain. If Dartford dancing with her could spark interest in Lucy, then surely it would do the same for Aquilla. She decided right then that she’d persuade him to do just that. “Perhaps Dartford will dance with you and thenyoucan bask in all the attention.”
“Well, that would be lovely. Unlikely, but lovely.” She exhaled. “It’s also probably pointless. You said yourself that nothing would come from your success tonight.”
“For me,” Lucy clarified. “You, on the other hand, will be a far more engaging dance partner than I am, and you’ll charm them all into calling on you and vying for your hand. It will be a true competition.”
Aquilla laughed. “I do appreciate your confidence—you’re a darling. Let us not forget that I don’t charm gentlemen so much as drive them away.”
With her chattiness. Yes, Lucy knew that, just as she knew that the right man, someone who would love Aquilla for all that she was, would come along. “Well, let’s just see what happens, shall we?” She linked her arm through Aquilla’s and swept her back into the ballroom.
Later, as she tried to sleep, Lucy’s brain was full of ideas and plans. She could scarcely wait until her next appointment with Dartford. Beyond earning more money for her goal, she was excited to learn what he had planned for other activities. And she’d convince him to lend his support to Aquilla. Perhaps he could even do more than dancing. Other gentlemen revered him. Surely if he spoke highly of a lady, their interest would be stirred.
As she fell asleep at last, she thought of racing in Hyde Park and shooting at Manton’s, not in her men’s costume, but dressed as herself. She imagined Dartford cheering her on and sweeping her into his arms, and she felt something more than protected. Something that would’ve filled her with alarm if she’d remembered the dream in the morning.
Fortunately, she didn’t.
Chapter Six
Having arrived early for their appointment, Andrew waited for Miss Parnell at the corner while keeping an eye on her house. He’d been thinking of her far too much—of how alluring she was in a ball gown, how she felt in his arms, how tempting she’d looked outside on the terrace.
