Page 58 of The Duke of Desire
“Tell us about the house party,” Lucy urged. Her dark hair was braided and coiled atop her head with gentle curls brushing her temples. She wore a peach-colored gown with fetching coral jewelry that accented her ensemble perfectly. She looked every bit the stylish countess, so different from the wallflower Ivy had met five years ago.
“Is it true that Miss Forth-Hodgeseloped?” Aquilla asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes,” Ivy said. “Her parents declined Townsend’s suit—I’m afraid he lost his temper at a shuttlecock match, and they concluded that he wasn’t ready for marriage. They asked Emmaline to wait a year, but she didn’t want to.” Ivy realized they were both staring at her with keen interest.
“You know quite a bit about what happened,” Lucy said.
“She and I became friendly during the party. I rather like her, actually.”
Aquilla winced. “I feel terrible about what happened with Sutton.”
“Don’t,” Ivy said. “She wasn’t upset. In fact, she said her parents were behind that entire match. And anyway, she’s quite happy now with Lord Townsend.”
“Is she?” Aquilla asked with some relief. “I’m pleased to hear it. Is he a decent gentleman, I hope?”
“He seemed devoted to Emmaline.” That he’d been a man of his word and married her made him a decent enough fellow in Ivy’s opinion.
“I’m glad things turned out well for her,” Lucy said. “And I must applaud her intrepid nature for pursuing what she wanted.” Lucy was the most independent-minded woman Ivy had ever met, so it was no surprise that she admired Emmaline’s actions.
“If we ever have occasion to be at the same event, I shall introduce you,” Ivy said. “I am certain you will like her.”
Aquilla fidgeted with her gown. “Are you absolutely certain she bears me no ill will?”
Ivy shot her friend a warm, direct stare. “Absolutely.”
“I hear the party was teeming with Untouchables,” Lucy said, grinning. “The Duke of Danger was there, was he not?”
Ivy recalled the blond Marquess of Axbridge. She’d seen him speaking to West on a number of occasions.West?She wastryingto think of him as Clare now. “Yes.”
“Did you speak with him?” Aquilla asked.
Ivy arched a brow at her. “Why should I?”
Aquilla laughed. “Why indeed. It goes without saying, then, that you didn’t interact with the Duke of Desire. Or did we officially change his name to the Duke of Debauchery?” She looked from Ivy to Lucy.
“We did not, but we certainly could.” Lucy turned her head to Ivy. “Are you in favor?”
Ivy had pressed for that name based on his scandalous behavior. However, now that she knew the reason for it… No, now that she’dexperiencedit, she much preferred to call him the Duke of Desire. In truth, she wished she could call himherDuke of Desire.
Heat crept up her neck, and she coughed. “I think it’s simpler if we stick with the first name. That’s what everyone calls him now anyway.”
Lucy exhaled. “Yes, that name seems to have caught on. Has Danger done the same?”
“It hasn’t seemed to, but I can’t say for sure,” Ivy said, relieved that they were not lingering on the topic of West.Clare.Bloody hell.
Aquilla tapped her finger against her chin. “How many Untouchables is that now? There’s the Forbidden Duke.” She looked at Lucy. “The Duke of Daring, of course. And the Duke of Deception.” She flashed a smile. “The Duke of Desire and the Duke of Danger. Five.”
“I’d argue that the first three are no longer Untouchable since you married them.” Ivy included their friend Nora in that number even though she wasn’t here.
“You may have a point,” Lucy conceded. “We should replenish their numbers, which means there ought to be one more. Any suggestions?”
Ivy recalled a conversation she’d had with Lady Dunn the day before. “Lady Dunn’s godson is returning to England. He’s just inherited an earldom. He’s spent the last decade on an island in the tropics and apparently has no interest in being the earl, but he has no choice. Lady Dunn said if he could find a way out of it, he would. He’s been nothing but a source of disappointment and dread for his parents. She called himdefiant.”
Aquilla’s eyes sparked with mirth. “Behold, the Duke of Defiance.”
Ivy smiled. “So it would seem. Or Disappointment or Dread.”
Lucy laughed. “The Duke of Dread sounds like a pirate! Does he enjoy sailing? He must if he lives in the tropics.”
