Page 27 of The Duke of Ice
“You’re referring to the Duke of Romsey?” Violet asked rather innocently, hoping she successfully kept the edge from her tone.
“Ruin, yes, of course,” Mrs. Law said, pursing her lips. “I do understand why Mrs. Linford invited him, and since he did coax Ice out of hiding, we must be grateful, I suppose.”
“Yes, but was it really worth it?” Lady Nixon asked. She leaned forward slightly. “I daresay Ice has forgotten how to behave.”
“He was quite charming at dinner tonight,” Lady Kingman rushed to say. “I even saw him smile.”
Lady Nixon arched a pale brow. “Indeed? I must have missed that, surprisingly.” The implication—that she’d been surveying him closely—was clear. But then one had only to watch Lady Nixon to know that her powers of observation were sharp and obtrusive.
Violet had missed his smile too, and she was incredibly disappointed. “I’ve found him to be quite pleasant,” she said serenely.
Mrs. Law narrowed her eyes at Violet. “I find that difficult to believe given the interaction you shared with him the other night. It looked rather…tense.”
“It was not,” Violet lied. “That’s the problem with making an assumption about something when you weren’t actually there.” She gave a placid smile but laced it with some of Nick’s ice. “The same can be said of the Duke ofRomsey.” She put special emphasis on his name on purpose.
“There you are wrong,” Lady Nixon declared darkly. “There was an eyewitness to the Duke’s crime. He pushed his pregnant wife down the stairs.”
A few of the women gasped.
“I hadn’t heard that,” Lady Colton said, her brow creasing with distress. “He truly seems like such an affable gentleman.”
“He is.” Violet still didn’t believe he was capable of such an act. There had to be an explanation. She blinked at Lady Nixon. “It seems this is news to many people. Who is this eyewitness?”
Lady Nixon’s gaze frosted. “One of his retainers. All of them left his employ afterward. What more do you need to hear to know that he’s guilty?”
“If he’s so guilty, why wasn’t he prosecuted?” Violet asked. She looked around at all the women, most of whom lowered their gazes to their laps.
Mrs. Law lifted her chin and shifted her gaze from one side of the group to the other, settling on Violet. “Because that retainer disappeared and was never heard from again. Unfortunately, there wasn’t sufficient evidence.”
Violet straightened in her chair. “Well, I, for one, refuse to find him guilty of a crime for which he hasn’t even been accused or tried. I think he’s charming and kind, and I am quite grateful for his assistance in the lake yesterday.”
“Oh yes, that was excellent of him to help the Duke of Kilve with his rescue,” Lady Kingman said.
Violet noted that she made it seem as if it had been Nick’s rescue, and while Nick had been the only gentleman to dive into the lake, Violet gave Simon full credit for his fast thinking. He’d had to dash around the lake—faster than anyone else—and quickly put out a boat to get to her. “He was most solicitous as he walked me to the house,” Violet added.
“You were nervous to be escorted by him?” The query came from Mrs. Stinnet, whose arsenal possessed less vitriol than that of Lady Nixon or Mrs. Law.
“Goodness no. I would do so again, in fact.” Violet seized the opportunity to be plain in her advocacy. “And if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t find fault with him courting her.”
“You’re still young, Lady Pendleton,” Lady Nixon said slyly. “Perhaps he’ll courtyou.”
Violet couldn’t agree without making it seem like she was interested in him—and she wasn’t. Instead, she orchestrated a neat maneuver. “I am past courtship, but if I were younger and on the Marriage Mart, I would be flattered by his attentions.”
“You must admit he’s handsome.” This came as a whisper from Lady Balcombe to her neighbor, Lady Colton. When she realized others had heard her, her cheeks blushed the color of Violet’s favorite dark pink peony.
“Well, I wouldn’t want him courting my daughters,” Mrs. Law said haughtily. “If they weren’t already well married, that is.” She exchanged a superior look with Lady Nixon, and Violet couldn’t control her irritation another moment.
“That’s ridiculous.You’reridiculous.” She stood abruptly just as a handful of the men strode into the drawing room.
Spinning about, she nearly collided with Nick. He caught her arm before she barreled into him. His touch streaked through her like the lightning in the sky on the first day of the party—hot and electric.
“In a hurry?” he murmured. “Walk with me.” He offered her his arm and escorted her from the room. “They’re setting up card tables next door.”
“I don’t want to play cards.”
“I know. But given the malevolent stares cast in your direction by Lady Nixon and Mrs. Law, I thought it best to remove you from the drawing room.” He guided her past the sitting room where the card tables were being set.
She tipped her head to look at him and drank in his handsome profile. His ivory cravat stood in sharp contrast to the darker cast of his skin. “Malevolent?”
