Page 46 of The Duke of Seduction
The women left the dining room, and port was poured for the gentlemen, who congregated at one end of the table. Beck sat between Felix and the Duke of Kendal, a man in his late thirties with black hair and green eyes and the ominous nickname of the Forbidden Duke. It was generally known that he didn’t mind being called that because it kept people from bothering him. He didn’t participate in many Society events, and when he did, such as this one, it was with people he considered close friends—or so Beck had learned during dinner.
Beck hadn’t sat with the duke before now, after everyone had moved, and he found himself wondering, given the man’s age, if he might have met his sister Helen or, more importantly, if he might know who SW and DC were.
The duke turned to Beck and asked how he knew the Kilves.
“I don’t really,” Beck said honestly. “Her Grace is good friends with Miss Colton, and I believe they wanted to round out the female-to-male ratio, and so they invited some of Mr. Colton’s friends.”
“It’s good of you to come. I never would have accepted such an invitation.” The duke chuckled. “In my youth, I would have. I was more…gregarious then. Like you.”
“Are you trying to politely say you were known for rakish behavior?”
The duke sipped his port. “Drinking, gambling, women, all of it. But then my father died, and I left it all behind. I don’t miss it even a little.”
Beck didn’t really consider himself a drinker or a gambler, but women…he relied on them for inspiration and, of course, he enjoyed sharing pleasure. Since he’d started writing as the Duke of Seduction however, he seemed to need them less. At least as far as inspiration went.
This line of conversation gave Beck the opening he needed. “My half sister was out, likely when you were carousing—Lady Helen Beckett. Did you know her?”
The duke shook his head. “I hope not—for her sake. I was a horrid young man in retrospect. I caused problems for several people with my rather debauched behavior. How is your sister now?”
“She passed away, I’m afraid. That was sixteen years ago, and I was fairly young. I thought it might be nice to talk with someone who knew her.”
The duke nodded sympathetically. “I understand. My wife was out then and might have known her.” He winced. “She didn’t have a very good experience, I’m afraid.”
Beck wanted to ask for more information but didn’t. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He finished his glass of port.
“She fell for the charms of the wrong gentleman, and there was a scandal. She had to leave London. Fortunately for me, she came back nine years later as companion to my stepmother.”
“I vaguely remember that, what, seven or eight years ago?”
“Seven, yes.”
The Duke of Kilve announced they should join the women in the drawing room. The Duke of Kendal finished his port and stood. Beck also rose and told him he’d enjoyed their chat.
When they arrived in the drawing room, their hostess announced that they’d decided to play hide-and-seek. For those who wanted to play, they could hide anywhere on the first two floors. They’d already decided the Duke of Romsey would be seeker.
His Grace was an affable fellow who agreed to the role with glee. “Just be warned,” he said. “If I find my wife first, you all may be waiting awhile.” He winked at the duchess, whose blue eyes gleamed with emotion.
Beck could practically feel the love between them. It made his heart clench and reminded him of the way he’d felt at sixteen when he’d met Priscilla. Three years his senior, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her laugh moved him to write the most god-awful poetry, which he’d attempted to put to song shortly after taking up the guitar.
“All right then, you’ll count to fifty?” The Duchess of Kilve asked the Duke of Romsey.
“If I must.”
Beck wasn’t certain he wanted to play. His gaze immediately went to Lavinia, who’d already risen. Clearly, she was going to.
Well, if she was…
“One, two,” the duke started counting, and everyone scattered from the room.
Beck didn’t want to obviously follow Lavinia, not when he was fairly certain where she would go. He left the drawing room, noting that her parents and the Coltons had remained, and paid attention to where people went.
Now he just had to find the library. He walked upstairs and turned to the right as one of the ladies came out of the room on the left side, closing the door behind herself. “That’s the library—someone’s already gone in there.”
Beck nodded and pretended to consider where to go. After the lady had disappeared to the other side of the house, he slipped into the library and closed the door behind him.
The room wasn’t overly large, and it was—seemingly—empty. It also wasn’t terribly well lit, with a low fire burning in the grate and a pair of sconces flickering on the wall on either side of the fireplace.
She was either beneath the desk or behind the curtain. He couldn’t see the underside of the desk from the door. It wasn’t a pedestal as Lord Evenrude’s had been.
