Page 14 of Fit for a Duke
‘You are not a normal duke.’
‘Thank you.’ He sent her a dubious look. ‘I think.’
They both laughed.
‘I have crossed swords with Salford on more than one occasion,’ Ezra said, turning serious. ‘I hesitate to speak ill of your intended but—’
‘He is not my intended. I cannot think where that rumour came from, and I aim to put a stop to it. Well, actually I can. He implied to Lady Fletcher that we had reached an understanding. My aunt has a romantic nature and so naturally Captain Salford received his invitation to this party, which I fear has spoiled it for me.’
‘I am so glad,’ he replied softly.
‘That my pleasure has been curtailed?’ She sent him an assessing look. ‘That is not very gallant of you, your grace. But feel free to speak as ill as you like of the captain. I have always thought that there was something of the night about him, for want of a better description, although perhaps I didn’t realise it until now.’
‘Yet your father depended upon him.’
‘He is a sound strategist in the field of battle and was an excellent adjutant, so Papa always insisted. He was a frequent visitor to Benton House whenever Papa was at home, which was not that often. I got quite used to seeing him there and didn’t think much of it. Of course, he called after…’ She swallowed. ‘He called close on the heels of Papa’s death but I was not receiving. He tried to insist, I gather, but my governess sent him packing.’
‘I am glad someone did the right thing by you.’ They reached a row of steps at the end of the terrace. Ezra took her arm and helped her down them, releasing it again when they reached the lower level, which was out of sight of the main terrace. ‘There, he won’t find you for a while now.’
‘I am not going to spend the entire week hiding from him,’ she replied, bridling. ‘I am no coward and I will make it very plain to him that his attentions are unwelcome.’
‘I don’t doubt it, but will he take defeat gracefully, that is the question?’
‘He will have little choice in the matter, if he is half the gentleman he thinks himself to be, which is questionable.’
Ezra chuckled. ‘Remind me never to get on your wrong side.’
‘You already have, by making murderous plans that will quite spoil the atmosphere my aunt has striven so hard to create.’
Ezra laughed, and they walked for a moment or two in companionable silence. He would never permit himself to walk with any single female unchaperoned as a general rule, but he found himself revelling in Miss Benton’s exclusive company. He sensed there was more to Salford’s pursuit of her than her obvious charms and reputed fortune. He didn’t trust the rogue’s intentions, and since he had satisfied himself that Miss Benton really didn’t crave his company, he would take it upon himself to protect this beguiling creature from the captain’s manipulative tentacles. She might think she was versed in the ways of the world, but she was an innocent and needed his help. She was far too proud to make such an admission, even if she privately acknowledged the truth of it, but Ezra had now come upon a reason he could live with, a justification for remaining close to her.
‘When the captain does find me here alone with you,’ she said, her melodic voice rousing Ezra from a charming reverie that featured the beguiling Miss Benton, a barn full of soft hay and…Enough!
‘Yes, Miss Benton?’ he said smoothly. ‘When the captain finds us here together…’
‘You intend to warn him off, I suppose.’ She huffed indignantly. ‘I cannot think why else you are keeping me out here, away from everyone else on the main part of the terrace. You think I am incapable of looking out for myself.’ She pouted this time, looking highly affronted. ‘Why must gentlemen insist upon being so protective? It’s insulting, infuriating, inconsiderate, in…in everything.’
‘We can return to the terrace if you would prefer it. My intentions are, I can assure you, quite honourable. In the most part,’ he added with a mischievous smile.
She burst out laughing and lightly punched his arm. ‘You are impossible!’
‘Where is your governess now?’ Ezra asked, as they continued to stroll, the path lit by the occasional wall sconce and the light spilling from the downstairs rooms, along with the sound of the piano being played badly and snippets of muted conversations.
‘Back in Yorkshire, caring for her ailing mother. It was unfortunate timing, but of course she had to do her duty. I no longer had need of a governess, but Mrs McAnally had become more of a companion. One who made it possible for me to continue living at Benton House alone.’
‘And when she was called away, you closed it up and came here?’
‘Not at first. I went to stay with my mother’s brother’s family in Wales, but that was not satisfactory. I didn’t like it there and felt I was an inconvenience.’
‘You?’ Ezra raised a brow, disguising how sorry he felt for the chit behind a façade of mock amusement. ‘I am sure you gave no trouble whatsoever.’
‘Well, of course I did not!’ she cried indignantly. ‘There is no need to look so surprised. However, my uncle is a harsh man, not at all as compassionate as my aunt Fletcher. He has no daughters of his own and didn’t have the first idea how to cope with someone of my age disrupting his household simply by being there.’ She flashed an impudent smile. ‘Not because I misbehaved in any way.’
‘And so you came here?’
‘No, I went to stay with an old lady, a friend of Mama’s in Chelsea, but that didn’t work out either. She was too set in her ways, and I think I was too lively for her.’
‘That I can readily understand.’
