Page 22 of The Taming of the Duke
Before Dax could respond, Lord Hardwick leaned forward. “Are you still wanting the curricle, Petrush?” he asked. “Or would you prefer to join the men for the shooting?”
“I’ll pass on bagging birds,” Dax said. “I’d promised to take the elder Miss Parville on an excursion—that is, if Lord Parville agrees.”
Parville’s eyes lit up, and he nodded, almost dislodging his wig in delight at the prospect of ridding himself of his daughter. From his position beside Blanche, Horton grinned and mouthed a silent “thank you.”
“Perhaps, Miss Blanche, you might join me on a walk around the estate?” Horton suggested. “The sunken garden is, I hear, most exquisite, and has many Italian features which our host brought back from his travels, is that not right, Lord Hardwick?”
“That’s correct,” their host said.
“My daughter would bedelighted,” Parville said, “wouldn’t you, Blanche?”
Blanche blushed and lowered her gaze. Her sweet shyness was what most men would call endearing, though Dax preferred the prickly, fiery demeanor of another…
“Then that’s settled,” Hardwick said. He drew out his pocket watch. “Heavens! We’ll bag nothing if we spend the morning idling here. Gentlemen, if you please, we’ll convene in the hall on the hour. Ladies, I believe morning tea will be served in the drawing room, where Miss Bonneville is anxious to demonstrate her musical skills. My wife will provide for your every comfort, I’m sure.”
He rose, and the rest of the party followed suit.
Before Dax could stand, Lady Hardwick caught his sleeve.
“A word, if you please, Your Grace.”
Dax turned his gaze toward his hostess and raised his eyebrows in inquiry.
“What are you doing with Miss Parville?” she asked.
“I’m taking her for an excursion—with her father’s permission.”
Her expression hardened. “You can do better thanthat, Your Grace,” she said. “I think you know I wasn’t inquiring about your plan to tour the estate this morning. You must consider me very naïve if you believe me incapable of understanding how men such as yourself view young women.”
“I’m afraid I don’t quite catch your meaning, Lady Hardwick,” he said.
“Then I must express my disappointment inyourlack of understanding, Your Grace. Permit me to point it out. Most men view women as playthings, particularly men who express their dislike of the marriage state by sampling as manycurriclesas possible before settling on one which they’re content to ride for the rest of their lives.”
Surely she didn’t mean…
“Of course,” she continued, “some men are not so fastidious as to refrain from riding more than one curricle even after they’ve made their purchase.”
Dax shook his head in disbelief. He’d not met a woman of her class with such a marked degree of frankness.
He opened his mouth to respond, and she held up her hand.
“Before you reply, Your Grace, I ask you not to insult my intelligence by feigning ignorance of the true subject of our discussion, particularly when she was absent at breakfast. I wonder if her indisposition this morning is related to your friendship with Lord Horton?”
Sweet Lord!Surely Lady Hardwick wasn’t aware of the wager between him and his friend?
“Ah,” she continued. “I see my insight astonishes you—sadly such astonishment is to be expected, given that men often underestimate the women in their presence. The pointed looks between the two of you this morning—and, I might add, last night—might have gone unnoticed by most, but I’ve always made it my business to ensure that each and every one of my guests is treated with courtesy and respect—even the ones who are ridiculed as beingshrewish.”
She met his gaze unwaveringly, and a prickle of guilt needled at him. Trust his bloody conscience to plague him now, after having been absent for a lifetime.
But, in truth, the appeal of courting Miss Parville for a wager had lessened, particularly last night, when he’d gained an understanding of her plight.
After following Dax to the card tables last night, Lord Parville’s behavior had been enough to make a man’s stomach churn. While it was accepted that men, in the company of their own sex, displayed a greater degree of frankness when expressing opinions of the fairer sex—Parville’s contempt of his daughters extended beyond the limits of respectability. The man was all too ready to express his opinion that women existed for three reasons—to provide men with dowries, heirs, and sexual gratification on demand.
Parville, as incapable of holding his liquor as his cash, had expressed his disappointment, vociferously and petulantly, on learning that Hardwick forbade any form of monetary stakes at his card tables. He’d then drunk himself almost to oblivion, entering into a tirade about the burden of having sired two daughters, particularly when the elder was, in his words, “too vile to attract even the most desperate suitor.”
To his credit, Lord Hardwick had immediately summoned two footmen who marched Parville out of the room, after which he wasn’t seen again for the remainder of the evening. And given the respect and deep affection Hardwick had for his wife, he most likely had related the entire situation to her.
Dax met his hostess’s gaze.
