Page 3 of Tempting Harriet
The duke fingered the ribbon of his quizzing glass and pursed his lips. “If life were only that easy,” he said. “I shall make my bow to Lady Phyllis and the countess, then.And take the girl out for a dance if I am unfortunate enoughto find that she has one free. In a moment, Bruce. Give methat moment to collect myself.”
He looked about the ballroom again, reluctant to move. Once he stepped inside, and made his bow to any unmarried lady below the age of thirty, he believed, he wouldhave taken an irrevocable step. Word that the Duke ofTenby was finally shopping for a duchess would be out almost before he had taken that step and made that bow.There were a few ladies present that he did not know. Thenew Season had brought some new faces to town as it always did. Some of them were even pretty. Perhaps heshould find out who exactly was in town before embarkingon anything that might be construed as a courtship of oneparticular lady.
That one, for example, he thought, his eyes coming to rest on a particular young lady who had just finished dancing with one partner and was smiling with engaging andunfashionable enthusiasm at two prospective ones who hadconverged on her at the same moment. Small, girlishlyslim, dainty, blond-haired, exquisitely gowned in pale bluesatin overlaid with lace. She reminded him...
The Duke of Tenby relinquished the ribbon of his quizzing glass in order to grasp its jeweled handle and raiseit to his eye. The woman—or girl—had turned her headaway, so that all he could see were the soft and shiningringlets at the back of her head, the creamy skin of her backabove the low cut of her gown, and the suggestion of slimshapeliness beneath its loose folds. Delicious! He waitedfor her to turn her head, oblivious for the moment to thefact that he was still under close observation himself.
And then she did turn her head so that suddenly he saw her full face as she laughed at one of her would-be partnerswith upward-curving lips and sparkling eyes.
The duke lowered his glass hastily and turned without a word to hurry from the ballroom. Lord Bruce Ingram appeared at his side again after a few moments. He waslaughing.
“You have turned craven already, Archie?” he said. “You know, I seem to remember having heard somewhere that itis permitted to dance with a lady without being obligated tooffer for her the very next morning. Of course, you couldjust defy your grandmother and order her to live for anotherten years or so if she wants to see your offspring. You arehead of the family after all, Arch. It is your place to giveorders, not hers.” He laughed again.
“Do me a favor, Bruce, will you?” the duke said, his voice tight with some unexplained emotion. “Go and playcards. I’ll see you later.”
Lord Bruce threw back his head and roared with mirth, drawing the curious and rather disapproving stares of thosepeople who were standing about on the landing outside theballroom. “I am making you nervous, Arch,” he said. “ButI’ll do as you ask, old chap. I must confess, standing in aballroom like that makes me a trifle nervous too.” Heslapped his friend on the back. “Don’t shop for too long. Ihave heard it gives one blisters on the feet.” He disappearedin the direction of the card room.
His grace of Tenby did not even see him go. He must have been mistaken, he thought. She was very familiar. Hehad noticed that as soon as his eyes had alighted on her. The same coloring. The same small slimness. The sameface, except that this woman’s was laughing and animated.Not exactly flirtatious, perhaps, but definitely the face of awoman who knew herself beautiful and attractive to men.Harriet Pope had never looked like that. Quiet, sweet. Theduke stopped his pacing and closed his eyes for a moment.She had blushed easily and very charmingly. He had delighted in making her blush.
No, of course the woman in the ballroom was not Harriet. Harriet had been a servant, a lady’s companion. Freddie’s wife’s companion for a while until she had gone home to her mother in Bath. Six years ago. He had deliberatelynot asked either Freddie or Clara about her since then. Hehad not wanted to know. The woman in the ballroom wasnot anyone’s paid companion. If she were, she would bedressed soberly and sitting demurely in the shadows withthe other chaperons.
It was just that he was thinking of the wife he had promised Grandmama he would take within the next fewmonths and had thought, very naturally, of the only womanhe had ever seriously considered marrying.
Harriet! Seeing the woman in the ballroom had set him to fleeing like a boy and his heart to racing just as if he reallyhad been in love with her all those years ago. Just as if ithad not been the mere lust to put himself inside the girl’sbody. Though she had not been a girl even then. Six yearslater she could no longer possibly resemble that woman inthe ballroom, whom he was going to have to force himselfto look at once more. Harriet Pope must be close to thirtyyears of age. He strolled nonchalantly in the direction ofthe doors once more.
But this time he was not left to stand alone, observing those within the ballroom at his leisure. His hostess was athis side almost as soon as he made his appearance, smilinggraciously and apologizing for not greeting him on his arrival.
“It was not that I did not see you, Tenby,” she said. “Who could miss noticing such a blond god? Especiallywhen he is looking so startlingly distinguished in black.And when he is a duke to boot.” She tapped him on the armwith her fan. “Never say you are going to grace my ballroom by dancing in it. I would not be able to bear such success.”
He smiled at her. “Am I such a hopeless case, Chloe?” he asked. “Who is the lady in pale blue, pray?” He made aslight gesture in the direction of the lady at whom he hadhad no chance to have a second look.
“Lady Wingham?” she said. “Baron Wingham’s wife up for the Season. She is having some success tonight.”
“Present me, Chloe, if you will,” he said, “before the dancing starts again.”
“There will just be time,” she said, taking his arm. “I wonder if Lady Wingham realizes what a rare honor isabout to be accorded her. Every other lady’s eyes in theroom will turn instantly and uniformly green, Tenby.”
His grace was not listening. She had her head turned away again and was talking to a third gentleman. Shelooked very like indeed. And then she turned her head as heapproached with Lady Avingleigh and the latter called herby name.
Harriet Pope glanced, smiling, into his eyes and then stared into them without smiling.
And then she blushed.
Chapter 2
As a girl she had dreamed of dancing at a real ball, of being the focus of attention and admiration, of being whisked offto dance by dashing gentlemen. It was a typical girlishdream, even though her upbringing as a clergyman’sdaughter had taught her that it would be wicked to dwell onsuch dreams. For one thing, one did not waste one’s timeon dreams of the impossible. For another, it was wicked tohanker after frivolity and indulge personal vanity.
The dreams had not entirely died when she grew older, though they had been tempered by her knowledge that theywere only dreams, that they could never become reality.When her father had died, her mother was poor. She herselfhad had to become a servant. But it had been there nevertheless, the dream of what might have been and of whatmight still be if only she were Cinderella, if only fairy talescould become reality. But she had been too sensible and toopractical a young lady to believe that such a thing could really be possible. Except that once, of course, in London,when several times she had had a dizzyingly handsome escort and when for a brief moment—two brief moments—she had allowed her dreams to turn into painful hope. Hehad offered for her twice, once in London and once atEbury Court, Clara’s home in Kent. Twice he had offeredto make her his mistress.
Dreams had become firmly anchored in reality when Godfrey offered her marriage after the death of her mother,whose friend he had been. She had married him withouthesitation, even though he had been fifty-six to her twenty-three. He had been able to offer her security, emotional aswell as financial. She had married him because she did notwant to become someone else’s paid companion or governess and because he had always been kind to her and because she would have thought her heart was dead if it hadnot pained her so much and so often. She had been unexpectedly happy with Godfrey. He had been good to her andshe had tried her very best to be good to him. But dreamshad died. This was reality, this marriage to an ailing manmuch older than herself, this life of rather dull routine inBath.
But now the dream was back and it was becoming suddenly and stunningly real. Far from being a wallflower at Lady Avingleigh’s ball, she had a partner for each set and achoice of partners for each one after the first. Gentlemencame to be presented to her, some of them taking evenAmanda by surprise, Harriet suspected. She also suspectedthat some of the gentlemen came because Amanda andClive had arranged that they would just in case she shouldbe in danger of being a wallflower. All the gentlemen withwhom she danced conversed politely with her. Some ofthem paid her compliments—about her hair, her gown, herdancing skills, her eyes, her smile. Two of them namedother social events that would be happening in the comingweeks and asked her if she was to attend. One of themasked if he might call at Lady Forbes’s the next day.
It was all wonderful beyond imagining. It was foolish to be so excited by it all, Harriet knew. It was only a ball, afterall. Making polite conversation and paying complimentswere part of what gentlemen did at balls. But sometimes,she decided very early in the evening, it was wonderful togive in to foolishness. There had been so little of it in herlife. And so she did nothing to try to hide her enjoyment, though she knew that it was fashionable to appear bored incompany. She knew that her cheeks must be flushed andthat her eyes were probably bright and her lips smiling. Shedid not care.
She finished dancing a quadrille with Mr. Kershaw and smiled at both him and Mr. Hammond, to whose side he returned her. Mr. Hammond was waiting to present Sir PhilipGrafton, who bowed gravely and requested the next setwith her. She stood talking with the two of them during thefive or ten minutes between sets and then turned to greetMr. Selway, to whom Clive had presented her earlier.
It would be very easy to believe, Harriet thought, that she was a great success, that she really was taking thetonbystorm, as the expression went. At the tender age of eight-and-twenty. As a widow. As the mother of a four-year-olddaughter. The thought amused her and caused her to laughmerrily at some witticism of Mr. Selway’s. His look, focused on her mouth, became more appreciative. Godfreyhad always said she had lovely teeth.
