Page 5 of A Duke to Elude (Sherton Sisters 1)

Chapter Two

James was reasonably certain he had encountered Lady Rosabel Sherton an infinite number of times in the last few years. If he remembered correctly, she had made her debut three years previously and had, no doubt, been introduced to him promptly upon her entry into Society.

But she had never made an impression upon him except as one more spoiled young woman in search of an acceptable marriage mate. There was the gossip that she was unwilling to wed beneath her station. Some even said she expected to marry no one lower than a duke. He had discounted that as merely the words of the catty competition, as she had never struck him as being particularly simple-minded. From what he could tell, every debutante had their Debrett’s memorized, so they would all know how very few available dukes there were. He was a member of a very select group.

It was true that she was classically beautiful. Her hair was the right shade of yellow to suit her white and pink complexion, and her bright blue eyes were spaced very pleasantly within a face shaped just the right way to draw the eyes of anyone looking in her direction. She seemed to take care of her teeth so that when she offered one of her rare smiles no one was put off by anything unsightly. And of course, she was always dressed in what he surmised was the first stare of fashion. But she had never been of any interest to him.

James Allingham, 6thDuke of Wexford, 7thEarl of Carstowe, and 9thViscount Walmsley, had been made quite aware of the importance of his own existence from the moment he had come into the world. It had been tedious almost beyond bearing, and he tried not to keep it uppermost in his mind for the most part, but one couldn’t help but acknowledge that everyone he encountered was toadying to him. Except for Crossley. They had met on their first day at Eton and had been fast friends ever since.

Almost from the same day, women had been throwing themselves in his way to the point that he barely noticed them anymore. Oh, of course, he still had eyes and couldn’t help but notice the prettiest ones when they crossed his path. But with so many young women, debutantes, ladies, widows, and sadly even wives, throwing themselves in his path, trying to catch his attention, he had become immune to their lures. And so, because of this, even though he had made the acquaintance of each of the Sherton sisters, he had not cultivated the relationship in the slightest.

Lady Rosabel was a wellborn and beautiful young woman, so he was sure they had partnered in a dance or two in the time since she had made her debut. Her father was an acquaintance of his. The fifth Duke had been friends with Sherton. James might even refer to the earl as a friend, although they didn’t often confide in one another. They had worked together on a few matters of national concern. James considered the earl to be a steady and reliable member of the House. He could be counted upon to keep his head, even if he felt strongly on the matter. Perhaps presiding over a houseful of females had led to that ability, James thought with amusement as he now strolled along with the man’s daughter on his arm.

He was unusually distracted in his own thoughts. He needed to rein them in and ask the lady what he intended, what had prompted him to invite her to promenade, an unusual action on his own part.

“Why were you speaking with the Bridgestone sisters?”

James was watching her closely. Lady Rosabel had the unique ability to almost completely control her reactions. She kept the most serene expression upon her face at all times. It was a skill he admired, as he had forced himself to learn it at an early age. It wasn’t one he had often seen a woman have to such an extent.

If he remembered correctly, she hadn’t always been that way, either. Now that he was giving it some thought, he rather thought she had been much more demonstrative when she had first made her debut. He admired it all the more, then, since it was a recently acquired skill. It flickered across his mind to wonder what had caused her to cultivate the ability to hide her thoughts even though now was surely not the time for such speculation.

But because of her ability, he was watching her more closely than he normally would. He had noticed that day that she gave herself away by a slight clenching around her eyes or mouth if you were watching closely enough. His question had caused her to twitch in the corner of her eyes, as though she wanted to widen them in surprise but was suppressing the reaction.

“Why would you ask? Why wouldn’t I be speaking with them?”

James offered her a shrug, hoping to convey negligent interest.

“They are guests in my home,” she pointed out. “One could consider it was my duty to ensure they were enjoying themselves.”

“Did you have reason to think they weren’t enjoying themselves?”

“You didn’t answer my question, your grace.”

“Neither did you answer mine.”

Now he was becoming even more curious. He could see colour splashing up her neck and into her cheeks. James didn’t think the poised young woman had ever been embarrassed in her life, but that is what the appearances were indicating.

The huff of sound she softly uttered conveyed a degree of frustration. “I don’t really know, to be perfectly honest, your grace, and I’m uncomfortable with you asking me about it.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m unaccustomed to either of these sensations.”

Now James was fascinated.

“Which sensations are these?” he asked.

“Has no one ever told you that you shouldn’t question a lady who has told you she was uncomfortable discussing something?”

“If they did, I clearly ignored the instruction.”

The sigh she allowed to escape was actually audible. James wanted to laugh, and in fact, felt his lips twitch with his amusement. He could tell by the crinkle of the corners of her eyes that she had noticed his revelation. Her eyebrows rose slightly.

“So? Are you going to share your thoughts?”

“Will you torture them out of me if I do not share them freely?”

“Perhaps.”

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