Page 27 of The Duke Not Taken

Joshua turned to the princess—but she wasn’t there any longer. She was on the other side of the table, chattering away as Mr. Highsmith escorted her to a place of honor in the middle of the table.

She was surrounded by attentive adults, all of them hanging on her every word, of which there seemed to be quite a lot. She did not spare Joshua another glance, and he didn’t spare her more than three or four, either.

Tea was served, and he tried to hear what she was talking about. Something about her patronage of a poorhouse charity that she viewed as quite important in Wesloria, so much so that she was the grand something-or-other of the ball that raised untold wealth for the charity. “People came from as far as Alucia,” she added.

“Impressive,” Miles said, because Miles was a generous man and, for all Joshua knew, easily impressed.

“The ball was held at Rohalan Palace,” she added. “In the grand ballroom. You’ve never seen anything like it—it’s as big as this meadow and lit withtenchandeliers.”

“Oh,” several people said, nodding at the extravagance of it.

The princess leaned forward, smiling charmingly. “But you’d not believe what happened.”

“What?” Lord Wexham asked eagerly.

She glanced around, almost as if she was looking to see if any Weslorians had suddenly appeared to overhear what she would say. And seeing none, she continued, “Some of the most important people in the country had turned out, all wearing their finest. Including one of our most esteemed generals, who had previously expressed suspicion that his wife was unfaithful. Well, that night, he caught her in a compromising position with another of our equally esteemed generals! Heimmediatelychallenged him to pistols at dawn, or, as we say in Wesloria,au gots navea,which means ‘honor until death.’”

The ladies gasped. The princess certainly had everyone’s rapt attention. She settled back, pleased with her performance. She picked up a fork and sliced off a bit of cake.

“What happened?” Mrs. Darren asked from the edge of her seat.

“Unfortunately,” the princess said, holding the forkful of cake aloft. “I couldn’t really say, as I am not one to rise at dawn. I’m more of a night person. But as for the duel, who knows, really? Words are always spoken in the heat of a moment, particularly when it comes to ladies’ lovers. I heard that wiser heads prevailed...but did they? I never saw either gentleman in St. Edys again.” She popped the bite of cake into her mouth.

Someone chuckled with the disbelief Joshua felt.

Joshua looked at the tea before him gone cold. The sun was high now and it was hot. The princess had removed her bonnet at some point. He removed his coat.

“Your sister has only recently ascended the throne,” Lord Wexham remarked. “How does she find it? It must be daunting for such a young woman.”

The princess’s head snapped up. “Daunting? Not in the least. She was well prepared and is a wonderful queen.”

Goodness.Was that a smidge of indignation he detected in the princess’s voice? Was one not to speculate on the talents of her sister the queen?

“Yes, of course.” Wexham cleared his throat. “And how is our old friend Lord Douglas? I’ve known him for many years.”

“Je,to hear him speak of it, one would imagine that he knowseveryonein England,” the princess said.

Iddesleigh laughed. “There was a time that I think he did, along with everyone in Europe. Quite an Original he was.”

“He is very well, thank you,” the princess said. “Attentive to my sister in all regards. She’s really very fortunate, I think—we should all wish for someone as devoted.”

The group fell to an awkward silence. Joshua didn’t like awkward silences. He didn’t like it when people around him pondered whether they had the devotion required of a mate.

“What brings you to England?”

Everyone turned their head toward him. No one was more surprised than he that he’d voiced the question out loud.

The princess looked delighted that he had. “Well, I...” She shifted in her seat so that she could see him better at his place at the end of the table. “I suppose my sister thought I would appreciate a change of scenery.”

“I have never had the pleasure of visiting St. Edys, but I’ve heard it’s beautiful,” Clarendon said.

“Oh, it is,” she quickly agreed. “But the winters are long and hard, and one could say after the last one, I was a little...restless.”

Another word for badly behaved? Joshua would not be surprised. She had not yet fit any of the many female molds he carried around in his thoughts, little sarcophagi of expectation.

“And we are so pleased to have her visit,” Iddesleigh said quickly. “The girls adore her.”

Speaking of which, to no one’s surprise, the girls had run off instead of taking their tea, but one of them chose that moment to make an appearance. She ran up to the table beside her father, planted her hands on her hips and her legs wide apart. “We’re back!” she announced grandly. “We’re pretending we are knights and we mean to duel. The princess showed us how.”

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