by Abby Ayles
The Duke of Cardinal bowed slightly at the waist. “I do hope you will not be disturbed that I have a curator coming next week. He will assess the value. It is not that I do not trust you, my lord, as I highly respect you on many counts. But I do feel it necessary to have my expert take a look at the paintings and any other items you have for purchase.”
Lady Annabelle moved her eyes between the two men, wondering if the Duke of Cardinal’s decision to bring in a third party to assess the value of the paintings would seem disrespectful to her father. Instead, he nodded and looked gracious, making his daughter proud of him.
“That is perfectly acceptable, my lord. It is always good to have an expert opinion.” He turned away from the two of them. “I will return shortly. I do not expect to take more than ten minutes.”
“I will be relaxing in my room, I am quite sure.”
“If you wish to have a drink brought to you, please inform Mary.”
The Duke of Cardinal nodded.
“I will go and find Lady Julia. We must get Lady Joanna so we will all be ready for the ball.” Lady Annabelle leaned over and gave her father a peck on the cheek. He smiled, lifting one hand to touch her elbow.
“Good girl.” With that, the Duke of Norrend walked away from them.
The Duke of Cardinal and Lady Annabelle looked at each other for a moment before one of them broke the silence. It was Lady Annabelle. She barely noticed that Mary was staring at the two of them, waiting to be told what to do.
“I feel as though we should be saying something to each other,” she said quietly.
He grinned. “It does feel a bit awkward, does it not? Let me ease the tension. I have an unnatural obsession with pineapple cake. Do you like pineapple cake?”
Lady Annabelle thought it was the strangest question she’d ever been asked. She stammered her reply, completely taken off guard. “I… I cannot say that I have an answer. I do not believe I have ever had pineapple cake.”
“Do you like pineapple?” the Duke of Cardinal asked, not losing his smile.
“I do.”
“And do you like cake?” She could see his grin stretching wider on his face. She expected at any moment, he would burst out laughing. She could see where he was going with the line of questioning and decided to play along.
“I do.”
“I suppose you would love pineapple cake then,” he laughed softly, much lower than Lady Annabelle had expected.
A peal of braying laughter would have been too much, frankly. She felt his laugh was completely appropriate to the level of humor he was conveying. She was impressed once again and tried to deny the urge to allow her feelings to take over.
It seemed her father wanted the duke to meet Lady Julia. So she would go along with that. Her father had always known best in the past.
“I do not wish to keep you from your missing person duties, my lady,” the duke stood back and bowed slightly. “I do believe Mary is to show me to my room.”
“Before you do, my lord, may I ask you a question?”
The Duke of Cardinal was once again impressed with her boldness. He nodded. “Very well.”
“You are here to purchase art, is that right?”
“It is, yes.” The Duke of Cardinal nodded.
“If you are here to purchase art, I must show you the paintings in this room first before I give you over to Mary. It will give you a small representation of my father’s collection.”
The Duke of Cardinal thought about it for a moment. “Would your father approve?”
“It will only take a moment and Mary will come with us. Won’t you, Mary?” Lady Annabelle looked directly at the young maid, who was a decent girl of about twenty-five, a hard worker and an honest person.
Mary smiled and curtsied lightly in one small bounce. “Yes, ma’am. Of course.”
Lady Annabelle turned back to him with a satisfied smiled. “There, you see? All is well. We will just make a circle here in the foyer.”
“Well then, that sounds wonderful,” the Duke of Cardinal replied. “Do you know a lot about art?”
“I have studied some of the greatest artists in history,” Lady Annabelle admitted with a nod. “Van Gogh, de Goya, Raphael, Michelangelo, and others. I do not know a great deal about Tiziano Vecelli but I would like to.”
Knowing that he was so interested in art made her wonder how long she would be able to hold back her admiration for the Duke of Cardinal.
When she stopped talking and he said nothing, she glanced up at him and did a double-take. The look on his face was priceless. She smiled. “Does this impress you?”
He nodded. “I must admit it does. I am also impressed with your confidence and intelligence.”
“I appreciate the compliment, my lord.” He was going to make it very difficult for her to block her returned admiration.
“And you are quite beautiful. I hope that I am not being too bold.”
She hesitated before shaking her head. “I am honored to be admired by you, my lord.”
“You must be very inspirational to your friends.”
“I am a positive woman if that is what you mean. My best friend, Lady Julia, is the same way. Unfortunately, her sister is not. You will enjoy meeting Lady Julia, I am sure.”
Again, the Duke of Cardinal blinked in confusion. Could this woman possibly not see that he was attracted to her? If he made it any more obvious, there would be trouble in the household. He swallowed and composed himself. “I am sure I will. What can you tell me about her?”
“She is the daughter of Earl Rickman. He is a wonderful man, much like my father.”
“Your father is a great man. He has a good reputation in society.”
“He should.” Her pride in her father was obvious in her voice. “I am blessed to be his daughter.”
“And you have a brother and sister?”
She raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. She had stopped in front of two portraits of her parents, side by side in between the door to the parlor and her father’s study. He gazed at the portraits.
“I do. How did you know?”
He looked at her, smiling. “Your father is well-known, surely you know this.”
She nodded. “Yes, but…”
“I have heard many things about your family. I did not realize until I arrived that you are near the same age as me. I was under the impression you and your siblings were much younger, less than ten.”
Lady Annabelle had to laugh. “I wonder where you might have gotten that impression.”
He laughed with her. “I do not know. Had I done a bit more research, I might have realized it. I am glad, though, to meet you and find that you are not, in fact, less than ten.” He turned his eyes to the portraits again, sensing he was making her somewhat uncomfortable.
Lady Annabelle was not uncomfortable. She was concerned about her father’s opinion. Before she continued to the next paintings she wanted to show him, she vowed to ask her father about it.
Chapter 4
The ballroom was filled with members of society, dancing in circles, talking, and laughing. Lady Annabelle stood to one side, watching them. Her card was half-filled before the first dance started. She expected it to be full by the intermission.
Lady Julia was standing next to her, also watching.
“Why are you ladies not dancing?”
Lady Annabelle heard the now familiar voice of the Duke of Cardinal at her side. She looked up at him.
“We are merely taking a short break. My feet are getting tired already.” She looked at Lady Julia. “I must find out if these shoes are too small. I feel like my toes are being smashed together. It is uncomfortable.”
“Terrible luck, my girl,” Lady Julia replied, looking down at the slippers on Lady Annabelle’s feet. “I would give you shoes but my feet are smaller than yours and my shoes would do you no good.”
Lady Annabelle nodded. “We have established this before,” she said with humor in her voice.
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��You have worn shoes that are too small in the past?” the Duke of Cardinal asked, lightly.
“I have,” Lady Annabelle grinned at him. “And I suppose I did not learn my lesson, as I am still wearing these shoes.”
“They are the same shoes?” the Duke of Cardinal could not help chuckling. “You are asking for punishment, my dear. You will not be able to walk tomorrow.”
The three of them laughed.
“I do not suppose it would be proper for me to take them off and dance without them.”
“I think you would cause quite an uproar if you were to do that,” the Duke of Cardinal replied.
“But my feet are barely noticeable beneath my gown. I do believe I could do it.”
Lady Julia was still laughing. “Please do not do that, Lady Annabelle. You know it will cause a shock if even one person noticed. It would catch on like fire and everyone would know and stare at your feet for the rest of the night.”
Again, the three of them laughed.
“I have a suggestion for you, Lady Annabelle,” the Duke of Cardinal said. “Perhaps we can all go out on the veranda and find a spot that is secluded from the other guests. You can remove your shoes and rub your feet until they feel more relaxed.”
Lady Annabelle thought about it for a moment. She was reluctant to admit she was considering it but he could tell by the look on her face anyway.
“Come,” he prompted, resting one hand on the back of her forearm. The touch sent chills through her body. She pulled away slightly but could still feel the warmth of his fingertips. “I will walk with you and guard you against the clay-kickers and the beef-witted scatterbrains.”
“That is kind of you, my lord,” Lady Julia said, giving the Duke of Cardinal a bright, beautiful smile. Lady Annabelle pushed down a feeling of instant jealousy.
She would not allow herself to be taken in so quickly by any man, no matter who he was or how handsome he was. She would keep her wits about her until she had a chance to talk to her father.
Her concern was that if she allowed Lady Julia to become close to the duke and then found out her father had no qualms with him, she would be too late.
She debated with herself in her mind, walking with Duke Colbourn and Lady Julia to the veranda. She and her friend each took his elbows and circled their small hands around them. She noticed when looking up at him that he was very proud to have them flanking him.
It made her nervous, excited, and a little afraid. She wanted to pursue something with him. She felt a quivering in her stomach when she looked at him. Touching him made her knees weak. But she remained strong and vigilant, refusing to let her feelings overrun her brain.
Once they were outside on the veranda, the three of them scouted the area for a secluded spot.
“How about that bench down there?” The Duke of Cardinal pointed down the slight hill to an iron bench placed directly under a large tree with low-hanging branches. He looked down at Lady Annabelle. “There is a path to take us there and once you sit down, your feet will feel better.”
“I do hope so,” Lady Annabelle said. “I really must remember to give these shoes to Lady Cecilia. She has smaller feet than I do.”
“Or you can give them to your best friend,” Lady Julia laughed.
The Duke of Cardinal joined her laughter as the three of them went down the steps from the large veranda to the ground. Lady Annabelle smiled, though it was strained. The steps were in two tiers and they had to turn in the middle and go down the second set in the opposite direction.
By the time they reached the bench, Lady Annabelle’s feet were burning. She was anxious to take the shoes off but unwilling to let it show. She did not want to appear weak in front of the duke, even if he was more inclined to court Lady Julia than herself.
She sat on the bench the moment they reached it and pulled off her right shoe. Instant relief flooded her body. It doubled when she pulled off her other shoe. “Oh my,” she murmured, rubbing her right foot, propping it up on her knee.
The Duke of Cardinal looked up at the sky, unwilling to gaze upon her lower leg and ankle. He caught a quick glance of her small foot and wondered how her shoe could possibly be too small for it. She had a lovely form, from what he could see, and her shapely leg made him feel jittery inside.
Lady Annabelle noticed when Colbourn looked away and grinned at Lady Julia. Lady Julia’s eyes moved to the duke.
“Did you see any artwork of appreciation in the conservatory, my lord?” she asked, drawing his attention so he would not feel uncomfortable while Lady Annabelle rubbed her feet.
“I did.” The Duke of Cardinal turned slightly away from Lady Annabelle, directing his eyes on Lady Julia. “It is a wonderful museum of eclectic pieces. I admire many of them for their beauty and others for their lack of it.”
Lady Julia tilted her head to the side. “Do you have a favorite piece? One that you do not own and have been searching for?”
The Duke of Cardinal thought about it. “I suppose I have always loved Portrait of a Lady,” he said.
“I know that painting,” Lady Annabelle said. “It is a famous piece from the time of the Italian Renaissance.”
“That is correct, Lady Annabelle,” the Duke of Cardinal said, turning his eyes instinctively to look at her. She had her left leg propped up on her right knee and was massaging her aching foot. He turned his eyes away again quickly.
“I have forgotten the artist. Is it a Lorenzo Casta?”
“No. It is Lord Leonardo da Vinci who painted this particular portrait of a lady,” the duke replied. “There are many portraits of many different lovely women over the last few hundred years. But this one is particularly striking and I am very interested in seeing it in person someday.”
“Do you know where it is at this time?”
The Duke of Cardinal shook his head in answer to Lady Julia’s question.
He was struggling with himself mightily. He did not want the women to see that he was aware of Lady Annabelle’s movements in his peripheral vision. It would be a disgrace if he were to show vulnerability in front of them.
It seemed to him that Lady Annabelle was prone to rebuff his advances, pushing him in Lady Julia’s direction.
Lady Julia, for her part, was just as lovely, and he would not object to a courtship with her. But there was something about Lady Annabelle that struck him, something that made him want to speak to her, be near her, enjoy her very presence.
He was uncertain about her feelings for him, as they had just met that very same day.
He realized that he had lost himself in his thoughts and neglected answering Lady Julia’s question, other than shaking his head.
“I have not kept up with it because I have been in pursuit of the paintings of Tiziano Vecelli, my mother’s favorite artist. That is what brought me here to your village and the home of Duke Cartwright. I am surprised I did not meet your mother. Is she coming at a later time?”
Lady Annabelle shook her head. “She stayed at the house with Lady Joanna. The girl was being completely unreasonable and my mother does not tolerate such behavior.”
“Is your sister not used to being told what to do by the Duchess? I thought you had been in her care for some years now.”
“We have,” Lady Julia replied, gazing up at him with clear admiration. “Lady Joanna knows full well what she is doing. She was a lovely little girl, an affectionate sister. The sorrow of losing our brother was too much for her to bear. We must tolerate her until she is well.”
“How long will she resist your mother’s efforts?”
He turned to Lady Annabelle, who had lowered her leg and was now flexing her feet under the long gown she was wearing where no one could see them.
She directed her eyes up to his face and then lowered them to his chest. She was afraid to look him in the eye. She was afraid of what he might see.
“There is no way to know the answer to that,” she replied, keeping her voice light-hearted. “She is struggling so much. It is
a shame. She reminds me of a wild horse that refuses to be tamed. I watched our groom attempting to tame a horse. It was wild, bucking and kicking, making loud, throaty noises.”
She made a guttural sound like a horse. The Duke of Cardinal could not help but chuckle.
“Shall we not gossip about your sister, Lady Julia. I do apologize.”
The Duke of Cardinal bowed to her.
“Do not apologize, my lord,” Lady Julia replied. “You are a stranger in this place and do not know my sister or her pain.”