The Perfect Duke

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Nick knew very little about Lady Eloise and Lady Cadwalader, so he chose not to respond. He only drank more tea. That way, he wouldn’t have to answer.

  “But we’re here to discuss my sister,” Lord Maten said. “My younger sister. She’s twenty. Did you know that?”

  Nick hesitated but shook his head. He had figured she was either nineteen or twenty, but he hadn’t known for sure.

  “You didn’t?” her brother asked. “Do you know her Christian name?”

  Nick felt his face grow warm. This probably didn’t look good. Here he was, a gentleman who was asking for a lady’s hand in marriage—a lady he didn’t know anything about. The least he should have done was found out her name yesterday.

  “You don’t,” Lord Maten answered for him. “I’m having trouble understanding why you want to marry a lady you know so little about. Up until this afternoon, I didn’t even know you had met my sister. And now, I find out you don’t know her name.” He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, setting his elbows on his knees. “Why do you really want to marry her?”

  Usually, gentlemen didn’t intimidate him, but Nick had to admit he was getting uncomfortable under Lord Maten’s piercing stare. “I told you. I think she’s a nice lady.”

  “Was she nice enough to you to let you into her bed?”

  In his shock, Nick almost dropped the cup. “No,” he hurried to reply as he steadied the cup. “All we’ve done is talk. I promise.”

  “Hmmm.” Lord Maten studied his expression. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth? How do I know she isn’t carrying your child? You have a title. Naturally, an heir is important. And, unlike me, you probably don’t take measures to make sure ladies don’t get with child.”

  “I haven’t been with your sister that way.”

  “I saw the way my sister looked at you when you came into the room, and she never looked at Sir Tristan Blakemoor that way. She’s very much attracted to you. I think you took advantage of that.”

  “I swear I didn’t.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Nick didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t defiled Miss Webb, nor would he ever dream of doing so. He had two sisters, and one of them was close to her age, for goodness’ sakes. “I don’t know how to prove it to you.” Then, an idea came to him. “Ask your sister. She’ll tell you I haven’t touched her.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt she’d say that. She fancies you. She’d say anything to protect you.” Her brother straightened up. “I suppose we’ll find out in nine months.”

  This conversation wasn’t anything like Nick had expected it to be. He’d figured her brother might be on the protective side, but he never once imagined her brother would accuse him of taking advantage of her. He’d never been put in this situation before. What, exactly, was the best way to handle it?

  Her brother rose to his feet. “My answer is no. You can’t marry my sister.”

  Nick bolted to his feet. Having forgotten the cup in his hand, the tea swished over the rim of the cup and stained the sleeve on his shirt. He put the cup down and hurried after her brother as he went to the doors.

  “I didn’t do anything with her,” Nick said. “I give you my word.”

  “Since I don’t know anything about you, that doesn’t mean much.”

  “Ask your sister. She’ll tell you that I’m being honest.”

  Her brother stopped at the doors and faced him. “You’re desperate. In my experience, desperate people do stupid things. If you do happen to be telling the truth, then there’s some other reason you’re in a hurry to marry her. So, even if she is a virgin, the answer is still no. I don’t trust desperate people.”

  Nick wasn’t going to be able to get through to him. He’d seen enough gentlemen with that determined expression on their faces to know when it was pointless to engage them further. Her brother had made up his mind, and he wasn’t going to budge from it.

  “I’ll let you tell my sister the news,” Lord Maten said. “If she’s with child, it will ruin her reputation. If not,” he shrugged, “I saved her from marriage to someone who has something unpleasant to hide.”

  Lord Maten opened the doors. He jerked back. It wasn’t until Nick saw Miss Webb waiting in the hallway that he realized why her brother was startled.

  “I didn’t realize you were going to wait right outside the room,” Lord Maten told her.

  “I had nothing else to do,” Miss Webb replied.

  “Very well.” He gestured for her to go into the room. “You may speak with the Duke of Ravenshire.” He widened the doors. “With the doors open, of course.”

  It was on the tip of Nick’s tongue to ask her brother why he bothered since he assumed they’d already been intimate, but he resisted the urge to do so for her sake.

  This was just his luck. Now that he’d found a lady who was willing to marry him, her guardian came in to say no. This was it. He was going to end up in debtor’s prison. He didn’t think he could find another lady at this point. So many were already spoken for this time of year. He didn’t have the luxury of waiting until next Season.

  He supposed he could take what little money he did have and try the gambling hells again, but his mother and sisters might need that to get them by until next Season when Cress would be able to marry someone. With any luck, maybe she could find a wealthy gentleman to help the family out.

  He waited until her brother was out of hearing distance before he said, “Miss Webb, you have been very kind to me. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.”

  He glanced in the direction that would take him out of the townhouse. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain this to his family. They’d been in such high spirits that morning, and now… And now…

  He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to her. “Your brother has forbidden us to marry.” It was difficult to say that, both for him and for her. At least, he didn’t have to live with Lord Maten. She, on the other hand, had no choice. He almost wished her good luck in dealing with her brother, but, in an attempt to be polite, he simply said, “I’ll see myself out.”

  ***

  Tara watched as the Duke of Ravenshire headed for the entryway. Basil had no right—no right whatsoever!—to deny her marriage to him. So what if he wasn’t Sir Tristan Blakemoor? It wasn’t like not marrying the duke was going to make it so that Sir Tristan Blakemoor would be Basil’s brother-in-law. If she’d had any idea her brother was meeting the duke to say he couldn’t marry her, she wouldn’t have allowed the two to meet each other until after the wedding.

  “Wait,” she called out.

  The duke stopped and turned back to her. At once, the familiar excitement whenever he made eye contact with her made her skin tingle in the most pleasant way.

  Forcing the observation aside, she made sure her brother was still out of sight before she encouraged the duke to go back to the drawing room. “My brother failed to mention something important while you two were talking. I’m twenty-one. The decision on whether I can get married or not is mine.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “Your brother said you were twenty.”

  She shook her head. “He’s wrong. I turned twenty-one last week.”

  She shouldn’t have been surprised her brother forgot that she’d had her birthday. It wasn’t like he made it a habit of wishing her a happy one, and he certainly never treated it like a special day. So she had assumed he’d been well aware of it and had chosen to ignore it because it didn’t benefit him. Now she knew he’d actually forgotten. And at the moment, that worked to her advantage.

  The duke walked back over to her, and her heartbeat picked up. Would she always feel this way every time he approached her? Taking a deep breath, she gestured for him to go back into the drawing room, and, after a moment, he did.

  The butler came in with fresh tea.

  “Where is my brother?” she asked the butler.

  “He went to the den,” he replied as he picked up the old tea set. “Do yo
u wish for him to return?”

  “No, I was just wondering where he went.” The last thing she needed was for her brother to meddle in her business again.

  The butler left the room, and since her brother was in the den, she closed the doors.

  “Your brother made it clear that he didn’t want the doors closed,” the duke said.

  “Who cares what he wants?” Immediately, she regretted the sharp tone in her voice. “My apologies, Your Grace. I’m not upset with you. I’m upset with him. He had no right to refuse the marriage. If he had remembered my age, I’m sure he wouldn’t have allowed us to even talk.”

  Just knowing that made her face flush with more anger. It wasn’t as if she had the best relationship with her brother, but she was appalled he’d stooped to this level. He was doing this to her out of spite. And it was all because she’d lost Sir Tristan Blakemoor.

  Calming down, she went over to the chairs. “I had the butler bring in the tea you like. The one with lemon in it.”

  He glanced at the doors. For a moment, she thought he was going to walk out of the room, but he sat down. Relieved, she poured tea into their cups.

  “You’re still willing to marry me even though your brother doesn’t approve?” he asked.

  “I’m twenty-one. That means I can do whatever I want. My brother can’t stop me from marrying you, and he no longer has control over my money. How much debt did your father leave you?”

  “Four hundred and twenty-seven pounds. I know it doesn’t seem like much to most people in our circle, but considering my family didn’t have all that much to begin with, there’s no way I can pay it back. I’ve been able to hold off the creditors by paying on the interest, but they’re getting impatient. They want their money back.”

  She handed him his cup then sat down. “My father was exceptional with his investments. You’ll be happy to know that I have eight hundred and fifty pounds, give or take a few pounds. That will pay off your father’s debt and will make us and your family comfortable.”

  “I won’t waste your money. I promise that I’ll be good with it.”

  Considering how scared he’d looked when he’d told her that her brother had refused to let her marry him, she had no doubt he was telling her the truth. Only someone who was about to be hauled off to debtor’s prison for another’s debt would understand how easy it was to lose money. It’d probably taken him a lot of courage to be honest with her about the debt he had to begin with.

  She took a sip of the tea then ventured, “Do you mind if I ask you a strange question?”

  He shook his head. “No. You can ask me anything you want.”

  “How is it that a gentleman like you doesn’t have ladies lining up to marry him?” When he didn’t answer, she added, “Obviously, you’re aware of how good-looking and charming you are. I can’t understand why you haven’t secured a marriage before now.”

  Though his cheeks went pink, he said, “I don’t know why it’s been so difficult to find a wife. I’ve tried everything I could to be an ideal suitor, and I’ve always taken great care in how I dress.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s my age. Do ladies prefer older gentlemen?”

  “How old are you?” She didn’t mean to sound surprised, but she had assumed he was twenty-two or twenty-three.

  “I’m nineteen.” He winced. “Do you still want to marry me?”

  Nineteen? She wouldn’t have guessed he was that young in a million years. But he was an adult, and he certainly was very attractive. Plus, she rather enjoyed being around him. He seemed like a very pleasant person to spend time with. He was nothing like her brother. Even now, he wasn’t trying to get her to do what he wanted. He was hoping she’d marry him, but she could tell he was willing to let her marry someone else if that was what she wanted. And that was the part that prompted her to go through with it.

  “I don’t mind the difference in our ages,” she replied. “Besides, it’s not that wide of a gap. It’s only two years.”

  “Actually, I’ll be twenty in five months, so at that time, I’ll only be a year younger than you.”

  Thinking it cute that he chose to point that out, she smiled. “Less than two years, then.” She took a sip of her tea. “I’ve seen ladies who marry gentlemen twice their age. Less than two years’ difference between us is nothing compared to that.”

  He notably relaxed. “I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but you’re right.”

  “I don’t think many people think of it like that, either. I think most people expect the gentleman to be older. I assume since you asked me to marry you that you have your guardian’s permission for the marriage?”

  “I do. My mother has given her consent. In fact, she’s grateful to you. I have two younger sisters who are thankful to you as well.”

  “You do? How old are they?”

  “Cressica is seventeen. We call her Cress for short. Then there’s Augusta. She’s fourteen.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Nick. It’s short for Nicholas.”

  “Does Augusta have a shortened name?”

  “No. She likes her name just the way it is.” He glanced down at his cup then asked, “I forgot to ask you what your name is.”

  “Tara. That’s the long and short version.”

  His lips curled up into a smile that threatened to melt her right on the spot. She didn’t know how it was possible, but he managed to make her far too excited for her own good.

  A knock came at the doors.

  At first, Tara thought it was her brother, but then realized that was silly. Her brother would throw the doors open. He wouldn’t be polite enough to knock. After she excused herself, she set the cup down and walked over to the doors.

  On the other side was the footman. “There is a lady who wishes to speak with you. Her name is Miss Duff. What do you want me to tell her?”

  Tara hadn’t spoken to Miss Duff since the evening at the ball when they all realized how much damage Lady Eloise had done to Ladies of Grace. Miss Duff had run off to leave the group, and she hadn’t seen her since.

  Unable to hide her surprise, she said, “Give me a minute and then send her in.”

  It was probably best Nick didn’t linger around here. Who knew when her brother would check on her?

  The footman nodded, and Tara opened the doors all the way. She returned to Nick. “I have an acquaintance who wishes to talk to me.”

  Nick put his cup down and stood up. “You must have a lot of influence in the Ton if people keep stopping by to talk to you.”

  “I don’t know how much influence I personally have. I belong to Ladies of Grace, and that is where the influence is.” Or at least, it was. With any luck, the group would have its influence again. She lowered her voice. “We should meet soon, but I’d rather not do it here. I’ll send you a missive.”

  He nodded, and she saw him to the doorway.

  Her brother was heading toward the drawing room just as she was saying goodbye. She watched him warily for a moment, wondering if he was going to say anything, but he kept quiet as Nick left.

  “It looks like he didn’t take the whole thing too hard,” her brother said.

  “The Duke of Ravenshire is a gentleman,” she replied. “He wouldn’t storm out of here like a baby throwing a temper tantrum like you would.”

  Her brother glowered at her, but Miss Duff, thankfully, was approaching them just at that moment, saving her from having to listen to one of his condescending remarks.

  “Miss Duff,” Tara greeted with a smile, “it’s nice to see you again. Will you have some tea?”

  Miss Duff glanced at Basil, offered a polite greeting, and then turned her attention back to Tara. “Thank you for letting me pay you a visit without sending a calling card.”

  “You didn’t send a calling card first?” Tara’s brother asked. He clucked his tongue and shook his head. “Is that what Lady Eloise has been teaching you ladies to do? I must say it’s at the very height of bad manners.”

&
nbsp; Tara narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not the kind of person I’d take any kind of lessons from when it comes to doing what’s proper.” She urged Miss Duff in, and, before he could respond, she slammed the doors shut, effectively blocking him out. “Don’t mind him. My brother is a rake. He wouldn’t know the first thing about decency if his life depended on it. Please, have a seat.”

  Since there was an unused cup on the tray, she filled it with tea and handed it to her.

  “What brings you by?” Tara asked as she got settled across from her.

  “I need some advice.”

  “On what?”

  “On how to get back someone I was stupid enough to let go.”

  “Are you talking about Lord Powell?”

  “I am.” Miss Duff stared at the cup in her hands. “I can’t stop thinking about him. From the moment we met, it was love at first sight. I know the whole thing seems ridiculous. I wouldn’t have believed it possible, either, except that it happened to me. What we had was real.”

  “But isn’t he betrothed to another lady?”

  She bit her lower lip. “Yes, but he doesn’t love her. I can tell he’s only doing it to make his mother happy.”

  “Did he propose to you because he thought it’d make his mother happy?”

  “No, he didn’t. His mother wants him to marry a lady who comes from a distinguished family. No one even knows my parents. They’re middle class. I had hoped my association in Ladies of Grace would make me more attractive to titled gentlemen, and I was right because that’s one of the reasons he even started talking to me.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I should have accepted his proposal. I never should have taken Lady Eloise’s advice and told him no.”

  Tara sipped her tea as she considered everything Miss Duff had just told her. Finally, she asked, “Is it possible that he only proposed because you were in Ladies of Grace?”