To Capture a Duke's Heart

by Jennifer McNare

  As it turned out, both her father’s and Eleanor’s predictions proved to be remarkably astute, for as she and Gabriel made their way through the assembled guests, they were received both welcomingly and cordially by virtually everyone they encountered. Of course it was ultimately the one person who wielded enough social power and influence to essentially make or break Penny’s success, the Dowager Duchess of Lyndon, the woman whom everyone had seemed to be watching with bated breath as she and Gabriel had moved in her direction, just minutes after their arrival, who had all but guaranteed her acceptance. For seated amongst a group of stony-faced matrons, the duchess had greeted their approach with a warm and benevolent smile, a smile that had been mimicked almost instantly by the host of influential, high-ranking women seated around her.

  And while there might still have been any number of gossiping comments whispered behind the concealing flutter of an open fan or the obscuring lift of a gloved hand, by the time the first dance of the evening was announced, Penny’s acceptance into the highest echelons of London Society seemed ensured.

  “Shall we?” Gabriel asked, holding out his hand to Penny as the lilting strains of Johann Strauss’ Charmant-Walzer filled the air.

  With the flamboyant Marchioness of Caversham’s bent toward unconventionality and accompanying flair for the dramatic, she had long chosen to open her first ball of the Season with a waltz. Thus, as Penny nodded and slipped her gloved fingers into Gabriel’s, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time he’d escorted her onto the dance floor and of the waltz they’d shared in Scotland.

  “Well, Madame, I think it is safe to say that your introduction to Society can be deemed nothing short of a smashing success,” Gabriel remarked as he spun her into the first sweeping turn atop the dance floor.

  “Yes, it would seem so,” Penelope acknowledged with a faint smile.

  Gabriel regarded her inquiringly, somewhat surprised by her rather subdued response. “And yet, oddly enough, I can’t help noting that your response seems to lack the level of enthusiasm one might expect in regard to such a notable accomplishment.”

  “Despite what you might think, becoming a smashing success within Society has never been one of my particular aspirations, as I would have been perfectly content with mere acceptance,” she replied evenly. “Moreover, I haven’t the slightest misconception that my notable accomplishment can be attributed to anything that I may or may not have done, but owed instead to the extraordinary show of support we received from our family and friends, and the Dowager Duchess of Lyndon especially.”

  Despite experiencing a rather dubious reaction in regard to her social aspirations, or supposed lack thereof, he chose to forgo the sardonic comment he might have made, saying instead, “The duchess does seem to have a particular fondness for you, which I admit to finding somewhat surprising considering the two of you scarcely know one another.”

  “As it happens, she and my mother were friends,” Penny informed him, “and quite close, apparently, despite the difference in their ages.”

  “Ah.” That explained a great deal, for there were a scarce few people who were deemed high enough in Agatha’s estimation to be considered true friends. “I’m quite certain that she believes I compromised you in some fashion whilst we were in Scotland, by the way, though she doesn’t seem particularly troubled by the notion,” he stated drolly.

  “I’m sorry,” she surprised him by saying. “Not only for what the duchess thinks, but for what so many others must surely believe as well, for I have little doubt that hers is a popular assumption,” she continued in a soft, regretful tone. “An assumption that is not only unfair, but wholly undeserved.”

  For a moment Gabriel was entirely taken aback, for that was the last thing he’d expected her to say. He was quick to collect himself, however, and simply replied, “Be that as it may, I am more than willing to bear the burden of the assumptions, for the scandal surrounding our marriage would have been increased tenfold if the truth were known. A circumstance that neither of us would have benefited from, as I’m sure you would agree.”

  She smiled ruefully. “Yes, of course.”

  They both fell silent then, spinning and twirling gracefully amongst the other couples as they moved in a leisurely, counterclockwise rotation around the floor.

  By the latter part of the evening, Penny’s feet had begun to ache within her yellow satin dancing slippers, for in addition to Gabriel she had danced with both Rafael and Michael, her father, Lord Gilchrist, Lord Wexley, Gabriel’s friend, Lord Reinford, who proved to be an utter delight, and a host of other gentlemen, some whose names and titles she struggled to recall from amidst the multitude she’d been bombarded with throughout the course of the night. Thus, it was with an immense feeling of relief that she and Eleanor managed to escape the ballroom for a short while, taking to the outdoor terrace to escape the overwhelming crush inside.

  “You see,” Eleanor said in a low voice as they strolled arm in arm beneath the moon-lit sky, the cool night air a most welcome change from the heat of the overcrowded ballroom, “I told you that you needn’t have fretted so. And moreover, if tonight is any indication you, my dear friend, are not only a welcome addition to Society, but well on your way to becoming the next darling of the ton.”

  “Well I certainly wouldn’t go that far,” Penny replied with a self-effacing expression. “But yes, I fully admit that you were right, for not a single person gave me the cut direct,” she acknowledged good-humoredly. Although she had received one particularly icy glower from Lady Cecelia Penworthy, the young lady rumored to have been the frontrunner amongst those endeavoring to become the next Duchess of Ainsworth.

  “No, of course not.” Eleanor waved her hand dismissively. “But despite your welcome reception, surely the best part of the evening had to be when your father and stepmother greeted you upon your arrival, for I could scarcely resist clapping my hands as I watched Maryanne drop into her curtsey,” she confessed gleefully.

  “Eleanor Cunningham, what a thing to say,” Penny declared, eyeing her friend in mock censure for a moment, before ultimately breaking into a smile of her own. “Honestly, we’re terrible,” she stated laughingly, just a few seconds later. “But truly, it was a rather enjoyable sight to see, wasn’t it?”

  Eleanor grinned. “I haven’t the least uncertainty that your wretched stepmother is absolutely green with envy over your enormous success.”

  “Poor dear,” Penny stated with a doleful shake of her head, “for green has always been her least favorite color,” she continued, eliciting an amused giggle from Eleanor. “In any event, that’s enough talk about Maryanne, for I would much rather discuss something of far more importance.”

  “Oh, and what might that be?”

  “Why the second waltz of the evening, the one I saw you sharing with my charming, not to mention devilishly-handsome, brother-in-law, of course.”

  Despite the faint lighting on the terrace, the sudden color that rushed to Eleanor’s cheeks was easily discernable. “Oh that.”

  “Yes, that,” Penny grinned then as she stated in a low murmur, “And I want details, lots of them.”

  _____

  In the days following the Caversham’s ball, the oblong, silver salver that sat upon the narrow, marble-topped table in the front hall of Ainsworth House bore a considerable and steadily increasing number of elegant, cream-colored envelopes bearing invitations to all manners of social affairs, attesting to the fact that despite the inevitable gossip that continued to surround their hasty nuptials, the Duke and Duchess of Ainsworth had endured the scandal virtually unscathed, their names adorning the pages of Society’s most-coveted guest lists.

  As such, Penny’s days quickly became an endless secession of formal breakfasts, elaborate luncheons, receptions, dramatic matinees, musical concerts, garden parties and afternoon teas, which more often than not Gabriel declined to attend, or could not attend due to Parliament being in session and his seat within the House of Lo
rds, whilst her evenings were occupied with dinner parties, recitals and various soirees to which her husband joined her on most occasions. And while she hadn’t the slightest doubt that Gabriel abhorred the majority of such affairs, finding them utterly tedious and dreadfully boring, he attended them without complaint, determined it seemed to maintain their outward display of domestic tranquility, at least for the time being.

  The latter part of her evenings, before her and Gabriel’s requisite attendance at one extravagant ball or another, often beginning sometime between ten o’clock and midnight lasting until two or three o’clock in the morning, were far more enjoyable in Penny’s opinion. For it was during those times that they attended art exhibitions, museum retrospectives, philanthropic events and various theatrical and operatic performances.

  And though Gabriel was assuredly lamenting their near nightly excursions, especially as Michael and Rafael spent the majority of their evenings at one of their private gentlemen’s clubs, Penny was feeling quite the opposite; not because she particularly enjoyed the constant toing and froing or the inexorable, repeated discussions of such mundane topics as the weather or the endless recounting of similar, previously held affairs, but because it allowed her to spend time with Gabriel. In fact, some of her most enjoyable hours were those spent within the confines of their enclosed carriage as they travelled to and from the various events. For much to her secret delight, there seemed to be a slow but steady easing of tension between them as they developed a progressively more natural and congenial rapport.

  There was one significant drawback, however; and that was Penny’s deepening feelings for Gabriel. For as much as she tried to caution herself against the imprudence of false hope, she found herself becoming more and more enamored with her husband with each passing day. And on those rare occasions when he seemed to forget for a time his feelings of bitterness and resentment, smiling at her or laughing with her, his expression reflecting genuine emotion, she felt those same dizzying sensations she’d experienced during their initial encounters in Scotland.

  _____

  As it happened, it was just a few weeks later, during one of her rare evenings at home, that Penny gained a far better understanding of those particular sensations and all that they implied when she chanced to recall the thin, leather-bound book that had been wedged within the nightstand drawer. And so, sitting in her night rail with her back propped against the bed pillows, she flipped open the cover of The Liaison of Madame D’Aubry and the Ardent Footman and began to read.

  Some twenty minutes later, Penny let the book fall open onto her lap with a softly uttered, “Oh my.” Then, almost as if someone was watching her from within the dimly lit shadows of her bedchamber, she cast a quick, furtive glance around the room. There was no one there, of course. Nevertheless, she was quite certain that if someone had been there, they would have witnessed her cheeks, along with the entire rest of her body, flushing to a deep shade of crimson. For much to her considerable surprise and discomfiture, it appeared that Madame D’Aubry and the ardent footman were embarking upon a far different type of liaison than anything she could have ever thought to imagine.

  Without a doubt the proper thing to do at that moment would have been to snap the book closed and return it posthaste to the drawer where she’d found it. She didn’t do that, however. Instead, feeling unequivocally self-conscious, Penny allowed her gaze to drift slowly and unerringly downward to fall once again upon the open pages of the licentious tome, her emotions vacillating between timorous indignity and shameless curiosity. After several long seconds, however, her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself slowly lifting the book from her lap.

  Glancing at the mantle clock as she allowed the book’s back cover to fall closed Penny was surprised to see that nearly two hours had passed as she’d sat against the pillows, completely engrossed in the utterly scandalous and remarkably descriptive tale of Madame D’Aubry and her incongruous young lover. Although, considering the wealth of information she’d just obtained, an entirely unexpected and remarkably detailed edification in regard to one’s carnal desires, as well as an entirely new and startlingly graphic understanding of the physical intimacies that occurred between a man and woman in the privacy of their bedchamber (or behind the closed door of the linen closet, within the interior of a darkened coach or any other secluded space, apparently), two hours didn’t seem like such a very long time at all.

  Feeling as if she’d just received a lifetime’s worth of knowledge, on one particular subject anyhow, Penny swung her legs over the side of the mattress and rose quickly to tuck the book, cover side down, into the drawer, making sure to slide it all the way to the back before pushing the drawer closed. Then, extinguishing the lamp, she climbed back into bed, pulling the crisp linen sheets up to her chin. Good Heavens, she thought, struggling to process all that she’d just learned; who would have thought that the intimate relations between a man and a woman could be so… so… shockingly…intimate, or that they could induce such intense feelings of pleasure. It was almost too astonishing to be believed.

  Of course lying there in the darkness, her mind continuing to spin, her thoughts invariably turned to Gabriel; and when they did, she found herself envisioning the most wanton of scenarios. And though she was loath to admit it, she couldn’t help but secretly hope that someday, and in the not too distant future, she might experience some of those shocking intimacies for herself.

  Chapter 15

  As their days in London turned slowly to weeks and the weeks turned slowly to months, Gabriel was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain his animosity toward Penelope, as well as the invisible barrier he’d purposefully erected between them. In fact, he had to give her credit, for there were times when it was all he could do to remember that his beguiling young wife was the same, scheming opportunist who had so deviously planted herself in his bed just a few short months ago; especially as he had yet to witness even a hint of the duplicitous nature she’d revealed on that ill-fated morning in Scotland.

  Of course it didn’t help matters that virtually everyone around him seemed to adore her from nearly the moment they first met her. Hell, the entirety of his staff, from his exacting butler to the lowest ranking scullery maid, both admired and respected her and hastened to do her slightest bidding. Michael and Rafael were clearly softening towards her and not only had she been welcomed into Society with open arms, the new Duchess of Ainsworth was now regarded as an undisputed favorite amongst the highly disparaging members of the haute ton.

  To make matters worse, it was also becoming harder and harder for him to look upon his wife without feeling that same, hot rush of desire that had raced through his veins upon their initial meeting. And while he’d tried to attribute it to the fact that he hadn’t bedded a woman in months, he knew deep down that he was merely deceiving himself, for truth be told he didn’t want another woman in his bed; he wanted his damnably alluring duchess. He wanted Penelope, and he hated himself for it.

  Even now, as they sat at the dining table partaking in something as mundane as the afternoon meal, a meal they most often shared alone now that Michael and Rafael had moved into their new bachelor residence just a few short blocks away, he couldn’t seem to keep his gaze from straying the length of the table to settle upon the exquisite details of her face and then drifting ever so slowly along the line of her throat to linger then, upon the lush swell of her bosom. Damn it! he silently cursed, forcing his eyes up with an aggravated sigh.

  To distract himself from his lustful musings, he took a drink from his water glass and then asked with deliberate nonchalance, “Have you anything of particular interest planned for the remainder of your day?”

  Penelope looked up from her Soupe à la Reine, setting her spoon aside as she met his gaze. “Actually yes,” she replied. “I shall be taking Charlie to visit the London Zoo later this afternoon.”

  “Did you and your father not take him to see the exhibits just a few weeks ago?” Char
lie, the gregarious, toe-headed charmer he’d been introduced to on a prior afternoon several weeks past, and the loving devotion Penelope exhibited toward the boy, was yet another example of the seemingly odd contradictions he’d noted during the past months.

  She smiled good-naturedly. “We did. However, Charlie was so captivated by the animals, and the reptile exhibit in particular,” she added with a sudden grimace, “that he has been pleading for us to make another visit.”

  “That’s certainly understandable,” Gabriel remarked with an amused expression, “for what young lad wouldn’t be fascinated by the exotic creatures one can rarely see outside the pages of a book, especially those that slink and slither.”

  “True,” she agreed with a slight laugh. “And now that the zoo has finally been made open to the public it will doubtless allow a countless number of children, as well as adults, to finally see for themselves the vast number of species that they might never have occasioned to view otherwise, reptiles included.”

  “As it happens, my father was fascinated with the study of animals, both exotic and domestic, and was a founding member of the Zoological Society of London. In fact, prior to his death, he was one of the staunchest supporters for the zoo’s collection not only to be studied for the purpose of scientific study, but that the animals should be made available for public viewing as well.”

  “I had no idea,” Penny said in surprise. “But how truly wonderful that your father was the type of man who believed that not only should the scientific community benefit from the collection, but that the public should be allowed to benefit from it as well.”

  “Despite being born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth,” Gabriel stated, “my father was surprisingly sympathetic to the needs of those less fortunate.”