Damien simply stood there, his mind running madly through his memories. He did not recall the name. What could the man want with him? or was this some other fool scheme being proposed to him, or accusation brought? He never knew what to expect, of late. It was rather darkly amusing that the gossips had wrought him such a reputation, simply because he did not pander to their expectations of behaviour.
“And why is he here? Why should I waste my time speaking with him?”
For the first time that Damien could remember, in his entire life, Dobson actually looked acutely nervous. Which was enough to send a shiver of premonitory cold down his spine.
“Your Grace… he… he claims to represent Mr Thomas Black.”
The name dropped into the room like a stone into a pool, the ripples flowing out from it to rock Damien where he stood. Bitter anger flashed through him. Over a year now, and the anger had not abated, nor the uncertainty, the sense that his entire life was a sham. Dobson waited, his eyes downcast, knowing his master well enough to likely guess at what thoughts seethed within his calm exterior.
Damien drew himself up, and forced the anger away, back into the depths of his mind. He could not afford to act rashly.
“I see. Then I had best see him. Has he been given tea? For I’d best make myself respectable.”
He gestured to his rumpled shirt, damp where his exertions had heated him.
“Yes, Your Grace, I took the liberty of providing tea and cakes. And of warning Matson that you would likely wish a change of attire.”
“Good. Where did you put this Mr Swithin?”
“In the small blue parlour, Your Grace.”
Damien nodded, and left the room, brushing past Dobson without another word.
Upstairs, Matson waited, with suitable clothes laid out, and Damien allowed the familiar ritual of washing and dressing to calm him, to drive the bitter anger deeper, and permit him to simply be cold and austere. By the time he went back down, he was contained, and presented an impassive, implacable face to the world.
He entered the blue parlour, and a man rose from his seat, carefully depositing a tea cup on the side table. The man was unremarkable, with mid brown hair, and the slightly bent stature common to men who worked over a desk for much of their days, but his eyes were bright, and kind. Most unusually for him, Damien felt the impulse to trust him.
“Mr Swithin?”
“Your Grace.”
The man bowed, quite elegantly.
“Let us get straight to business. What does my long-lost illegitimate brother want?”
<<<
Lady Camellia Gardenbrook stood at the side of the ballroom with her sisters, studying the people who moved about, talking amongst themselves. It was late Autumn, nearly winter, and there were less people present than one usually found at a Ball in London. Her younger sisters were off to one side a little, obviously gossiping with their friends, and her older sister Rose was speaking to some friends of their mother’s.
Rose had been out of sorts since they returned from Chester Park, and Camellia suspected that her unhappiness had everything to do with the fact that a certain Lord Wrenton was not in London. Truth to tell, Camellia felt somewhat out of sorts herself, although she would never admit it.
She had watched, in this last year, her two eldest sisters find love, and marry, and now she suspected that Rose was like to have done the same, and that an announcement would be forthcoming before Christmastide. Which made her acutely aware that she had near turned twenty, yet had not met any man she would consider marrying.
For her to marry, apart from her desire for love, she needed to find a man who would not prevent her from continuing her charity and investment program – the one that none of her family knew about. Finding such a man seemed unlikely in the extreme.
She smiled, regardless, and watched the people, hoping to see someone that she knew, someone suitable to talk to. Near the door, there was a small flurry of movement, as new arrivals came down the steps into the room. Curious, she watched. People moved aside, and a gentleman whom she had never seen before stepped through the gap. He was very tall, with deep black hair, and an expression almost of disdain.
As he passed, young women simpered at him, then whispered behind their fans as he ignored them. Camellia had the oddest sense that his disdain was genuine, not the affected ennui of the fashionable set, and that thought made her want to know why he felt that way. That he was sinfully handsome, yet completely ignored every woman around him, only made him more intriguing.
“Oh, I wondered if he would attend. Handsome, isn’t he?”
Beside her, Bella, the Duchess of Hartswood and one of her closest friends, spoke. Camellia spun to face her.
“Who is he, Bella? I do not believe that I have ever seen him before.”
“He is the Duke of Blackwater. You probably haven’t seen him before, despite knowing almost everyone. He was away, in Italy, I think, for a few years, then returned to England when his father died, a little over a year ago. He allowed mourning to keep him in seclusion, and everyone has been speculating about him ever since. There are whispers that he’s a skilled dueller, and that scar on his face is the result, but no–one knows for certain. I’ve heard him called ‘the Black Devil’s Blade’, but I don’t know the story behind it. Every marriageable woman has been just waiting for the day when he would go out in society again.”
Camellia smiled – trust Bella to have heard all of the gossip.
“I must say, for a man being swooned over, he doesn’t exactly look happy about it.”
“No, he doesn’t. Perhaps we can discover more about him, with a few judicious questions.” Bella set about just that, but by the end of the evening, they knew precious little more about the man.
It seemed that there were many rumours, but little or no substantial information. Camellia had found herself watching him all evening, no matter that she had determined not to do so – somehow, her eyes just kept returning to him. In the end, she forced herself to ignore him, no matter how hard that was, and by the time that she settled into the carriage to go home, the effort had left her exhausted.
She did not see him again until just before they left London to go to a Christmas House Party at Lord Wrenton’s country home, and even then, it was a bare glimpse across a crowded room at a musical soiree.
He looked no more happy than he had at the Ball, and she cast off her curiosity – perhaps he was just a naturally dour man… But then, the thought came, that handsome face was surely not made for such a stiff and austere expression – what did he hide?
<<<
Damien hated Balls, and soirees, and socially important dinners. Hated anything, really, which forced him into the company of his peers. At this particular soiree, he also hated the musical entertainment – which was less than mediocre.
He leaned against the wall at the back of the performance room, and studied those seated before him, all attempting to look as if they were enjoying themselves, far too polite to simply leave, no matter the torture inflicted on their ears. He almost laughed, but restrained himself. There was no point in giving the gossips yet more fodder for their whispers.
It had been weeks, and he still had not come to terms with the information imparted to him by Mr Swithin – nor had he decided what to do about it. He had started going about in society for his sisters’ sake – they would come out, this coming spring, and it behoved him to make that as successful as possible for them. Which requirement did nothing to improve his opinion of society in general.
His eyes fell on a young woman who sat off to one side, with others whose resemblance suggested that they were her sisters. She was stunningly beautiful, in a remarkably unaffected way, and her face was set in a pleasant smile – but the small lines at the edge of her lips suggested that the expression was forced, out of politeness. He watched her, and a small sense of familiarity tickled at the edges of his awareness. He had seen her before.
His brow furrowe
d as he concentrated, trawling through his recent memories. Then he had it – she had been at that horrible Ball – the first he had attended after the end of his mourning. She had been chatting happily with another woman, who had been as dark haired as this one was fair. Who she was, he did not know, but for the first time, he found himself curious.
He shook that idea away. It was preposterous! He was not here to become interested in any woman – dealing with the need for an heir could wait – a long time, if he had anything to do with it. Any thought of a wife and children brought him back to the bitter anger, and to the betrayal that his father had perpetrated on everyone around him.
Still, his eyes followed her, as the performance ended, and the relieved audience streamed out of the room in search of refreshments.
He wanted to know who she was.
He was a fool to want it, but he did. Her chose to forgo the refreshments, bid his hostess good night, and went out into the bracing wintry air. He had far more important things to deal with than his curiosity about an unknown woman – no matter that she was beautiful enough to be declared a diamond of the first water.
Continued….
Read the rest of ‘A Diamond for a Duke’ as soon as its released! Sign up for Arietta’s newsletter at https://www.ariettarichmond.com to be the first to know.
Books in the A Duke’s Daughters – the Elbury Bouquet Series
A Minx for a Merchant (Primrose) (coming soon)
An Enchantress for an Earl (Violet) (coming soon)
A Maiden for a Marquess (Iris) (coming soon)
A Heart for an Heir (Thorne) (coming soon)
Books in the
His Majesty’s Hounds Series
Claiming the Heart of a Duke
Intriguing the Viscount
Giving a Heart of Lace
Being Lady Harriet’s Hero
Enchanting the Duke
Redeeming the Marquess
Finding the Duke’s Heir
Winning the Merchant Earl
Healing Lord Barton
Kissing the Duke of Hearts
Loving the Bitter Baron
Falling for the Earl
Rescuing the Countess
Betting on a Lady’s Heart
Attracting the Spymaster
Courting a Spinster for Christmas
Restoring the Earl’s Honour
From Soldier Spy to Lord (Books 1 to 3 as a set)
To Love a Determined Lady (Books 4 to 6 as a set)
Love Heals a Lord (Books 7 to 9 as a set)
Books in The Derbyshire Set
The Earl’s Unexpected Bride
The Captain’s Compromised Heiress
The Viscount’s Unsuitable Affair
The Count’s Impetuous Seduction
The Rake’s Unlikely Redemption
The Marquess’ Scandalous Mistress
The Marchioness’ Second Chance
A Viscount’s Reluctant Passion
Lady Theodora’s Christmas Wish
The Derbyshire Set Omnibus Edition Vol. 1 (the first three books all in one)
The Derbyshire Set Omnibus Edition Vol. 2 (the second three books all in one)
Regency Collections with Other Authors
Books in the Nettlefold Chronicles
Books in the Regency Scandals Series
Book 3 – Christmas with THAT Duke (Coming Soon)
Other Books from Arietta
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A Bluestocking for a Baron : Book 3: Rose: Clean Regency Romance (A Duke's Daughters - The Elbury Bouquet) Page 13