by Olivia Drake
Were the two men related? More importantly, did Lord Dunham’s presence mean that the Duke of Houghton was also in attendance?
Her heart thumped. This could be her big chance. While deciding on a scheme to escape Lady Gilmore’s watchful protection, she noticed Emily standing a short distance away with Lady Sophia, exchanging pleasantries with a middle-aged couple.
The younger gentleman with Lord Dunham cast several furtive glances at Emily. A hint of yearning played on his face. The girl did indeed look like a vision, her slim figure garbed in cream silk, pearls at her throat, the candlelight shining on her russet-brown hair.
Lady Gilmore was gossiping with a matron, and Maddy waited until there was a break in conversation. She leaned closer and asked, “Grandmamma, pardon me. Might I ask if you know those two gentlemen standing over there by the doorway? They look enough alike to be twins.” Not really, but Maddy needed an excuse to single them out.
Lady Gilmore picked up the quizzing glass and squinted through it. “Twins? Hardly, they are eight years apart in age. The fair-haired one is Lord Dunham, heir to the Duke of Houghton. The other is his younger brother, Lord Theodore Langley.”
Maddy sat in stunned surprise. So she had two cousins, not just one. She debated whether or not to inquire about the duke’s presence, too, then decided against it, not wishing to arouse Lady Gilmore’s suspicions. “I was curious because Lord Theodore appears to be gazing rather admiringly at Emily.”
“Humph. I should rather Lord Dunham take a fancy to the girl. He may be a rapscallion, but he is the heir to one of the grandest titles in England.”
“I wonder if Emily has met them,” Maddy said. “I shall go find Nathan or the earl and ask one of them to do the honors.”
The dowager grasped the knob of her cane. “Nonsense, I can introduce them myself.”
“Oh, pray don’t disturb yourself, my lady. I’m sure the earl is somewhere nearby.”
Without further ado, Maddy arose from her chair and glided into the swarm of guests before Lady Gilmore could voice another objection. A heady sense of freedom swept through her. She would likely catch a scolding later for leaving without permission. But that risk was well worth the chance to cut herself loose from that clutch of old biddies.
She made a wide berth around her two cousins. Lord Dunham mustn’t spot her—at least not yet. Of all the gentlemen from the auction, he was the one most likely to harass her and stir up unwelcome gossip.
The lilt of music lured her toward the far end of the room. She didn’t see Nathan or his father anywhere. People stared and whispered, but she pretended not to notice. Her chin held high, Maddy imagined herself in the role of a highborn lady as she strolled through the multitude. She felt rather like an actress stepping off the stage and walking among the audience.
If anyone caught her eye, she smiled coolly and gave a regal nod. No one spoke to her since convention dictated a lady be formally introduced before engaging in conversation. Maddy didn’t mind in the least. It was a blessing they were all strangers because she hadn’t entered society to make friends.
She wanted a glimpse of her grandfather. If he was here.
This was the glittering world in which her mother had grown up. Had any of these people known Mama when she’d made her debut nearly thirty years ago? They would be shocked to the depths of their snooty souls to learn that the scandalous commoner in their midst was the daughter of Lady Sarah Langley, disgraced for eloping with an actor.
But no one must know just yet.
Approaching the dance floor, she spied another man familiar to her. The Marquess of Herrington was squiring a horse-faced girl in amber satin with a tail of ribbons at the back of her gown.
Maddy took her time selecting another glass of champagne from a tray while she surreptitiously observed him. Brown hair, brown eyes, ordinary features. Of all the gentlemen who had submitted bids in the auction, Lord Herrington had been the most dull and unremarkable. For that reason she had believed he would suit her well, a quiet scholar who would not make many demands on her. She had all but settled upon him as her lover when Nathan had presented his offer of marriage.
How different her life would be now had she kept to her original choice. She would not be a wife, but a mistress.
The music stopped. Lord Herrington bowed to his partner. Leaving the dance floor, the couple strolled into the milling assembly and headed straight toward Maddy.
She tensed. There was no time to turn and flee. That might attract undue attention, anyway.
She knew the moment the marquess saw her. His eyes widened ever so slightly. His nondescript features turned rigid. Yet his gaze flicked over her as if she were invisible.
She found his action unexpectedly amusing. He must be squirming inside, wondering if she would embarrass him by offering a greeting or making reference to the auction.
Maddy was half tempted to raise her champagne glass in a salute. Instead, she merely took a sip as the couple walked past her. What a relief that she had spurned his offer. Nothing about the lackluster man stirred her in the least. She shuddered inwardly to think of allowing him the intimate pleasures she’d shared with Nathan.
“Any regrets?”
A familiar male voice rumbled in her ear, and she choked on a bubbly swallow of champagne. She whirled around to see the smirking features of her husband, the gold flecks in his green eyes gleaming in the candlelight. Her heart took a wild leap. “Nathan! I thought you were playing cards.”
“I was. Then I spotted you here, making moon eyes at Herrington.”
“Pardon me? After your grandmother’s lessons, I’m far too refined to make moon eyes.”
He took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb over her gloved palm. “Your dreamy expression must have been for me, then. You were reflecting on your good fortune in selecting me instead of him.”
Nathan had deduced her very thoughts. Maddy was indeed thrilled with her choice. She couldn’t imagine being with any other man. But she didn’t want him to guess just how much the world sparkled whenever he was near. “Conceited jackanapes. You have an overblown sense of your own worth.”
Chuckling, he plucked the champagne glass from her hand and set it on a table. “Well, my overblown senses tell me you’re keen to practice your dancing skills. Come, the next one is a waltz.”
Chapter 15
As the music commenced, Nate had his wife exactly where he wanted, clasped in his arms, one of his hands at the small of her back and the other laced with her fingers. After prowling through the party and reacquainting himself with a few old friends, he had found himself gravitating back to Madelyn. And why shouldn’t he? If his scheme was to embarrass Gilmore, better he should stay close to his infamous bride.
Better he should pretend they were madly in love.
It was hardly a difficult task, for she was the perfect partner, light on her feet and easy on his eyes. Her soft blond hair had been drawn up in a coil at the back of her head with wispy ringlets framing her delicate features. The peacock-blue gown enhanced the milky skin of her bosom. He liked knowing that she belonged to him alone, that no other man had made her cry out in ecstasy. She smiled as they whirled around the dance floor, the picture of a sensual woman who enjoyed life to the fullest.
Yet he couldn’t shake the image of her watching Herrington.
“You never answered me,” he murmured while deftly guiding her past another couple. “Have you any regrets?”
“About giving up the marquess in favor of you? Of course not. I wouldn’t have been invited to this party if I was merely a mistress.” She spoke in a soft, breathy tone that required him to bend close to hear. Her eyes glimmered up at him, her lashes slightly lowered in a coy look. “However, you’ll be leaving England in a few months. I’ll be lonely. Perhaps I shall seek out Herrington as a lover.”
Taken aback, Nate forced out a laugh. “That dull dog? He’d bore you inside of two minutes.”
“Would he? I happen to find his inte
lligence to be highly stimulating. In fact, there are any number of gentlemen here who might be good company for an abandoned wife.” Madelyn glanced around the dance floor as if seeking prospects for future trysts.
The minx was provoking him on purpose, Nate told himself. He wouldn’t let her get away with it. Putting his mouth close to her ear, he breathed in the sweet scent of her skin. “You may not realize it yet, darling, but I’ve spoiled you for any other man.”
“No, what you’ve done is to awaken my desires.” Those big blue eyes challenged him. “And after showing me such pleasure, you can’t expect me to live as a nun in the years to come. That hardly seems fair since you very likely will take lovers in your travels.”
Nate found the topic more disturbing than it ought to be. He didn’t want to acknowledge any truth in her words. And he certainly didn’t want to imagine Madelyn in the arms of a lover, moaning another man’s name in the throes of passion. It was time he called her bluff. “This conversation is absurd. You’ve studied to be a lady for the past fortnight in order to help Emily. You wouldn’t do anything to hurt my sister.”
“Emily will marry eventually, perhaps even by the end of this year. Once her future is settled, I’ll be free to pursue my own interests. Anyway, you ought to encourage me to have affairs once you’re gone. Then I shall be a perpetual disgrace to your father.”
When she flashed that brilliant smile at him, Nate wanted to shake her. Madelyn was teasing him, she had to be, yet his insides felt tied in knots. She was an incredibly lovely, vivacious woman who took great pleasure in sexual intimacy. Without him around to fend off the sniffing dogs, she might very well fall prey to seduction.
As the waltz came to a close, he took a deep breath to dispel the tightness in his chest. Perhaps the root cause of his disquiet came from his childhood. His mother had had affairs; he remembered her as a beautiful, frivolous flirt whose indiscretions had caused much strife between his parents.
But Nathan’s marriage was not based on fidelity to wedding vows. He shouldn’t give a damn what Madelyn did after he left or with whom she did it. Let her open a bordello in Piccadilly Circus if she liked. It mattered nothing to him.
Her fingers pressed into his sleeve. “There’s Lord Dunham and his brother by the fireplace,” she murmured, peering into the crowd. “I lost sight of them while we were dancing.”
His resolve went up in smoke. Dunham had been one of Nate’s cronies in his dissipated youth. The reprobate had been a participant in the auction, the second one tonight who had caught Madelyn’s interest.
Leaning down, he hissed in her ear, “For pity’s sake, can’t you wait with the trysts until I’m gone?”
She blinked at him and then laughed. “I’m sorry, you’ve misconstrued my meaning. Earlier, I noticed Lord Dunham’s brother, Lord Theodore, admiring Emily. He looks to be an agreeable gentleman, and I hope you’ll introduce them.”
Nate looked at her suspiciously. “My sister?”
“Yes, I think she may have gone this way a few minutes ago.”
Her gloved fingers curling around the crook of his arm, Madelyn urged him through the jam-packed room. They found Emily out in the corridor chatting with a fortyish gentleman whose balding head proved him to be far too old for her. Nate had no qualms about drawing his sister away to a quiet corner. As a debutante, she was supposed to be in the company of a family member at all times.
“Why were you left alone?” he demanded. “Where the devil is Gilmore? And Sophia?”
“Papa went to the library to smoke with the gentlemen,” Emily said. “Sophia is upstairs in the ladies’ retiring room. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
“In the meantime, there’s someone you should meet—” Madelyn began.
“Dunham’s brother,” Nate broke in, still mistrustful of his wife’s eagerness to make the introduction. “Do you know him?”
Emily’s hazel eyes lit up. “Lord Theo? I’ve been pining for an introduction.” Her fingers fluttered self-consciously over her pitted cheek. “But he’s so handsome and clever. He attends Oxford, did you know? Do you truly think he would care to meet me?”
“Absolutely,” Madelyn said, taking a handkerchief from her reticule and using it to discreetly dab a spot on the girl’s cheek. “You look beautiful and, anyway, I saw him admiring you earlier.”
As Emily smiled, her face took on a radiance that made Nathan study her more closely in the candlelight. The pit marks looked less obvious tonight, and he wondered if it was Madelyn’s doing. If she had the skill with cosmetics to transform herself into a wrinkled old servant, as she’d done the night of the auction, then minimizing a few scars would have been a snap for her.
Once again, she had surprised him. She wasn’t the shallow, heartless trollop that he’d initially thought. Of course, that was why he couldn’t entirely trust her, either. She was too much the freethinker for her own good.
“Shall we go?” Madelyn said, looping her arm through Emily’s.
“Wait.” Nate stepped in front of them. He didn’t want his wife anywhere near Dunham. Especially not when she looked so delectable. “Leave this to me, Madelyn. You should return to Grandmamma. Remember, it’s best you’re not seen in Emily’s company.”
“Oh, la! Everyone knows that Emily and I live under the same roof. It will seem odd if we’re not friendly toward each other.”
“I quite agree,” his sister asserted. “And if anyone dares to snub Madelyn, then I shall snub them!”
Nathan had been certain that mentioning Emily’s reputation would succeed in discouraging Madelyn. But she seemed hell-bent on seeing Dunham. At least Nathan could make sure the meeting was under his supervision. “No one is snubbing anyone,” he said tersely. “We’ll go together, then.”
He offered an arm to each lady and they strolled back into the crowded drawing room. His mind continued to analyze Madelyn’s motive. Was it just that she wanted to help his sister? Or was she angling for an official introduction to Dunham?
That had to be it. Although she and Dunham had been acquainted during her time as an actress, no one in society could be privy to that prior association. Therefore, they would have to meet again formally in order for her to converse with Dunham without raising eyebrows.
Why the hell did she want to chat with Dunham, anyway? Was the scoundrel on her list of potential lovers? Blast it, she shouldn’t be planning tête-à-têtes in front of her husband.
Much to Nate’s satisfaction, however, Lord Theodore Langley stood alone by the fireplace, gazing into the flames. Dunham was nowhere in sight—and good riddance.
Nate hadn’t spoken to Theo since he was a timid, gawky lad of twelve, home from Eton during the holidays, with his nose buried in a book. Apparently the years hadn’t changed him much, for he still looked a trifle awkward in company.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Theo Langley,” Nate said, offering his hand. “Nathan Atwood here, in case you’ve forgotten me.”
Theo looked around in surprise, his dark blue eyes rounded behind his spectacles, a lock of sandy-brown hair tumbled onto his brow. “Oh … hullo.” His gaze flicked to Madelyn and then to Emily, lingering a moment on her before he belatedly shook Nate’s hand. “Um … you’re Lord Rowley now, aren’t you?”
“Indeed, and I’ve lately returned from a long journey through the Far East. Lord Theo, if I might introduce my wife, Madelyn, and my sister, Lady Emily. Madelyn and Emily, Lord Theo Langley.”
Theo turned hesitantly to Emily. He took her gloved hand almost reverently. “Hullo. It’s—it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Madelyn offered her hand as well. Her full attention on him, she studied him closely as if inordinately thrilled to meet Dunham’s brother. “It’s an honor, Lord Theo. Your grandfather is the Duke of Houghton, is he not? May I ask, is he here tonight?”
The second question struck Nate as odd—except in the context of her being a social climber. Did that explain her interest in Dunham? Had she selec
ted that rogue as a future conquest on the basis of his bloodline? Nate clenched his jaw. As Houghton’s grandson and heir, Dunham would be a feather in her cap.
And a rich one, too, for Houghton had deep pockets.
“I’m afraid Grandpapa doesn’t get around very well these days,” Theo said. “But I’m sure you’ll meet him at our ball.”
“Ball?” Madelyn inquired.
“It’s in May. You must come, everyone does. It’s always the biggest crush of the season.” He blinked owlishly behind his glasses. “Not that I like great crowds of people. But the ladies seem to enjoy it.”
Theo and Emily were stealing glances at each other and Nate decided the lad needed a nudge. “Ladies like dancing, that’s why,” he said pointedly. “Perhaps you and Emily should go practice your skills right now.”
“Practice? Oh, yes, right, a capital notion.” He bowed to the girl. “Lady Emily, would you care to dance?”
“Yes, I would, thank you!”
Arm in arm, they headed off toward the music, Theo looking tall and lanky beside petite, slender Emily. The young blade had better treat her well, or he’d have to answer to Nate.
He turned to see Madelyn smiling warmly after them. “They’re such an attractive couple. They do seem enamored of each other, don’t you think?”
“It would appear so.”
Nate reflected that he was the one enamored—of Madelyn. That soft smile made him hunger to whisk her upstairs and find a bedchamber in which to make love to her. Even a dark corner or a linen closet would do, anywhere that they could be alone. The blood burned hotly in his veins. He could lift her skirts, press her up against the wall, and thrust into her tight velvet heat …
“Rowley,” spoke a male voice from behind Nate. “You always did have a beautiful woman on your arm. This time, I see she is the scandalous Madelyn Swann.”
Dunham joined them, a drink in his hand, his narrow features exuding a sly snobbery as he glanced from Nate to Madelyn and back again. He looked dapper in a black coat with a ruby stickpin in his cravat, his blond hair neatly combed. The slight sneer on his lips revealed his resentment at being the loser in the auction.