A Lady’s Choice: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Book

by Fimch, Fanny

  “Oh dear, yes, of course.” She laughed, handing him the card, which she swiftly pulled from her small handbag. He grinned and put his name on the card for the first and last dances.

  “I must not let anyone take those two spots from me. Though I do feel the need to share such beauty and not keep it all hidden to myself.”

  Emma blushed. He had leaned over to hand her the card back and she spoke the words in a tone only he could hear. “Thank you, my lord, I look forward to dancing with you.”

  His smile spoke volumes. She could see how pleased he was to see her and tell by the way he walked by her side to the punchbowl and then to the large cushioned chairs she had just come from that he did not want anyone else to dance with her at all.

  The Duke of Lox had been told she was betrothed or would soon be betrothed to Lord Archibald and yet he still signed her card and took the first and last dance. The first dance might not mean as much but the last dance was to be kept for the most important pairing of the night. Lord Archibald would be furious to see the Duke of Lox had taken that slot.

  But it was not the Duke of Lox’s fault. It was Emma who had made sure to make herself scarce, just in case she heard the lord announced before the Duke of Lox. She did not want him to get the most important dance. She would inform the duke during their dances that she was, in fact, not betrothed to Lord Archibald, nor would she be anytime in the future.

  This would give the Duke of Lox another opportunity to win her over.

  Not that he had anything left to do. He had her heart. He just did not know it yet.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  After the Duke of Lox signed her card, Emma made sure to be in the presence of any other suitable dance partner. She wanted her card filled up as much as possible before Lord Archibald spotted her. She was a little surprised she had not seen him yet. Surely, he would be early so as to secure his spot with her.

  She was pleased when the Duke of Andryse and several of his friends came to stand around her chair, bowing deeply and complimenting her on her attire. They stood around her in a circle, hiding her from the front room, where Lord Archibald Van D’Obson had just been announced. He apparently accompanied Lady Bonneville. That had to be the reason for his late arrival.

  Emma looked nervously down at her card and was relieved to see she only had two dance slots left. If he should approach her before her card was filled, she would be obliged to dance with him. If it came to that, she would do so gracefully but she would not give him her attention in any other way. She was required to be polite. She was not required to give him her devotion.

  She looked through the men surrounding her as they talked, trying to see where the Duke of Lox had gone. She knew he had gone with the Duke of Rabney as he escorted her to the dressing room to remove her outer clothing. Where they had gone after that was a mystery to her.

  “Lady Wentworth.”

  Emma looked up when the Duke of Andryse spoke to her. His eyes flashed and he grinned wide. “I do believe you have two slots left on your card. I would not be a gentlemen if I did not make sure those spots are filled. I have brought along several gentleman who will do that for you.”

  Emma smiled up at him. “That is very kind of you.” She wished she could be the one to ask for a dance. If she could, the Duke of Lox would fill those slots. She had not seen him since he arrived and walked her to her chair. “I would…”

  “Please allow me to take one of them.” Emma cringed, recognizing Lord Archibald’s voice. “Since you have already claimed the lady for at least one.”

  The Duke of Andryse stood back and allowed Lord Archibald to approach Emma, who stiffened slightly and then relaxed. She could not allow herself to react to him in an improper manner. If the Duke of Lox did not propose marriage to her, she would need a good reputation with the other suiters that surrounded her.

  She doubted any of them could mistake the look on her face for what it was. Masked disgust. She struggled to maintain a pleasant look as Lord Archibald scanned her card. He looked up at her before placing his name on the card. “I had my doubts there would be any left, Lady Wentworth. The dear Lady Bonneville was delayed.”

  She nodded. “I understand, Lord Archibald.” She tried to keep her voice level. “It happens.”

  He scanned her face as she waited for him to take one of the two dances left. To her chagrin, he placed his name on the first one before thanking her and bowing. “I will see you for our dance, then, my lady.” He backed away from her.

  Through the opening in the crowd, she saw the Duke of Lox looking her way. He was standing with the Duke of Rabney. She watched as Lady Annabella and her mother, the Duchess of Lucy, approached with the hostess of the ball, Lady Louisa Carmel, Duchess of Darcy. Her heart sank. It was Lady Carmel’s duty to make introductions. She was doing what she was supposed to do.

  But Lady Annabella was a lovely young woman, shapely, with a fine face and a becoming smile. She was dressed in a beautiful blue dress that Emma envied on the spot. Her white gloves had a hint of blue. Somehow Emma felt that it made her look so much plainer.

  She looked down at the gown she had worn, scolding herself for not taking more care in how she dressed.

  She looked up again and saw that the Duke of Lox was still looking at her, despite the fact that the women were being introduced. He glanced at Lady Annabella and her mother, greeting them appropriately. But when they were distracted by being introduced to the Duke of Rabney, the Duke of Lox moved his eyes back to Emma.

  Emma’s heart pounded as she waited for the first song to be announced. The Duke of Lox would come to her side and hold out his hand to escort her to the dance floor. She regretted that he had only the first and last dance. She wished she could dance with him many times in between.

  After what seemed like an eternity, during which Emma sat impatiently grumbling on the inside, a pleasant look on the outside, the first dance was announced and the introduction music played softly. The men made their way toward their chosen partners.

  Emma stood up, her body tingling with anticipation. She kept her smile to a minimum when she spotted him coming toward her. She wondered if he could see it anyway. Maybe he was feeling anxious, too. If so, she could not tell.

  “Lady Wentworth,” the Duke of Lox bowed and held out his hand. She placed just her fingers in his hand and he held it up between them as they walked to the dance floor. They found a comfortable spot and faced each other, waiting for the music to begin.

  She stared up at him, admiring the darkness in his blue eyes, the way his face was shaped so finely, his wavy hair brushed back from his face with a few wisps straying loose without his knowledge. She wanted to reach up and smooth them down but resisted the urge. How inappropriate that would have been!

  The music started and she curtsied softly to him while he bowed to her. They met together in the middle when he took her hand and placed his other hand on her waist. It was not the first time Emma felt a pleasant sensation slide through her at his light touch but it seemed more intense than the other times. She was fully aware that he was touching her, even if it was only slightly.

  He was a graceful dancer. She appreciated it. Lord Archibald was not a graceful dancer and had stepped on her dress or her toes more than once. He was always very apologetic and Emma had no doubt he did not mean to do it. His apology made it no less aggravating for her.

  As they moved across the floor, she wondered why she was allowing herself to think about Lord Archibald when the Duke of Lox was standing so close to her, smiling down at her. She smiled back at him, scanning the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. They were smiling along with his mouth.

  “I am always so happy to dance with you, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said in a low voice. “You are very graceful.”

  “I was thinking the same thing about you, my lord,” Emma replied.

  “I am very glad to hear that,” the Duke of Lox laughed. “I have never thought of myself as graceful.”

  “Pe
rhaps you should start.”

  “Perhaps I should.”

  Emma’s heartbeat sped up as she remembered her plan to reveal to him that she was not now and would never be betrothed to Lord Archibald. She opened her mouth to tell him and saw Lady Christian watching them from a big chair she was sitting in.

  The look on the woman’s face confused her. Emma would have assumed there would be a look of jealousy or dismay on Lady Christian’s face. But what she saw was more… satisfaction. What gave her cause to look at the Duke of Lox with such satisfaction and contentment?

  Emma moved her eyes back up to the Duke of Lox, her smile faltering. He had spent the last three days alone with Lady Christian… well, alone enough. Had they bonded? What else could cause such a look on the woman’s face?

  She stiffened automatically and moved her eyes away from the Duke of Lox. She knew she tended to jump to conclusions. It was not helpful but she could not help it. She could not imagine why Lady Christian would be so happy to see the Duke of Lox dancing with her – a rival for his affections.

  She tried to calm herself with thoughts that she was probably mistaken. Lady Christian probably was not even looking at them. She could have been looking at another dancing couple.

  It was unlikely but it could have been true.

  “Lady Wentworth, you seem troubled.”

  She looked up at the Duke of Lox. How did he know so quickly? Could he read her that easily?

  Her first thought was that he must be observing her closely to understand her moods within seconds. She was pleased by that, however unwillingly.

  She could not trust her own instincts, she decided. How likely was it that Lady Christian had won over the Duke of Lox in three short days, after they had been acquainted for many years?

  “Lady Wentworth?” She looked up at him again, catching his concerned gaze. “You are troubled. Please tell me what has bothered you so? You did not appear troubled at the beginning of the dance. I cannot imagine what has happened to cause you distress.”

  Emma pulled in a deep breath. “I am a bit perplexed, after having spent the last three days in isolation.”

  The Duke of Lox nodded. “Yes, I have inquired at Corning Manor and at Cooksey Castle but was not given permission to visit. It was… a bit distressing for me, as well.”

  Emma looked up at him. “Oh? Why would that be, my lord?”

  His eyes moved around the room as they danced, instead of being concentrated on her face. She got the impression he did not want her to think he was staring at her. “Your step-mother has informed me that you will be betrothed to Lord Archibald soon. I was… unsure whether he might be visiting or not. Especially after the… incident with you and Lady Fielding.”

  Emma nodded, feeling her cheeks become hot. She did not want to remember the humiliation but it seemed the Duke of Lox did.

  “What must I do to remove that memory of me from your mind, my lord?” she asked.

  His eyebrows went up and his smile returned. “It is a pleasant memory for me, my lady.”

  “The cause of my great humiliation is humorous to you?”

  The Duke of Lox shook his head, his smile remaining. “No, my lady. The memory of being in the right place at exactly the right moment is what pleases me. I hesitate to think what you would have done had it been anyone else who came upon the two of you in such a state.”

  “I do not think I would have fared well, my lord. It would have been the talk of the ton.”

  “Yes, I do believe you are correct.”

  He swept her to the side. She was aware the dance would be ending soon. She should tell him about Lord Archibald before they parted. She did not want Lady Christian to worm her way into the Duke of Lox’s affections. Or Lady Annabella. Or any other woman.

  “My lord,” she whispered frantically when the music played its last chords and they were about to part ways. He focused his eyes on her, alerted by her tone. “I am not betrothed to Lord Archibald, nor will I ever be. If there is an arrangement, I fear I may have to run away.”

  The music ended and they had to part, the Duke of Lox looking at her through wide shocked eyes, obviously with much to say.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Emma was grateful the Duchess of Corning was not standing next to her when Lord Archibald called on her for their first dance together. She would have been scolded for her polite but cold behavior.

  She allowed him to escort her to the dance floor and they stood facing each other, waiting for the dance to begin. She looked to her left and her right to see who else was paired for the dance. Her heart flipped over when she saw Lady Annabella had paired with the Duke of Lox. She did not know whether the beautiful young lady was worse or better than Lady Christian. She barely knew Lady Annabella.

  She forced herself to continue looking at the paired couples, moving her eyes to see Camilla was with the Duke of Andryse while the Duke of Rabney danced with his cousin, Lady Christian.

  She could only hope a look of disgust did not cross her face when Lord Archibald met with her to dance. She did not like the feel of his hand as it drifted just slightly off her hip. She kept her eyes on the floor and the other people around her, rather than looking at him.

  “You look lovely this evening, Lady Wentworth.”

  Emma did not like the tone he was using and moved her eyes to look at him narrowly. “Thank you, Lord Archibald,” she replied with no real emotion.

  “You seem quite distant.” Lord Archibald let his hand settle on her hip and she glared at him until he lifted it off.

  “I may seem distant, my lord,” she said quietly, “because I have heard some distressing news.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Oh?”

  “Yes.”

  “What news is that?”

  She could tell by the tone of his voice he knew exactly what she was going to say. “My lord, I have been told that a rumor is spreading that we will be married in the future.”

  Lord Archibald just smiled. He said nothing. He did not even look at her. He just looked around at the other dancers with that frozen grin on his slim face. She analyzed his face, looking for a quality she could appreciate. He was not handsome in her mind. He may have been at one time, perhaps when she first began attending the dances and balls. But he was not now.

  Especially not when compared to the intense good looks of the Duke of Lox. She did not care what anyone else thought. The Duke of Lox was the most handsome man on the face of the earth to her now.

  Jealousy burned in her when the Duke of Lox passed by her with Lady Annabella in his arms. The two did not need to be dancing close together for Emma to see how appreciative Lady Annabella was of the Duke of Lox. He was a good dancer.

  But he was her good dancer.

  Lord Archibald noticed her gazing at the Duke of Lox and Lady Annabella.

  “The Duchess of Corning told me that you are pining for the Duke of Lox. As you can see, you are not the only one. And since you are rumored to be paired with me, it will now look quite awful if you were to spurn my advances in his favor.”

  Emma turned her eyes back to Lord Archibald, wishing once again that she had filled her dance card before he got to it. “A rumor does not fact make,” she replied coldly. “I will not oblige you with my affections simply because you started this horrid rumor.”

  Lord Archibald did not respond the way she wanted him to. His grin widened. “That is what is special about it,” he said in a voice that reminded Emma of pond scum. “It was not I who started the rumor.”

  Tingles spread through Emma as she realized who it must have been. She tried not to look as furious as she felt. She was not succeeding well. She was about to grab her skirts and run from the dance floor. What a scene that would cause!

  “If you are implying it was my step-mother who started it…”

  “I am implying no such thing,” Lord Archibald replied, interrupting her. “I am telling you that because it is a fact. It is the truth. I have no reason to hide. Eithe
r way, I will be the winner.”

  “You are not going to win my affections, Lord Archibald. We have been merely friends these past few years. I have no interest in taking it any further with you.”

  Lord Archibald pressed his lips together. She could tell by his red face that her words angered him. She did not want to cause a scene but if the dance got any worse, she feared she would not be able to take it any longer.

  She thought quickly. Was there a way to get her out of this predicament? Perhaps she could feign a headache or fall in a dead faint? Or she could pick up her skirts and run to the veranda. What could she do?

  His hand settled on her hip again and she sucked in her breath. His hand holding hers up high in the air tightened, making her fingers ache momentarily.

  “Release my hand, Lord Archibald,” she hissed. “Or I shall be forced to cause a scene.”

  “You would not dare,” was his response. His eyes were like daggers stabbing into her. She loathed him in that moment, no matter how unladylike it was.

  She curled her lip slightly and gave him a disdainful look. “My lord, I will never be your wife. I will make sure that it does not happen.”

  “You are powerless to stop it, my lady.” He sounded so confident. It made Emma feel uncomfortable. She refused to let him see her becoming nervous.

  “I will cause a scene, Lord Archibald, that will have all the ladies of the ton wondering just what kind of man you are. A gentleman you are not. I cannot fathom being married to someone like you.”

  He finally released his grip on her hand. She breathed in a sigh of relief, wanting to rub her fingers with her other hand. The dance could not be over soon enough for her.

  “You will soon be able to fathom it, Lady Wentworth,” Lord Archibald kept his voice low. “Your step-mother has promised it to me.”

  “Her word is not enough to make me marry you.”

  Finally, the music was coming to an end. She recognized the ending of the song and breathed a sigh of relief. Her pain would soon be over. She did not know if she could tolerate dancing with him again. She would consult with Camilla and ask for her advice.