The Duke Conspiracy

by Astraea Press

  “Your mother seems to be attentive, at least to a certain degree. She is chaperoning you about Town for the Season,” the countess was trying to be kindly reasonable.

  “Mayhap, but keep in mind the original purpose of my visit. She did suggest that Sir Jason Broderick would be a good match for me,” came Rose's dry reply.

  Lady Yorkleigh could not suppress her grin. “That cannot be argued with; it does make one wonder where her thoughts are.” The countess paused for a moment but then continued in an earnest tone. “I know we are still newly acquainted and I would never presume to take the place of your mother,” she began, while Rose burst in, “Besides the fact that you are not nearly old enough to have the role naturally.”

  “You are too kind, my dear, but as I was saying, I would be happy to be somewhat of a surrogate for you in these coming weeks. A young lady's debut can be a perilous, confusing time if she does not have sound advisors. I beg you, please feel free to stop in at any time to discuss any issue you might care to have an experienced perspective upon.”

  “That is such a kind offer, my lady, and I promise you I shall take you up on it. I so appreciate your condescension, but I fear that I shall not be able to reciprocate in any way to demonstrate my deep appreciation.”

  “No thanks are necessary, my dear. My dear, Lord Yorkleigh and I were not blessed with any daughters and our sons are now at Eton. I am sadly bereft, and while I enjoy accompanying my husband to Town when he wants to take his seat in the House, I would dearly love to be occupied in a more meaningful manner. If I could in some way smooth the way for you, I would feel as though I had a role to play. You would, in fact, be doing me a favor, rather than the other way around.”

  Rose laughed at the countess' droll words. “Now you are truly being too kind, but I shall accept your offer nonetheless. You must be sure to tell me if I transgress or overstep the bounds of your offer, though, my lady.”

  “Very well, we have a deal,” the countess declared before she fixed shrewd eyes upon her guest. “Now perhaps once we have become better acquainted you will find your way clear to tell me the real reason why you were asking about Sir Broderick.”

  Despite her best efforts, Rose was quite certain that her surprise and chagrin were clearly displayed upon her expressive face. She tried to brazen it out but did not want to lie to her new friend. “My mother really did express the opinion that he would be a good choice for me.”

  “I did not think you were lying, my dear. I merely am of the opinion that you would have been well able to come up with reasonable arguments on your own, or rather, you would have just ignored your mother's ridiculous suggestion.” At seeing Rose's discomfort the countess hastened to add, “I pray you do not trouble yourself over it, my dear girl. That is why I said that I hope in the future you will confide in me. I do not expect it at this time. And I do not mind telling you what I can, even without full disclosure.”

  Rose grinned at the countess. “Thank you, my lady. I promise you that I will. And now, I really should be on my way.”

  As Rose took her leave and collected her maid the countess accompanied her to the foyer, chattering about social niceties and arranging a date for them to take tea the next time. Walking down the front steps of the Yorkleighs' elegantly attractive home, Rose could feel Mary's inquisitive eyes burning into her back. She grinned, as she could feel the maid's impatience. She was impressed that the other young woman managed to hold her tongue until they reached the nearest street corner.

  “Well, Miss, how did it go?” she demanded with impatient curiosity.

  “Very well, Mary, thank you for asking,” Rose answered maddeningly, causing Mary to expel an impatient breath. Rose could not hold onto her chuckle. “I am merely funning with you, Mary, although it was a very good meeting. The countess was most helpful.” Lowering her voice and glancing around, Rose beckoned the maid closer and recounted what Lady Yorkleigh had had to say about Broderick. At the conclusion, Mary's eyes were wide with concern.

  “What are you going to do about all of this, Miss? Surely you're going to have to go to his lordship, your father.”

  “I wish I could, Mary, but I still fear that he will have difficulty being reasonable about this, especially as the duke is still involved. And just this morning my mother was mentioning that Papa has to go away again, this time to Paris. They were wondering whether or not Mama and I ought to join him, but they decided it is too important for me to continue with my first Season.” At this last bit Rose could not help the tone of disgust that crept into her voice and the roll of her eyes which accompanied her words. “Can you believe I shall be missing out on Paris, Mary?”

  “But do you not think it is wise, Miss? For one thing, the Season is important for one such as yourself, and for another, if you cannot confide in your father, then you have to sort this situation with Broderick out yourself.”

  “You are quite right, Mary, but I still wish I could go. Mayhap, from what we have learned about Broderick, he will be going to Paris as well, and I could investigate him from there.”

  “Or he might be just waiting for an opportunity such as this, when many of the government gents are out of Town to act on whatever nefarious plot he has cooked up.”

  Now it was Rose's turn to have widened eyes. She gazed at her maid with concern. “You have such a good point there, Mary. You are quite correct, I certainly must be vigilant. It is a good thing I have already arranged to meet with Wrentham. I so wish I had stuck with the duke's suggestion of meeting tomorrow instead of the day after,” she mused, staring off into the near distance. “Do you think it would be remarked upon if I were to be seen speaking to him in public? If we were to find ourselves at the same entertainments this evening, do you think I could talk to him without my mother catching wind of it?”

  Mary looked at her mistress with worry clearly etched in her face. “I don't rightly know, Miss. Do enough people know about your families' issues for it to become an item for the gossips if it was noticed? Because if it is, your mama is sure to find out.”

  “You are quite correct, as usual. But if an opportunity arises, I will take the chance and tell him to meet me tomorrow. I do not think I could bear to wait an entire day. Or perhaps I should send him a note.” At catching sight of Mary's dubious expression, Rose answered her own unspoken question. “No, of course not, none of the footmen would be able to keep that to themselves, and then I would definitely be in the suds.”

  “They say patience is a virtue, Miss.”

  Rose could not resist sticking her tongue out at her maid. “You and I both know that it is not one I possess. But you are quite right; I shall have to pretend that I have some if I cannot contrive a way to speak with His Grace this evening.” Rose resolved to put the matter from her mind for the time being. “Now we are nearly home and I have been gone for far longer than I had expected. It is nearly time for me to begin my preparations for the ball I am to attend this evening. I hope I have not kept you overly from your duties,” she was quite contrite.

  “Well, Miss, considering most of my duties revolve around you, I'm thinking you didn't keep me from anything.” Mary grinned at her mistress in a fine humor.

  The two girls climbed the front stairs of their own home and the door was opened swiftly.

  “Welcome home, Miss.”

  The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of activity as Rose bathed and primped in preparation for the ball. She shared a light repast with her mother before they each returned to their chambers to conclude their dressing. It had been a quiet meal with rather stilted conversation. Lady Smythe was even more distant than usual, so Rose found it difficult to engage with her. She chalked this up to her father's departure. Even before the tragedy her mother had always hated it when her husband traveled, but since it had become almost a phobia. Rose hoped her mother would be able to cope because she would be rather too occupied over the next few days to be able to assist her. It was one more worry to buzz around at the back of her m
ind, where she pushed it in order to concentrate on the upcoming evening.

  Looking into the mirror as Mary put the finishing touches to her hair, Rose could not help but appreciate her own reflection. She was not an arrogant girl, but she could see that her excitement had put a flattering blush into her cheeks, which was thankfully complementary to the shade of her gown.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lady Smythe seemed to float next to Rose as they descended into the crowded ballroom after having been announced and greeted their host and hostess. Rose could see that it was going to be a successful event. Their hostess would be gratified by the number of people who had accepted her invitation and were cramming themselves into the elegantly appointed, but not overly large, room. Rose hoped that meant she would be able to ever so discreetly seek out Alex and arrange to meet up on the morrow, if he were indeed present.

  Slowly descending, Rose gazed about at the milling multitude, struggling to distinguish faces in the crowds. Plastering a pleasant, social smile onto her face she turned to check on her mother, hoping she would be all right on her own. Feeling a niggle of worried guilt, Rose solicitously got her settled amongst her friends before she went off to pursue her own activities.

  Bumping into Emmaline and her sister, Rose exchanged pleasantries for a moment before Emmaline was swept off to the dance floor by a pleasant gentleman. Unfortunately, Constance was rather more difficult to carry a conversation with once her sister was absent. Rose made the effort, deciding it was excellent practice for her future life as a Society hostess.

  “Have you been having a pleasant evening, Lady Constance?”

  “Very pleasant, thank you, Miss Rose.”

  “Good, good. Did you do anything particularly interesting today?”

  “Not particularly, Miss.”

  “That is unfortunate. I made a few lovely morning calls this afternoon. It was most pleasant.”

  “Oh, how pleasant.”

  Rose began to find it to be an amusing game and persevered. “You look lovely this evening, Lady Constance.”

  “Thank you so very much, Miss Rose.” For a moment, Constance looked gratified by her compliment, but then she again looked confused and slipped back into vacuity. “You look lovely this evening too.”

  “Why thank you so much, Lady Constance. I cannot say that shopping is my favorite activity, but I am pleased with this particular purchase. I think my modiste did a smashingly good job.” Rose tried to keep her grin within bounds but feared she failed miserably. Gratifyingly, Constance responded to her conversational gambit.

  “How could you possibly not enjoy shopping, Miss Rosamund? Just this afternoon my sister and I spent an enjoyable few hours on Bond Street. It is one of the very best parts of coming to Town. You should see the darling gowns I ordered. And Emmaline bought a perfectly scrumptious hat to go with her new riding habit. The dressmakers here are so much better than the ones in the village near our estate. I do declare I would happily shop every day.”

  “Lady Constance, I had no idea. Perhaps I ought to accompany you on a visit to Bond Street and you can show me how to have an enjoyable time there.”

  “That would be my pleasure any time you would like, Miss Rose.”

  Rose was happy that she had managed to have what amounted to a real conversation with the other young woman, but blessedly, Lord Kenneth came to claim her hand for the dance before she had to come up with any more conversational efforts.

  “Thank you, my lord, how could you possibly have known that I most particularly wanted to dance the quadrille?” Rose asked playfully.

  The young lord looked slightly embarrassed by her question, but manfully responded, “Does not everyone love the quadrille, Miss Rosamund? I thought you looked particularly fetching this evening and wanted to twirl you around the dance floor for this number.”

  “Well, I thank you kindly for the invitation, my lord.”

  For a moment the dance took them apart from each other, but they were able to resume their conversation as they re-partnered.

  “Are you enjoying your evening, Miss Rose?” he asked pleasantly.

  “I am, very much so, thank you, my lord,” she replied, smiling as she heard the surprise evident in her tone. He must have noticed and was not such a dullard as to ignore it.

  “Why do you sound so surprised, Miss Rose?”

  “In all honesty, the Season has not been my idea of a rollicking good time up until now. I cannot say that I particularly enjoy the large crowds of people, and the constant need for gossip wears on my ears. On the other hand, I love the dancing and I have met some lovely people that are fast becoming good friends, so I think it is turning out to be a good experience. But I sounded surprised because just a week or two ago I would not have been able to fathom the possibility of having a good time at an event such as this.”

  “You are not the usual sort of debutante are you?” he asked, with a tease in his voice.

  “I think perhaps many debutantes find the Season is not quite what they had anticipated, they just manage to hide it better than I do,” Rose replied with a cheeky grin.

  They were again separated, but when they returned to their places Rose asked her partner, “Have you had much opportunity to talk with Lady Constance? I had a lovely conversation with her just before you invited me to the dance.”

  “I apologize if I interrupted,” he began before he answered her question. “But no, I cannot say that I have ever managed to have a conversation with Lady Constance. In all honesty, I thought I was rescuing you when I asked you to dance.”

  “Well thank you ever so much for the gallantry,” Rose grinned, “But you may be surprised to know that if you try hard enough you can get a conversation out of her. I asked her about shopping and was shocked nearly speechless by the results. You should try it, my lord. She really is a lovely girl.”

  Rose would never have considered herself to be a matchmaker, but she found she quite enjoyed the prospect of matching up various of her acquaintances. Neither of these two were wordy talkers but they both seemed to be kind individuals. Rose thought Lord Kenneth's quiet kindness and strength would be a lovely match for Lady Constance's shyness. Rose could almost see the wheels turning in his lordship's thought processes as he mulled over her words. She was not at all surprised when he escorted her back to Constance and then invited that young lady to the next dance.

  Rose was standing on the side of the dance floor, momentarily alone, smiling happily, when she heard a quiet voice behind her. “Why are you grinning like the Cheshire Cat?”

  It took a great deal of will power to control her reaction as she felt a shiver creep up her spine and her skin break out in gooseflesh. “Good evening, Your Grace,” she replied, without turning around or looking at him. Anyone watching would not even know they had acknowledged one another. At least not yet. Rose plied her fan to hide the movement of her lips.

  “You look lovelier than ever, Miss Rose,” Alex complimented from behind her, keeping himself obscured by an artfully placed potted fern.

  Rose could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks but steadfastly kept her gaze upon the dance floor, waving the fan more vigorously in an attempt to stem the rising tide of her blush. Ignoring his comment and keeping her voice just above a whisper she muttered, “I really need to speak to you quite urgently.”

  “There is a broom closet just beyond the retiring rooms. Go get yourself a glass of punch and then, if no one is watching, head toward the ladies' retiring room. If still no one is around, I will whisk you into the broom closet for a moment of speech.”

  “Your Grace, I am absolutely certain that is a terrible idea,” she stated with a laugh sounding in her voice. There was no reply from behind her as Alex had already left.

  Glancing around, Rose saw that it did not appear that anyone had taken any notice of her. To be on the safe side, she took a turn about the room slowly, keeping her eye on the dance floor, watching out for her friends and glancing around to check on her mo
ther. Seeing that everything seemed to be in its place for the moment, Rose thought that she just might be able to pull off such a questionable stunt. She set off for the refreshment room at a brisk pace, reasoning that no one would stop her if she looked like she knew what she was doing.

  A sudden attack of nerves made her mouth dry and she was grateful for Alex's suggestion that she have a glass of the delicious punch. Rose was surprised by the quality of the cool drink. So often it seemed barely more than flavored water. She dithered for a moment over the punch bowl, wondering if she should abandon the idea of trying to speak to Wrentham this evening. And worrying about the consequences if they were caught meeting in a broom closet. And wondering if the duke had already arrived. Giving herself a silent scold for being so missish, she forced some steel into her backbone. After looking around to ensure no one was looking at her, she eased her way toward the retiring room. Stepping just past the door to that room, she almost squeaked as she felt a large, warm hand haul her from behind into a small room, and then all was darkness.

  “Alex?” she asked in a shaky whisper.

  “Of course it's me, you silly widget, who else did you think it was?” he teased her mercilessly in the darkness.

  Rose took a gulp of air as she struggled to deal with all the conflicting feelings she was experiencing in that moment. The nerve-induced adrenaline that was coursing through her veins was leaving her legs feeling jiggly and weak. But the thing uppermost in her mind was the unexpected sensation of being pressed up against the firm muscles of the Duke of Wrentham's chest. He had certainly changed since their childhood days, and she was struggling to sort out her feelings on the matter.

  “What are you doing, Your Grace?” she hissed at him as she felt him rubbing her back in a soothing gesture. It was obvious to Rose that he had picked up on her attack of nerves. She was comforted by the gesture and had to remind herself that he was her enemy and that they had only teamed up in order to deal with an even bigger enemy. She put her hands between them and shoved against his chest. In the confines of the small space he could not go far, but at least he was no longer touching her. He was still disconcertingly close, and it was as though being in the dark made it that much more intimate. He smelt surprisingly fresh despite the warmth of the ballroom they had just left, as though he had just bathed with some sort of lemon soap. His breath which wafted by her in the close confines of the closet carried hints of the glass of port he must have enjoyed recently. She could even notice the rich scent of his highly polished leather shoes. She could not understand why even the sound of his breathing made her breathless. She was left feeling strangely impatient.