by Amelia Grey
“There are some young men who would dare anything, Miss Swift.”
Of that she had no doubt. And perhaps she felt like most everyone else. There had been no retribution to the rakes for what they’d done that Season.
“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“The source of the rumor looks to be reliable, but I have no proof anyone will be foolish enough to try anything. It may be something as simple as playing them for a fool. I don’t know. That is why your job is so important. Every man who comes near them is a potential threat to their happiness. I won’t take that possibility lightly.”
“I agree you shouldn’t. Do they know about this yet?”
“No.” He paused as if thinking about what to say next. “I wish they didn’t have to find out. I would rather they have as normal a Season as possible and be free to choose the man they want to marry without having to worry if his attention is true or false.”
“It does seem unfair that they should be sought out for retribution rather than you and your friends.”
“You don’t pull your punches, do you, Miss Swift?”
“I am only stating the truth of what most people are thinking.”
“Including you?”
A braver person might have answered affirmatively, but she would not be ensnared in that trap today. She would answer with some of his own words. “Why would I want to answer that and possibly incriminate myself?”
He lowered his voice. “You learn quickly.”
Esmeralda didn’t know her heart could beat so fast. “It’s not hard when the teacher is a master.”
“I could teach you many things, Miss Swift.”
“Right now, all I need to know is when you plan to tell the twins.”
He smiled. “For now, I don’t plan to tell Sara and Vera at all.”
“What? You can’t mean that?”
“I do.”
“Why?” she questioned. “I’m sure, as they get to know other young ladies at the balls and parties, they will hear this gossip. They’ll be asked about it. I think they’ll be upset you didn’t share this with them.”
“Probably, but I think it will upset them more if I tell them there is a rumor that someone is out to make mischief.”
Forgetting her earlier determination to be more cautious with her words, she said, “I’m sorry, Your Grace, but that simply doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s because you don’t understand,” he said calmly, appearing unruffled by her bold statement. “My sisters have been sheltered at Griffin for most of their lives. If I tell the twins about this rumor before the Season starts, they will assume I’m worried that something terrible will happen to them. If they think I’m worried, they’ll be frightened. I don’t want that. I know they’ll hear about this gossip. When they do, they’ll ask about it. I’ll say that I heard the vile talk and that I think it’s rubbish. I have dismissed it as scandalmongering and paid it no mind, and neither should they. I’ll expect you to say the same should they come to you. That should calm their fears and allow them to continue to enjoy their Season.”
She understood his reasoning, but still didn’t agree with it. “I’ll abide by your wishes, of course.” She hesitated, then added, “Not to argue your point.”
“But you will,” he said before she could finish her thought. “I expected no less from you, Miss Swift.”
She ignored his sarcasm. “Good. It’s a valid one. And I know you didn’t ask my opinion, but I’m not sure it’s wise to keep this from your sisters. I agree that it’s rational thought that they will take their cue from you and act as you do, but there is that old adage that says forewarned is forearmed.”
He quirked his head and straightened, though his gaze didn’t leave her face. “You make too much sense, Miss Swift. Your point is valid too.”
“Then perhaps you should listen to me,” she said without any qualms she was going too far.
An attractive grin lifted the corners of the duke’s mouth. “I can see you are used to giving orders around the employment agency. It’s no wonder Mr. Fortescue thought you the best person to manage it for him. But your instructions and commands will not work on me.”
She had no idea if that was a compliment or a slight, so she chose to disregard it and say, “I only have your sisters’ best interests at heart.”
“And that is why you are here.”
“Do you have any idea who these men might be?”
“Only suspicions at this point.”
“Don’t you think you should let me know who you think they are so I can be aware if I see them with your sisters?”
He blew out a scornful breath. “If the number was smaller, perhaps so. There were twelve young ladies that we sent letters to that Season. Of the twelve, five have older and younger brothers. Some of the others have only younger or older brothers. Seven have fathers who are still living, and all twelve have numerous male cousins and uncles. So narrowing the field is not going to be easy until I have more information.”
“Oh my. I can see that. Perhaps there is other information you can go on.”
His brow furrowed with interest. “What has crossed your mind?”
“I would assume that if the young lady is married and happy with her life, none of the male family members would be bent on rehashing that unbecoming story to seek retribution. Do you have any idea how many ladies fall in that category?”
“No, but you may have something there. That should be easy enough to find out, and I do believe it would narrow the field considerably.” He smiled. “That’s very sound reasoning, Miss Swift.”
She acknowledged his approval of her assessment with a smile of her own. “If a lady hasn’t married these ten or so years, then perhaps her father or brother or whoever takes care of her would be more inclined to blame you, and the stunt, or scheme”—she paused—“I’m not sure how to refer to what you did.”
She watched a flicker of something that looked very much like unease cross his face before he said, “I wagered on a prank. That’s the way I thought of it at the time.”
“Yes, well, others didn’t feel that way.”
“I know that now. I was young and foolish. The wager was never meant to harm anyone.”
“However, it’s quite possible someone could believe that the prank was the reason for a young lady’s lack of marriageable prospects.”
“You have no problem laying what you believe on the line, do you, Miss Swift?”
“I’ve found it’s always easier to be blunt about someone else’s misfortunes rather than delving into one’s own.”
“That’s true. The wager happened so long ago, it’s maddening that it’s circulating once again. Of all the scandals London has seen in the past few years, I don’t know why Miss Honora Truth decided to resurrect this one from the ashes of the past.”
“Of course you do,” Esmeralda said confidently. “Your sisters entering the marriage mart must have made it an easy choice for her. She wanted to make a name for herself in the gossip columns, and it’s worked.”
“If the writer is a she. I have my doubts about that. I can’t help but think Miss Truth is actually a man at the publishing company hiding behind a woman’s name. But no matter the gender, if the wager hadn’t been brought to light again, my sisters wouldn’t now be at someone’s mercy.” He blew out an audible breath. “It’s not like any of the young ladies were actually harmed.”
“But they were,” she countered earnestly.
“How? Not one lady was touched by any of us.”
“Not by your hands, but all of them were touched by the scandal. They put their reputations at risk and went to meet a secret admirer—a stranger. Surely you understand how improper it was for them to do that. After all, wasn’t that the purpose of the prank? Besides, you really don’t know how many of the ladies you might have harmed in some way, do you?”
Frustration clouded his eyes again. “I don’t know anything for sure, Miss Swift,” he argued. “Bu
t by the saints, why should meeting a secret admirer cause a young lady’s reputation to be ruined if there never was an admirer to meet?”
“It could be that some gentlemen might have thought that because the ladies went to meet a secret admirer, they could be tempted to do so again, or maybe that they had actually done it before. It could have caused some beaus to second-guess the young ladies’ virtue. You can’t deny that they put it all at risk by being willing to meet a man, an unknown man, in secret.”
“I will concede that it’s a good possibility we did more damage than any of us realized at the time or since.”
“And I will concede that getting all twelve young ladies to fall for the same prank at the same time was quite a feat that hadn’t been done before, nor has it since.”
“No one else has been as foolish as we were at the time.”
“I never heard. How did the story manage to get in all the gossip columns?”
“It was our own fault. No one was to ever know. We’d done other questionable things and hadn’t been caught.”
“I’m sure.”
A grunted laugh passed his lips. “Yes. That would surprise no one. I’ve never pretended to be a saint.”
She smiled. “It would have done you no good to have done so. How did the prank become public knowledge?”
His eyes took on a faraway quality, and she could see he was remembering back to that time all those years ago.
“After the secret admirer letters went out, we each had our own hiding place where we could watch to see how many young ladies had come to meet us. The one who had the most ladies show up would win the wager. But believe me the money wasn’t important. We all had such a desire to best the other no matter what we were doing. It was having the right to boasting that fueled us. And that was our downfall.”
“So you went around bragging about what you’d done?”
“No,” he said adamantly. “Not to others. As I said, no one was to know but us. We never talked about our wagers with anyone else. We usually met in the reading room at White’s as it’s seldom used in the wee hours of the morning. Deep in our brandy bottles as we were that night, we didn’t check to make sure the room was empty. As fate would have it, Mr. Howard Drayton had fallen asleep in one of the chairs facing the fire. We didn’t see him. After we’d all had a good laugh about the outcome, Drayton decided to make himself known to us. He said he wouldn’t expose what we’d done if we’d each pay him a tidy sum each month to keep his gambling pockets plump. You can imagine how we felt about that.”
“You didn’t pay him?
“Hell no.” He paused and searched her eyes. When he saw no censure for swearing, he continued. “In hindsight, perhaps we should have given in to his demands, but it went against our nature to be intimidated to that point. We knew it would do no good to threaten him because he had the prince’s ear.”
“I don’t recognize his name. Where is he now? Is it possible he is behind this?”
“Not unless he is doing it from the grave. He was killed in a duel about three years ago. Accused of cheating at cards. But in any case, for now at least, I will stand by my original plan not to tell my sisters about the rumor and wait for them to come to me.”
“As you wish.”
“I’ll be over each evening to escort the three of you to the parties, remain there with you, and then I’ll see you home each night.”
“Very well,” she said, knowing she had no more arguments to make. “We shall be ready.”
“Good,” he answered. “Should you need anything, or if anything happens you think I should know, tell Sparks to find me and I will come to you.”
I will come to you.
His words created a slow curl of sensation in her stomach. “I understand and will do so, but I don’t foresee any complications arising that should require your immediate attention.”
“Then I should leave you to get settled in.”
She thought he was going to move away from her, but instead he stepped closer, lowered his voice, and said, “You didn’t use the dressmaker I suggested.”
That statement took her aback. Her first thought was to deny it, but that would have been foolish, not to mention dishonest. The truth was always the best answer even when it might be the hardest thing to say.
“No,” she admitted.
“Why?”
The word wasn’t accusing in any way. It was so softly spoken, it was almost sensual. Her breathing increased. “I found her much too expensive, and I’m far too practical to overspend when it isn’t necessary. But how did you know?”
“I told her not to let you have anything in the color gray.”
Shocked, she whispered, “You didn’t.”
“I did. I told you, I take care of my own, Miss Swift. You are a part of my household.”
Her chest tightened. The muscles in her abdomen quivered enticingly. I take care of my own. I will come to you. You are a part of my household. More innocently spoken words that sent all of her senses reeling, and reminded her that he was standing so close she could feel the heat from his strong body, smell the shaving soap that had bathed his face, and hear his calm, steady breathing. She must find a way not to be seduced by words that were never intended the way they fell on her ears.
He was gently caressing her with his gaze. But then perhaps she was caressing him with hers too.
Somehow she managed to ask, “Is there a reason you don’t want me wearing gray?”
“It’s a matronly color.”
“And it suits perfectly for my position here in your household as chaperone.”
“Then perhaps gray is the best color for you after all, but the square of white lace covering your hair must go.”
Without thinking she reached up and touched the small scarf, then slowly let her hand slide down the side of her head. “It makes me look older.”
“I know.” He bent his face closer to hers. “You have no need to look older when you’re in this house, do you? We all know your age.”
“Very well, I’ll do as you ask.”
His face moved closer until he touched his nose to hers. Not knowing what to say or do, she was rigid. He caressed her nose with his for a moment or two before letting it glide across her skin where he pressed his cheek against hers.
What the duke was doing was highly inappropriate behavior, but the thrill of his light touch was so new to her she couldn’t back away from him. For a moment, Esmeralda thought she might swoon, but then, with his lips resting so close to her ear, he whispered, “You know I’m attracted to you, don’t you, Miss Swift?”
No, she didn’t know. She only knew how she felt. Her breath turned hard and choppy. Her heart started twirling like a spinning wheel again. Something wonderful and eager unfurled and fluttered deep inside her. All she had to do was turn her head, and their lips would meet. She would then know what it would feel like to be kissed.
“And you are attracted to me.”
“No,” she lied without hesitation. She had to. She couldn’t expose herself to him and become more vulnerable than she already was. She had to think of Josephine and not the disturbing and sensuous and confusing feelings going on inside her at his nearness.
He kept his lips at her ear. His tone was soft and melodious as he said, “Yes, Miss Swift. You are. I sense it. I feel it. I know it. But I don’t mind you denying it.”
She silently prayed he wouldn’t ask her again to admit that to him. It would be her undoing and she would probably collapse into his arms and beg him to kiss her before she fainted.
“But you also know I can’t do anything about our attraction to each other, don’t you?” he continued in the soft husky voice that was mesmerizing her.
Her heart was pounding so fiercely and her breathing was so shallow, she couldn’t say anything. She was past talking unless she whispered Kiss me now!
The duke straightened and looked down into her eyes. “You are under my protection, and that means I must protect you fr
om myself as well.”
Somewhere deep inside herself she found the courage to back away from him and found the breath to say, “I’m glad to hear that, Your Grace. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get settled in my new position.”
He nodded once. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said and turned away.
Chapter 11
Do be willing to give in when it’s clear you have lost the argument.
MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES
Griffin turned to leave Miss Swift but stopped dead in his tracks. Thank God he hadn’t given in to his overwhelming desire to kiss her. A red-haired girl with sparkling green eyes and cheeks lightly dusted with freckles was in the doorway staring at him. A short-legged, long-haired blond dog stood quietly beside her.
It surprised him that he hadn’t heard the two approaching. He was usually aware of his surroundings at all times. Perhaps he’d been concentrating a little too much on Miss Swift. For the dog not to have made a peep of sound meant he was either very well trained or too old to be interested in the goings on of people.
“Your Grace,” Miss Swift said, rushing up beside him. “May I present my sister—”
“Miss Josephine,” he interrupted. “I’ve been expecting to meet you.”
The girl curtsied and said, “I wanted to meet you too, Your Grace. It’s a pleasure. May I present my friend Napoleon?”
The dog’s tail wagged back and forth. Griffin knew the animal wanted to rush and sniff him, but Napoleon stayed right beside his owner waiting for the command.
“You may,” Griffin said and bent over and held down his hand to the short dog. Taking that as a cue, Napoleon sniffed Griffin’s hand, licked around his fingers, and then barked once. “He’s well trained,” Griffin said as he straightened and looked back at Josephine.
“Essie said we couldn’t keep him if I couldn’t train him to behave properly. But it didn’t take long. He already knew most things.”
He glanced over at Miss Swift. She looked worried, but she shouldn’t be. He didn’t mind that her sister had come as long as his sisters were taken care of. Looking back to Josephine, he said, “You do know that Napoleon is not a name that is held in high regard throughout most of England, don’t you?”