Last Night with the Duke

by Amelia Grey

  Everything about the two projected power, privilege, and wealth. By the confidence in their expressions and the tilt of their heads, Esmeralda knew they had to be the other two-thirds of the “Rakes of St. James.” The three of them standing together made for a powerful, commanding trio of males.

  “At last, my friends have decided to arrive at the ball,” Griffin said.

  “We’ve been here,” the rake with the longer, darker hair said, trying not to be obvious that he was looking Esmeralda over.

  “You couldn’t see us for the flock of people waiting to meet your sisters,” the other one added.

  “You should have plowed your way through and joined me in my misery at having to do my brotherly duties.”

  “It was more enjoyable just to watch you stand in one place for so long, hating every boring moment of it,” the light-haired gentleman said with a friendly smirk.

  “Remember, it will be your turn next year, my friend, and you may need my help.”

  “Don’t remind me,” he said on a hushed breath. “Let me enjoy this Season without thinking about the responsibility of seeing my sister wed in the next.”

  “Rath, Hawk, may I introduce Miss Esmeralda Swift, the twins’ chaperone. Miss Swift, the Duke of Rathburne and the Duke of Hawksthorn.”

  Esmeralda curtsied. “Your Graces.”

  Her gaze strayed from one duke to the other, and subtle though it was, they were both looking her over carefully too. She had assumed she would meet the other two rakes tonight, and they had unquestionably measured up to her expectations.

  “I was just talking with Miss Swift about the gentlemen the twins have met tonight. She had some insights that will be helpful. Have either of you heard anything?”

  “Nothing helpful from me,” the Duke of Hawksthorn offered. “If anyone is planning anything dastardly, you are going to have a difficult time finding out who. Everyone’s quiet on the subject. But there’s plenty of time left in the Season.”

  “I haven’t heard any talk worth mentioning either,” the Duke of Rathburne added, “However, just before coming here I heard that the first wager concerning the rumor has shown up on the books at White’s.”

  Griffin grimaced. “I was hoping that wouldn’t happen.”

  “We all were, but it’s not as bad as it could be,” he answered and glanced at Esmeralda again.

  “Just tell me what it is.”

  “What we expected. Whether or not either of the twins will be touched by scandal this Season.”

  “And if so,” the other duke added, “will it only be one of them or both.”

  Griffin looked at Esmeralda. Assuming that was her permission to speak she said, “I agree this doesn’t sound disastrous, Your Grace. The twins will probably get wind of this from one of the young ladies they’ve met tonight, but it will be easy enough to explain. Daughters of a duke can be set upon by envious people who feel justified in their meanness. Scandalous things like this are to be expected during the Season and can be upsetting, but aren’t usually lastingly harmful.”

  “Well said, Miss Swift,” the Duke of Hawksthorn said. “I believe that too.”

  The Duke of Rathburne turned to Esmeralda. “The musicians will be starting a new dance soon. Are you two dancing this set?”

  “No, of course not,” Esmeralda said with a smile. It was an outlandish thing for him to ask. She took it as amusing that he would suggest Griffin do such a thing as dance with his sisters’ chaperone.

  “Then I would like to dance with you, Miss Swift.”

  There was a casual charm about the duke’s slight smile that was infectious. She returned his friendly manner and said, “Thank you, Your Grace, but I must decline. I’m not here to dance with anyone. Only to be available to Lady Sara and Lady Vera.”

  “Nonsense.” His gaze held steady on hers. “A ball is for dancing. Being here as a chaperone doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself too.”

  Esmeralda would have liked to glance at Griffin, but decided against it. She was afraid he might think she would be silently asking for his permission to join the daring duke. She didn’t want him to think that. “You’re quite right. I’m enjoying myself very much.”

  “Good. Then it should continue. The twins are dancing right now. There’s no better place to keep an eye on them than from the dance floor.”

  The Duke of Rathburne knew how to pour on the charm. While she appreciated his interest and could enjoy his exotic allure, she had no desire to dance with him.

  “I prefer to take care of my responsibilities from the position where I am now, Your Grace. However”—she deliberately paused and glanced around the room—“I see many young ladies who are looking at you right now, and I’d be willing to wager all are hoping you’ll go over and ask one of them to be your partner for this dance.”

  The Duke of Rathburne chuckled softly. “I don’t believe I’ve ever had anyone turn me down for a dance, Miss Swift.”

  “I’d wager on that too,” she said, knowing peers didn’t like to be denied anything they wanted, and they never expected to be told no. “I do regret that I had to be the first to break your perfect record, Your Grace, but I must. I can’t dance with you.”

  His gaze sparkled at her. He reached down and picked up her hand and started pulling her away. “I insist.”

  More than a little shocked by his touching her, she resisted his efforts, refusing to move her feet and trying to pull her hand out of his grasp. “No, Your Grace, I insist you accept my refusal and let go of me.”

  Griffin’s hand clamped around the Duke of Rathburne’s cuffed wrist. Looking pointedly into his friend’s eyes, he said, “She declined.”

  Chapter 19

  Don’t let anything take you by surprise.

  MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES

  Griffin’s hand tightened. He knew exactly what his friend was doing and he didn’t like it. Rath had always pushed the boundaries. With strangers, his relatives, his friends—everyone was fair game to him. The blackguard had always been too damned perceptive too. Rath must have seen the way Griffin looked at Esmeralda, as if she were a sweet confection he couldn’t wait to eat with a spoon. Or perhaps he just sensed that Griffin was aching to make her his.

  In either case, the strength in Griffin’s grip let Rath know the answer. Esmeralda wasn’t fair game between the three of them. Grasping the hand of a lady was a ploy the three had sometimes used when they’d first entered Society. After a brawl between the three of them early on, they’d learned it wasn’t in their best interest to pursue the same female be she tavern wench, paid mistress, or proper young lady. Griffin’s hold on Rath’s wrist answered him concerning Esmeralda’s availability.

  “She declined,” Griffin said again.

  “So she did.” Rath gave Griffin a knowing smile. He let go of Esmeralda and bowed. Griffin let go of Rath. “My apologies, Miss Swift. Maybe some other time.”

  “Yes, of course,” she said politely and took a step away from the forward duke. “Another time.”

  Esmeralda glanced at Griffin. He knew she sensed something was going on between the two men that she didn’t understand, but he had no intentions of telling her his friend was making sure that she was not someone to be pursued.

  Griffin gave Rath a nod. “We’ll continue this later.”

  “As expected. Let’s meet at White’s after you see the twins home.”

  Griffin heard a familiar squeal. He looked around to see his sisters leaving their dance partners behind and rushing toward him.

  “Your Graces,” Sara said, stopping next to Rath. “We haven’t seen you in months.”

  “Why haven’t you two been to visit us?” Vera asked with her practiced pout. “We’ve been in London more than a week.”

  “I just returned to London a few days ago myself,” Hawk offered.

  Vera looked at Rath. He gave her a noncommittal shrug. “I have no excuse.”

 
“I’m not surprised.” Smiling, she added, “Thank you. Griffin told us you would be here tonight and that both of you would ask us to dance. Now, which of you wants to dance with me first?”

  Griffin noticed Esmeralda was shocked at how freely and familiar Vera and Sara talked to the dukes. It was uncommon. She didn’t know that Rath and Hawk had always treated them like sisters when they were younger, playing hide-and-seek or blindman’s bluff with them whenever they visited the Griffin estate.

  To Griffin’s surprise, Esmeralda spoke up and said, “It’s providential the two of you arrived just now. The Duke of Rathburne was looking for someone to dance with.”

  “Then look no further, Your Grace,” Vera said to the duke.

  Rath glanced at Griffin. “I know when I have lost the war.” He turned to Vera and bowed. “Will you accept this dance with me?”

  “Happily.”

  “Lady Sara, would you enjoy this set with me?” Hawk asked.

  “Delighted,” she answered with a smile.

  “And this will be the last dance of the evening,” Griffin said. “We’ll meet you at the entrance with your wraps in hand.”

  “Griffin, surely not.”

  “Yes, Vera. There will be more dances tomorrow night and the night after.”

  After the two couples walked away, Griffin said, “That was a clever way for you to retaliate against the duke for his insistence you dance with him.”

  “It was no such thing,” Esmeralda prevaricated. “I wasn’t retaliating for his poor judgment in asking me to dance.”

  Griffin chuckled. “I find it utterly enchanting when you so earnestly deny what I know to be truth.”

  “Perhaps his insistence did get the better of my good nature,” she offered innocently.

  “You know, he’s the one who first called us the ‘Rakes of St. James.’”

  “No, I didn’t know that, but I can now understand why it’s an apt title.”

  “I never thought it fit us.”

  “That’s surprising.”

  “We always had a rule. We don’t touch innocents.”

  Esmeralda gave him a doubtful look, and he knew further explanation was needed. He didn’t mind telling her.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Esmeralda.” His expression turned rueful. “Not because of some high and lofty honor. It was much more selfish than that. We were all afraid of being caught in a parson’s mousetrap and leg-shackled. None of us wanted that, so we stayed to our mistresses—as most gentlemen do.”

  Her face softened. “I believe you. Thank you for telling me that. Hearing it does make all of you seem less of a rake.” She hesitated. “Well, perhaps except for the Duke of Rathburne.”

  Griffin laughed.

  “Your Grace, Miss Swift, excuse me for interrupting.”

  Griffin turned to see the dowager countess he’d spoken to earlier in the evening. “Yes, of course, Lady Norwood.”

  “I forgot to inquire as to the health of Lady Evelyn and whether she’s accepting visits.”

  “Not at this time.”

  “Such a pity. We were all sorry to hear she’s missing your sisters’ debut after she’s looked forward to it for so long.”

  Griffin listened to the countess with a skeptical ear. She said all the right words, but he didn’t hear a hint of concern for his aunt in the woman’s tone. No doubt she was only after gossip to spread to the other widows sitting around the hall in hopes an older bachelor would ask them for a set.

  “Yes, she has looked forward to the twins’ Season. She gains strength every day. Just this week she was up and sitting by the window in her room, looking to see how many of the flowers had bloomed in the garden.”

  “And such a lovely garden it is you have in Mayfair.” Lady Norwood sniffed into her lace handkerchief. “Glad to hear it. Do tell Lady Evelyn I asked concerning her welfare.”

  “I’ll be sure to.”

  She turned to Esmeralda. “I was hoping I might have a word with you, Miss Swift, about something that’s been puzzling me greatly since we met.”

  Griffin was about to excuse himself so the ladies could talk in private, but hesitated when he glanced at Esmeralda. There was an unusual, wary expression on her face. That stopped him. Something was wrong. For some reason, she felt threatened by the countess. A primal need to protect her rose up in him.

  Instinctively, he moved closer to her side.

  “How can I help you, Countess?” Esmeralda asked quietly.

  “I remember the former Viscount Mayeforth had a daughter who was married to a Swift. While I don’t recall her name, I do recollect she had a daughter named Esmeralda, because that’s my daughter’s name.”

  The dowager paused as if waiting for Esmeralda to say something, but Esmeralda remained silent.

  Lady Norwood continued. “The viscount’s daughter’s first husband died, and if my memory serves me well, she later defied her family’s wishes and eloped with … a poet, I believe. Do you know anything about her or about that? On occasion, I’ve wondered what happened to her since our girls had the same name.”

  That fleeting fragile expression that Griffin had seen on Esmeralda’s face the first day he saw her had returned. Once again, it caught him off guard. He remembered thinking that day that she was hiding hurts, regrets, demons, something from her past that had wounded and troubled her deeply. He’d considered questioning her about it at the time to find out what haunted her, but he’d denied his first instincts and hadn’t inquired. Now he wished he’d pried into her personal past.

  “Yes,” Esmeralda said, an innocent vulnerability visible in her face and in her voice.

  “Are you by chance that Esmeralda, and the granddaughter of the third Viscount of Mayeforth?”

  Esmeralda the granddaughter of a viscount?

  The roar of the chatter around them and the tune of the music in the distance all faded from his hearing. Listening for Esmeralda’s answer was the only thing that interested Griffin. What was her answer? He should already know, but he didn’t.

  Esmeralda’s back remained unbowed. Her chin and shoulders lifted just enough to make her appear strong, composed, and slightly disinterested. Her expression slowly changed to the professional expression that had first attracted him to her.

  “Yes, Lady Norwood, I am.”

  Griffin felt as if a fist was pressing on his throat. He digested what Esmeralda’s words meant. She was the granddaughter of a viscount. Not a poor or distant relation of Sir Timothy Swift who had to earn her living, but a lady of quality by her own birthright. Why hadn’t she made this known? No, she hadn’t just failed to tell him. She had hidden it from him.

  “I was thinking that must be so,” the old dowager continued in her inquisitive manner with no thought for how quietly Esmeralda had answered. “And I believe I heard long ago that that your mother had a child with her second husband. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.” Esmeralda shifted her contemplative gaze to Griffin. “Josephine is my sister, and she is doing well.”

  All Griffin could think was that Esmeralda was a lady, and she was working in his house as a paid chaperone. No wonder she had always appeared so refined, so circumspect, and so well above her station in life.

  She was!

  How in damnation had that happened?

  He intended to find out.

  “And thank you for asking about Miss Josephine, Lady Norwood,” Griffin stepped in to say.

  The dowager sniffed. “Have you met her?”

  “Yes. She lives in Mayfair with Miss Swift, Lady Sara, Lady Vera, and Lady Evelyn.”

  “Well, if Lady Evelyn—”

  “If you’ll excuse us, Countess,” Griffin interrupted. “The dance has ended. I told my sisters we would meet them at the entrance as we’d already planned to leave after this set.”

  “Yes, I must get their wraps. Excuse me, my lady.” Esmeralda turned away without a glance to him.

  Not five steps past the countess, Griffin fell in step be
side Esmeralda and said emphatically, “That was a quite an enlightening conversation we had with Lady Norwood.”

  “Is that how you would describe it?”

  She didn’t bother to look at him when she answered. That irritated him greatly. The least she could do was face him.

  “Finding out you’re the granddaughter of a viscount? Yes, I’d say that qualifies as enlightening—and damned surprising too. You have some explaining to do when we get home tonight, Miss Swift.”

  “I know,” she said and kept on walking.

  Chapter 20

  Don’t give in to guilty pleasures. There’s a reason they’re called “guilty.”

  MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES

  When we get home.

  Esmeralda could no longer count the times that Griffin had strung together words that touched her deeply and renewed her spirit. You’re the one I want. I will come to you. When we get home. You are a part of my household. And all the other innocent words spoken by him, and sounding so incredibly heartwarming to her.

  But alas, this night, Esmeralda had a feeling that she might have done what Josephine’s and Napoleon’s antics hadn’t been able to do—given the duke a reason to dismiss her from his household.

  A heavy downpour rushed the four of them into the house from the carriage. Esmeralda and Griffin remained quiet. The sisters didn’t seem to notice. While Lady Sara and Lady Vera took off their gloves and wraps, they kept the conversation going with talks of all the gentlemen they’d met and danced with, the young ladies they’d enjoyed and the ones they hadn’t, as well as an annoying amount of oohs and ahhs over the jewelry, headpiece, and gown of each female in attendance.

  Esmeralda was happy their first ball had been a rousing success with not a hint of mischief in the air. But her glee for them was tempered. The duke now knew her secret.