The Rake's Vow

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Yes, but I bet you acquire more friends than not,” Brad replied.

  “The envy of many doesn’t lead to friendship,” Tad said.

  “But your meeting with the Duke of Silverton must be a good thing,” Brad pressed. “Many gentlemen would give up their right hand for a chance to get to talk to him about a business venture.”

  “Well, yes, in that respect something good has happened to me,” Tad admitted. “It wasn’t my doing that got me in his den, though. It was Mr. Jasper’s. I had talked to him several days ago at White’s, and he said he could appreciate my hesitation in taking on the risky business venture over a captain’s whaling expedition. So he thought I might be better off trying a business proposition the Duke of Silverton had in mind.”

  “Was he right?” Loretta asked.

  Tad nodded. “He was. I like the way the duke balances risk with safety.” His gaze went to Brad. “I have every intention of being careful with your sister’s dowry. Her money won’t be wasted.”

  “With Mr. Jasper and the Duke of Silverton’s guidance, I know it won’t,” Brad replied. “Both are known for their financial prowess.”

  Tad’s smile widened. “I had the feeling they excelled at their investments, but it’s nice to get the added assurance.”

  Loretta noticed how much more relaxed Tad appeared when he wasn’t putting on a pretense of saying or doing what someone expected.

  “I’d say that you can trust whatever advice either one gives you,” Brad told him. “They won’t lead you down a wrong path.”

  “Then it seems that this has been a profitable night for both of us,” Tad said, turning his attention to Loretta. “I overheard a lady saying Lady Eloise has been bragging that you’re in her group.”

  Loretta’s heartbeat picked up. “You did?”

  He winked at her. “I thought you might like to know that.”

  “I’m glad you told me,” she said, feeling more of her earlier enthusiasm returning. It was much easier to push aside the effects of her conversation with Anthony when Tad was giving her such great news.

  “I wouldn’t advise you to wear rags to her social engagements, but I think you won’t have to worry so much about what kind of gowns you wear in the future,” Tad teased.

  His eyes twinkled as he told the joke, and she realized that was another trait he exhibited when he was being his real self.

  “Why don’t you introduce him to Celia?” Brad told her. With a glance at him, he added, “Celia is like a sister to her. The two are practically inseparable. The sooner you get used to having Celia around, the better.”

  “Celia wanted to dance with Corin,” Loretta said, scanning the room for her friend. “She might be dancing or talking to him.”

  “Then save the poor gentleman and lure her away from him,” Brad said.

  Her gaze went to her brother. “Why would I do that? She loves him.”

  “Well, he doesn’t love her,” he replied.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m a gentleman, and I can tell he’s in distress.” He pointed across the room, and she saw Celia talking to Corin while they stood with a group of people.

  “How can you tell he doesn’t want her there?” Loretta asked.

  “He’s leaning away from her and he keeps looking around the room as if he’s searching for an excuse to get away from her.”

  Loretta’s eyebrows furrowed as she studied Corin. Was her brother telling her the truth? Could he really tell such a thing?

  “It’s true,” Tad spoke up as if he could read her mind. “Corin’s uncomfortable. He’s too polite to walk away from her.”

  Loretta’s attention went back to Brad. Could he tell that Anthony hadn’t wanted to marry her? And if he could, why didn’t he warn her? But even if he had, would she have listened to him? Probably not. She’d been determined to marry him no matter what.

  After a moment, she nodded. “All right. Tad, would you like to meet my friend?”

  “I’d be honored,” Tad replied.

  She slipped her arm around his and led him across the room.

  Chapter Ten

  Two days before the wedding, Loretta and Celia were in Loretta’s bedchamber inspecting the gown she planned to wear for the special day. Since the gown she’d worn at the Duke of Silverton’s ball had been the best of all she had, she’d picked that one to modify. She had to admit the maid, who’d done the bulk of the work, had done a marvelous job. If she didn’t tell anyone, they’d never know it was the same dress.

  Now, as Celia studied it from where it hung on the hook on her armoire, Loretta was glad she’d chosen it. “Can you believe this is the same gown?” Loretta asked. “I had no idea the maid was so talented. I told her she would be better off working as a seamstress than cleaning clothes in this place.”

  Celia touched the fabric. “It really does look like a different gown. Are you telling me the truth about it? Is this really the same one I had my brother buy you for the duke’s ball?”

  “Yes, it is,” she replied, unable to hold in her excitement. “No one will know I’ve worn this before.”

  “Hmm…” Celia released the gown and frowned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, nothing, I suppose.”

  “Celia, we’ve known each other for years. You can tell me anything. Do you think the gown won’t look good on me?”

  “The basic design is still there. Of course, you’ll look good in it. I only select the very best.”

  “I know you do. It’s why I trust your judgment when we shop for clothes.”

  “I’m glad you say that because I took into careful consideration your figure, complexion, and hair color. All of those things factor into how the clothes will look when you’re wearing them. You always want the clothes to complement you so that people think you are attractive.”

  Loretta felt some of her excitement dwindling. “You don’t think I’m attractive?”

  “You are attractive, Loretta. What I mean is that the right colors and cut in the fabric should enhance the beauty that is already there.”

  She glanced back at the gown. “You don’t think this will complement me anymore?”

  “Not as much as it did before. The way this gown was originally made was perfect for you.”

  “But I could only wear it one time. You know how Lady Eloise is.” Even though she was marrying someone as impressive as Tad, she couldn’t risk breaking Lady Eloise’s top rule of never wearing anything twice. She’d be better off wearing rags. “The gown had to be modified, Celia. I couldn’t wear it again as it was. But now that it’s been changed, I can wear it as many times as I want. This doesn’t have to be thrown away.”

  “It would be better to throw it away than to have changed it.”

  “You don’t mean that.” Celia couldn’t mean it. The gown had been the most exquisite thing she’d ever worn. And it still was. Even now, it was the most beautiful one she owned. “I love this gown, Celia. I couldn’t bear to get rid of it.”

  “I don’t understand why you develop an attachment to things like clothes. They’re just things to use at our leisure. It’s not like they’re people.”

  “Sometimes when I wear something, it makes me feel good about myself. Celia, this gown made me feel like a princess, and the night was perfect.” And it had been, minus the encounter she’d had with Anthony, but why bring that up?

  “I think the night was perfect because you had Tad with you, and you felt secure with your place in Ladies of Grace.”

  “You’re probably right.” Tad was the reason the night went as well as it did. If it hadn’t been for him, Lady Eloise wouldn’t have given her much notice, even with the gown.

  “A gown is just a gown,” Celia said. “Its only value is in what it can do for you.”

  “But I want to wear this at my wedding.”

  “Then wear it. Just don’t treat it like it’s your child.”

  The knock at the door prevente
d Loretta from answering. Deciding to let the matter rest, she went to the door and opened it.

  “Lady Eloise says she wishes to speak with you,” the footman told her.

  “Lady Eloise is here?” Loretta blurted out.

  From across the room, Celia gasped.

  “Yes,” the footman said. “She is in the drawing room.”

  “Oh, well, tell her I’ll be right there.” After he headed down the hall, she closed the door and rushed over to Celia. “Lady Eloise is here!”

  “I know. I heard.”

  “I don’t know what to do. She’s never visited me before.”

  “We need to get you ready for her.” Celia headed over to the cord on her wall that Loretta used to summon her lady’s maid.

  “No, we don’t need to bother her,” Loretta said. “She’s having the lady’s time of month and is having cramps. I know you’ve been blessed to not experience them, but I do. The last thing any lady wants to do is style someone else’s hair or help with an outfit change. I can slip into a better dress, and you can help me pin my hair up into a flattering style.”

  “You want me to work on your hair?”

  “Would you mind?” Loretta asked as she opened the door of her armoire and searched for a better dress than the one she had on. “I can do some of it myself, but I can’t see how things look from the back so I don’t know if I’ll be putting in the pins properly.”

  Celia sighed. “All right, though I think it’s ridiculous your lady’s maid can’t do it. She should have the good sense to take whatever she needs for the cramps before she gets them.”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Loretta said as she took out a gown. “Sometimes they come before the bleeding starts.”

  “Yes, but you can tell when you’re about to bleed. The cycle is predictable.”

  “Sometimes mine will vary from twenty-six to twenty-nine days. Not every lady is as exact as you are.” She threw off the gown she was currently wearing.

  “You’ve grown soft, Loretta. You didn’t used to pamper your lady’s maids.”

  Loretta picked up the new gown and wiggled into it. “That’s why I couldn’t keep any around. If you don’t treat your staff well, they won’t stay with you.”

  “You’ve changed.”

  Loretta went in front of the mirror and adjusted the gown. “I hope it’s been for the better.”

  “If you want your servants thinking they can do whatever they want, then yes, it’s for the better.”

  Loretta faced her friend, surprised by her friend’s words. Had Celia always been this difficult, or was she just beginning to notice it? “Since I’ve been nicer to my lady’s maid, I notice she does more for me.”

  By the expression on Celia’s face, Loretta could tell her friend didn’t believe her.

  “It’s true,” Loretta insisted then sat at her vanity. She picked up her brush and ran it through her hair. “I know we’ve always said servants should be seen and not heard, but it turns out my lady’s maid can tell some good jokes. I had no idea she had a sense of humor.”

  Celia came over to her and picked up a few pins. “I think my brother is responsible for this. It seems like after he married Damara, you’ve been afraid of saying or doing anything that might upset others. It’s why you are going through with this marriage to someone you don’t love, and it’s why you won’t insist your lady’s maid do her job. I can understand why you are trying so hard to please Lady Eloise, but who cares if the servants reject you or not? They have to do their job regardless of how they feel.”

  “It’s not about being rejected by the servants. It’s about treating them as human beings. Everyone has a right to be treated decently.”

  That lesson had been well taught to her when she realized just how little Anthony had thought of her the entire time she’d known him. Though she would rather die than admit it to anyone, the news had hurt far worse because he hadn’t personally visited her to explain the situation with Damara. She never wanted to feel that way again, nor would she intentionally do something that would make someone else feel like that.

  With a shrug, Celia helped Loretta pull her hair up and started slipping pins to hold her strands in place. “Well, you’re my friend. I’ll accept whatever you want to do.”

  Loretta smiled. “Thank you, Celia.”

  “There’s nothing to thank me for. We might never be sisters through marriage, but we are sisters in the heart.” She slid the last pin into her hair. “All right. Let’s see why Lady Eloise is here.”

  Excited, Loretta joined Celia and left the bedchamber with her. As they neared the drawing room, she became aware that her heartbeat had picked up and her hands were getting sweaty. This couldn’t be bad news. She was about to marry the most desirable bachelor in London. Lady Eloise had been suitably impressed when she found out. Surely, that hadn’t changed.

  She glanced at Celia, glad she was going to be with her. No matter what happened, she could manage it because her friend was with her.

  Celia went into the drawing room first, and Lady Eloise put down the tea she’d been sipping as soon as she saw them. Lady Eloise then picked up a neatly folded paper that had been resting on the settee next to her and stood up.

  “You will never believe what’s in the paper,” Lady Eloise said, her gaze going specifically to Loretta.

  Loretta swallowed the lump in her throat. “Is that the Tittletattle?” Oh dear. Let it be anything but the scandalsheets. Loretta couldn’t handle it if she or Tad had somehow been tainted by a scandal.

  “Good heavens, no,” Lady Eloise replied as she came over to her and Celia. “I never waste time with that rubbish. This is a reputable paper.”

  Lady Eloise folded it open so they could see that it was the publication those influential in the Ton had started up a year ago in order to counteract the popularity of the Tittletattle. It was called Social Propriety.

  “Do you see the article?” Lady Eloise asked.

  Just as Loretta’s gaze lowered from the title of the paper to the content below, Celia gasped and pulled the paper out of Lady Eloise’s hands. “I don’t believe it! Only the best of the best get featured in this paper.”

  “Yes,” Lady Eloise replied, her grin growing wider. “This is a high honor for Loretta and for Ladies of Grace.”

  It was? Loretta got closer to Celia so she could see the paper. The title of the article didn’t mention her or Ladies of Grace. The title simply read “Notable and New”. Beneath the title, however, the author had described Loretta’s impending wedding to the “very sought after” Duke of Lambeth whose recent return to London had taken the Ton by surprise. All at once, he had become the latest sensation, especially with his connection to the Duke of Silverton who “doesn’t associate with just anyone”. Further down, the article mentioned Loretta’s membership into the exclusive club for ladies called Ladies of Grace, which was led by the Duke of Silverton’s daughter, Lady Eloise.

  “Lady Cadwalader will be dying of envy once she reads it,” Lady Eloise said. “Father and a very few members of the Ton receive a copy before anyone else. This came last evening, and I was unable to sleep all night because of it. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to Ladies of Grace! Loretta,” she clasped Loretta’s shoulders, “you are a great asset to our group. I don’t know how you managed to get the Duke of Lambeth to fall in love with you, but I’m so glad you did! This is so much better than if you had married Celia’s brother. He never would have gotten our group mentioned in Social Propriety.”

  With an excited cheer, Lady Eloise then gave Loretta a hug. Loretta almost couldn’t breathe. Lady Eloise had not only referred to her as an asset to the group, but she was also hugging her. She must be dreaming. Nothing this good ever happened to her. When Lady Eloise released her, Loretta pinched the inside of her arm to make sure she was awake. Sure enough, she was. So this was really happening.

  “This is wonderful,” Celia said, looking up from the paper. “To be included i
n something this respectable in London is one of the biggest honors a person can receive.” She glanced at Loretta. “We must get copies of this to hand down to our children. Who knows when something like this will ever happen again?”

  “With Loretta’s marriage to someone as admired as the Duke of Lambeth, we might be mentioned again,” Lady Eloise replied giving Loretta a wide grin. “Father and I will have to invite you and the duke to a dinner party shortly after your marriage.”

  Just to make sure she really wasn’t dreaming—because all of this seemed too good to be true—Loretta pinched herself once more. No. She wasn’t dreaming.

  Loretta noticed the way Celia’s eyes grew so wide they almost popped out of her head. Celia had to go with her. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She couldn’t do this without her friend.

  “Lady Eloise,” Loretta began, forcing aside the nervous tremble in her voice, “may Celia come, too?”

  Lady Eloise considered it for a moment then said, “Why not? Yes, Celia, you will be invited as well. She can come as your guest.”

  Lady Eloise took the paper, and as she neatly folded it, Loretta glanced at Celia. Celia mouthed the words thank you, and Loretta smiled that she was welcome.

  “Give my regards to your betrothed next time you see him,” Lady Eloise said, looking their way again.

  As Lady Eloise turned to leave, Loretta considered inviting her to the wedding. She hadn’t up to this point only because she didn’t think Lady Eloise would be all that interested in going. But since Lady Eloise had made it a point to visit and extend an invite to one of her father’s exclusive dinner parties, maybe she would.

  Loretta cleared her throat and hurried after her. “Lady Eloise,” she called out.

  She stopped and faced her. “Yes, Loretta?”

  “I know I’m not doing this in the best way, but,” she glanced at Celia to gather her strength, “would you like to come to the wedding? The other ladies in the group are welcome to come, too.”