“You have not repelled me. Or cousin Dominic. Or Charlotte. And grandmother loves you as though you are family!” Cecily gestured around them. “And you know how hard it is to gain her approval!”
“But I cannot marry any of you! Friends are one thing, but men…” Andrea swallowed, hollowness spreading through her chest. “Romance… All of it… I just… I do not have the knack for it that most women do.”
Among my many other womanly failings.Her father had been only too happy to remind her of her ineptitude with men.
“Men are simple creatures, dearest Andrea. Besides, someone as pretty as you should have no trouble attracting someone!” Cecily gave her an appraising look, nodding to herself thoughtfully. “Yes, with the right clothes, perhaps a new necklace or two… And we’ll have to do something about your dresses, they are far too plain!”
Andrea was barely aware of Cecily’s words as she launched into all of the things they could do to win Andrea a husband. It was hard to feel particularly hopeful, not with what she knew.
A familiar laugh caught her attention and she found herself following the sound before she was even aware of what she was doing.
Frederick Felton, the Duke of Caverton, was a cousin of Cecily’s and his laugh had the singularly irritating quality of being highly infectious. He had the kind of easy grace that came from never having to worry about anything.
Andrea shook her head, but was unable to tear her eyes away from him. Of course, life would be easy when you were not only wealthy but the very picture of rakish good looks.He was taller than most of the men around him, his dark hair was long and fell in artful locks around his face. He had dimples that gave him a boyish charm and his dark blue eyes reminded Andrea of a lake.
“Some people have all the luck.” Andrea muttered under her breath, thinking of her own green eyes and how often her father had lamented their colour.
Where Andrea took great pains to fade into the background, the Duke clearly wanted to be seen and to be liked. He moved towards a crowd of rowdy children, stopping and chatting to people as he did.
“I shall always be thankful to Sir Brummel for making breeches popular.” A woman beside Andrea muttered to her companion. “It makes it so much easier to appreciate the male form.”
“Especially one as fine as Duke Caverton’s. And I do appreciate that he adds a little colour to the room.” Her companion replied fanning herself.
“In more ways than one.” The women devolved into a fit of giggles.
Andrea only just managed not to roll her eyes, glancing back at the Duke in his beautifully tailored outfit, with its indigo coat. He did cut rather a striking figure.
He laughed, a rich and unshackled sound that forced a smile across Andrea’s lips, until she realised and hastily stopped herself.
The Duke scooped a small boy into his arms, animatedly talking to a gaggle of children who had been causing a commotion only moments before.
“My turn! My turn!” a little girl cried, holding her arms out to the Duke.
“Of course.” He lifted her up with his free arm, balancing a child on each shoulder and making the others laugh in delight.
He made silly faces and acted the fool, and each child seemed completely at ease with him. Andrea watched him curiously.How is it possible that a man can understand children so well?
She had not spent much time with children, after all, she had few friends and only one of them was married. In the few instances she had interacted with them, she had felt so uncomfortable she had scarcely known what to do with herself.
Yet to watch the Duke, it seemed easy, almost natural. Something inside her twisted, and she almost took a step forward before catching herself.
Guilt filled Andrea as she looked at the Duke.I suppose it is easy enough to look after a child when you know you can give it back. He does not have to worry about anything.At that moment, the Duke looked up.
Their eyes met from across the room, and he flashed her a dazzling smile that made her heart skip a beat.
He canted his head towards her, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. His dimples made him look boyish. To her immense frustration and embarrassment, she blushed a deep shade of scarlet. His smile broadened and he winked.
She glared at him, and had half a mind to tell him that her blush had nothing to do with him. To her irritation, his grin broadened, and he returned to playing with the children.
She shook her head. “What would it be like to be that free and uncaring?”
“Pardon?” Cecily frowned and belatedly Andrea realised she had spoken aloud.
Her cheeks coloured, and she turned away from the Duke. “I was just thinking about the fact that I thought I had earned my freedom and here I am, preparing to give it away.”
“What do you mean?” Cecily asked.
“Well, when I marry – everything will go to my husband. The house, what money I have, it will all be in his control.” Andrea could not keep the bitterness from her voice, her lip curling at the thought.
