The Duke laughed again. ‘How do you think he came to own such a notoriously decadent club? He courted scandal freely, in his youth.’
‘Tell me more,’ she said eagerly. ‘I have seen nothing but propriety from him, since the day we met.’
The Duke nodded. ‘You only know the Frederick Challenger that the army created. He is as disdainful of his family as he ever was, of course. But he thinks he must set a good example for his younger siblings and has got very good at giving and maintaining order.’
‘I am well aware of that,’ George said, with as little animosity as possible.
‘Do not take him too seriously,’ the Duke said, with a gentle smile. ‘The rest of us do not.’
‘I do not let myself be intimidated,’ she said with a surprised smile. ‘But I am unaccustomed to being encouraged in my misbehaviour.’
He laughed, yet again, and stopped, as if surprised by the sound of it. ‘You, my dear, are a breath of fresh air in this stale city. I have not been so amused in ages. It gives me reason to hope that you will blow the cobwebs off my friend as well. There is no reason for him to be as wild as he was. None of us are schoolboys any more. But that does not mean I wish him to be a joyless, hidebound old man.’
‘He is not so bad…’ She stopped herself, unable to defend him with a lie.
‘He is still my friend,’ Jacob assured her. ‘But in recent years, I see no sign that he is enjoying his freedom. He is always at the club, yet he is always alone. We must hope that matrimony suits him better.’
If that was the goal, then they were all doomed. But the discussion raised interesting points. Perhaps she had not been the one who was wrong all this time. Perhaps he had his faults as well. ‘I will do what I can for him,’ she agreed. But the likelihood was that all she could be was a thorn in his side.
‘Excellent. You must not change.’
Another dance was starting and he directed her to a set in need of a female before returning to the side of the room.
* * *
Fred had not thought that there could be such a thing as too much success. He’d maintained a careful watch over Georgiana for most of the evening, waiting for the inevitable disaster that would require a strategic retreat from the ball with a feigned megrim or family emergency.
But none had come. She laughed and chatted and danced nearly every dance, but stood up with no partner more than once. She was the epitome of grace and elegance. If appearance was everything, then he could not ask for a better wife. She was gliding across the room to him, now, offering an affectionate smile that he’d have sworn was sincere. Then she opened her mouth and spoiled it. ‘Are you enjoying the evening, Mr Challenger?’
‘Very much so.’ The words sounded stiff and awkward, even to him.
She opened her fan with a snap and fluttered it in front of her face as if to hide her next words. ‘Then I suggest you make some effort to prove it. People are beginning to remark on your behaviour.’
‘My behav…?’ She had turned away from him before he could even complete the word.
‘Mrs Challenger?’ A young buck he did not recognise was bowing low over his wife’s hand.
‘Lieutenant Williams,’ she replied with a gracious smile.
‘I have come to claim the dance you promised me this afternoon.’
‘Of course.’ Without another look in Fred’s direction, she abandoned him and let the fellow lead her out on to the dance floor.
Who was he and how did she know him? More importantly, when had they been able to speak this afternoon? The young officer was one of many people who were strangers to him, but that his wife had greeted by name this evening. Some even addressed her as Georgiana. Fred was beginning to wonder if he was the only person in London who had not been acquainted with her, this Season.
He had no one to blame but himself. He’d had the chance and refused an introduction. In retrospect, that now seemed as foolish as telling her that he was not fond of dancing and had no intention of doing so tonight.
‘At a ball to celebrate our wedding, you do not intend to dance.’ Her eyes had flashed like a struck flint when he’d told her.
But he had not relented. The way he felt when he looked at her made it far too dangerous to be near her. Even standing beside her on the receiving line, the plans for simple separation seemed to erode like beach sand in a high tide. If they danced, they would end the evening in bed. And tomorrow, his life would no longer be his own. ‘I will not dance,’ he repeated.
The pride and confidence she’d displayed as he’d draped the chain about her neck all but disappeared. The sparks vanished. She was frightened, small, and about to shed a girl’s tears of self-pity.
But only for a moment. She squared her shoulders, tossed her head, and smiled, looking directly into his eyes, ready to meet any challenge. ‘Very well, then. But I do not expect to sit down, all evening. I will have to find other partners.’
He nodded approval and told her to dance as much as she wished. But it had never occurred to him how annoying it might be to see her take the hand of a handsome stranger closer to her age and wearing a uniform that had never seen battle.
‘Your wife seems to be having a good time.’ Jake had come to stand beside him to observe the dancing.
