"One can hardly blame her for that. I'm glad you saw him off before any serious damage was done."
James nodded. "I promised her that if she cooperated with my wishes to find her a husband, I would let her make the final selection for herself."
"A bold decision," William said. "You mean to allow the Duchess to choose?"
James moved his queen. "I think it may be for the best," he said. "I don't wish to see her unhappy."
William moved his own queen. "I wish you the best of luck in that endeavor," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Checkmate."
CHAPTER 18
"Elizabeth?"
Victoria's lady's maid turned from the fire she had been stoking. "Yes, Your Grace?"
"This gown." Victoria gestured to the unfamiliar gown that hung from the back of her wardrobe door. "This isn't one of mine. How does it come to be here?"
"Oh," Elizabeth said. "His Grace had it delivered. It arrived this morning."
"What is it? A gift of some kind?" Victoria went over to the gown and ran her fingertips over the embroidery on the bodice. The gown was a pale emerald color, and she knew that it would look good on her. James had made a good choice. But there is something about it that made her uneasy.
"I'm told it's for you to wear to the Worthington ball," Elizabeth said. "I assume this is something you already know about?"
"No," Victoria admitted. "The Worthington ball? I've never heard about this. Do you know when it is to take place?"
"My understanding is that the ball is the day after tomorrow," Elizabeth said. "The gown is lovely, isn't it? I'm sure you'll make a wonderful impression on everyone in attendance."
A shiver ran down Victoria's spine. It wouldn't be the first time James had tried to make a connection for her since he had returned to London of course, but after the debacle with Lord Blackburn, she wasn't eager for his next attempt. Of course, he had said that she would be able to make her own choice when it came to a gentleman to marry, but in a way, that almost made things worse. The fact that she had agreed to that meant that she was now promised to cooperate with him. She could no longer try to sabotage the attempts.
Or rather, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even though it would still be possible, he felt the need to stick to her word and uphold her promise. When she attended this Worthington ball, she would have to try to find a gentleman who was acceptable to her, even though it was still the last thing she wanted to do.
But this new gown…she hadn't needed this. She didn't know what James was thinking, and he should have spoken to her first. "I'll be right back," she told Elizabeth, and walked out of the room.
She didn't realize until she was halfway to James's study that Hades was following her. "Run along you pesky thing," she told him, pointing back in the direction of her room. Hades stared up at her with his insolent eyes, unblinking, and Victoria gave up and turned back toward the study.
She knocked on the door three times. "Come in," James called. She opened the door and saw that he was bent over his ledgers. He didn't look up when she entered.
Should she wait for him to notice her? She decided against it. "I need a moment of your time," she told him.
"I'm in the middle of something," he said, still not looking up.
"This won't take long."
"Very well," James sighed. He closed the book in front of him and looked up at her. His eyes widened. "What is that creature doing in here? You know how I feel about him."
Victoria looked down. Hades was rubbing against her ankle. "He followed me in here," she said. "I'm sorry." She bent down and scooped him up into her arms. "He won't be any trouble, and I'll take him out with me when I go."
"You know he's not supposed to be in here," James objected. He rose to his feet.
Victoria had the feeling he was going to say more, and she cut him off before he could. "I didn't come here to talk about the cat."
James raised his eyebrows. "Is that right?" It was obvious that he thought her impertinent.
Victoria didn't care. "I came to talk about the gown that you had left in my chambers."
"Was it to your liking? I'm afraid I'm not sure what styles you prefer."
"There's nothing wrong with the style," Victoria told him. "But I didn't need a new gown. I have so many — I have many I have never worn before. Why did you feel the need to buy something new for me? Why didn't you even ask me whether I needed it or not?"
