The year of our Lord 1718
Chapter One
“I know I promised not to meddle in your personal affairs, Ben, but theseasonbegins in six days and you’re theton’smost eligible bachelor!”
Benjamin West, His Grace Duke of Colchester, glanced up from his wooden pawn to his sister, then, without a word, returned to the chess match.
“Ben!” she shrieked loud enough to startle his opponent and long-time friend, Simon Hamilton, Earl of Sudbury. “Just think about attending my ball. All thetonwill be here, and they all want to see you.”
Ben closed his eyes and called for patience.The very last thing he wanted to do was meet a dozen ladies and their mothers all bent on snagging him as a husband. “Prudence,” he said with a tinge of steel in his gaze. “I’m not going. I’ve told you dozens of times. I want no part of–”
“I’m doing this to help you,” she lamented. “Do you want to fulfill Father’s last wish or not, Benjamin? Besides that, you’re eight and twenty! You’re only going to continue to get older!”
At this, Lord Sudbury smiled.
“She isn’t amusing,” Ben murmured, watching the earl move his knight.
“I disagree,” Sudbury replied and looked up to smile at her. Everyone in Colchester House knew Sudbury was in love with Lady Prudence West. Only Ben knew that Sudbury planned to ask her to wed him when his tour of fighting for the king was over the following year.
Ben moved his pawn to black to drive back the knight, also securing an outpost square to defend against enemy knights.
Sudbury sighed and dropped his chin into his palm. “I was distracted.”
“I know,” Ben looked the board over and then lifted his dark gaze to his friend.
“And you went straight for my throat,” Sudbury accused playfully.
“Throat, heart…” Ben shrugged his indigo velvet-clad shoulders … “whatever takes you down.”
“Benjamin!” his sister shrieked.
He rolled his eyes just before he closed them. He should let Sudbury win the game since the poor sot had to be mad to care for her.
“You’ve attracted the attention of the most elite,” the meddlesome wench wore on. “I hear that even the king’s niece is interested in you. Think of Father’s will, and of how proud he would be of you if you wed the king’s niece! You're rich, handsome, and unwed. I’m sure she would fall right into your arms.”
Prudence knew he didn’t want a wife, but she didn’t know why. There would be some time to tell her.
“Colchester,” his friend said and shook his head staring at the board. “How did you capture my knight again! How do you do it every time, and while your sister distracted you?”
“If you truly want to learn, study your surroundings and what I’m doing. We’ve played enough times. I won’t just tell you my strategy.”
“Benjamin,” his sister sniffed. “I don’t have peace because of you.”
He turned his cool gaze on her. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it's true.” Now, tears streamed down her face. “How can I have peace when my brother will disappoint our father’s unfortunate spirit by not marrying into an influential family? When my brother, the only family I have, has no one to care for him?”
Ben drew in a deep breath, having heard it all a thousand times, and mated Sudbury’s king, pushing it to the edge of the board. “Let’s end this,” he told his friend. “Your heart isn’t in it.”
The earl rubbed his fingers over his throat while Ben rose from his chair. “You’re speaking of the game, eh?”
“Pru,” Ben addressed his sister instead of his friend. “I’ll attend your ball–” He had to stop and wait until he could pry her off him. “But, if I don’t find anyone there to my liking, you’ll forget this matchmaking obsession of yours and let me live how I wish to live, as we agreed.”
“Alone?” Her big eyes, the same color chestnut as her hair, grew rounder.
“If that’s what I want,” he said woodenly. He gave her a slight smile, then waited for Sudbury to join him and left the solar.
When he shut the door behind him, he shot his friend a menacing look. “I should have let one of her other suitors wed her and take her from under my feet instead of waiting for you to finish your duty to the king. Before taking her to her new home.”
