“The Velvet Duke is searching for a wife?”
“Impossible!”
“Who do you suppose he will choose?”
Austin bowed with practiced elegance, his smile a perfect blend of charm and apology.
The dowager countess gave a low, knowing laugh. “Run while you can, Your Grace. We shall corner you yet.”
He inclined his head, amusement glinting in his eyes. “I look forward to the chase, my lady. Truly.”
And with that, Austin turned away before any other hopeful young lady or ambitious mother could tighten the circle or snare him with another invitation. His stride carried him across the room, unhurried but purposeful, straight towards the one woman who had not tried to catch him at all. She had not joined the swarm. Instead, she stood alone until the Dowager returned to her. Austin stopped a few paces away, studying her profile as the Dowager whispered something in her ear.
She is familiar.
Austin knew that she was not a debutante; she carried herself with too much assurance. And yet… something about the set of her chin, the way she held her shoulders…
He took one more step.
She sensed him, and her eyes lifted and met his without a trace of flutter or blush.
Something in him tightened. Austin knew this sensation well—the moment a hunt began. And when the Dowager finally left the young woman’s side, he glided towards her.
“Good evening—” he started, but the mysterious woman suddenly whipped around and walked away.
Austin sighed loud enough to draw attention. It seemed like finding a wife was not going to be easy.
He slipped away from the ballroom, weaving through the bright chatter and rustle of silk until he reached the quieter corridor beyond. The library was his usual escape from the claws of the hungry ladies. A single branch of candles burned on a side table and its dim lights offered some comfort, but Austin stilled when he spottedherby a nearby shelf.
She stood on her tiptoe, trying and failing to reach a high shelf. He admired the way the firelight caught the reddish glints in her hair. Then he stepped inside and closed the door with a soft click.
“Escaping the fray as well, I see,” he broke the silence. “Or are you hunting for something more dangerous than husbands?”
She turned smoothly, notebook in hand, and he spotted a hint of green in her piercing eyes. If she was startled by his presence, she hid it well. There was no start of alarm and no maidenly gasp, only a faint, knowing smile.
“Your Grace,” she said, dipping the shallowest of curtsies. “It is good to see you again. And timely. I could use your help.”
He arched a brow, leaning against a nearby table with deliberate ease. “Again? Have we met then? Because I am certain I would remember a woman who greets a notorious bachelor in a darkened library without a chaperone in sight.” For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed his mind that he might have bedded her in some forgotten interlude of his past; yet he dismissed it at once. A woman like her was not the sort a man ever forgot.
Her smile widened, a touch wry. “Oh, we have met. Many times. Though I was considerably shorter and less interesting then.”
He tilted his head, studying her openly. “You intrigue me. Most young ladies would be fluttering for their vinaigrettes by now.”
“I am hardly a young lady,” she replied, setting the book aside. “And I have no intention of marrying,ever, so your reputation poses no threat to me.”
Austin felt slightly disappointed.
“Then we are perfectly matched for an evening’s conversation,” he murmured, stepping closer. “But you said you needed help. What service may the Duke of Windemere render?”
She hesitated for only a moment, then lifted her chin. “I am… compiling information on certain scandalous lords oftheton. With an eye towards publishing it, anonymously, you understand. A cautionary volume for innocent debutantes.”
He laughed softly, genuinely delighted. “A lady pamphleteer of vice? My lady, you grow more fascinating by the minute. And you wish my contribution?”
“Discreetly, yes. You move in circles, I do not. I am sure that you hear things.” Her gaze sharpened. “For instance, there is a gentleman known as the Wolf Duke. I’ve heard whispers of his exploits, but nothing concrete enough for print.”
Austin folded his arms, letting his voice drop to a conspiratorial drawl. “The Wolf Duke. He was a silent seducer, or so they used to say. That was until he married. Before his darling wife entered his life, he was always a bit of a… mysterious fellow.”
“Exactly,” she said, leaning in toward him. “If you know anything of his secrets, anything beyond gossip, I should like to hear it.”
