“Who is he?” she echoed, as though Deena had asked the color of the sky. “Why, Austin Delves, of course. The Duke of Windemere.”
Deena gaped, and the dowager patted her cheek fondly.
“Why are you so surprised, darling?”
“I…I am not.”
“Did you expect someone else?”
“No, I have just been away for so long now it’s surprising to hear that my brother’s best friend has such a reputation.”
“He was just here a moment ago and positively swarmed by his admirers.”
Deena felt the floor tilt beneath her.
Austin is the Velvet Duke.
The nickname she had overheard as a girl, the one the scandal sheets had gleefully repeated for years. The Velvet Duke.Her blackmailer wanted her to expose Austin.Her brother’s best friend and the man she had just left in the library, whose hazel eyes still lingered in her mind far too vividly.
“Austin,” she whispered.
The dowager’s gaze sharpened. “Deena? You’ve gone quite pale.”
“I am perfectly well,” Deena managed. “Only… surprised.”
“Well, brace yourself for another surprise.” The dowager’s smile turned mischievous as she glanced over Deena’s shoulder. “Here he is now, the Velvet Duke in the flesh.”
Deena turned and saw Austin standing a few paces away, impeccably elegant. His dark hair was still slightly disheveled as though someone had run desperate fingers through it, and his expression held a trace of wariness quickly masked by his usual lazy charm.
“Your Grace,” the dowager called brightly, beckoning him forward. “Perfect timing. I have found your partner for the first dance.”
“And who might the lucky lady be?” he asked confidently.
“Why, my darling Deena, of course!”
Austin’s brows lifted when his gaze met Deena’s. She was as surprised as he was.
“Lady Deena,” he said, bowing with exaggerated grace as if they hadn’t already seen each other a few minutes ago. “I see your grandmother is determined to throw us together.”
“Determined is my middle name,” the dowager declared. “And the orchestra is striking up. Off you go, both of you. The floor awaits.”
Before Deena could protest, her grandmother pressed her hand into Austin’s gloved one and gave them a gentle but inexorable push towards the center of the room. Deena noticed the glares of the women around them.
The opening strains of a waltz floated through the air, and Austin’s fingers closed warmly around hers.
“Shall we, Dee?” he murmured softly. “Or would you prefer to continue searching for dangerous secrets elsewhere?”
Her pulse raced beneath his touch, but she kept her wits.
“Oh, Austin. It would be an absolute honor to dance with you.”
His smile curved, slow, and knowing as he led her.
“Then let us dance before the true hunt begins.”
Three
Deena’s lips parted, and she let out a small gasp the moment Austin drew her into their first turn. Every rational thought of his was scattered.
