“I have rules,” Octavia clarified. “Ten to be exact, which I settled upon after watching Society all these years. I can assure you that when this Season ends, no one will ever know that I at any time had a lover.”
“One lover? Not several,” Lavinia clarified.
Octavia allowed a smile. “One, for now. We will see what progresses beyond. This Season, instead of hunting for a husband as my first, it will be all about finding the perfect rake.”
Angelo stepped from beyond the bushes as the women returned inside, their voices fading. One was named Lavinia, but she was not the one in search of a lover. It was the other woman.
Blast, he had only been able to listen, not see, so he had no idea if the mysterious woman was wearing teal or emerald.
They turned once they entered the ballroom and Angelo hastened to catch up so that he could keep the two within his sights. He lifted a glass of wine from a tray as a servant passed and watched as the women crossed the ballroom, stopping only when they reached the Duke of Claybrook.
It was then that they turned, and Angelo could not help but grin. Lady Kepple was in search of a lover. Not just any lover, but an attentive one, which he most certainly was.
This would not be the first time that he had stood back and admired her midnight hair and light blue eyes or appreciated the fullness of her bodice. Lady Kepple had caught his eye her very first Season twelve years ago, when she had been Lady Octavia Tilson. They were of the same age, but as a female, she was required to wed, which she did that first year. As he was a gentleman, there was no rush.
Well, there had not been one until this year.
However, as this was his last Season, he was going to enjoy every moment, which included widows, brandy, gambling and all the sins of excess a gentleman could enjoy before he was forced to wed and his life came to an end. He would also look for a potential wife, as he had promised. However, Angelo had no intention of courting anyone until the end of the Season and through autumn, even if it meant traveling to her home. He would then propose in November, which would leave him just enough time to marry by Christmas.
Given Lady Kepple was in search of a lover, she would be the first of what Angelo hoped would be many, and he would prove to her that the pleasantness she experienced once upon a time was not imagined and that intimacy could be far more than merely pleasant.
Rules! Lady Kepple had mentioned rules and he was quite interested in learning what they were, and if any were worth breaking.
He sipped the wine while he continued his study.
The first rule she mentioned was discretion, and one that he could fully support. After all he never kissed and told. If a lady mentioned his name, he’d not deny an encounter, but he would never be the first to speak of what may have been shared, and no matter how much the lady may confess of their activities, he never confirmed details.
In fact, he never did anything overtly scandalous in the eyes of the ton. While at functions, he was respectable, danced with misses ready to wed as well as widows looking for bed sport. Some widows he escorted into gardens, but only at their request. Sometimes he even left a ball with a widow, but again, only at their request. He simply wished to please whether it meant that they met secretly or did not care if all of Society knew.
Now, the woman that he had desired over the years wished for a discreet lover and Angelo would be quite happy to be of service.
“I hear you are to wed by Christmas,” Percy Grey, Viscount Shrewsbury said as he came to stand beside Angelo. Shrewsbury was a cousin, his mother being a sister to Angelo’s father. With him was Jordan Trent.
“Marriage is far more enjoyable than I ever thought possible,” Trent offered.
“You must say that because you are married to our cousin,” Shrewsbury retorted.
“I would not lie.” Trent placed a hand over his heart.
Angelo believed him. Trent had been a rake of the first order until he met Audrey. Then he had a complete change in behavior. But such instances were rare.
“Are you considering one of Claybrook’s sisters?” Trent asked.
Lady Kepple did have two younger sisters who were on the marriage mart, but they were not the ones who had captured his attention.
“I am not considering anyone yet.”
“I understand their names were on a list your mother drew up,” Shrewsbury laughed.
“My mother has a bloody list?” Angelo asked with irritation.
“Yes, as does my mother. They worked on it together.”
“Are you being forced to wed this year as well?” Angelo asked.
“No. My mother is just hopeful that I will do so.”
Angelo studied the Tilson family. Besides Claybrook, who he knew, were the two younger sisters, two older sisters and the duke’s twin, Crispin, who had wed Miss Vanessa Claxton earlier that day. It was then that he realized that he’d not seen the family last year and didn’t know why.
