CHAPTER 1
October 15, 1825
London, England
“Keep your distance fromthatone.”
Lady Alexandra Givenwald turned to see her aunt nodding toward a new arrival who had just entered the ballroom. As she glanced in the direction her companion had indicated, her focus instantly fixated on the tall dark-haired gentleman in question as she murmured, “Whyever not?”
Her aunt huffed. “Because he is the worst bounder in London! A true scoundrel if there ever was one. He’s a consummate rake who has no conscious thought of others. He’s ruined more than one lady’s reputation, but it doesn’t even seem to faze him. I speculate he has no number of morals left to speak of to have such a crass demeanor. I cannot believe that Lady Westcott would dare to invite him to her autumn ball, except that he is a duke and cousin to King George IV, which, I suppose, gives him a proper entrée in that regard.”
Lexie couldn’t help rolling her eyes. She loved her AuntBonnie dearly, but sometimes, she could be rather dramatic and particularly severe against those regarding whom she contrived a strong opinion. “Are you sure your sources aren’t based ontongossip? You know as well as I do that London likes to stir the pot for their own amusements.”
Her aunt glared at her, the blue eyes so similar to Lexie’s widening with rebuke. “Don’t be vulgar! And no, I am not exaggerating. Trust me when I warn you to give that man a wide berth. And if he approaches you, no one would think ill of you should you give him the cut direct.” With that, she patted her gray hair and found her attention caught by something beyond Lexie’s shoulder. “Ah. Margaret is here. Find something to amuse you while I take a moment to converse with my dear friend.”
Lexie wanted to snort as her aunt moved away. Converse might as well be code for gossip, because Lady Margaret Limewood was one of the worst in London. Lexie firmly believed that is where her aunt regained most of her “valid” information, which was likely fabricated highly, of course.
Since Lexie had been in London, she had to admit some of her anticipation for the little season this autumn was starting to wane. She had expected dashing gentlemen and women who were of a similar bent. Instead, she had discovered vapid debutantes with little to recommend them in the way of conversation and titled men who were not the handsome rogues she had anticipated.
All but one.
Her gaze was drawn once more through the crowd to where the mysterious, dreadful duke was conversing with another gentleman. She did not readily recall his name, but she remembered upon introduction that he was married. If the duke was such a rake as her aunt claimed, then why should he waste his time speaking to someone who could no longer openly carouse?
The duke was also the only choice, thus far, who intrigued her. She would be lying if his reputation didn’t strike someinterest as well, but for someone who had lived her entire life in the sheltered countryside, she was eager to engage in some flirtation and a bit of revelry. Her aunt would be shocked to learn her heart was so wild, but Lexie had always been a free spirit. She had not come to London with the sole purpose of securing a husband, no matter if that was what she had claimed. She wanted to experiencelife.
Her eyes remained focused on the duke, and she realized that this was the man who could teach her everything she wanted to know. Unfortunately, the one spark of entertainment had been forbidden, so she was forced to search for other means of distraction.
And yet…
A quadrille was currently taking place, and since she had been left to her own devices, her aunt couldn’t stop her from finding a way to gain an introduction to the duke. However, she had to be a bit covert about how she might gain his attention. It had to seem an accident so that she couldn’t be held directly responsible should her aunt witness them conversing.
She pondered her options for a moment and decided that the best thing was to offer the pretense of moving toward the refreshment table, which just happened to be right beyond where the duke was standing. If she casually meandered about the edge of the room, she could easily become “jarred” by someone and fall right into his arms.
Her lips twitched on a smile. It was a perfect plan.
Seeing success in her vision, Lexie headed forward. She kept her attention on the duke, but a bit more covertly. She didn’t want to be obvious in her attentions because if word returned to the duke, any chance she might have to gain his notice would be spoiled. She had grown up trying to gain her father’s regard for years and only when she despaired of ever doing so had he finally started to engage in conversation a bit more. So while her experience with men was limited to the Marquess of Singleton and thehandful of male servants he had employed, she decided it was enough for a “chance” encounter.
She smoothed her skirts, grateful that she’d chosen a mint ensemble this evening. While she despised pastels, at least she felt that green complimented her light hair. And the emeralds brought out the sparkle in her blue eyes, perhaps slightly disguising their true color by their reflection.
Moving easily through the throng of guests, she was grateful that she wasn’t so petite in stature that she couldn’t keep an eye on her quarry in his black and white formal attire. She was finding it increasingly difficult to turn her gaze away as she drew nearer to him because it was obvious he was quite tall, and those broad shoulders had no need of padding. Her heart thrilled at the prospect of securing such a handsome man, regardless if Bonnie thought he was a poor choice. He was infinitely preferable to the rest of the men present, and for the first time since her arrival in London a week ago, her spirits had finally lifted. But it wasn’t hope that was rushing through her veins. It was excitement, the idea that she might actually trap the prowling panther before he had a chance to realize he was being targeted.
Her lips curved upward in another smile as she drew closer. She would have to quickly avert her eyes should he spy her approach, but thus far, he seemed to be engaged in a highly in-depth conversation. She would certainly have to ensure she bumped him lightly if he didn’t sense that someone was watching him. But surely, he wouldn’t be so oblivious? She should hate to act like a fumbling ninny when she had always been confident of herself. Thankfully, she had outgrown the insecurities that had plagued her as a child. She did not want to feel that way ever again, as if she was not merely ignored, but seen and quickly passed over.
Each step had her breath becoming shallower. She was nearly abreast of her target now. She could hardly wait for the moment he turned his dark head and set his eyes upon her. Would theyflash with approval? She would certainly be devastated if it were the opposite. But she supposed if this man roamed London there could be more with whom she hadn’t yet gained an introduction.
The music was starting to draw to a close and she knew she had to hurry if she didn’t want to be inundated with people returning to the sidelines to find their next partner. She couldn’t let this paragon of sin and vice slip through her fingers, not until she had made herself known to him. She wanted him to remember her name and her face and dream about her every night until he whisked her away on his noble steed.
Very well, that was probably doing it a bit brown. She had never been that sort of extreme romantic. But itwouldbe nice should he sweep her into a dark corner and kiss her senseless.
She bit her lip, fantasizing about that very moment when the music stopped and the conversation began to buzz around her once again.
She lifted her skirts and closed the remaining distance between her and the duke, but when she heard her name called, she had no choice but to mumble a curse beneath her breath and turn to glance at the speaker. “Yes?”
It was a middle-aged earl something-or-other and he smiled broadly at her, as if she was already the prize he’d managed to win. Lexie understood that sometimes convenient matches were made as opposed to love matches, but she had to draw the line when it came to someone old enough to be her father. She had just turned twenty, and while some would say she was in danger of being on the shelf if she didn’t wed soon, she was perfectly content to keep her options open.
And they didn’t include the earl.
However, if she didn’t play by the rules of society and conduct herself with decorum, she would soon be ostracized, which meant shipped back to her father’s estate in shame. Since she didn’t want to waste the opportunity she’d been given, she forceda smile to her face as she allowed the earl to take her hand and bestow a kiss upon her glove.
