“I believe our dance is next.”
Lexie wanted to inspect the card dangling innocently from her wrist, but she had to concede that the earl was probably right. “Of course. But if you don’t mind, I was just heading for some punch?—”
“Allow me,” he said pleasantly and offered his arm to her.
She reluctantly threaded her arm through his.
As they turned back to her original destination, she felt her heart sink.
The villainous duke was no longer there.
Drat.
She wanted to stamp her foot in frustration.
A quick scan of the area proved that he wasn’t close by, so any hope that she could “bump” into him was lost as well.
As the earl gathered her punch, she took a few sips out of politeness alone and allowed him to escort her to the floor where, thankfully, another country dance was starting to play.
Although Lexie didn’t care for her partner, he didn’t make any suggestive comments or lewd remarks while they danced, for which she was grateful. She wasn’t sure she could accept defeatandunwanted advances.
As she waited for part of the line to move, Lexie happened to glance toward the terrace doors leading to the gardens. Her pulse fluttered when she spied a dark shadow slipping out into the night air. She snapped to attention in enough time to resume her steps so she didn’t make a fool of herself, but her mind was whirling with the prospect of cornering the elusive duke once again. It would certainly be easy enough to slip outside for a breath of air. No one would consider that odd in the least.
Satisfied that she had put a second plan into place, she quite enjoyed the rest of the dance.
Dominic Eastland,the Duke of Cuthbert, watched the intriguing woman from the shadows of the terrace doors. He had felt her stare on him from the moment he had appeared at the ball and while most of thetonwhispered about him and his misdeeds, this was the first time he had been able to feel his skin crawl. But no, he supposed that wasn’t the proper term, because he hadn’t felt disgusted by her regard in the least. In truth, it was the first time in a long time the stirrings of lust had traveled through his body.
Unfortunately, it was too risky to form any sort of attachment to the lady because not only was his society reputation quite lurid, but the life he kept carefully guarded was one shrouded in danger. He was known in those circles as Avalon, the leader of the Blue Boys gang in the East End. They were some of the worst cutthroats, feared by the most hardened criminals. Even the Bow Street Runners gave them a wide berth. Because of this, Avalon was afforded many freedoms, but he was finding that trying to lead two separate lives was starting to take its toll. He’d found it amusing two years ago when he’d taken up the reins and held private meetings at his office at the Crown and Sceptre pub in Whitechapel. He had always fought against the strictures that his title had placed upon him.
On a lark, some years ago, he’d dressed up as a commoner and headed to the streets to experience a different side of London. He’d nearly paid the cost with his life. For some reason that he had never been able to fathom, he was spared and instead, offered a position within the coveted gang. It had been the outlet he’d been searching for, and although it was believed that they actually committed all the misdeeds that had been rumored, most of it was highly fabricated. But the gossip helped to secure his standing within the ranks and the ability to move about the East End and take care of the true mischief makers.
The same sort of luck had been extended to his position in the dukedom. Most gave him a wide berth because they thought him a true ne’er-do-well. While they might not have been far off the mark in that regard, Dominic was grateful for the opportunity to slip away from society at a moment’s notice and no one batted an eyelash at his disappearance. Most likely breathed a sigh of relief that his presence wouldn’t have to be tolerated.
Together, his two personas had found a way to be compatible. Since he could move freely about in both sides of society, he’d been able to gain a lot of knowledge. Most of it was written in a journal that he kept in a secret location, known only to him. Should he ever find himself on the opposite side of the law or the king’s favor, he would have a winning hand to play to secure his freedom.
However, as the pressure to find a wife and do his duty by his line was starting to increase, Dominic had decided that it was time to choose a successor for the Blue Boys. After the betrayal of his former right hand, he’d appointed Amos the honor of becoming his second. He had come to know the man quite well after a recent altercation with him and the infamous Mr. Drake Porter. Their interaction had ended quite amicably, more so than he might have anticipated. Drake was known to be just as ruthless as Dominic in his dealings, but it was his new bride that had managed to rein in the scoundrel.
Dominic had been envious of Drake’s attachment to Miss Fleur Davies, but when it became evident the lady was steadfast in her devotion to Porter, he had ceased his pursuit and stepped back. But it hadn’t ceased Dominic’s wondering if he might ever be so fortunate to discover the same sort of all-consuming love. He had enjoyed lust, certainly, but always when the fire died down, he was searching for his next conquest.
He searched out the woman once more and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t recall seeing her before and that was the first warning he ought to have heeded. A new debutante in Londonwould only cause trouble. She was likely an innocent, searching for a wealthy husband and eager to settle down and start a family. While he had plenty in his coffers, he wasn’t quite ready to become a father just yet. Just the prospect terrified him. Thinking back to when he was ten years old and he’d watched them lower his father’s coffin into the family plot with a sense of relief had never made him eager to repeat the devastation of his childhood. It was likely the only reason that his mother had borne Dominic and his brother, Edmund. While Dominic had always been the heir and Edmund the spare, Edmund was the one who had succumbed to illness when he was just fourteen. That was a death that was a bit more difficult for Dominic to witness. He had always been close to his younger brother even if Edmund had dealt with ill health most of his life.
These days, his mother was all that was left, and she never came to London for any reason. She remained at the estate and spent her days in seclusion reading or doing needlepoint. Dominic had never pried about why she had closed herself off from the rest of the world. He doubted that it was her husband’s death that had caused her melancholy. It might not have even been Edmund’s. The truth could be that she was just grateful to have a rest and let the rest of the world fade into oblivion.
It could have been a challenging time for Dominic, watching her withdrawal, but being sent to school was his saving grace. He was spared the horrors of home.
He knew that was where some of his worst rebellion had come into play. However, there was nothing he could do for his actions now but try to make a fresh start. He told himself he wanted to change, to become an honorable man like Porter had managed to accomplish. He’d set all his misdeeds aside and, the last Dominic knew, he was living a fairytale life with his new wife, Fleur.
Dominic moved away from the ballroom and walked to the stone balustrade that surrounded the terrace. He set his hands ontop of the cool stone and exhaled slowly. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he was far from being the prince from a children’s story. He would surely be cast as the villain, but he intended to change all of that very soon. He intended to hand the responsibility of the Blue Boys to Amos or his son, Devon. He had come to trust both men quite highly and he knew that they would carry the gang in the right direction without letting them fall prey to the worst of temptations that lay in the East End.
Looking out over the darkened gardens beyond, Dominic was starting to ponder the next move his life might take, when the voice of an angel spoke up behind him.
“Lovely night, is it not?”
CHAPTER 2
Lexie’s heart was pounding so fiercely, she was tempted to put a hand over it to ensure it stayed within her chest.
But now that she was standing there, in front of the society devil, she could certainly imagine why many might think he was such a ruthless villain. With his towering height, slightly tousled dark hair, and those equally dark eyes that seemed to bore right into her very soul, he was intimidating. But he was also—dare she even think it—tempting?
