Duke or no, she found him fascinating, and she hadn’t been able to resist slipping out onto the terrace to follow him as soon as her dance had ended. With hastened steps, she had been praying he was still there, and when she’d walked through the open doors and spied him standing there, it had almost unnerved her. She had almost convinced herself that the space would be empty. When it was not, she blurted the first thing that came to mind. Of course, it was about the weather. Such inane chatter likely made her sound like a ninnyhammer, not any better than the empty-headed debutantes that she had befriended inside theballroom. Thankfully, she was quite intelligent. Her father had made sure all his children were properly educated.
She just had to prove to the duke that she was different and worthy of being singled out by his attention. Whether or not her aunt approved, he was still a high-ranking peer. Surely, Aunt Bonnie could overlook the few faults he might possess.
He turned to her and crossed his arms, looking even more imposing. “Yes. I suppose it is. For October.”
“I am not a fan of the rain,” she admitted, and then wanted to shake herself for such a boring comment. While it was true, she was prattling on about theweatheragain, for goodness’ sake. “I find it entirely too… wet.”
Heavens. Perhaps I’m a goose after all.
She could have imagined the slight upturn of his lips right then, but when he spoke, it was apparent that his deep voice held a hint of amusement. “Is it such a terrible thing to be… wet? This is England, after all.”
The fine hairs on the back of Lexie’s neck stood on end. Not because she was fearful of this man, but because of the electricity that seemed to pass between them in that moment. Something told her he wasn’t speaking of the sky opening up when he mentioned being…wet.
She clenched her thighs together at a decided dampness. “Naturally. England is notorious for… rain.”
Good lord.Could she not contrive any other topic thanthis?
It was the duke who took the initiative. He pushed away from the railing and came toward her. Immediately, her throat clenched and she couldn’t speak even should she have wanted to do so. It was as if he’d put some sort of spell upon her. The way his eyes glimmered in the moonlight; she could almost imagine it were so. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
Lexie told herself not to respond, to tell the truth, to act the elusive and mysterious vixen, but instead, she abruptly found her voice and said, “The Duke of Cuthbert.”
He lifted a brow. Either impressed by her honesty or amused by her naivety. She couldn’t discern which. “That seems to leave me at a disadvantage. You are?”
At the prompt, she told herself this was her chance to offer a seductive rejoinder.Perhaps Your Grace will simply have to find out.That would have been the perfect choice.
Instead, the absence was interrupted by the firm tone of her aunt’s voice. “Alexandra! I have been looking for you.” Her eyes widened as she took note of Lexie’s companion. Immediately, Lexie’s heart fell. She wasn’t ready to end her time with the duke, but she had squandered her one opportunity to make a good first impression on this man with her empty conversation. Where was the charming wit she had always prided herself on?
“Come inside at once. There is an urgent matter that requires your attendance.” The older woman didn’t give Lexie a chance to speak as she grasped her arm and nearly dragged her toward the doors to the ballroom. With a helpless roll of her eyes, she hoped that was enough to offer her apologies to the duke.
Touching a hand to his forehead in a silent salute, that was the last she saw of him before her aunt pulled her into the nearest alcove. “What did I tell you about engaging with that man?” Aunt Bonnie hissed. “He is nothing but a bounder. Your father assured me that you were a sensible gel but your actions would prove otherwise.”
Lexie did her best to appear repentant. If she did not, then her aunt might very well decide to wash her hands of her and send her back to the country. Before she’d met the duke she might have decided to do so, but London had gotten much more interesting. She wasn’t ready to leave now. “I am sorry, Aunt. I merely stepped onto the terrace for some air. I didn’t know the duke would be there.”
Her aunt narrowed her eyes and gave a huff of disapproval. “I suppose such encounters cannot be helped. Just see that it doesn’t happen again, and if you find yourself in the same company,quickly turn and walk the other way.” She lifted her chin and said, “We shall take our leave. I daresay I did not prepare myself for such excitement this evening.”
Lexie wanted to groan, but she knew she had no other choice. Nevertheless, she attempted one more ploy. “Must we?” She lifted her arm where her dance card was dangling innocently. “There are more dances that haven’t yet been claimed.”
“The gentlemen will have to find other ladies to stand up with.”
The finality of her aunt’s words pressed into Lexie’s heart.
As they started to walk up the stairs to exit the ballroom, she turned her head one last time to search the crowd for the duke, but he never reappeared in her line of vision.
The next morning,Lexie was having breakfast in the morning room with her aunt when Aunt Bonnie abruptly let out a horrified gasp. Lexie nearly dropped her toast thinking something terrible had happened. “What is it?”
“That… that…man! The utter cheek…!”
Lexie had never heard Aunt Bonnie at a loss for words before, but this morning they seemed to have deserted her. “Er, could you be more specific?—?”
“The Duke of Cuthbert. That’s who!” Her aunt tossed aside the newsprint with a moue of disgust. Lexie, however, was suddenly eager to know what had put her aunt in such a tizzy.
Clearing her throat lightly, she attempted to adopt a neutral tone even if her pulse was suddenly starting to hum with anticipation. “I can’t imagine anything that might give you cause for such a nervous disposition?—”
“Can’t you?” her aunt snapped in a huff. She instantly retrieved the paper and opened it back to the offending piece. “Listen to this.It has been rumored that the irreputable Duke of C—has finally decided to honor his family name by announcing to all and sundry that he is searching for a wife. However, there are certain qualifications that must be met before a possible duchess will be considered.” Again, the paper was thrust aside. “The audacity of the scoundrel to suggest that he find a paragon when his reputation is nearly besmirched beyond repair is quite a tall step in arrogance.”
Lexie shrugged her shoulders as she daintily bit a piece of her toast. “He is an aristocrat, Aunt Bonnie. You warned me that many men would be of a similar bent?—”
The older woman waved away her explanation. “Yes, yes. I know what I said, but when it comes to men like the duke, who has scraped by the edge of respectability behind such a revered title, it makes one doubt if his claims to find a wife are even genuine or another lark meant to amuse society.”
