Now, it seemed that the Duchess of Hawksford had found happiness in her husband. She was also pregnant with their second child.
Lucy’s chest tightened with longing.
Victoria’s twin sister, Daphne, the Duchess of Wolfcrest, stood slightly behind. She was the more demure of the two, but the twins loved each other fiercely.
“Joshua believes that everything he has been doing is for my own good,” Lucy said with a sigh. “He should not be acting like a dragon. I am not the treasure of London, he thinks I am.”
“Ha!” Victoria exclaimed, raising her eyebrows. “Well, that’s where the Earl and I agree. You are a treasure, Lucy. It’s why you have been attracting a number of suitors. They recognize your unique beauty. Unfortunately, your brother is not letting you explore the possibilities.”
“He is certainly stifling you,” Daphne added, sounding genuinely concerned. Lucy recognized a rare kind of steel in her voice and demeanor. “We’ve witnessed all his deflections, Lucy. He’s made certain that every potential suitor has been dismissed before he can call on you. You are twenty-two, and…”
“Your former bountiful options may be diminishing,” Victoria finished for her twin. “So, we’ve been talking, Daphne and me. We feel like you need some adventure.”
“Adventure?” Lucy echoed, frowning. “I—I just want a courtship and the promise of?—”
She faltered.
The promise of her own family. Joshua often reminded her that they were family and that they were what was left. However, she also wanted something she could call her own. She remembered the moment Victoria, who initially didn’t want to marry, realized she wanted her own household.
“Think about it,” Victoria continued. “You need to feel more like a woman, not a sister, or a ward. Wouldn’t you want to be a woman who could fulfill her own desires?”
“Desires?” Lucy looked at the ribs of her fan, tracing them while admiring the design. “What desires should I hope for? Joshua claims I am happy by his side.”
“Your brother may mean well, but he is not your keeper, nor are you his. I believe I know what the solution is,” Victoria said haughtily.
“Uh, what Vicky means is that we know of a man who might be the answer to your problems,” Daphne explained softly, her eyes darting from left to right as if she was afraid someone was listening to their conversation. “His name is…” She dropped her voice further. “Valentine St. Clair.”
The name was familiar, even though Lucy had not met the man before. However, it was a name that people whispered about far too many times that even she knew that the man was a male escort.
“Y-you can’t possibly be suggesting?—”
Her eyes widened, and her pulse raced in her throat.
The strange thing was that she was not offended at all. Instead, she was titillated by the idea of her—an overprotected lady who would likely remain unmarried after another Season—being associated with a man who peddled pleasure.
“Oh, that’s exactly what we are doing,” Victoria whispered, her eyes gleaming and her smile mischievous—yes, that was exactly what her friend was like. “We aren’t pushing you toward just any man, but someone who not only provides pleasure but also provides companionship and conversation, however much you need to feel like a woman again.”
A woman again? Shouldn’t it be better that she didn’t even know what she was missing? Lucy was completely sheltered because of her brother.
“I—I couldn’t do anything like that,” she spluttered, her heart now racing toward a point she didn’t even know existed. “If Joshua found out, I would be sent to a convent or the countryside. Then, there’s the scandal?—”
She realized that her reasons did not include her feelings. It seemed that if she were given a chance to hide a liaison, she would have. What did it say about her? That was the greater scandal.
“Oh, everything will be ever so discreet,” Daphne promised earnestly.
While Lucy was surprised Victoria would suggest a rendezvous with a male escort, she was shocked Daphne would consider it at all. The Duchess of Wolfcrest was more demure and more likely to follow the rules of society.
“You will be provided with an unmarked carriage. Victoria and Richard’s most loyal coachman will be driving you there, and you’ll pass through a private servants’ entrance. Then, you will stay there in the company of a man who will see you for who you are and for what Joshua wants people to see. You decide what happens. You are in control. Valentine St. Clair won’t do anything you don’t want him to do. Joshua won’t know. The carriage will return you to your bed before sunrise.”
“It’s a way to have some control of your life, even for a few hours, Lucy,” Victoria urged. She took Lucy’s hand into both of hers. “It will be a secret to carry, a means to make your life more thrilling than it has become as of late. Your brother seems intent on making you as stiff as the wooden furniture in your home.”
Lucy almost chuckled at that, if not for the awareness that her brother was not too far from her at the moment. Joshua was standing with three other lords, but his gaze kept flicking back to her, as if she were a toddler who might suddenly disappear.
She let her gaze scan the rest of the ballroom. Men weren’t even looking her way. It seemed that men now felt it was a waste of their time to court her when her brother would more likely find a way to steer her away. Rumors were already circling around that she was a bluestocking who might prefer to become a spinster.
Loneliness suddenly washed over her.
When she looked back to where her friends stood waiting for her response, their duke husbands, Richard and Adrian, appeared. Their eyes were focused on their wives, and their smiles had softened. Earlier, they were merely giving the rest of the ton the face they expected: charming but commanding, but their wives saw their gentlest sides.
