“You must agree that it was poor taste of Lady Groveton to appear at the opera so soon after her husband’s death,” Emrys said.
“And in such an abominable gown,” Vera added with disdain.
Arabella nodded, eager to end the night and stop pretending that she liked the insufferable Lady Pembleton. She was ready to relay that to the Duke when she realized that he was tense beside her. He wasn’t looking at her or Emrys like he had been doing all night. Instead, he was focusing on the man at the foot of the stairs by a big marble column.
Arabella followed his look, and she saw a man who had a striking resemblance to the Duke. The man had none of Gerald’s formidable build or the same air of power, but they were sharing the same shade of green. It was almost too particular to be a coincidence.
“You must excuse me for a moment,” Gerald said abruptly and left their company.
For the first time since they entered the carriage to go to the Pembletons, he abandoned her on her own. It was so sudden she felt the empty space beside her as if something was missing.
She followed him with her look, going down the stairs and standing in front of this man. Whoever he was, he was truly challenging his luck. The look he gave Gerald was deeply arrogant, a taunting tilt of his lips conveying that he was all but laughing in Gerald’s face.
“Isn’t that…?” Vera said, as she was examining the very same thing that had caught Arabella’s attention.
“Well, it must be,” Emrys replied.
Arabella sensed that the worst course of action was to ask the Pembletons, even if she was burning with curiosity. She could sense that this man was clearly affecting Gerald. It was in the way that his shoulders squared and his hand curled into a fist. If she didn’t know for a fact that the Duke possessed immense self-control, she would have feared that he was going to fight.
“It is a pity to see brothers be this hostile,” Vera said.
Brothers? Arabella was surprised. But then again, she could see the family resemblance. So this must have been the brother that Gerald had kicked out of his house along with his stepmother. The infamous incident that earned him his moniker.
Looking at him reacting to seeing his brother, the last word that came into her mind was ruthless. Yes, he seemed quite hostile, but in a more defensive way. It was as if he was expecting an attack and was not going to take it lying down.
She didn’t have more time to ponder on this occasion because the Duke came back, and soon he guided her to their carriage. They said the good night pleasantries with the Pembletons, and he helped her in.
The moment the door of the carriage was closed, it was as if he dropped the mask immediately. For Arabella, it was so fascinating to watch him go from a respectable gentleman to a tired man. And somehow, something warmed her heart to see him let go in her presence.
Arabella realized that she was married to a man whom she knew practically nothing about. And she found herself eager to know more about him to understand him. But she was not sure that the feelings were mutual.
CHAPTER 18
Mission Accomplished
“Iwas just about ready to tell you to end the night, Your Grace,” Arabella decided to break the silence.
The carriage continued rolling through the quiet London streets. Gerald did not respond. He simply stared out the window, his expression distant.
“I pride myself that I have endless resilience when it comes to the gentry’s cruel commentary on other people, but those limits were seriously tested tonight.”
Still nothing. The Duke remained focused on the passing darkness outside.
“Then again, it was the rather unfortunate incident of Vera growing antlers in the middle of the conversation.”
Arabella threw in something absurd to verify that the Duke was not listening to even a word she was saying.
“It would have been a great spectacle if it didn’t interfere with her coiffure,” she kept her ruse, quite amused to see him so distracted. “Such a shame to see a perfectly good hairdo so ungraciously disturbed by antlers, don’t you think, Your Grace?”
The Duke turned to her, confused.
“Excuse me, did you say antlers?” His tone was more teasing than irritated.
“I should like to welcome you into the conversation,” Arabella smiled.
“So you did say antlers.”
“I had to gain your focus somehow, Your Grace. It was either this or check for a pulse.”
