“Did you know the woman who brought Lady Redhill here?”
“She is Dame Beatrice, and she is my friend. She was my lookout in case someone like Lady Redhill became nosy.”
His stance didn’t soften. “She isn’t good at her job.”
“She slowed Lady Redhill down,” Celeste pointed out. “And now, I believe I should leave.” Especially after that kiss. She was still dazed over it. She stood, thankful her legs now held her weight, and would have walked out the door, except he stopped her.
“Lady Redhill is outside. She will wait for someone to leave this room and then pounce on them.”
This sounded like something the woman would do. “Why does she dislike you so much?”
“Because she and her daughter attempted to trap me into marriage, but I escaped. They had to settle on Alton instead. Hedoesn’t have the money I have, and well, he’s Alton.” Lord Alton was universally reviled as a bore with very bad breath.
Celeste frowned. “What do we do? We must leave this room eventually. We can’t outwait her.”
“There is always an exit.” He walked over to one of the room’s large windows. It had already been cracked open. He lifted the sash higher, then offered his hand. “My lady?”
Celeste glanced at the door and realized he was right. Lady Redhill would do anything to know whom he had been kissing. Celeste crossed to him and took his hand. He swept her up as if she weighed nothing and dropped her gently into the garden, the earth soft beneath her slippers.
He jumped down beside her.
Not far, on the other side of a clump of clipped evergreens, was a terrace along the back of the house. Guests were milling about there, laughing and enjoying themselves.
“Join them,” he ordered.
“What of you?”
“I have other plans.”
“You’re leaving the ball?”
“I’m leaving.” He still sounded angry.
Wishing to keep the peace between them, she said, “I am certain you have a right to be distrustful of women, but not of me. I sincerely want you to help with my charity. I have no other motive”
The duke made a noncommittal sound.
The reaction annoyed her. “I am not responsible for Lady Redhill’s animosity toward you. However, I do need you to be the lead patron of my charity. There is no other sponsor who will attract subscribers the way I know you can. To be honest, Lady Redhill will do everything in her power to see that I don’t succeed since I am acting without her approval.”
Another grunt.
Celeste felt her temper sizzle. “Your Grace, please?—”
“Stop,” he commanded. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Your request is unusual and I don’t know how I fell about the matter. However, I wish to be alone now. Can you see your way over to the terrace and rejoin the ball? It would be awkward if we were seen together.”
“Yes, of course I can,” Celeste replied, chastened.
Before Lady Redhill had barged in, she had been hopeful for his patronage. Now, she sensed he held her responsible for her ladyship’s brashness. It was unfair, but the decision to help was his—unfortunately. “Let me know what you decide,” she said, dismissing him as bluntly as he had dismissed her.
She started walking toward the path leading to the terrace. In spite of her pride, she could not resist one backward glance at him. He’d taught her many things this evening, one of them being how potent a kiss could truly be except, the duke no longer stood where she’d left him. He had disappeared into the garden’s shadows.
4
Oliver let himself out through a back gate. He strode down the passageway and out onto a side street. He didn’t bother fetching his hat. It was more important that he moved.
This had been a devil of a night—from his dismissal by Liverpool and Robinson, to Lady Redhill’s spitefulness, to Lady Celeste’s request for him to be the lead patron of her non-existent charity. It galled him that Lady Celeste might be the only person to take him seriously.
His mind churned with angry thoughts. He wasn’t heading home. He didn’t care where he went or that the streets were growing darker. After all, he was theDragon, a bit of silliness that had once made him feel—what? Accepted? Safe? That was a laugh.
