“It will be the last large event of the Little Season,” his other sister, Julia, added. “You really should put in an appearance to show the world you’re still alive.”
“No!” He drew himself up to his full, impressive height and said sternly, “I don’t want to hear either of you use the world ‘should’ to me! I am the fifth Duke of Castleton and the head of the family and I will not be dictated to by a pair of unruly females!”
His sisters smiled at him, completely unintimidated. “But you are the youngest,” his petite, dark-haired sister Julia pointed out with misleading innocence. “Since I was gone for so long, I have many years’ worth of ‘shoulds’ to deliver.”
Athena grinned. “Given that I’m illegitimate and didn’t meet you until I was a grown woman, I have trouble seeing you as head of my family. In fact, after Will and I married, we agreed that our household would have no head, only a partnership of equals.”
Anthony smiled ruefully as he sat at the table with his plate of food and accepted a cup of steaming tea from Julia. Though the three of them shared similar features and dark hair with a hint of auburn, they hadn’t known one another well, which was why he’d suggested these fortnightly sibling breakfasts when they were all in town. He was very fond of both his brothers-in-law, but these gatherings were just for the three children of the rather dreadful fourth Duke of Castleton. It hadn’t taken long for the bond of blood to lead to relaxed, teasing relationships.
But Anthony’s delightful big sisters did have a lamentable tendency to tell him what to do. “We’ve reached an impasse. You won’t become meek and obedient at my request and neither will I, which means I won’t go to another annoying ball.”
Both women laughed and Athena said, “Meekness seems to have been left out of the Raines family bloodline.”
“True, but you really should get out more, Anthony,” Julia said more seriously. “You’re turning into a hermit.”
“And you two seem to be turning into matchmakers who want me to find a wife and secure the succession and all that nonsense,” he said dryly.
“I have no interest in whether you’ll produce an heir to the noble Castleton title,” Julia said. “But marriage to the right person is a very fine thing, and you seem to enjoy my two children a great deal. You won’t ever meet that right person if you avoid all social occasions.”
Having seen the bond between his sisters and their mates, he understood their desire to proselytize, but their situations were very different. “Neither of you had a London season. You were both fortunate enough to meet the right mate far from all that nonsense under circumstances that allowed you to discover each other in a down-to-earth way.”
“I’m not sure that is how I would describe Will’s courtship of me,” Athena said with amusement. “But we did come to know each other quickly and well. Explain to me what a London season is like.”
He grimaced. “To be an eligible duke is like being a fox surrounded by a pack of slavering hounds anxious to rip you to shreds. Only in my case, it’s gimlet-eyed mothers presenting their daughters like choice riding hacks. Insipid maidens trying desperately to prove that they are perfectly suited to become my duchess. They giggle and bat their eyelashes a lot. The bolder ones might turn up in my bed at a house party, so I always take my valet as a witness when I retire in a strange house. When I’m sure there are no lurking females, I lock my door before I go to sleep.”
“Really?” Julia asked in horrified fascination.
“Really,” he confirmed. “The boldest are the widows who try to lure me into a dark alcove so they can . . .” He paused to find words that weren’t too indelicate. “So they can grope my body. As if I will find a stranger’s hand down my breeches alluring!”
Both his sisters winced. “I thought only women had to endure being mauled by arrogant brutes,” Athena said.
“Usually, but being a duke pins a target on my back.” He frowned. “Society needs better manners for both men and women.”
Julia said, “To make it worse, you’re presentable looking and generally quite affable. No wonder you’re stalked by avaricious females and their mothers.”
“And no wonder you’ve been put off of love and marriage.” Athena cocked her head curiously. “Have you ever fallen in love?”
He hesitated, unsure of how much to say. “Infatuation once. I even asked her to marry me, but she turned me down, thereby proving that not all women are avaricious.”
“Perhaps not, but she must have been a fool,” Julia said loyally.
He shrugged, wishing he hadn’t raised the subject. “She said I was too young, and she was right.” A pity he’d never met a woman to compare with her since....
“I understand that you don’t want to be hunted, but this is a good argument for going to the Vances’ ball,” Athena said seriously. “It’s a masquerade, so you can enjoy yourself in safety because you won’t be recognized as prey. You can leave before the unmasking, but who knows? You might meet someone whose company you enjoy and you can meet face-to-face later.”
“I do like dancing,” Anthony admitted. And life had been rather dull of late. “Very well, you’ve convinced me. I’ll attend in peaceful anonymity.”
“What costume will you wear?” Julia asked.
“A mask and domino will do. I have a couple of them around somewhere.”
“That’s not good enough if anyone is stalking you.” Julia considered. “What about dressing as a monk swathed in miles of robe?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think of myself as arrogant, but I doubt I could carry off humility convincingly.”
“And sandals would be cold at this season,” Julia said. “What about going as Byron’s Corsair? A ‘man of loneliness and mystery.’ Utterly thrilling!”
“Really, Julia! There’s no mystery about me; I’m a rather dull and dutiful duke,” he protested. “Nor am I particularly lonely. I have friends and rather too much work keeping me busy.”
