He gave her no answer. At least not at first.
Rather, the Duke studied her closely. His dark eyes looked her over, assessing her, almost as if he was trying to find her worth. It was a humbling feeling, the sense that he could see right through her.
“I might ask you the same,” he said finally.
“I am here because I have no choice.”
“And there you have it,” he said with a deep sigh. “You have no choice. Nor do I.”
Lucy frowned. “That is not… but you are a duke. You can do as you please, how you please it.” She scoffed. “Which leads me back to my original assumption of you and your actions…” A raised eyebrow in question.
“Believe what you will,” he said simply, caring not for her judgement. He was just so cool like that, emotionless, and in complete control of himself in ways that she envied. “As I said, I do not make a habit of defending myself. I find there is often no point for those who have made up their minds in advance.”
Lucy wished to argue further… in fact, she found that she was enjoying doing so. As strange as it was to consider, she was not nearly so turned off by the Duke as she wanted to be. He was, for all intents and purposes, different to every other man here.
However, before she got the chance to do so, she noticed something.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. She looked past the Duke, and her stomach dropped with the realization of what had happened… what she had been trying so desperately to avoid.
Standing in the corner as she was, she and the Duke were alone. They had separated themselves from the rest of the party in a way that was not purposeful but looked as if it was, and there was more than one guest watching them.
While that might not have mattered, it waswhowatched them that did.
Lord Barrington stood with her father. He must have gone and searched him out! Worse, he had pulled her father forward and was now showing him the way that the two spoke in such isolation. As Lord Barrington and her father watched on, Lady Fairvale joined them, and she looked delighted to see Lucy and the Duke talking too closely.
“What?” the Duke asked when he saw her face drop. “What is wrong?”
“Oh no,” was all Lucy could say as she noticed more of the guests taking note of them, smiles on their faces, humor in their eyes. “Oh no…”
Lucy had come here tonight with the express purpose of staying hidden, keeping a low profile, and escaping without incident. And now, she knew, such plans were an utter failure.
