“You don’t need to flatter me, Duke. I already approve, of course.”
Will’s brow furrowed. Then why was he wasting his time wooing her?
“Let the girl have her fun for a few more weeks,” the earl continued, as if he were able to read Will’s thoughts. “Before she takes on the role of a wife. I am given to understand it can be quite taxing,” he added with a smirk.
“Of course,” Will replied softly.
Lord Fairbanks had been a close friend of the old duke and mentored Will when he first took his seat in Parliament more than half a decade ago. He had been barely a man, fresh out of Oxford and still finding his feet in a world he had been thrust into just two years before. Will always enjoyed healthy political debate in school, or at the dinner table, but once he was in a position to actuallydosomething, he was overwhelmed. The earl was a powerful member of the Conservatives and though they didn’t always see eye to eye, Will owed him a debt of gratitude for his guidance for so many years.
It was only natural now that Will was of an age to marry that he would consider Lady Gwen. She was beautiful, refined, and had been raised from the cradle to be a duchess. The earl had also made no secret of his desire to see Will hold the highest office in the land, and promised she would be a valuable asset and support his political ambitions.
Will wasn’t entirely sure he evenwantedto be prime minister—being a duke was more than enough work on its own–but he had learned it was always better to be prepared for both the expectedand the accidental. Though some might argue that was impossible, Will had arranged his life in such a way that he would never again be at the mercy of something as erratic as fate.
“Just a few more weeks of this nonsense and you can announce your engagement,” Fairbanks continued. “My wife is hoping for an early June wedding. Something about the peonies being in season.”
Will cleared his throat. That was rather soon.
The earl raised an eyebrow at his noticeable silence. “I thought youwanteda short engagement.”
“I did. I do,” Will amended. But that was before. When it had merely been a strategy, rather than an actual life decision.
“Glad to hear it.” Fairbanks punctuated his words with a clap on Will’s back. “Though a great many ladies will be very disappointed,” he added with a nod toward a passel of mamas nearby who all had daughters out and were utterly failing to hide their interest in him.
Will’s shoulders tightened as two women cast him very obvious looks before whispering to one another behind a fan. No doubt they intended to cajole him into dancing with one of the wallflowers lining the room, but Will was not in the mood to be charitable this evening. He was the only unmarried duke under sixty in all of England and every time he entered a ballroom, he had the distinct sensation of being stalked by a bloodthirsty predator. But they would not make a meal of him tonight.
“Fly, good Fleance,” the earl said, quotingMacbethwith a devious little grin. “Fly, fly!”
Will shot him an exasperated glance and wove his way through the crowd, while the earl’s cackle nipped at his heels. Once hemade it out of the ballroom, Will swiftly rounded a corner right into the path of a young lady coming in the opposite direction.
“My apologies,” he burst out as he steadied her shoulders before she could tumble over. But as the girl lifted her face to him, Will was dumbstruck. He blinked a few times before he found his voice.
“Phoebe?”
She wriggled out of his grasp and stepped back to smooth her skirts. “You needn’t sound so shocked.”
Will begged to differ, given the sight before him. Phoebe Atkinson was trussed up in a pale blue ball gown that showed off her lithe figure, while her hair, now fully on display, was plaited in an intricate knot at the back of her head.
She looked lovely, to be sure, but quite different from the last time they met. Only her hazel eyes, sparkling with that familiar edge of defiance in the hallway’s low gaslight, remained unchanged.
“Can you blame me? You never come to these things.”
Phoebe looked away. “Yes, well, tonight I have a reason.”
Something skittered in Will’s chest. Had she come here for a man? The thought unsettled him far more than he cared to admit. But before he could press her further, Freddie Atkinson called to them as she hurried over.
“There you are!” Then she shot Phoebe a knowing look. “And you’ve already found Will.”
He immediately perked up. Phoebe was looking for him? That shouldn’t be so pleasing to hear.
But Freddie wasn’t done interrogating her sister. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“You were having quite an engrossing discussion with LordDanvers,” Phoebe said with a shrug. “I didn’t think you would notice.”
Freddie dismissed the idea with a flick of her wrist. “Oh please. I was only making small talk. It’s generally expected at social events,” she added pointedly.
Phoebe responded with a huff and crossed her arms.
Will’s curiosity finally got the better of him. “You were looking for me?”
