I walked away from the window and extended my hand to him. “It’s so good of you to come.”
He accepted my hand and bowed over it, his eyes shining. “I just arrived in London last night, but I couldn’t wait to call.” He shook his head with appreciation. “You look lovelier than I remember, Miss Hill.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vanderbilt.”
“Won’t you have a seat?” Aunt Maude asked him, though I suspected she would have preferred if he left.
“Thank you.” He waited until I sat on one of the sofas and then he sat across from me, his gaze never leaving my face. “How have you found London? I wish I could have been here to see your first glimpse of it.”
“It’s—” I paused as Rodgers opened the door again and presented Mrs. Hill with another calling card.
This time, her face lit up with excitement and triumph, and I knew exactly who had arrived.
“You may tell His Grace he is more than welcome to come in,” she said, nodding at Rodgers as she stood.
George and I also stood as George’s curious, and a little disappointed, gaze slipped to the drawing room door.
My heart beat so hard, I was afraid George might hear it.
It only took a few moments for the Duke of Severton to appear. His handsome looks took my breath away all over again, and my cheeks were so warm, I was certain they were bright pink. I tried to pretend like his arrival hadn’t had such an impact on me, but it was almost impossible.
Did he realize what his presence did to people?
His expression was just as hard to read this morning as it had been the night before while he scanned the room, his gaze falling on me.
“Your Grace,” Aunt Maude said, “how good of you to come. We were just saying our goodbyes to Mr. Vanderbilt.”
George blinked in surprise and then his jaw tightened as he tipped his head in my direction. “It was lovely to see you again, Miss Hill. I hope our paths will cross again while we’re in London.”
Disappointment and embarrassment tightened in my chest as I tried to apologize with my eyes. “I, too, hope we’ll see each other again. Thank you for coming, Mr. Vanderbilt.”
George nodded at Aunt Maude and then walked past the duke, no introduction being offered by Aunt Maude, who would have been the person to do it.
How could she be so unkind to George, especially after using him to further her own cause in New York? My gut burned with anger and disillusionment. If this was how I was supposed to behave once I married and joined the upper echelons of society, I didn’t want any part of it.
The duke didn’t appear to be insulted that the two men were not introduced. On the contrary, he seemed a little relieved.
He stepped forward and Aunt Maude extended her hand. He took it, bowing slightly. “Thank you for receiving me, Mrs. Hill.”
“Of course.”
The duke then turned to me. I also extended my hand. Last night I was wearing gloves, but this morning I was not, andneither was he. When his hand touched mine, a shiver ran up my spine. He bowed a little deeper. “It is good to see you again, Miss Hill.”
“And you, as well, Your Grace.”
When he stood straight, he didn’t let his gaze waver.
Of all the women he’d met at the ball last night, what had made him choose to come here? Would he be visiting others this morning? Or focusing his sole attention on pursuing me? Because that was the only reason he would be here.
How much money had Lady Mandeville told him was in my dowry? Surely others could offer him more.
“Won’t you sit down, Your Grace?” Aunt Maude asked, indicating the sofa where George had been sitting a few minutes ago.
The duke released my hand and took a seat on the edge of the sofa after I sat across from him.
“Could we offer you some tea?” Aunt Maude asked.
Tea wasn’t often served for a gentleman caller, unless the hostess was eager for him to stay longer than the fifteen-to-twenty minutes usually allotted for a call such as this one.
