“Your portrait, Your Grace.”
Anthony blinked, turned away from Miss Smith and accepted the piece of paper that the artist was holding out to him. With the spell broken, he voiced his thanks and alighted from the carriage before offering Miss Smith his hand. She quickly accepted and was on the ground beside him a moment later.
“There you are!” Anthony recognized the voice immediately as that of his mother. Looking over his shoulder, he found her walking toward him with Casper at her side. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you—the food is about to be brought out, so I thought it might be an appropriate time for you to make a toast.”
For the briefest of moments, Anthony considered asking his mother to do it instead, but he knew that would never do. He was the duke, and the making of toasts was his responsibility no matter how much he disliked the prospect of speaking to a room full of people. Being on public display like that made him uncomfortable—it always had—and was the reason why he’d delayed taking that dreaded seat of his in Parliament. But, in light of the fact that this was the first ball hosted at Kingsborough Hall since his father’s death, he couldn’t help but agree with his mother: saying something was the right thing to do. “Of course,” he said, managing a smile that he hoped would mask his nervousness.
“Thank you, my dear,” his mother said. She cast a quick glance in Miss Smith’s direction before returning her gaze to him. “And if you wouldn’t mind mingling a little with the rest of your guests for a while after, I think it would help reassure everyone that you’re taking your new role as duke seriously.”
The implication could not have been clearer if she’d spelled it out for him word by word. His mother knew, just as well as he did, that the woman whose company he’d been enjoying for the past hour was not only an imposter but also, perhaps, even unsuitable for him to associate himself with. It annoyed him—mostly because he knew she was right. He couldn’t remain absent from the ballroom too long without the guests wondering where their host had disappeared to, and since his mother would be the one to suffer most from any potential rumors, he had no choice but to do as she asked.
“Don’t worry,” Casper said with an impish smile. “I’ll be more than happy to keep Miss Smith entertained while you see to your ducal duties.”
Anthony had no doubt that he would, but knowing his friend’s devilish ways, he didn’t feel the least bit reassured by his willingness to help. Not when it came to Miss Smith. He was trying to think of an excuse to prevent Casper from spending any time with her when the lady herself said, “How kind of you, Mr. Goodard.”
“It’s settled then,” his mother declared as she took Miss Smith by the arm and started leading her back inside.
Anthony waited until they were out of earshot before he turned to Casper and said, “If you so much as look at her in an inappropriate fashion, I’ll call you out.”
Placing a hand upon his heart Casper said, “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Anthony frowned.
“Your lack of confidence wounds me,” Casper said with exaggerated sadness.
Anthony’s frown deepened.
“Look,” Casper said with a sigh. “Miss Smith is clearly more interested in you than she ever was in me—though I cannot begin to imagine why. Regardless of my reputation, I have never once risked ruining our friendship for the sake of a woman, have I?”
Forced to concede the point, Anthony shook his head.
“And I’ve no desire to do so now. If she’s so important to you, then I won’t ruin it for you—you have my word on that.”
“Thank you,” Anthony said with a nod as he started after his mother and Miss Smith. “I realize how strange it must seem to you, given everything we’ve been through together, but there’s something special about her, and I ... well, I suppose I’d just like to keep her to myself for the remainder of the evening—find out if there’s a chance for anything more.” Considering what he knew of her, he somehow doubted that she would agree, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that their paths had crossed for a reason.
Keeping pace with him, Casper raised an eyebrow. “More? You’re not thinking of reverting to your sinful ways with Miss Smith, are you?”
“God no,” Anthony said. He realized a moment later that Casper had stopped walking, and he stopped as well so he could turn to look at him.
“Surely you’re not contemplating marriage!” Casper was staring at Anthony as if his head had just fallen off his shoulders. “You barely know her!”
“Casper,” Anthony warned. “I have no intention of marrying anyone ... yet. So if you don’t mind, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d refrain from hollering about it for the entire world to hear.”
“My apologies,” Casper whispered. “I can’t imaginewhatcame over me.”
Anthony rolled his eyes before adding, “I happen to like Miss Smith.”Her soon to be fiancé aside. “And since Iamentertaining thoughts of marrying in the not so distant future, I’ve decided to start looking at all potential candidates.”
Casper gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
“Quite. In fact, I’ve never been more serious about anything else in my life, and while you may be correct in that I don’t know Miss Smith well enough yet to propose to her, I do know that she’s very forgiving and has a splendid sense of humor.” And before he was tempted to tell his friend more about the time he’d spent in Miss Smith’s company, he hurried up the steps and strode inside the ballroom.
Chapter 6
“Have you met my daughter, the Countess of Huntley?” the dowager duchess asked as she guided Isabella along the periphery of the room.
“No, I have not yet had the pleasure,” Isabella said, eyeing the duchess. She felt as though she ought to address the topic that was hanging over them like a storm cloud waiting to burst. Apologizing for her unauthorized attendance would be the proper thing to do—especially since her host and hostess had not yet tossed her out. That in itself was a miracle to be marveled at. Determined to do the right thing, Isabella placed a staying hand upon the duchess’s arm. The older woman slowed, stopped and turned to look at her expectantly. “I hope you will forgive my intruding on your festivities this evening. Should you wish for me to leave, I will do so immediately.”
The duchess watched her silently for a moment before saying, “After all the trouble you went to? I don’t know who you are or how you managed to get in without detection, but I should hate to be the one to ruin your evening if being here is so important to you.” She waved her hand to indicate Isabella’s attire. “Besides, you’re not lowborn or you wouldn’t have been able to afford such a gown. At the very least, you are gentry, perhaps you are even nobility, though I have to admit that if that is the case, then I am even more curious about your desire for anonymity.” She leaned closer to Isabella and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You wouldn’t happen to be one of Lord Jouve’s illegitimate children, would you? It is my understanding that he has several. Perhaps—”
