“If I had known you had such an aversion to the color, I would have chosen another. Perhaps mulberry would have suited you better.”
A wrinkle formed in his brow. “The thought of you in such a dark and dull shade of red is no better than the colorless gray you are wearing now,” he murmured and took a drink from his glass.
Esmeralda smiled. “Then there will be no pleasing you with my wardrobe choices, so I’ll change the subject. Tell me, what did you think of Sir Charles and Mr. Trent tonight? Did either of them appear pensive, ill at ease, or untrustworthy to you?”
“Not in the least. I kept my eyes on them the entire time. I didn’t sense any mischief. I really shouldn’t have expected to. If anything will be done, it won’t be when I’m present.”
“I agree with your assessment,” she answered. “If they are some of the ones who were spouting off that night, they could have very well changed their minds once it was made known you were aware of their dangerous talk. Dukes can be very powerful when they choose to be.”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly with amusement, and her heart tripped ridiculously fast. Her feelings for him were so foolish. Griffin belonged with someone such as Miss Froste, not with a chaperone.
“So you think I might have scared them off when they heard I’d cut their hearts out if anyone dared to touch one of my sisters?”
Esmeralda mouthed a silent O. “You didn’t say that, did you?”
“No.” He grunted a short laugh. “But I thought about it, and more than once. What did you observe about the other gentlemen the twins met tonight? Any appear suspicious to you?”
“No, but then I’ve had little experience with men, Your Grace, so I could be wrong about that. I still think Mr. Lambert is harmless and seems to be quite smitten with Lady Sara.”
“I noticed that he looked more at her too.”
“Lord Henry didn’t give either of the twins any lingering glances. Not because they aren’t beautiful, of course. It must be that he has so many young ladies to choose from, he has no reason to flatter or favor any young lady in particular.”
She stopped talking. Griffin was looking at her in the way that always made her think about being held in his arms and kissed. And that was the last thing she needed to be thinking tonight, so she took another sip of her champagne.
“I believe you have Lord Henry pegged exactly right.”
“No doubt you know how he feels about having his choice of all the young ladies.”
His lips formed an attractive half grin. “Let’s just say I know that he isn’t lacking any female companionship he wants.”
“I thought as much. And though I have no knowledge of him, and very little of men in general, I feel comfortable saying I doubt he will have any interest in matrimony for the foreseeable future.”
Griffin chuckled softly. “For someone who has little knowledge, you seem to be right about most things. Now tell me, what else did you make note of?” he asked, changing the conversation back to where it started.
She let her gaze drift over the ballroom. “I see at least five or six gentlemen who didn’t come over for introductions.”
“I noticed that too,” he said. “What do you make of it?”
Esmeralda knew Griffin didn’t need her input on the men. Apparently he was trying to make her feel useful. “Probably the same thing you do. They know you are on the lookout for trouble. It could be they are either guilty or perhaps decided to stay away rather than have the possibility you might think they are up to no good concerning your sisters.”
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”
“All the ones we met tonight looked to be genuinely interested in your sisters. And why shouldn’t they be? Lady Sara and Lady Vera are intelligent, lively, and beautiful. All the things a man could want in a dance partner or when thinking of making a match. I hope that means that your worry over their being compromised in some way is all for naught.”
“That is my hope.”
His eyes met hers and she found herself wanting to smile at him, to engage him with clever banter. The duke was divinely handsome, standing beside her in his crisp white shirt, elegantly tied neckcloth, white quilted waistcoat, and black evening jacket. An intense longing filled her. She wished she were free to let him know she wanted him to pursue her the way Miss Froste had let him know. Esmeralda would have liked to be dressed in a stunningly beautiful gown made of silk and organdy, trimmed with the most delicate of laces and tiniest of bows.
But she wasn’t, so she finished off her drink.
“Would you like another?”
She looked into the empty glass. “No. That was very nice, but I won’t have more. I’m afraid I drank it much too fast.”
“It’s easy to do with champagne. It can go to your head quite quickly.”
“Thank you for the late warning,” she said absently.Miss Froste would have been told that and taught the proper way to drink champagne,she thought grudgingly. “I’ll be more careful next time.”
