Morgan laughed at Race’s assessment. “Probably. I would think Blake knows the current Duke of Blooming, so Blake might have some information on her, as well. You should at least find out if she’s actually who she says she is and not just someone out to create mischief.”
Race shrugged. “I’m not sure I want to go that fast. I might take my time and first hear most of the story from her. And then I’ll go to Gib and to Blake to see if what they have to say about her agrees with what she says.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll leave it all to you.” Morgan drained his glass and then clapped Race on the back. “Let’s go back to the party and not think any more today about a beautiful duchess or strands of pearls.”
“I’m with you on that,” Race said, walking with Morgan back into the drawing room that was filled with fetching young ladies eager to impress the marquis and the earl with their beauty and card-playing skills.
But Race’s mind had room for only one lady: the intriguing duchess.
Three
My Dearest Alexander,
I cannot improve upon these words from Lord Chesterfield: “Pray remember to part with all your friends, acquaintances, and mistresses, if you have any, in such a manner as may make them not only willing but impatient to see you again.”
Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder
Susannah sat at the small desk in her bedroom of the leased home, reading over the letter she’d just written to her mother. Several false starts lay crumpled on the floor beside her. She knew her mother would be impatiently waiting to hear that Susannah had made contact with the gentleman who had the pearls. That had happened three days ago, but every time she had attempted to write her mother since then, words had failed her.
At last, she’d been able to complete the letter. Though she didn’t tell her mother everything about the marquis, Susannah felt comfortable telling her mother that Lord Raceworth was easily the most handsome and the most arrogant man she had ever met. She could have added that he was also the most infuriating, stubborn, and confusing man she had ever met, too. Instead, she ended by reassuring her mother that she would obtain the pearls, but it might take longer than she had expected.
Susannah had worded the letter as carefully as possible, not wanting her mother to worry more than she already was. After a lifetime of excellent health, her mother had suddenly taken to her bed and seldom came downstairs any more.
As her mind drifted back to the intriguing marquis, Susannah leaned back in her chair. No, he wasn’t confusing. It was Susannah who was confused by the feelings he’d stirred inside her when she had looked at him and when he’d looked at her. She’d been bemused by how fast her heart beat, how shallow her breath became, and how hot curls of desire had tightened her abdomen and skittered across her breast when he was so close their noses almost touched.
At one point when she was with him, she had thought he was going to kiss her and for one madcap moment she had wanted him to. Thank God he hadn’t, and she had avoided that mistake. She had been so taken with him that day she probably would have let him. What a disaster that would have been.
Susannah squeezed her eyes shut for an instant as she tried to force that dizzying memory from her thoughts. She obviously wasn’t on his mind. It had been three days since she had met the marquis and she hadn’t heard one word from him, but that hadn’t kept her from thinking about him. And she had thought for sure she would have heard something from him by now.
She was trying hard not to be attracted to the man, but so far she hadn’t had much success. Maybe she thought about him so often simply because he hadn’t behaved in the way she had expected.
But too, it was more than that.
The marquis had unleashed an assortment of perplexing sensations in her as well as a muddle of emotions that she had wanted to keep hidden in her past. He was a fascinating man. A desirable man. That should be reason enough for her to find a way to banish him from her thoughts. She wanted to have contact with him only concerning the pearls.
Most of the gentlemen who had approached her since her husband’s death, wanting to win her favor, were in such awe of her being a duchess that she had no interest in them whatsoever. Susannah had vowed to keep it that way, much to Mrs. Princeton’s chagrin, but one visit with Lord Raceworth and already her resolve was weakening.
Susannah sighed and picked up the letter to her mother and read it again. Satisfied that she had worded it to give the best possible scenario for what would surely prove to be a major uphill battle, Susannah folded the two pieces of vellum and laid them aside.
She glanced around the room that would be her bedchamber for the next few weeks. Early afternoon sunlight streamed through the parted draperies of windows that flanked each side of the simple, spool-turned bed. A sky-blue brocade slipper chair, cozy for curling up and reading during the long evenings, stood in one corner, while her many books were stacked neatly on a bookshelf beside it. The dressing table with its lovely aged-lace skirt and dainty oval mirror was old but serviceable. Over the mantel hung a painting of a beautiful brown-haired little girl, laughing happily as a spaniel puppy licked her chin. The one large piece of furniture in the room was the wardrobe, but big as it was it hadn’t held all the clothing her maid had packed for her.
The house wasn’t spacious or extravagant in furnishings, and the grounds and garden were in sad, neglected shape. But the value of this property was not in what it afforded but where it was located. The worth in this house was that only a tall hedge of yew and less than a hundred yards of gardens separated her from Lord Raceworth’s house and the pearls her mother desired.
Susannah could easily have afforded a much more elaborate place to live. Not only had her father been very mindful of her future in arranging the marriage contracts to her advantage, her husband had been very generous to her in his will. Even her husband’s son was kind to her, and she had not wanted for anything since her husband’s death.
While in the hectic city of London, Susannah would miss daily visits with her mother and the quiet life they lived in Chapel Gate. She had little desire to become involved in the busy Society life of the Season. She would stay occupied with needlework and reading. She would also look into the possibility of leasing a pianoforte so she could play in the afternoons as twilight descended on the neighborhood.
But right now, Susannah was daydreaming about a handsome gentleman and wondering why she had agreed to come to London and see this error made right. She had suggested to her mother that their solicitor approach the marquis about the pearls. But her mother had insisted Susannah do it, and she had agreed because she loved her mother and wanted to please her. After Susannah’s father had died, her mother came to live with her. Madeline Parker had been a tremendous source of comfort and company for her these many years. It was the least Susannah could do for her.
Susannah closed her eyes again and envisioned herself back at Chapel Gate with its grand view of lush gardens dotted with hidden nooks, beautiful waterfalls, impressive fountains, and natural vistas. Suddenly, Lord Raceworth was walking beside her as they stepped on cobblestone walkways and threaded their way through a field of sky-blue flowers. They were laughing and holding hands. His face bent closer and closer to hers until…
A knock at her open door brought Susannah out of her daydreaming. She glanced up to see Mrs. Princeton standing in the doorway.
Clearing her throat and her mind of such fanciful notions, Susannah said, “Yes?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Duchess, but the Marquis of Raceworth is below stairs in the vestibule. He asked me to give you this.”
