“Yes,” Bonnie and Sybil squealed in unison, their expressions turning hopeful once again.
“Not so loud, girls, please!” Mrs. Colthrust said, rebuking them. “I’m standing right beside you, so you don’t have to scream at me.” She turned to Louisa. “You are very free with the funds, my dear. Do you know how much extra it will cost to have a carriage wait for us?”
Louisa didn’t care at the moment. “I’ll pay it,” she said firmly.
Mrs. Colthrust stared down at Bonnie’s and Sybil’s eager-looking faces. Suddenly a smile stretched across her face and a wicked gleam shone in her coal dark eyes. Louisa was astounded at how quickly the chaperone’s expression changed from scowling to a look of victory.
“You two have just given me a wonderful idea! Of course you can go. Fetch your bonnets and capes.”
Bonnie and Sybil immediately dashed toward the door. “Girls,” Louisa called to them. “What do you say before you leave this room?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Colthrust!” they yelled at the same time, and went racing out the door.
Mrs. Colthrust looked back to Louisa, still smiling. “I just had another superb idea. We will all go. As you said, the girls need an outing and I will tell that to the duke. Get the other three girls. I’ll teach His Grace a lesson he won’t soon forget. After I show up at his house with all of you under my wing, I guarantee you he will see me next time when I go alone.”
Louisa shook her head, exasperated. “There are two other girls, Mrs. Colthrust. There are five of us total.” And Louisa wasn’t at all sure she wanted her sisters to be used as pawns in whatever Mrs. Colthrust had planned for the duke.
“Yes, well, of course—you know that’s what I meant.”
Louisa doubted that, but let the matter drop and said, “Why do you want to see the duke? I thought everything was settled yesterday.”
“Not by me. I want to make sure he does right by me—us. I mean you and Gwen, of course, mostly. Besides, I will not have him treating me so shabbily as to turn me away from his door without so much as a glimpse of him.”
“But he said he’d take care of everything,” Louisa reminded her.
“Ha! He is a man, and I’m sure there are things he hasn’t thought about. He must know that we will need a coach immediately to take us to the shops. He should have had one delivered and had it waiting here for when you arrived. It’s much too far to walk to the shops, and without a maid to carry our packages. I don’t even want to consider how we could manage. Servants! We must have servants to do things for us. Hiring a coach as we must do today is simply too much trouble. So go get your bonnet and your sisters, and we will be on our way. He will deal with me like it or not, even if he is a duke.”
If His Grace didn’t want to see them, he would not. Mrs. Colthrust may not know that but Louisa did. It was obvious that Mrs. Colthrust had never met the Duke of Drakestone. He was no ordinary man. Everything about him spoke of power, privilege, and wealth. He was a pleasing man to look at, for sure, but in the short time she’d spent with him yesterday, Louisa gathered that the duke took orders from no one.
Louisa left the room with Mrs. Colthrust still muttering about His Grace. If only the laws allowed Louisa to be responsible for her sisters so she didn’t have to deal with Mrs. Colthrust or the duke, she would be a very happy lady.
Half an hour later, Mrs. Colthrust, Louisa, and her sisters were seated in the Duke of Drakestone’s drawing room. Lillian and Gwen flanked their chaperone on one settee, and Louisa was between Sybil and Bonnie on the other. All the girls were quiet as mice, taking in the elaborate grandeur of their surroundings.
The furniture was upholstered in expensive, well-textured fabrics, and the tops to all the tables had a glimmering beeswax gleam. Vaulted ceilings were trimmed in moldings and fretwork that were edged in gilt. Each wall was adorned with paintings, sconces, and baroque framed mirrors. Louisa had never seen so much luxury displayed in one place.
“Mrs. Colthrust, Miss Prim,” the duke said as he strode through the doorway.
All the females jumped to their feet and curtsied.
His Grace stopped and hesitated for a moment as he looked at Louisa’s sisters standing like little soldiers behind her. Clearly he was taken aback by the girls’ presence, and Louisa wondered if he might throw them all out of his house without a backward glance. But as she stared at him, she detected a chink in his steady armor. She realized he was trying hard to remember the girls’ names.
She was pleased that he wanted to, but was convinced he wouldn’t even get two of them correct. She wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know whatherfirst name was. But just as the smile spread fully across her face and she was feeling quite pleased with herself for figuring out his dilemma, he bowed to her sisters and said, “Miss Gwen, Miss Lillian, Miss Sybil, and Miss Bonnie. All of you are looking lovely today.”
Louisa was impressed that he’d somehow managed to get all her sisters’ names correct. Her heart started beating a little faster as she looked at the handsome duke. His black, fine wool coat stretched perfectly over his broad shoulders and back. His pale red waistcoat with its leather-coated buttons fit seamlessly over his flat stomach, enhancing his slim hips and his long, powerful-looking legs. Her gaze stopped at his casually tied neckcloth. She didn’t know why, but suddenly she had the strong desire to reach up, untie the cloth, and slowly unwind it.
His gaze met Louisa’s, and he said, “This is an unexpected visit.”
Louisa’s cheeks heated and she prayed the duke had no idea what she’d been thinking.
Mrs. Colthrust stepped forward, not giving Louisa time to respond, and said, “How can it be unexpected when I was just here not more than an hour ago, trying to see you?”
“Exactly.” He gave the chaperone an indulgent smile. “I thought Mr. Tidmore made it clear I was busy today and couldn’t see you, but that I was making the arrangements you needed.”
“Thank you for that, Your Grace, but being a gentleman, you can’t possibly know what a woman would need to be properly prepared for a Season in London.”
“True, however, I knew my mother would be very knowledgeable, so I enlisted her help.”
Mrs. Colthrust’s demeanor changed in an instant. She smiled pleasantly. “Your mother, Her Grace?” Mrs. Colthrust said softly, obviously surprised and happy about the information. “Oh, my.”
