Duchess by Chance (20 page)

“God help me, it will be a long evening,” he muttered, handing her a long, velvet case.

Eva opened it and stared at the sapphire and diamond necklace and bracelet nestled inside.
       

“It is so beautiful and you have already given me so much.”
 

“These have been worn only by the Duchess of Stratton.” Daniel lifted the necklace and obediently, Eva turned. “I have one more gift for you, Duchess,” he added, releasing her to remove a small box from inside his jacket pocket once the necklace was fastened.

The ring nestled amongst the red velvet folds was a delicate gold band with a perfectly formed diamond flanked by two smaller rubies.

“I have never seen anything so beautiful, Daniel.”

“It was my grandmother’s.” He took the ring from the box and lifted her hand. “The one I gave you before was my grandfather’s,” he said ruefully.
 

Eva watched as he slipped it onto her finger. The fit was perfect. “Thank you.” She placed a shy kiss on his cheek.
 

“You can now return my grandfather’s ring, which I am ashamed to say I should never have given you.”

No, I can’t, because my father has it!
 
Guilt, thick and heavy, settled on her shoulders.

“Well, Duchess, shall we head to your first ball?”
 

She nodded and put her hand on his arm and thankfully he mistook her silence for nerves.

Lord and Lady Sutton lived ten minutes from the Stratton townhouse but the journey took over thirty minutes, due to the traffic. By the time their carriage finally pulled up outside the ball venue, Eva was beyond nervous.

“Eva, I will be with you, as will Claire and Simon. Surely you can see we will let nothing happen to you?” Daniel took the small reticule from her hands and untangled the silk ribbons. He had tried to talk to her and take her mind off her fears but she would not be soothed.
 

“I know all you say is true, Daniel, yet I am not one of these people by birth, only by marriage.”

“And you are now a duchess. Never forget that fact, wife.”

“I will not forget.”

“Before we go in, there is one more thing I wish to discuss with you, Eva, and I must ask you to honor my wishes.”

She nodded focusing on his face.

“I have asked that Lord Huxley not be invited here tonight, but if he does get in then you must stay away from him or come directly to me or Simon. Do not engage with him in anyway, Eva, I need you to promise me this.”

“He will not attempt to seek me out.”

Daniel wasn’t happy with her answer but as the door had just been opened there was little more he could say about the matter.

Light blazed from the Sutton house as Daniel and Eva walked inside and joined the receiving line. Her fingers dug into his arm, yet her face betrayed none of her tension and he wondered if this was also a remnant of her childhood.

“The Duke and Duchess of Stratton!”

“Oh dear Lord, my dinner is about to make a reappearance,” Eva whispered, then tried to turn and run.
 

Daniel, however, had other ideas. Placing an arm around her waist, he walked her forward until they stood before Lord and Lady Sutton. “May I introduce my duchess?”

Daniel shook Lord Sutton’s hand. Eva’s smile was at best a grimace as she dropped into a curtsy.
 

“It is indeed a pleasure to meet you, my dear.”

Eva stuttered something and then smiled.

Daniel, who was most often the recipient of Eva’s smiles, watched the old lord smile back. She had a very sweet, disarming quality about her that made a person want to respond. He could see in Lord Sutton’s rheumy eyes that the elderly man had taken an instant liking to her.

“My lady.” Daniel placed a hand on Eva’s back and moved her to meet Lady Sutton. Not as easy a nut to crack as her husband, Eloisa Sutton had a reputation for putting the fear of God into young ladies.

Daniel watched as Eva withstood the chilly stare from Lady Sutton’s eyes. Like his grandmother, this was one of the more formidable society ladies who would not think twice about saying what she thought.
 

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady.” Eva’s curtsy was perfect.
 

“I hope God assembled you with a few wits, gal, unlike half the woman of society.”

“I believe I was given my share of them, my lady.” Eva lifted her chin.

Daniel wanted to applaud as Lady Sutton’s mouth twitched. It was a rare talent that produced any emotion in the old woman.

“She’ll do, Duke.” Lady Sutton turned her back on the duke and duchess and moved onto the next guest.

“I had believed society would be all charm and sophistication. It seems I was mistaken,” Eva whispered as they wandered through two huge doors where she could hear the murmur of voices and music drawing closer.
 

“You did not get that idea from me, wife. If you had asked, I would have set you straight. Society has more teeth than old Lord Bristow. Now smile, my sweet duchess - we are about to launch you into it.”

“You make me sound like a large seafaring vessel.” Eva gripped Daniel’s arm.

“Large? Surely not. More like a sweet little vessel with a rounded stern and two perfect -”

“Daniel!”
 

“Eva?” Daniel looked at her with all the innocence of a schoolboy.

“The Duke and Duchess of Stratton!”

“Dear Lord!” Eva whispered as every face below turned to look to the top of the stairs.       Huge chandeliers threw light over the guests, and everywhere they looked there was color, from the beautiful dresses to the sparkling gems adorning the women. It was a riot to the senses, and Daniel was sure Eva’s knees were trembling beneath her gown.
 

“Look.” Daniel patted the hand that clenched his sleeve. “There, below. Lady Rutledge has a small forest on her hat, and I am sure I saw a bird just seconds ago. It is a stroke of luck our very own Mrs. Potter is not here - she would be most put out to be upstaged by such a confection. Although perhaps the furban could create a stir.”

“Where?” Daniel knew Eva was more than happy to be distracted as she searched through the unfamiliar faces below.

“To the left, beside that man who has forced himself into the puce satin coat. Promise you will not let me make a fool of myself like that in my dotage. Do you know I have changed my mind on that gown,” he added as they neared the bottom of the stairs. “Being taller than most, I get to look right down your neckline.”

“Daniel!”
 

He smiled into the shocked face of his wife, keeping his expression innocent, his eyes however were another matter entirely.
 

Thus, society’s first real glimpse of the Duchess of Stratton was of her looking adoringly up at her duke, her face alight with laughter.

Daniel placed his hand over Eva’s fingers as he made his way around the room, keeping up the small talk, telling her silly little stories about several of the guests they encountered, until slowly the tension in her eased.

“The old windbag before us is Lord Diproth. He will insist I introduce you. Just smile and nod, then tell him you like his waistcoat.”
 

She shot him an uncertain look to see if he was having fun at her expense but could see he was serious.
 

“Lord Diproth,” Daniel said bowing, “please allow me to introduce my wife, the Duchess of Stratton.”
 

“Your Grace,” Lord Diproth wheezed.
 

Eva’s hands fluttered over the elderly gentleman as he sank into a bow that took a great deal of effort and time, however he soon righted himself.

“Good evening, Lord Diproth. It is an honor to meet you.” Eva’s curtsy would have pleased the king.

“Your father would be proud of her, boy.”

“It is my fondest wish, my lord,” Daniel lied smoothly.

“That is a very handsome waistcoat, my lord.” Eva looked at the multi-colored front panels and was rewarded with a smile as the elderly gentleman puffed out his chest.
 

“The gal obviously has style, Stratton,” Lord Diproth said, then wheezed off to the left.

“You now have his undying devotion,” Daniel said as they once again started moving. “Perhaps I should rethink my waistcoats,” he added, looking at his chest.

“I would give it some thought, your Grace.” Eva whispered.

“You have a smart mouth, wife.”

“Yes, I believe I do.”

Her teasing delighted him. She was growing in confidence daily.

“Dear Lord, Grandmother has seen us.” Daniel groaned as she signaled that she wished their presence at her side. “Brace yourself, wife, we must obey.”

“Oh dear, must we?”
 

“I fear it is inevitable,” Daniel whispered. “She is not above shrieking my name across a room filled with guests if the mood strikes her.”
 

The Dowager Duchess was seated with two other ladies, both elderly and equally sharp-eyed. As Eva and the Duke approached, it was clear she’d been the subject of their conversation because - unlike a younger lady who would drop her eyes, blush and immediately and cease talking – each of these three tartars kept on eyeing her up and down and even continuing to discuss her.
 

“I did not request that material in that style!” the Dowager Duchess snapped as Eva curtsied.

“Thank the Lord for small mercies,” Daniel whispered in her ear after he had bowed deeply before the three elderly matrons. Then, holding her close, he made the introductions. “Lady Fairlie, Lady Dunbar, allow me to introduce my wife, the Duchess of Stratton.”

Eva curtsied.
 

“Leave the girl alone, Beatrice, she looks lovely. Had you stuffed her into one of your ill-fitting, old-fashioned dresses, she would have looked frumpy.” Lady Dunbar’s faded brown eyes twinkled with wicked laughter. “It is lovely to meet you, my dear.”

Eva looked at the Dowager Duchess, awaiting her scathing reply, but she merely glared and said nothing to reprimand Lady Dunbar.

 
“Run along, Daniel, and fetch us something to drink while we have a visit with your duchess.” Lady Dunbar dismissed Daniel as though he were an errant schoolboy.

Dear Lord, they would eat her alive, Eva thought as she allowed a paper-thin hand to pull her down onto the already full chaise. She kept hold of Daniel’s arm until the last possible minute but knew that unless she wanted to cause a scene, she would have to release him.

He looked down at her and she could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

“I’m parched, Grandson, yet still you stand there!”

His bow was insultingly brief this time, as was the word he hissed and then he was leaving her. Eva watched his long, lithe form disappear from her view.

“My husband had a set of shoulders to rival those.” Lady Fairlie sighed.

“And a rather nice pair of legs, if I remember correctly,” the Dowager Duchess added.

“And the curls of an Adonis. Do you remember, Agatha, how they used to curl under the brim of his hat?” Lady Dunbar said.

Eva’s surprise must have shown on her face because Lady Fairlie remarked, “We are old, dear, not dead.”

“Indeed, the younger set forget that we have been around a long time and there is nothing that surprises us.” Lady Dunbar surveyed the guests before her.
 

“They think that with age comes stupidity, yet with age merely comes cunning, my dear granddaughter, and it would pay you to remember that.”

Granddaughter. How wonderful that felt. Eva looked at the elderly trio. Anyone foolish enough to think these three were not awake on all fronts was an idiot, indeed. Their bodies may have been old, but their minds were as sharp as ever.

“Now we must discuss your ball, Granddaughter. I will, of course, have it at my house as your husband’s is not large enough.”

“Ball?” Eva felt that uneasy feeling return at the prospect of hosting anything bigger than a tea party for Claire.

“Yes, a ball, dear, showing society that not only did you snare one of the most sought after bachelors in England but that you are more than equal to the task of playing his duchess. We must show them all that you are a sterling hostess and not some shy country miss.”

“I would like to point out that I did not trap the duke into marriage, Lady Fairlie. Indeed, I had little say in the matter,” Eva lifted her chin. “And I see no fault in being a country miss.”

“You won’t last five minutes in society if you get upset at every comment you do not like, dear” Lady Dunbar patted her hand. “Granted, we are more forthright than most…”

“Some call us vicious, Agatha,” the Dowager Duchess added calmly, which made all three ladies chuckle.

“Yet we are here to help you, my dear, and believe me when I say we have a wealth of experience at our fingertips.” Lady Fairlie added.

“Of course.” Eva nodded, although what she was agreeing to she had no idea.