Her Devilish Marquess (23 page)

“
Is it really that late?”
Danette asked, turning to the clock.

“
I don’t know where the time
went,” Regan said as a sleepy Leonard slid off the chair. He landed
on his feet, wobbled a moment, but then gained his balance. She
rubbed his back. “I’m afraid he’ll have a hard time going to sleep
tonight. His naps aren’t usually that long. But,” she added with a
smile at Danette, “it was worth it. We had a lovely time
together.”

“
We always do,” Danette
replied.

“
I’ll try not to take up so
much of your wife’s time next time I visit,” Regan teased Derek
then led her son out of the drawing room.

Chuckling, Derek turned back to Danette.
“It’s nice you have a friend like that.”

“
It is,” Danette replied.
“So, what do you say about Lord Toplyn’s ball? Can we go? I know
you’re not welcome to most of them, but Lord Toplyn wrote he’d be
delighted if you and I would attend. I’ve never received an
invitation personally asking me to go.” She smiled at him. “I
realize it’s because of you we received the invite. It looks like
your membership at White’s has been good for your
reputation.”

“
No, I don’t think that’s
it,” he slowly replied. In fact, he was sure it wasn’t. His one
time there had almost ruined everything he had with
Danette.

“
I heard Lord Toplyn is one
of the members there. His wife had a hand in arranging our
marriage.” She bit her lower lip, as if trying to bring up some
memory she wished to share. “I believe he’s the one who kissed her
at one of the balls. This wasn’t in the ball. It was by the
carriages.” She chuckled. “Yes, it was him. And I heard Malcolm
knocked him unconscious for it. Everyone talked of little else for
the rest of the night. Regan said Malcolm doesn’t get along with
Lord Toplyn.”

What a relief. This was just the excuse he
needed to get out of the ball. “In that case, maybe we shouldn’t
go.”

“
Why not?”

“
If Malcolm doesn’t like
Lord Toplyn, then is it wise to go?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think Regan would
mind.”

“
Maybe she won’t, but what
about Malcolm? Some people can be particular about things like
this. My brother was very selective about who he spent time with,
and whenever I was seen with someone he considered scandalous, he
refused to talk to me.”

Her concerned expression tugged at his
heart. “That’s terrible.”

“
It’s how he was. Every
little thing a person said or did mattered. I wasn’t the only one
he did it to.”

“
I don’t think Malcolm is
like that.”

“
But doesn’t he think it’s
important to know the right people and stay in good graces with
them?”

“
He’s married to Regan, and
more than that, he enjoys it. Regan was quite the scandalous lady
before she had Leonard.”

“
That might be true, but
she’s not that way now. I suspect that’s why her marriage with
Malcolm works as well as it does.”

“
You’re probably right.” She
examined the invitation in her hands. “I’d love to go to the ball
with you. It’d always been my dream to attend a ball with a
gentleman I was married to. I used to watch ladies dancing and
think one day it’d be me.” Her gaze went to him, those lovely eyes
urging him to understand. “What if we only stayed for an hour? We
don’t have to be there the entire evening. I’d like to have two
dances with you and see what the ladies are wearing. They have some
of the most beautiful gowns. When they dance, it’s like a swirl of
colors on the floor. Plus, I do enjoy the music.”

When she put it like that, it was impossible
to tell her no. He released his breath, praying he wouldn’t regret
this. “All right. We’ll go.”

“
Thank you!”

“
But only for an
hour.”

“
An hour is all I require.”
She kissed him. “I can’t wait to dance with you.”

“
I’m not much of a dancer,”
he warned, lest she get her hopes up. Yes, he’d agreed to go with
her and share two dances, but he couldn’t promise her he’d be
graceful on the floor.

“
Neither am I, but that
doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.”

To him, it didn’t matter
what they did together. He enjoyed being with her whether they were
alone or around others. But, he supposed he really should be
flattered she was willing to be seen at a ball with him. She wasn’t
ashamed of him, and for that, he
was
thankful. He could manage to be
on his best behavior for one hour. One hour, after all, wasn’t that
long.

“
All right,” he told her.
“We’ll go to Lord Toplyn’s ball, and we’ll have a good
time.”

“
We will.”

Her eyes sparkled, lighting up her whole
face, and he was glad he’d given into her wish to go.

Chapter Eighteen

T
he
moment Derek arrived at Lord Toplyn’s ball, he knew the evening
would be a disaster. That small voice in the back of his mind
warned him to leave.

All balls were the same, no matter who
hosted them.

Already, Derek could pick out a group of
ladies who were huddled together, whispering behind their fans
while darting their disapproving glances at those who, for one
reason or another, didn’t meet up to their standards. A group of
gentlemen lounging in chairs nearby weren’t that much better. They
kept gesturing to a certain lady on the other side of the room, and
if Derek guessed right, they were making a wager concerning
her.

That wasn’t to say most of the people in
attendance had other things on their mind than gossip and wagers.
Most seemed content to dance and enjoy conversations with others
around them. Most people came for no other reason than to have a
good time, including the beautiful young lady on his arm.

He forced his gaze off the others so he
could look at Danette. He was doing this for her. He could do this
for her. He would go through this for her. She was worth it.

“
Is it too soon to ask you
to dance?” he asked her, noting the current dance was almost
over.

“
I don’t think so,” she
replied, an undeniable excitement underlying her tone. “I can’t
believe I’ll finally get a chance to dance.”

“
Surely, you must have
danced in the past.” Even knowing she was terribly shy around new
people, he couldn’t fathom no one asking her to dance. Without a
doubt, she was one of the most beautiful ladies in the
room.

“
I have danced in the past,”
she admitted, “but it was only a few times, and none of those
gentlemen meant anything to me. When I said I can’t believe I
finally get a chance to dance, I meant that I’m finally with
someone who means something to me.” She smiled. “I’ve been looking
forward to this ever since we got the invitation.”

Returning her smile, he led her further into
the room. “In that case, we must have this next dance.”

And the dancing was easy enough. In no way
would he claim he danced as well as the other gentlemen, but he
managed through it without bumping into someone or stepping on her
feet. So as far as he was concerned, the dance itself was a
success.

When the dance ended, he was ready to ask
her if she wanted to search the room for anyone she might know, but
Lord Toplyn and his wife came over to them.

“
Lord Dodsworth, I’m glad
you and your lovely wife made it,” Toplyn said. He gestured to the
lady whose arm was wrapped around his. “This darling rose petal is
my wife, Lady Toplyn.”

“
Yes, we met,” Derek said
and bowed. “She and her friends arranged my marriage, and,” he
smiled at Danette, “I couldn’t be happier with their
choice.”

“
Splendid!” Melissa replied.
“Lady Reddington was sure you two would get along just fine. So
far, we’ve had nothing but success with our matches.”

“
Whatever system you ladies
use works,” Toplyn told her. Then, he added with a grin, “But why
wouldn’t it? Ladies have an instinct for love, and my wife happens
to be one of the smartest people I know.”

Melissa blushed at her husband’s compliment.
After thanking him, she turned her gaze to Danette. “Would you be
willing to leave your husband for a brief time to tell Lady
Reddington and me how things are going?”

Danette’s eyes grew wide, as if she hadn’t
expected to be asked to join Melissa and Chloe. Perhaps whenever
she’d gone to a ball in the past, no one had bothered to take the
time to talk to her, except for Regan. If this was the case, then
Derek was glad they’d come. It’d be nice if Danette could broaden
her circle of friends. He was fond of Regan, but Regan couldn’t be
everywhere. Take tonight, for instance. Regan and Malcolm weren’t
anywhere in sight. It’d be a shame for Danette to spend the evening
alone when he couldn’t be with her.

“
It’s fine with me,” Derek
told Danette. “Besides, I have a feeling Lord Toplyn has something
he wishes to discuss with me.”

Why else would Toplyn extend the invitation
and come up to him? He had a suspicion this had to do with White’s,
especially since Toplyn had never taken note of him before. He
could delay the talk, of course, and come up with an excuse as to
why he couldn’t leave Danette’s side. But he wasn’t one to put
things off. The sooner he got this over with, the better.

“
We’d love to get to know
you better,” Melissa told Danette. “We won’t keep you too long from
your husband. I promise.”

Despite her shock, Danette offered a nod and
looked at Derek. “I won’t be gone for long.”

“
Take your time. Enjoy
yourself,” Derek replied.

She smiled at him, and he sensed her shyness
taking over. This was probably harder for her than Melissa or Chloe
could imagine. Not being prone to shyness themselves, Derek
surmised they couldn’t truly appreciate how much courage this
required of her. He squeezed her hand to offer her his silent
encouragement then watched as she left with an excited Melissa
already asking her questions about her marriage. That was good. If
Melissa and Chloe did most of the talking, it’d make things easier
for her.

“
I wasn’t sure you’d come,”
Toplyn said as the two gentlemen left the dance floor.

“
Danette loves balls,” Derek
replied, “and you know how it is when your wife wants something
badly enough. You’d move heaven and earth to do it for
her.”

“
Indeed, I would. I often
think it’s a pity more gentlemen don’t enjoy their marriages. But,
that’s not why I was hoping to talk to you.”

“
I figured as
much.”

“
I wanted to tell you how
much you impressed me that day at White’s.”

“
Oh?”

“
Yes.” They stepped outside
on the veranda, and Toplyn continued, “I can’t help but admire
someone who can come into a new place and speak his mind to someone
he’s just met. I’ve only heard rumors about you, but I can see
those rumors are true.”

Once again, Derek was reminded of how often
people talked about him. “While people go around talking about all
the shocking things I’ve done, I wish they’d remember the good I’ve
done. I don’t just go around telling people what hypocrites they
are. I’ve also been known to save a few lives along the way.”

“
I’m well aware of that.”
Toplyn sat on the bench and gestured for him to join
him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Derek settled
next to him. “You’ve brought me out here to ask me to go back to
White’s and tell Warren what others are afraid to say? That half of
you will not do what he wants?”

“
Actually, the thought never
crossed my mind,” Toplyn replied. “I just wanted to tell you how
much I enjoyed watching you tell him how miserable he is. I happen
to like the fact that you’re not afraid to speak your mind. Too
many people keep quiet because they’re afraid to cause trouble. But
not you. You say exactly what you want, and if people don’t like
it, then that’s their problem. I respect you. That’s why I was
hoping you’d come to my ball. I know you don’t go to them
anymore.”

“
Because speaking my mind
has gotten me banned,” Derek interrupted.

Toplyn’s smile widened. “All the more reason
to invite you. I don’t care one whit what the Ton thinks. I’ll
invite whoever I want to my balls. No one’s going to tell me what
to do.”