The Heart of a Duke (48 page)

Falling into step beside her, Langley held out
his arm once more, and when she wrapped her fingers around his coat
sleeve he tucked her hand against his side. “I’m regretting no such
thing. I realize now what I have missed by not getting to know the
young ladies I’ve considered since Lady Eleanore cried off. I am
quite looking forward to the week ahead.”

“
You are determined to choose a
wife this week, aren’t you?” Again, her heart squeezed with pain as
the last bit of hope within her tamped out. How lucky she was to
see what the Duke of Langley was made of before she had foolishly
accepted his offer.

She couldn’t imagine marrying for any reason
other than love. She was far enough down on his list of ladies he’d
considered that he plainly wasn’t thinking in terms of love.
Spending her life with a man who didn’t love her would leave her an
empty shell, she was certain. Moreover, it would be difficult for
her to sustain a love with someone who cared so little about the
person he would spend the rest of his life with.

“
I feel obligated to find a bride
soon,” Langley explained. “Mother was greatly disappointed to learn
I would not be marrying last June. Not only because it had been my
father’s wish that I marry Lady Eleanore, but the duchess is
looking forward to having grandchildren while she is young enough
to enjoy them. And as I will turn thirty next month, I have shirked
that duty long enough.”

“
Yet you waited until today to
propose to anyone.”

He ducked his head, and for the first time
Charlotte glimpsed the man he kept hidden behind the duke façade.
“Not exactly. I have come close, if you’ll recall. I’ve discovered
I have a knack for being a day late in my decision. Before I can
approach a young lady with the suggestion of marriage, she chooses
someone else.”

Langley had to be making sport of her. He
couldn’t expect her to believe he was unable to find a woman who
would accept his offer. It was true that her friend Vallie and her
sister Alison had chosen elsewhere, but they were hardly the only
available ladies. What he’d said to Lord Pembrook could explain
part of the problem—I should be able to approach any woman here and
have her fall at my feet. That method was plainly not successful.
He needed her help if he was going to succeed at his
task.

Could she honestly help him gain the hand of
another lady in marriage? But what of her own dream? She touched
the cold metal heart hanging from her neck. The other girls had
worn this necklace and found true love, in spite of the gypsy girl
saying it would lead to the heart of a duke. None of them had
married dukes, but all four of the girls absolutely glowed with the
love they shared with their husbands and fiancés.

Her heart ached at the thought of spending
more time with Langley knowing he would marry someone else, yet the
time would be good practice for another London Season. Or, by some
wild fluke, one of the other gentlemen present might fall at her
feet. “Your difficulty is not in the women you choose, but as you
say, not becoming well acquainted with them before you make your
decision. We can easily resolve that. Now, if Her Grace is like my
mother, she has a list.”

He nodded. “As soon as I told her Lady
Eleanore had eloped, Mother and my aunt compiled the names of all
the young ladies they felt qualified to carry out the
responsibilities of the title.”

“
You mentioned you thought we
could be of assistance to each other. I believe you are correct,
but not in the way you imagined.”

His brow lifted but he said
nothing.

“
I will teach you how to speak to
a young lady to engage her affections so she’ll not even notice any
other men in the room.”

Langley nodded. “And what do you get from this
transaction?”

She offered a polite smile, not wanting him to
believe she had any interest in him herself. “As you may have
noticed, I’m not comfortable in social situations, especially when
speaking to gentlemen.”

“
You appear to be making a go of
it now.”

“
That’s because it’s you.” Her
eyes widened. Lud, why not just tell the man how often she spoke to
him when her mind was woolgathering? “Ah…that is, since you and
Lady Eleanore were engaged you were practically one of our little
group, in a manner of speaking. You are like an old friend. If I
spend the week talking with you and Lord Pembrook, I might feel
less awkward around other gentlemen, which will help me when I
return to London.”

“
Well, old friend, your offer is
quite generous. Do you honestly believe you can make me agreeable
to one of these young ladies by the end of the week?” His
half-smile softened the sternness of his tone.

She shrugged before catching herself and
straightening her posture. She had no idea what the other ladies
sought in a husband, but the very fact of their presence implied
they were open to an offer from him. The duchess was likely working
toward the same goal as Charlotte, to put Langley in the best light
before their guests. “I’m certain of it, sir. You should be able to
announce your engagement by the end of the week.”

Chapter Three

What was the chit up to? Langley couldn’t
quite make her out. The mouse was offering to teach the cat a few
tricks? Teach him how to speak to a young lady, as if he hadn’t
been doing so all these years—and seducing a few of the more
experienced ones into bed.

Still, in view of his recent failed proposal
attempts, his methods clearly needed adjustment. Who could it hurt
to play her little game? In fact, if he raised the stakes a little,
he could guarantee he’d have his betrothal ball the duchess planned
to throw on Saturday. “What if I’m not able to convince any of
these ladies I would make a good husband?”

“
Do you doubt my ability to teach
you?” With her hands on her hips, Lady Charlotte looked like a
slender version of his mother.

“
Not at all. My concerns were
focused on my own abilities to seduce a lady.”

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Sir, we aren’t speaking of seduction. On that subject I’m certain
you have much skill. I am speaking of capturing her
heart.”

“
Her heart, is it?” Langley
glanced at the French doors, fully expecting to see his mother
standing outside them with her arms folded across her matronly
bosom, chastising him with her pointed glare for being alone so
long with Lady Charlotte. But they were in full view of the morning
room, and every other window along this wing of the house, so no
one could accuse him of behaving less than gentlemanly.

Still, Lady Charlotte’s reputation would be
marred by such an implication. While that might force her to accept
his offer of marriage, that was not how he wished to win a wife. He
needed to seal their bargain so they could go inside with the
others. “I shall accept your kind offer of instruction on one
condition. If I fail to achieve my goal of convincing one of the
other young ladies to marry me, you will agree to become my
wife.”

Lady Charlotte’s lips parted and her eyebrows
pulled together. Her hand pressed her necklace against her heart.
She closed her eyes for a moment, her mouth turning down, then met
his gaze. “Agreed.”

Langley released a breath of air that came
awfully close to relief. Ridiculous. He had no attachment to this
girl over any of the others, so there was no call for relief she
might still consider his offer. Just so long as he could move
forward to the next stage of setting up his nursery, he’d be happy.
“Glad to hear it. Now, you’d better hurry inside. Your mother will
wonder what’s keeping you.”

She laughed. “She will assume I slipped into
the library. She won’t look for me until dinner. Good day, sir.
Thank you for the lesson in pall mall.” She hurried
inside.

As the door closed behind Lady Charlotte,
Pembrook stepped out from behind a tree. “Well played, Langley. You
will have her believing she tricked you into marrying
her.”

Langley shook his head. “How so? She turned me
down.”

“
You haven’t noticed the way she
looks at you? She has been smitten with you since her arrival.
Longer, I’m certain.”

“
Then why would she turn me down?”
Langley stroked his chin. It made no sense. If she wanted a
proposal, why wouldn’t she accept it when it came? She didn’t seem
to be the type to refuse the first time by rote, as some were said
to do.

“
Because she’s female? Who knows
how a woman’s mind works? She is surprisingly outspoken, though.
Perhaps you should consider one of the other ladies. Her sister is
much more biddable.”

“
Lady Alison is engaged as of last
month, if you’ll recall. Lady Charlotte intrigues me.” As he said
it, a ripple of excitement coursed through him. She was quite
complex for someone who appeared so meek. While not completely
biddable, neither was she so headstrong and temperamental that life
beside her would be a continual trial. “I am quite curious how she
expects to instruct me in matters of comport. I haven’t looked
forward to anything as much as I do this next week.”

“
Just be careful. Remember, this
is a person’s heart you are playing with. Marriage might be just
another business arrangement for you, but to this girl, it’s her
entire life.”

“
I imagine so,” Langley muttered
in response, but Pembrook’s words haunted him for the rest of the
afternoon, wiping away any traces of his good mood. His closest
friend thought him callous and calculating. Hardly. He was
disciplined, yes. Focused. He was a duke; he had duties to fulfill.
He would be the first to admit he wasn’t the romantic sort, but
that didn’t mean he didn’t deserve a pleasant wife.

As he suspected, his mother must have seen his
long tête-a-tête with Lady Charlotte because the young miss was
seated at his right at supper. To his left sat a slightly older,
but still unmarried, young lady who had come with the Martins. Her
name was Viola—or Daisy—Fielding, or some such common
flower.

Miss Fielding was all politeness and polish.
“Your Grace, the weather was perfect this afternoon for our little
game of Pall Mall. You couldn’t have planned it better.”

She spoke as though the weather were under his
purview, something he scheduled to suit his moods. “I am glad you
approve. I have a thunderstorm on the agenda for our game of
charades tomorrow. You shall all choose a gothic novel to
portray.”

Lady Charlotte coughed into her
napkin.

“
Do you enjoy charades, Lady
Charlotte?” He watched her expression before taking another
spoonful of white soup.

She cleared her throat. “Very much so,
although I don’t claim any talent when performing. Your mother
mentioned a short play we all would take part in later in the week.
Are you a skilled actor?”

If she was referring to his ability to portray
a suitor, his answer should be no, from what she’d told him
earlier. “I have not the talent that many do of pretending
something I am not.”

“
Did you never fantasize being a
knight or a pirate as a child?” Lady Charlotte kept her focus on
him, awaiting his reply.

“
I don’t recall any such flights
of fancy. I did enjoy reading, and I suppose I pretended to be the
characters in my books.”

Lady Charlotte smiled, then nodded pointedly
in the direction of Miss Fielding. Langley frowned, unable to
determine what she meant him to do, then realized this was part of
her lessons. He was to make casual conversation with all his
guests. “Do all young ladies enjoy make believe, Miss
Fielding?”

The woman set down her spoon. “I can’t speak
for all girls, but my sisters and I spent hours in the attic
exploring trunks filled with my mother’s old gowns and dressing in
them.”

Langley forced a smile. “How charming.” He
refused to look at Lady Charlotte, for it might appear he sought
her approval of his behavior. He hoped tonight was one of his
mother’s simpler menus, no more than eight take-aways, but that
wasn’t likely. Polite conversation was simply not his forte. He’d
be happy when he could escape to the billiard room with the
gentlemen.

Unable to stop himself, he glanced at Lady
Charlotte. She appeared deep in conversation with the man beside
her. Her laughter tittered lightly, stirring up a tightness in his
gut. He wanted to be the one to provoke her delight. He forced
himself to wait until she’d turned her attention on the next dish,
the stewed endive.

Her hand went to her neckline, where the gold
heart had rested earlier, but she only wore a short strand of
pearls now.

He frowned. “Is your pendant
missing?”

She quickly placed her hand in her lap. “No. I
took it off when I dressed for the evening.”

“
That must be bothersome, changing
jewelry as often as you ladies are required to change
gowns.”

She swallowed before replying. “It’s not a
bother, really. I wouldn’t wear such a casual piece with an evening
gown.”

“
I see. Yet you reached for it as
if you wear it often. Is it a special piece?”

Her cheeks turned rosy, a flattering look that
made him even more curious about her thoughts. “Not especially.
It’s just something my sister gave me.”