The Unexpected Duchess (3 page)

Jane reluctantly spent her time at these affairs badly pretending to enjoy herself, famously scribbling notes for her future books, and biding the time until she grew old enough that her mother would give up and allow her to remain at home in peace.

And that was why, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, Cass, Lucy, and Jane were all solidly on the shelf.

“What’s happening?” Jane asked, slipping into line beside the two of them.

Still tapping her foot, Lucy shrugged. “I’m enjoying the music, and Cass here is hiding from a duke.”

Jane’s head snapped to the side. “A duke?”

“The Duke of Claringdon,” Cass replied in a hushed whisper. “He’s watching me.”

Jane snuck a glance at the duke. “Ooh, he
is
watching you. Who knew he’d be so large? And handsome? I expected him to have scars, perhaps be missing an ear or something.”

Cass slapped at Jane’s light blue sleeve. “Good heavens, that’s positively morbid. You and your writerly imagination.”

Lucy eyed the duke, arms crossed over her chest. “He doesn’t look as if he’s missing anything to me.” She shook herself. “But that’s not the point. If Cass isn’t interested, she isn’t interested.”

“Do not worry,” Jane replied, addressing her remarks to Cass. “Simply tell him so. He’s certain to immediately retreat. Men like him usually have enormous overconfidence that is easily deflated.”

Lucy glanced over at the duke, who was still eyeing Cass like a prize horse. “Something tells me it won’t be that simple. The man seems to be quite used to getting his way.”

Cass was busily smoothing her skirts, her eyes downcast. “Lucy’s right. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell him I’m not interested. I’m not like you, Lucy. When I’m frightened, words completely leave my head. I wish I had a bit of your gift for witty repartee.”

Lucy snorted again. Oh, she might as well completely give up attempting to be ladylike. It just wasn’t in her. “And I wish I had your ability to keep my mouth shut when I ought.”

“It’s easy, truly. You simply have to— Oh good heavens, he’s coming over.” Cass’s voice reached a high note Lucy had never heard before.

“He surely will ask you to dance,” Lucy said, watching the duke’s inexorable advance.

“Just thank him and tell him you’re not in the mood for dancing at present. That should be that,” Jane added with a resolute nod.

“Be bold.” Lucy whispered her most famous bit of advice.

“Easy for you to say,” Cass squeaked.

Lucy squeezed Cass’s shoulder lightly. “We’ll be right here.” She and Jane moved quietly back toward the wall.

Cass took two brave, if shaky, steps forward to meet the duke. Lucy and Jane watched as the two spoke for a few moments—and the next thing Lucy knew, the duke led Cass onto the dance floor.
Oh Cass, no.
Lucy threw up her hands and turned to Jane. “She really does have a problem saying no to anyone.”

Lucy watched Cass and the duke whirl around the dance floor, Cass with her pretty honey-blond hair and the duke with his striking dark features.

“Poor Cass,” Jane whispered. “If she wasn’t so in love with Julian, she and the duke might make a beautiful couple actually.”

“She’d be miserable with Claringdon,” Lucy replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, I for one say she may well have a chance with Julian when he returns from the Continent.”

Jane arched a brow, giving her a highly skeptical look. “There are plenty of men to choose from. I’ve never understood why Cass is so set on that particular one.”

“She loves him, and I intend to assist Cass in remaining completely unengaged this Season until she can have her chance with Julian at last,” Lucy replied, twisting her mouth into a half smile.

“Why, Luce, I never realized what a romantic you are.” Jane sarcastically batted her eyelashes at her friend.

“Not romantic, merely determined,” Lucy replied with a resolute nod.

Minutes later, when Cass returned from the dance alone, Lucy snatched her into the corner with the two of them.

“What did he say?” Lucy’s own voice took on a high note this time.

Cass’s face was bright pink. She shook her head. “He paid me lovely compliments and said he should like very much to call upon me tomorrow. Oh, what am I going to do? I want to discourage him, but the words just will not come out of my mouth. I simper like a fool when he speaks to me. Not to mention that Mama has insisted that I encourage him. She’s been watching the entire time.”

Lucy and Cass turned their heads simultaneously to see Cass’s mother, Lady Moreland, eyeing them approvingly with a pleasant smile on her plump face. Clearly, the woman had visions of a dukedom dancing in her head.

Jane had pulled a book out of her reticule and was busily reading it, obviously no longer that interested in her friends’ antics. She pushed her spectacles up on her nose and nodded absently toward Lucy and Cass. “It’s too bad you two cannot switch bodies for the evening. I’ve every confidence that Lucy could set the duke back upon his heels in mere seconds.”

Lucy clapped her hands and Jane’s head snapped up from the book.

“That’s it!” Lucy cried.

“What’s it?” Cass asked, her eyes wide.

Lucy rubbed her gloved hands together with glee. “Jane’s perfectly right. Each of us is good at something different, correct?”

Jane eyed Lucy curiously. “I’m not entirely certain I follow.”

Lucy grabbed her friends’ hands. “I’m adept at speaking my mind and being quite blunt. It’s a curse, I know. I’ve never been able to curb my tongue. Mama’s told me often enough. And then of course there was the incident with the queen at my come-out.”

Cass bit her lip. “Yes, that was unfortunate.”

“A memory I rarely dwell upon, I assure you. But I long ago made peace with my reputation and my penchant for forthrightness.”

“Yes, you’re quite good at speaking your mind,” Cass agreed with a nod.

“And
you
are good at attracting gentlemen and looking stunning and befriending everyone you meet, Cass,” Lucy said.

Cass smiled at that. “I suppose I am.”

Lucy continued, “And Jane is good at—”

“Oh, this I simply cannot
wait
to hear,” Jane replied with something of a smirk on her face.

“Stop it,” Lucy replied. “You’re good at being exceedingly clever and knowing things none of the rest of us know. Why, if you were allowed to be in Parliament you would have negotiated the peace years ago and would have the taxes set to rights while you were at it.”

“Please tell that to my mother,” Jane said with a laugh. “She doesn’t quite see the merit in all my reading and writing.”

“I still don’t understand, Lucy,” Cass replied, her blue eyes cloudy with confusion.

“Don’t you see?” Lucy said. “We all must help one another. Help one another to get what we want. We’ll each do the thing the others cannot do and assist one another.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked, looking more interested by the moment.

Lucy smiled brightly. “I want to marry well. I don’t need love or any of that nonsense, but I’m expected to make a decent match, if I can ever find a gentleman whom I can stand that is—” She drew in a breath. “To date, I’ve been a spectacular failure. I frighten gentlemen away. Cass can help me be more, ahem, attractive to men. Or at least not send them running.”

“Go on,” Cass prompted, blinking rapidly.

“And Janie, you want to remain entirely unattached, do you not?” Lucy asked.

“Absolutely!” Jane replied. “Entirely and forever.”

“Repelling gentlemen is my specialty. I can help you immensely.” Lucy laughed.

Jane smiled at that. “I need you to convince my mother that she can stop making me attend these odious social evenings.”

“I’ll help,” Lucy agreed.

“And Cass?” Jane asked.

Lucy pulled them both closer. “I already have a plan. Cass wants to have her chance with Julian, correct? True love and all that. But you can’t do it if your mother is encouraging the Duke of Claringdon and insisting that you accept his suit. I’ll be your voice, Cass. I’ll tell you exactly what words to use to dissuade the duke from pursuing you.”

“You will?” Cass’s eyes were round.

“Yes,” Lucy replied. “I shall help you with the duke. Now you must send him a note. We must get him out of this ballroom and away from your mother’s prying eyes.” Another quick glance at Lady Moreland assured them that her eyes were indeed, still prying. “Ask him to meet you outside tonight, beside the hedgerow in the gardens. I’ll hide behind the bushes and whisper what you need to say and you’ll repeat it.”

A wide grin spread across Jane’s face. “You know, that plan is just mad enough that it may work. It’ll be just like Horner in
The Country Wife.
Only less risqué.” Jane was forever mentioning her favorite plays.

Cass shook her head, a worried look flashing across her pretty face. “No. No. It won’t work at all. He’s sure to hear you, Lucy.”

“We’ll just make certain he’s several paces away,” Lucy replied. “You’ll tell him not to come any closer. For propriety’s sake, of course. It’s perfect.”

Cass’s wide blue eyes turned to Jane. “Janie, what do you think?”

Her forgotten book shoved back into her reticule, Jane crossed her arms over her chest. “I think I shall be out in the garden hiding behind the hedgerow with Lucy so I don’t miss a moment of this.”

Cass wrung her hands. “But what if it
doesn’t
work?”

Jane patted her friend’s shoulder. “What does Lucy always say? Be bold? At this point, you’ve nothing to lose. And if anyone can manage this feat, it’s our Lady Lucy here.”

Cass gulped. She eyed both her friends warily and took a moment to speak. “Very well. If you’re certain, I suppose I’ll try it.”

Lucy smiled an enormous smile and clasped her hands together. “Excellent. Leave everything to me. It’ll be just like one of the romp plays we love so much. I’ll set the arrogant duke back on his heels. We have an appointment in the hedgerow.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The next morning Lucy spent an inordinate amount of time in the breakfast room of her cousin’s town house mentally compiling a list of crushing things to say to the Duke of Claringdon when they next met. Why, the man was a complete boor. How dare he call her Miss Upton? How dare he question Cass’s wishes? How dare he tell her he didn’t give a toss what she thought? The Crown may have bestowed a title upon him, but it obviously could not bestow the good breeding and manners that should come along with it.

She’d already cataloged an entire plethora of things to say to bring the duke to his knees when a footman arrived to announce that her friends were waiting in the drawing room to see her.

By choice, Lucy lived with her aunt and her cousin Garrett. Garrett had been her closest childhood friend. Lucy’s own parents would never forgive her for not being a boy. They’d essentially disowned her. Well, completely ignored her for the most part. And while her parents preferred to remain in the country, Lucy adored Garrett’s mother, Aunt Mary, who acted as her chaperone while she was in town.

Lucy hastily made her way to the drawing room. If Jane and Cass were there, surely Garrett had made his way to the drawing room as well. Garrett seemed to appear wherever Cass was lately. Lucy suspected he had an infatuation with her beautiful blond friend.

Lucy pushed open the double doors to the drawing room and marched inside.

“Ah, Your Grace, lovely of you to join us,” Garrett said in his usual sarcastic tone. Lucy hid her smile. Yes. Garrett was here. The honorific he’d called her by was a jest between the two of them. He’d begun calling her that soon after her come-out, after all the eligible suitors had fallen away. Lucy had heard one of them say that he wasn’t interested because of her wasp’s tongue and high airs.

“You’d think she was a duchess the way she carries herself,” Lord Widmere had said. It had stung Lucy, but only that first time. She refused to allow anyone to see her hurt and her shame. She’d spent her life trying to be the son her parents didn’t have, shunning all things ladylike and girlish. Was it her fault she spoke her mind and refused to suffer fools? Her penchant for unvarnished honesty had earned her the reputation of having a shrew’s tongue. But if it helped in situations like Cass’s debacle with the overbearing Duke of Claringdon last night, she’d take her so-called waspish tongue over being a demure little miss any day. And as for her supposed duchesslike airs, well, those had been an unfortunate by-product of her refusal to show anyone that their rejection hurt. She pushed up her chin, squared her shoulders, and told herself she didn’t need the approval of the
ton
. What did it matter to her what they thought?

So she’d shared Lord Widmere’s words with Garrett, and they’d made a jest of them. A jest that nettled her still a bit, but she absolutely adored her cousin, even if her father detested him. Perhaps because her father detested him. Father couldn’t stand Garrett for the simple reason that Garrett would inherit his title and estates one day and he was not Father’s very own son. Ah, what a loving family.

Lucy returned Garrett’s smile and fell into a deep curtsy. “At your service,” she said with a smile.

Garrett was sitting next to Cass—he was always sitting next to Cass—his longish dark hair brushing his collar, his hazel eyes, the same color as one of Lucy’s, flashing in merriment.

“We didn’t wake you, did we?” Garrett asked.

“Absolutely not.” Lucy swept up her violet skirts with one hand and made her way over to the settee to sit between Cass and Garrett. She flourished the piece of parchment in her hand. “I was up with the sun this morning writing a list of things for Cass to say to the Duke of Claringdon when he calls on her.”

Jane sat on a chair across from them steadfastly reading a book.

“How is Cassandra supposed to read off a list with the duke standing there?” Garret asked.

“I suppose you have a better idea, Upton.” Jane calmly pushed up her spectacles and turned the page.

Garrett opened his mouth to issue a no-doubt-scathing retort. Garrett and Jane had disliked each other upon sight. They’d met at a play they’d all attended five years ago, and the two had fallen into a continual war of words. Lucy had long ago learned it was best if she cut their wordplay off at the start.