To Capture a Duke's Heart (22 page)

“Thompkins mentioned that your father paid a call this afternoon,” Gabriel remarked as he escorted Penny into the dining room later that evening.

“Yes.  I wasn’t expecting them in London until the coming week, but they decided to advance their departure from the country so that I might enjoy some time with my brother before the bustle of the Season gets underway.”

“The two of you are close, I presume?”

Penny nodded.  “Though Charles is only four-years-old, we have developed a rather close bond.”

“It was quite considerate of them to bring him to London then, especially as the majority of young children are left at home in the care of their governesses when their parents come to Town.”

“Yes it was,” Penny replied with a faint smile.  “Well, it was considerate on my father’s part, I should say, for I’m entirely certain that my stepmother was less than thrilled with the arrangement,” she amended.

“The countess isn’t the epitome of motherly devotion I take it?”

“Sadly, the only person Maryanne is devoted to is herself,” Penny informed him matter-of-factly. 

Gabriel regarded her curiously for a moment, making Penny wonder if perhaps he thought the same thing of her.  And no doubt considering that he was still convinced that she was capable of employing such a vile and nefarious method to secure the title Duchess of Ainsworth, it was entirely possible, she reasoned.

But whatever it was that he might or might not be thinking, he merely replied, “That’s unfortunate,” a few seconds later, his tone surprisingly compassionate.

“In any event,” Penny stated, injecting a deliberate lightness to her voice, “my father and I plan to take Charlie riding in the park tomorrow if the weather holds.”

“That reminds me,” Gabriel remarked as they continued on to where Rafael and Michael stood awaiting their arrival at the dining room entrance, “Jennings informs me that we have another new addition to the stable.”

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, of course not.  We’ve plenty of space, even with the addition of Rafael and Michael’s new mounts.”

Clearly having heard the last portion of their conversation, Rafael’s expression became animated as they approached.  “God’s teeth, Gabe, have you seen that fearsome-looking behemoth she rides?” he asked.

Gabriel’s brow lifted fractionally as he looked from Rafael to Penny.  “No, I haven’t actually.”

Standing at Rafael’s side, Michael let out a low, appreciative whistle.  “You’re in for quite a surprise then.”

“Am I?”

“They’re exaggerating,” Penny decreed with a shake of her head, glancing between Rafael and Michal with an amused smile, delighting in their good-humored banter.  “Apollo’s not nearly as formidable as he appears, I assure you.”

“Please, just promise me that I may accompany you the first time you take that brute for a run on Rotten Row,” Michael entreated with an answering smile.  “For I simply must see the looks on everyone’s faces when you go tearing down the track atop that giant beast.”

“Oh ho, only if I’m allowed to come along,” Rafael promptly declared, “as I would most definitely like to be on hand to witness that myself.”

“I highly doubt that our appearance on the track will cause quite the spectacle you’re imagining,” Penny retorted laughingly.  “Nevertheless, if you would like to accompany me, then of course you may,” she continued as they made their way to the table, noting with a twinge of disappointment that Gabriel made no similar request.  Instead, she saw him glance rather pensively between his two brothers as he escorted her to her seat, the contemplative expression lingering upon his face as he moved then to his own chair at the head of the table.

“Blimey,” Rafael uttered just a few moments after they’d all been seated, causing everyone at the table to turn their heads toward him in surprise, watching curiously as his brows drew together and he directed an astonished gaze in Penny’s direction.  “You don’t actually ride that animal sidesaddle do you?”

“Oh, Penny,” Eleanor uttered softly, squeezing her hand sympathetically.  “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s hardly the brash romantic tale you were expecting, I’m sure,” Penny replied in a dejected tone.  They were seated upon the settee in her private sitting room, exactly as they’d been since shortly after Eleanor’s arrival some twenty minutes earlier.

“No, it certainly isn’t,” she stated in a soft, compassionate tone.

“Alas, ‘tis all appallingly and agonizingly true.”

Eleanor eyed her dolefully.  “And you truly cannot remember anything at all?”

“No.  Nothing after I went to bed that night.”  Penny frowned, her brows drawing together.    “And despite going over it time and time again, all I can think is that I must have awoken sometime during the night, and thinking I was at home perhaps, wandered out into the darkened hallway; then in my confusion, when I went to reenter my chamber I somehow got turned around and entered into Gabriel’s room across the hall instead.”  She sighed, shaking her head.  “But even that explanation seems incongruous at best.”

Eleanor nodded thoughtfully, her expression contemplative.  “Though it
is
possible I suppose, especially if you had awoken from a very deep sleep.  Moreover, that particular stretch of the hall
is
quite dark.”

“In any event, I had hoped that I might somehow persuade him that I was telling the truth, that I
am
telling the truth, but he is quite convinced that I did it deliberately.  Of course, with no memory of that night, how can I ever expect to prove otherwise?”

“But if he only knew the kind of person you are, the kind of person that
I
know you are, he would never believe you capable of something like that.”

Penny managed a slight smile.  “My father thinks that given time, he will come to realize that for himself.”

“Yes, of course he will,” Eleanor stated optimistically.  

“I can only hope that you’re correct, that you are both correct.”

“We will be, you’ll see.”  Eleanor gave Penny’s hand another squeeze.  “And I’m so glad that you felt you could confide in me.”

“So am I; for I desperately needed to talk to someone and who else could I confide in than my dearest friend.”

“And I shall
always
be your dearest friend,” Eleanor avowed.  “I hope you know that.”

“Even if Society should happen to turn its collective nose up at me tomorrow night?” Penny asked, affecting a dubious expression.

Eleanor grinned.  “Even then, for I am afraid that you are quite stuck with me, regardless.”

“I’m so happy you’re here, Eleanor.”

“As am I,” Eleanor replied wholeheartedly.  “Now please will you do me a favor and stop fretting about tomorrow evening.”

Penny nodded.  “I shall try.”

“Good!  Besides, who would dare cut you?  For scandal or no, you, my girl, are the daughter of the Earl of Beckford and now the Duchess of Ainsworth.  Moreover, as both your father and husband are two of the most powerful and influential men in all of England,” Eleanor proclaimed in a deliberately haughty, nasal tone, “you are effectively above reproach.”

While the last wasn’t
entirely
true, Eleanor’s patent confidence
was
reassuring.  “I shall do my best to keep that in mind,” she promised laughingly.

“Alright then.”  Eleanor released Penny’s hand and reached for her neglected teacup.  “So, let’s move on to a
far
more interesting topic of discussion, shall we?”

Penny quirked an amused brow.  “And that would be?”

Eleanor took a sip of her tea, and then setting the cup back upon its saucer affected a patently serious expression.  “Why the gowns we shall be wearing to the Caversham’s ball, of course.”

_____

For the past decade, the Marquess and Marchioness of Caversham’s ball had been considered the
unofficial
start to the London Season and the singular event that all but ensured that each and every able-bodied member of the
ton’s
highest ranking circles, the absolute crème de la crème of Society, would put in an appearance.  The celebrated occurrence would also mark Penny’s initial introduction to the majority of those exalted members and her first official foray into that most venerated and illustrious assemblage.  Thus, to say that she was feeling both apprehensive and more than a little overwhelmed as she stood at Gabriel’s side just beyond the entrance to the enormous, brilliantly-lit ballroom, waiting for the regal-looking butler to announce their names in his resonant baritone, would have been a colossal understatement.

As such, she was hardly aware that her fingers had tightened considerably upon the crook of Gabriel’s elbow until a few seconds later, when he reached his other arm across his chest and placed his hand lightly upon hers, giving her taut fingers a slight, reassuring squeeze.  Surprised by the comforting gesture, Penny looked down to where his hand rested upon hers for a moment and then glanced up at him with a faint, appreciative smile.  Then, surprising her even further, he tipped his head slightly yet encouragingly in her direction, returning her smile with one of those natural, heart-stopping smiles she remembered so fondly from their time in Scotland.

Emboldened by the silent show of support, and not altogether unaffected by that captivating smile, Penny felt herself slowly begin to relax as she returned her gaze forward and waited for the butler to herald their entrance into the ballroom. 

Standing just a few feet in front of her and Gabriel, Michael and Rafael, who’d accompanied them on their drive to the Marquess of Caversham’s London residence, stood waiting in the queue for their names to be announced as well; and as Penny gazed upon the backs of their two matching heads, she found herself further comforted by the sudden notion that at least half of the room’s occupants, the
female
half, would likely be so focused upon the devilishly-handsome faces of the Ashcroft twins as they made their entrances into the ballroom that they might not even notice her and Gabriel’s subsequent entry.  It was certainly worth hoping, anyhow.

And while Michael and Rafael’s names did cause a visible stir amongst the crowd as they were announced a few seconds later, it seemed that every head in the room, their number assuredly in the four to five hundreds, abruptly swiveled in their direction, and that every pair of eyes focused suddenly and intently upon the entrance steps as the butler heralded,
“Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Ainsworth,”
in the very next minute.  Nevertheless, Penny held her head high beneath the weight of their gaping stares and the accompanying hush that fell over the densely crowded room, valiantly maintaining a pleasant and composed expression as she and Gabriel stood poised for a moment at the top of the steps whilst all but a handful of the assembled personages, those select few to whom she’d been introduced on previous occasions, got their first look at the new Duchess of Ainsworth.

“There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Gabriel murmured lightheartedly, as they began their descent just seconds later.

Glancing up at him from the corner of her eye, Penny had the sudden and unexpected urge to grin.  She was careful to stifle it, however, and replied simply, “Heavens no, that wasn’t the least bit unpleasant at all,” she replied tongue-in-cheek.  “Much unlike the feeling one might experience when standing before, let’s say a firing squad, perhaps.”

Gabriel’s lips twitched.  “Indeed yes, for I cannot imagine the two experiences would feel even the least bit similar.”

As they reached the ballroom floor, Penny wasn’t altogether surprised to see her father break from the crowd, with Maryanne dutifully at his side, to greet them with a warm, effusive smile.  “Ainsworth, Penelope, good evening to you both,” he hailed with a respectful bow, as Maryanne executed a well-mannered curtsey.

“Beckford, Lady Beckford,” Gabriel replied with an answering smile.

If Penny’d had the urge to grin just moments before, she felt the renewed urge twofold as she watched Maryanne rise from her curtsey, knowing just how much the deferential display must have pained her spiteful stepmother. And even though she silently chastised herself for the uncharacteristically petty emotion in the very next instant, there remained a small part of her that secretly delighted in the moment.  “Father, Maryanne,” she greeted.  “It’s so good to see you; and how splendid you both look this evening.”

“Thank you, dear,” Maryanne replied in a sugary tone, tipping her head appreciatively; though Penny didn’t fail to notice the slight, resentful narrowing of her stepmother’s eyes as they rested briefly upon the dazzling display of diamonds and topazes encircling her neck.  Having chosen a beautiful gown in a delicate shade of buttercup yellow, the magnificent necklace that Gabriel had presented her with two weeks before, had made for the perfect accompaniment.   Of course, noting Maryanne’s reaction made its presence around her neck all the more satisfying.

“While I appreciate the compliment, my dear, I am fully aware that I pale woefully in comparison to the breathtaking visions you lovely ladies present,” he replied with a laughing smile, glancing affectionately between her and Maryanne.

They were interrupted then as the Earl and Countess of Gilchrist approached, along with Eleanor, Eugenia and her husband Philip, their warm, welcoming smiles a clear indication to the watchful assemblage that they would be lending their combined support to the newly wedded Duke and Duchess of Ainsworth.  

As it turned out, both her father’s and Eleanor’s predictions proved to be remarkably astute, for as she and Gabriel made their way through the assembled guests, they were received both welcomingly and cordially by virtually everyone they encountered. Of course it was ultimately the one person who wielded enough social power and influence to essentially make or break Penny’s success, the Dowager Duchess of Lyndon, the woman whom everyone had seemed to be watching with bated breath as she and Gabriel had moved in her direction, just minutes after their arrival, who had all but guaranteed her acceptance.  For seated amongst a group of stony-faced matrons, the duchess had greeted their approach with a warm and benevolent smile, a smile that had been mimicked almost instantly by the host of influential, high-ranking women seated around her.    

And while there might still have been any number of gossiping comments whispered behind the concealing flutter of an open fan or the obscuring lift of a gloved hand, by the time the first dance of the evening was announced, Penny’s acceptance into the highest echelons of London Society seemed ensured.

“Shall we?” Gabriel asked, holding out his hand to Penny as the lilting strains of Johann Strauss’
Charmant-Walzer
filled the air.

With the flamboyant Marchioness of Caversham’s bent toward unconventionality and accompanying flair for the dramatic, she had long chosen to open her first ball of the Season with a waltz.  Thus, as Penny nodded and slipped her gloved fingers into Gabriel’s, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time he’d escorted her onto the dance floor and of the waltz they’d shared in Scotland.

“Well, Madame, I think it is safe to say that your introduction to Society can be deemed nothing short of a smashing success,” Gabriel remarked as he spun her into the first sweeping turn atop the dance floor.

“Yes, it would seem so,” Penelope acknowledged with a faint smile.

Gabriel regarded her inquiringly, somewhat surprised by her rather subdued response.  “And yet, oddly enough, I can’t help noting that your response seems to lack the level of enthusiasm one might expect in regard to such a notable accomplishment.”

“Despite what you might think, becoming a
smashing success
within Society has never been one of my particular aspirations, as I would have been perfectly content with mere acceptance,” she replied evenly. “Moreover, I haven’t the slightest misconception that my
notable accomplishment
can be attributed to anything that I may or may not have done, but owed instead to the extraordinary show of support we received from our family and friends, and the Dowager Duchess of Lyndon especially.”

Despite experiencing a rather dubious reaction in regard to her social aspirations, or supposed lack thereof, he chose to forgo the sardonic comment he might have made, saying instead, “The duchess does seem to have a particular fondness for you, which I admit to finding somewhat surprising considering the two of you scarcely know one another.”

“As it happens, she and my mother were friends,” Penny informed him, “and quite close, apparently, despite the difference in their ages.”

“Ah.”  That explained a great deal, for there were a scarce few people who were deemed high enough in Agatha’s estimation to be considered true friends. “I’m quite certain that she believes I compromised you in some fashion whilst we were in Scotland, by the way, though she doesn’t seem particularly troubled by the notion,” he stated drolly. 

“I’m sorry,” she surprised him by saying.  “Not only for what the duchess thinks, but for what so many others must surely believe as well, for I have little doubt that hers is a popular assumption,” she continued in a soft, regretful tone.  “An assumption that is not only unfair, but wholly undeserved.”