To Capture a Duke's Heart (4 page)

Entering the music room a short time later, Penny was immensely relieved to find that the recital had not yet begun.  However, as she glanced around the room she could see that the majority of the seats within were already occupied, with only a few vacant chairs remaining near the very front of the room.  Not wishing to draw attention to her late arrival, she decided to remain standing in the back, selecting a spot in a nearby corner from which to watch the performance. 

A few seconds later Penny looked on as Eleanor walked to the front of the room and took her position beside the piano, joining her sister Eugenia who was already seated behind the instrument’s smooth, ivory keys.  Catching Eleanor’s eye, she gave her friend an encouraging smile.  Then, with bated breath, she waited for Eleanor to begin singing; and in the very next moment, just as she had predicted, her friend’s soft, lilting voice floated across the room, sounding just as poignantly beautiful as always.

Focused upon the performance, Penny had failed to notice that another latecomer had entered the room until a slight movement eventually caught her eye, alerting her to the presence of someone standing a few steps behind and slightly to her right.  Turning her head the slightest fraction, she was surprised to see that it was none other than the Duke of Ainsworth who had arrived late and joined her in the corner of the room.

Noting her surreptitious glance, he offered a polite nod of acknowledgement as their eyes briefly connected; then clasping his hands casually behind his back he returned his attention to the front of the room.

Though Penny shifted her gaze back toward the front of the room as well, her primary focus was no longer upon Eleanor and Eugenia as it should have been, but concentrated almost entirely upon the man standing just a few feet away.  One could hardly fault her for it really, for he was simply impossible to ignore, his mere presence heightening each and every one of her senses and setting her pulse to racing. 
Breathe, Penny
, she instructed, fighting to calm her suddenly rioting nerves.  He’s just a man like any other, she reminded herself. 

Oh who are you kidding,
the little voice inside her head scoffed in the very next second.  The Duke of Ainsworth wasn’t at all like any other man; at least he wasn’t like any other man
she’d
ever known.  And he certainly didn’t make her
feel
like any other man she’d ever known had made her feel, like every single nerve in her body was suddenly alive and humming beneath her skin; an exhilarating, spine-tingling sensation quite unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.  No, this was no ordinary man, this was the kind of man a woman imagined when she was lost in the pages of a timeless fairytale or epic love story, the type of man who featured within a woman’s fantasies by day and invaded her dreams by night, she acknowledged, feeling a wild, intoxicating rush of exhilaration course throughout her body.

She smelled like flowers, Gabriel noted.  Lavender, perhaps, or maybe it was violets; he wasn’t entirely certain.  He inhaled another slow, deep breath, noting another scent intermingled with the floral aroma.  Vanilla perhaps?  The fragrance wasn’t overpowering like so many others he’d smelled before, but soft and subtle; a pleasing bouquet that delighted rather than assaulted his senses.  

After a moment his gaze drifted ever so slowly to the side, alighting briefly on the striking auburn tendrils that trailed down the back of her neck, settling for a time upon her exquisite profile and then falling to the gentle slope of her naked shoulder and to the smooth ivory skin revealed by the sophisticated cut of her gown.  Moving lower still, his eyes fell unerringly upon her décolletage and to her lush, full breasts, the enticing swells pressing decadently against the gown’s tightly-fitted bodice.  He swallowed hard, feeling the basest of male instincts spark within him, a fierce and undeniable surge of arousal that flared hotly within his loins, only to spread swiftly throughout the remainder of his body. 

Damn it, Gabe!  What the devil’s gotten into you?
he silently cursed, shifting uncomfortably upon the balls of his feet as he tried to ignore the sudden, unmistakable pressure straining against the front of his trousers. 
You’re lusting over an innocent, for God’s sake,
his brain cautioned as he fought to suppress the unwelcome rush of desire flowing within his veins.  Yes, Penelope Houghton was a rare beauty to be sure, but he’d set eyes on scores of beautiful women over the years, bedded his fair share of them too.  So, for a man who prided himself on his emotional, as well as his physical, self-control, his reaction to the innocent, young miss standing next to him was both shocking and vastly unsettling.  Be that as it may, it took a concerted effort to tear his gaze from the enticing vision standing next to him and return it to the front of the room.

For the next several minutes Gabriel and Penny stood silently in their places with their eyes trained dutifully forward as Eleanor’s ethereal voice filled the room with the sweetest of melodies, while Eugenia’s fingers danced effortlessly atop the piano keys.  Even so there remained an almost tangible sense of awareness between them, a stirring, visceral consciousness of the other’s presence.  It remained as such until the song came to an end and they raised their hands, adding their applause to the others in appreciation of the sisters’ talents.

“They’re quite talented, are they not,” Penny remarked, turning to the duke with a polite smile.  Though her heart was racing, she forced herself to appear composed as he shifted his green-eyed gaze to her.

“Indeed, they are,” he replied.  “And I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to be able to say those words and actually mean them,” he added with a playful grin.

Caught off guard by the frankness of his reply, Penny raised a hand to her lips to stifle a giggle, for she couldn’t count the number of times she’d thought that very same thing herself.

“Not a very gentlemanly thing to admit is it?” he asked, his expression charmingly abashed.

“It certainly is not, Your Grace,” Penny acknowledged with a shy, answering grin as she felt herself slowly begin to relax.  “Just as it is decidedly unladylike of me to admit to having had that very same thought on occasion,” she continued in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.   Much as she had construed from her observations at dinner, the duke seemed to have a pleasant, unassuming ease about him, a remarkable trait for a man who held one of the most elevated titles in England, and one that made her feel almost as if she were speaking with a friend rather than a mere acquaintance. 

The duke chuckled at her response, causing a couple of older gentlemen seated nearby to swivel their heads in his direction.  Raising a quick hand to his mouth he made it appear as if he’d simply been clearing his throat, and a moment later the pair turned back around. 

Biting her bottom lip to keep from grinning at his clever subterfuge, Penny glanced briefly toward the front of the room, noting that Eugenia had risen from the piano bench to stand at her sister’s side, while Lady Gilchrist was preparing to take her daughter’s place at the keys. 

Noting the line of her gaze, the duke asked, “Do you play, Lady Penelope?”

She met his curious gaze with a slight, sheepish smile.  “My skill at the piano is passable at best, I’m afraid,” she answered truthfully.  “And regrettably my singing voice isn’t much better.”

Her honest response caught Gabriel pleasantly by surprise, for in his experience women, especially those who moved within the
ton’s
supercilious ranks, were rarely willing to acknowledge what might be perceived as even the slightest of shortcomings.  “Would you believe,” he replied with a winsome smile, “that you and I have two things in common then?”

She smiled back.  “Truly?”

“I’m afraid so.”

She appeared to study him for a moment then, her gaze speculative.  “Are you perhaps proficient with a watercolor brush, embroidery needle or gardening trowel, Your Grace?”

“Alas, no,” he replied, shaking his head with exaggerated regret, “I can’t say that I am.”

Lady Penelope angled her head to the side and uttered a melodramatic sigh.  “Well then, I suppose that makes
five
things we have in common.”

Gabriel quirked an amused brow, charmed by her artlessness.  “Indeed?”

She shrugged good-naturedly.  “Unfortunately I was graced with very little talent in regard to the traditional pursuits favored by the majority of my female counterparts.”

Heaven help him, but he was becoming increasingly enchanted with the delightfully unaffected miss by the second.  “On the contrary, Lady Penelope, I do not think that it is
unfortunate
at all.”

“No?”

“No.  In fact, I am suddenly reminded of a quote I once read.  It was a Latin citation,
Saepe summa ingenia in occult latent
, if I recall it correctly.”   

“Plautus,” she replied with a smile.  “The greatest talents often lie buried out of sight.”

Gabriel blinked in surprise; and indeed they did it seemed.  “You speak Latin?”

“I’ve an affinity for languages.  It’s a trait my father and I share.”

“How many languages do you speak?” he asked curiously.

“Five fluently,” she informed him.  “A few others, passably well.”

Gabriel was impressed.  “How truly remarkable,” he stated with sincerity.  “And especially, as you have just proven Plautus to be entirely correct.”

Smiling graciously at the unexpected compliment, Penny felt her heart give a tiny little leap, for the duke seemed genuinely interested in their conversation and not the least bit put off by her lack of conventional feminine accomplishments; his apparent lack of prejudice only adding to his already overwhelming appeal. 

“Tell me, Lady Penelope, what other hidden talents do you possess?” he asked her then.  “For I can only assume that there are more than a few
nontraditional
pursuits at which you excel?”

As it turned out, Lady Penelope didn’t have the opportunity to answer his question, for just then Lady Gilchrist set her hands to the piano keys and the sound of music filled the room once again.

“Another time, perhaps,” he said quietly, as they both returned their attention respectfully to the front of the room.

As the recital eventually came to its end, Penny hoped that she might have the opportunity to continue her conversation with the duke, but as the guests bestowed their final round of applause and began to rise from their seats, she noted her stepmother moving purposefully in their direction; and within moments she was upon them.

“Penelope, dear, I wondered where you’d disappeared to,” Maryanne remarked as she approached, a sugary sweet smile dripping from her rouged lips.  “Whatever were you doing hiding back here in the corner?”

“I wasn’t hiding.”  Penny replied evenly.  “I merely had to make a slight repair to my gown and arrived just as the performance was about to begin; and as the majority of the seats were already taken, I chose to watch from here.”

“I see.”  Maryanne turned to the duke then.  “You arrived late as well, Your Grace?”

“Alas, I stepped outside for a breath of air prior to the performance and remained overlong, I’m afraid.”

“How fortunate for Penelope then, to have been spared from standing in the corner all alone.”

“Actually, Lady Beckford, it was I who proved most fortunate, for your charming stepdaughter proved to be excellent company,” the duke replied emphatically.

“How nice,” Maryanne replied as she glanced between Penny and the duke, her taut smile clearly forced. “And you enjoyed the recital, I trust?”

“I did indeed,” the duke replied with an affirmative nod.

“The Cunninghams are quite fortunate to be blessed with daughters who possess such lovely singing voices; and how proud Lord Danbury must be,” she continued, “with his betrothed possessing such remarkable skill at the piano as well.”

The duke smiled agreeably.  “Philip is a fortunate man.”

“Yes, he certainly is.”  Maryanne concurred.  “Sadly, however, I cannot say the same for Penelope’s future husband,” she continued with a tinkling, artificial laugh as she tapped Penny lightly upon her arm with the end of her closed fan, “for her vocal abilities are quite unexceptional, as are her musical talents.”

Appalled that her stepmother would utter such a tactless criticism in front of the duke, Penny stiffened, her mood quickly souring.

“Now, now, don’t frown so, Penelope,” Maryanne chided teasingly.  “Not everyone is fortunate enough to be blessed with such talent.  Besides, with the size of your dowry I’m certain that there will be a number of gentlemen more than willing to overlook whatever shortcomings you may have,” she added with a saccharine smile.

“Though I would hardly consider Lady Penelope’s musical ability, or lack thereof, a shortcoming,” the duke interjected, his tone reflecting a note of censure, “I haven’t the slightest doubt that her extraordinary beauty, enchanting personality and beguiling wit shall have every young buck in London clamoring for her attention this coming Season, as they assuredly would even if she hadn’t a single shilling to her name,” he avowed, turning to Penny with an encouraging smile.