Eloisa James - Duchess by Night (10 page)

Strange was stil dancing with Sophia Grafton.

He looks bored, Nel said. Even if Sophia pasted herself al over with pearls, hed stil be bored.

Harriet had to agree. Strange looked like a man who had bedded many a woman and lost interest in it, pearls or no. She had thought she had no interest in bed too, ever since Benjamin died. But now she couldnt help looking at Stranges muscles and wondering

I hope youre looking at Sophia with that look in your eyes, Nel said. Because otherwise you are truly unlucky. I never heard a peep about Strange being a mol y, if you dont mind my bluntness.

So you real y dont think I can afford her? Harriet asked, making herself sound wistful.

Never, Nel said. Not unless your father owns forty flour mil s, or something of that nature.

Harriet shook her head.

Then dont even look at her again, Nel advised. Think about her wrinkles. Meanwhile you can plan the letter were writing Strange.

We ? Harriet asked.

We, or rather you, Nel said. The more I think about it, the better your suggestion is, Harry. Of course you should write the letter, because you can make it intriguing and intel igent and mysterious. Whereas I would just ask him to pay me a visit. Which, she added, works for most men, I assure you.

Im sure it does, Harriet said. But I cant write your letter, Nel .

Yes, you can. If you do, Il introduce you to my favorite Grace. Her name is Kitty and shes lovely. If she were an actress I would be hideously jealous of her.

So the Graces are not actresses?

Oh, no. I dont enquire too much about what they do in their performances. Nel grinned. They pose for gentlemens paintings. If you have enough money, you can have al of them pose for you at once.

Naked? Harriet squeaked.

Nel giggled. How else?

How else indeed? It was fascinating to see how much more open relations between men and women seemed to be in Lord Stranges world.

I believe they employ some gauze scarves here and there. But I am going to get you Nel paused impressively a private showing with Kitty. She general y plays Eratodo you know what she inspires?

Harriet shook her head.

Erotic poetry, Nel said cheerful y. Apparently she knows realms of it and can recite in three different languages.

Thats it! Harriet said.

What?

Erotic poetry. You need to send him snippets of verse. Hel be intrigued by it.

Not if he thinks Im Kitty, he wont. Kitty would be lovely for you, but shes a bit of a giggler. I dont think Strange We can make that clear, Harriet said. But dont you see how wel this wil work? You can send him a verse or two a day for a time, and then fix a place to meet. Then you can do al those things you wont tel me about, and you wont need letters any more.

You are wonderful, Harry! Nel said. Wonderful! And its so useful that you know about that kind of poetry. I suppose its because youre a man. No one ever writes me poetry. She looked rather wistful.

Ive never read any, Harriet said bluntly.

Oh. Never mind, Nel said, patting Harriets hand. Il ask Kitty to share some of her books with you. I think she travels with them al the time. You can pick something out.

Shouldnt you pick the poem? Harriet asked.

Too busy, Nel said quickly. We have to rehearse first thing in the morning, you know. In fact, Id better go to bed. Il ask Kitty to bring you a book of verse this very evening. In your bedchamber. So think about that, Harry. And you wil deliver my letter in the morning, wont you?

And with that she pressed a kiss on Harriets cheek and left.

Yet Still She Lies, and to Him Cries, Once More!

K itty turned out to be a lovely little person with pale gold hair with a faintly brassy tone that suggested it didnt come from nature.

She had the air of someone with no ambitions to be a lady, but a good many ambitions to enjoy herself.

She appeared at the door of Harriets room, thankful y before Harriet had disrobed. Nel told me as how you did her a favor, Kitty said with an enchanting giggle. Do you mind if I sit down? Im that tired from al the dancing.

She sat downon Harriets bed.

Harriet backed up so that she was against the door. It is very kind of you to lend me a book.

Its one of my favorites. Gentlemen like me to read it out loud. You do know that Im the muse of erotic poetry, dont you?

Harriet blinked. Did Kitty real y think she was a muse?

Kitty was busy ruffling through the book. Would you like me to read you a poem? She looked up with a mischievous smile. It would be absolutely free, of course. I cant tel you how many times Ive had to read for a gentleman for whom I personal y could not feel a bit of attraction.

Her smile broadened, and Harriet realized with a little burst of panic that apparently Kitty had no problem feeling attraction for Mr. Cope.

This is a funny one, Kitty crowed. Its al about a mans yard. Listen to this line: It is a pen with a hole in the top, to write between her two-leaved book. Isnt that clever? She laughed merrily. Two-leaved book!

Harriet smiled stiffly.

It is a dwarf in height and length, and yet a giant in his strength, Kitty read. You know, Ive real y come to know something of men.

I know if a man is a dwarf. She got up and drifted toward Harriet. Mr. Cope, you dont mind if I cal you Harry, do you? She stopped just in front of Harriet and ran a hand along her cheek. Your skin is so smooth; its as if you never had a beard at al .

Umph, Harriet said, moving quickly away. Thats a very humorous piece of verse, Miss Kitty.

She fol owed. What I was saying, Harry, is that I can tel when a man is a dwarf, and youre more along the lines of a giant, wouldnt you agree?

Less padding in the front was definitely cal ed for.

Harriet turned around and cleared her throat to say something, but there was a brisk knock on the door. She swung around to find Lord Strange in the doorway.

He looked from Kitty to Harriet, and then raised an eyebrow. You surprise me, Mr. Cope. You truly do.

Kitty dimpled at him. I was just lending Harry a book to read, Lord Strange. From my special library.

A flash of something crossed Stranges eyes, but Harriet was too embarrassed by the fact that her face was growing hot to interpret it. Did men blush? She couldnt remember seeing a man blush, but Harry Cope was definitely turning red.

A second later Strange had Kitty by the arm and was escorting her from the room, tel ing her that she needed her beauty sleep.

Then he put his head back in the chamber. Dont invite women to your room until you can control your blushesthough thats not as bad as losing control of your timing, if you understand me. Il see you in the morning. We are going riding.

Harriet would have been angry at his high-handedness, except that she was so grateful to have Kitty removed. She had the distinct impression that Kitty was about to make a grab at her supposed pen and try to get her to write. One had to think that her visitor would be surprised to find herself holding a rol ed-up woolen stocking.

Lucil e helped Harriet take off her tight jacket and the rol of cotton bands that kept her breasts trapped. Final y Harriet climbed into a steaming tub of water with a grateful sigh. Lucil e, would you give me that book of verse on my bed? she cal ed.

Lucil e was darting around the room, grumbling to herself. She wasnt used to doing for two young women, let alone one who was dressing as a man, but they could hardly have brought along a separate ladys maid for Mr. Cope.

Dont worry, Harriet said. You take care of Isidore. Il ring for someone to take away the water.

Lucil e whipped around, hand on her hip. And how wil you do that, Your Grace? One look at you in that nightgown of yours, and the footmen wil know whats up.

Its quite plain, Harriet protested. It could easily be a mans gown.

Its not the design, its what you can see of your legs when you stand in it, Lucil e said, exasperated.

Oh, Harriet said. I am sorry to be so much work.

Il just run over to the other chamber and take out her night clothes, Lucil e decided. Here, you read your book and then Il wash your hair later. Thats the one blessing about al this foolishness. Your hair is so short that it doesnt take me more than a minute to wash.

She handed over the book.

Harriet skipped over the poem marked A Mans Yard. She couldnt see Strange being intrigued by a bawdy poem about a mans pole, no matter how cleverly it rhymed.

The fol owing page was a song cal ed Walking in a Meadow Green. It seemed there were lots of primroses in that meadow, but also a lass and a lad lying together.

Fine, except

The lad performed oncethe lass wanted more. Harriet could hardly believe what she was reading. Yet stil she lies, and to him cries, Once More!

It was like reading about a different world than the one she had inhabited during her marriage. In fact, the contrast made her smile. What on earth would Benjamin have done if she lay under him and cried, Once more! She couldnt even imagine it.

Andwhy would she say that? The way shed always understood it, it was men who wanted to make love over and over.

It wasnt that marital intimacies were unpleasant. She always enjoyed it. She loved being with Benjamin, and every time she could pry him away from the chess board felt like a personal victory.

She shook away that thought and turned the page again, to find another poem about a penis, and then a third. She was starting to think that men mostly wanted to hear songs about their own accoutrements, when she final y found a song for a womans voice. His lips like the ruby, his cheeks like the rose, He tempts al fair maids wherever he goes.

Strange certainly didnt have cheeks like a rose, but he did seem to be tempting al the maidens. Not that Nel was a maiden, of course. And neither was Harriet. It was justfor some reason, she couldnt stop looking at him if he was in the room.

Earlier, when he suddenly appeared in the door of her bedchamber, her heart had started beating so quickly that she thought it might be visible. Even his voice seemed deeper, huskier, than other mens were. That wicked voice, combined with the stark intel igence in his eyes

As far as Harriet went, put the voice and eyes together and it was far more tempting than a man with cheeks like a rose.

She kept reading. What the lass said she wanted to do toand withher lover made Harriets heart start beating fast again.

No wonder Vil iers thought she was a tiresome old woman when he touched herand she slapped him. According to these verses, women kissed men everywhere and they returned the favor. Al hed done was touch her.

Stil , the song was unlikely to tempt Strange. Al this bawdy, sil y talk about womens and mens privates was fun, but she thought of the look on his face when he danced with Sophia Grafton and shook her head.

It would have to be a great deal more sophisticated than this. More enticing. More erotic.

If she were writing the letter for herself

The very thought made her whole body prickle.

If she were writing a letter to entice Strange, she would pitch it toward his intel igence. Make it intriguing, rather than erotic. She could picture him opening her letter, puzzling over it.

She would make him wait. He was a man whod had too many thingswomengiven to him too easily. She would lead him on a dance of temptation and desire. She would

Harriet snapped out of her daydream. What on earth was she thinking? She was at Stranges party dressed as a man ! Not to mention the fact that she was a staid duchess, even though she didnt feel like it at the moment. She had no business fal ing into salacious fantasies about her host, no matter how much she

She went to sleep with rhyming words in her head: delight and night. Even, salaciously: little and prickle.

She went to sleep smiling.

In Which Manhood is AchievedAlbeit With Some Discomfort

February 6, 1784

H arriet dreamed that she was dancing. She was wearing her male clothing, which meant that she could move far more graceful y than in skirts and hoops. She was dancing with Benjamin, so she said to him: Why didnt you ever ask me to ride on your prickle?

He laughed at that, and said, What? Whats that?

She was trying to explain when he slipped away with a friendly wave, walked through the doors to the balcony outside the bal room.

Wait, she said, Im coming too. I want to talk. I want

A hand gave her shoulder a brisk shake. She opened her eyes, looked up, and uttered a little scream.

Time to get up, youngster, Strange said.

Yip, Harriet managed, and pul ed the quilt to her neck.

I exercise in the morning, so if Im going to teach you fencing, Id rather do it now. But I thought we could go for a ride first. He turned around and walked to the windows, throwing open the curtains. Wheres your valet? Do you always sleep away the morning?

What time is it? Harriet stammered.

Almost six on a gorgeous cold morning. Its a womans trick to sleep away the morning, Cope.

Ahright, Harriet said, remembering to lower her voice.

Your valet?

The Duke of Vil iers has been kind enough to share his man with me.

For Gods sake, Vil iers couldnt pick up an extra manservant for you? Im sure I could find Theres no need, Harriet said hastily. Real y. I have a valet at home but he broke his arm and couldnt attend me so this is just for a short period of time and its not an inconvenience to the duke.

Strange shrugged and walked to the door. Il see you downstairs in ten minutes. Were missing the light.

Light? Light? What on earth was he talking about? Harriet pushed back the covers and shivered. It was February, after al , and a quick look out the window showed bundles of snow and a lowering, gray dawn. She fled through the door into Isidores room.

Isidore! Wake up! Strange is taking me riding.

Isidore sat up for a moment, stared at her, fel back down and rol ed over, pil ow on her head. Harriet pul ed Isidores bel cord to summon Lucil e.