How to Dazzle a Duke (18 page)

some to a nearly alarming degree, wealthy, titled, well proper

tied, and amiable. Women should be flocking to him.

Indeed, they had, when he had first entered Society and

settled upon his first wife. Unfortunately for him, having three

wives die as a direct result of bearing one’s children did put a pall

on the whole marriage matter. Edenham, spectacular in every

way, was something of a legend now, the sort of whispered legend

that had young girls crossing their legs and avoiding his gaze.

Of course, any woman who would let a few whispers put her

off a man like Edenham didn’t deserve to be a duchess in the fi rst

place.

“Darling Edenham, whoever would want a wife who couldn’t

124 CLAUDIA DAIN

be graciously polite whenever the occasion demanded it?

Miss Prestwick, forced into conversation with Lord Iveston, is

merely showing him all the courtesy due him. Would you have

less of her?”

“I suppose not.”

“Then, by your protests, should I assume that you want to

marry Miss Prestwick? I’m certain her father will be delighted.”

Edenham looked at her from his lovely height, his brown

eyes guarded. “I did not say I would marry her, Sophia. I only

remarked that she did not seem especially interested in marry

ing me.”

“These distinctions are so important, of course,” Sophia said

soothingly. “But, out of curiosity, what would you have her do to

show her interest in you? Stand simpering at your elbow? Miss

Prestwick, I can assure you, is not that sort of woman. I don’t

think she can even spell
simper
.”

“I don’t require simpering in a wife,” Edenham said, a twinkle

of amusement in his eyes.

“What do you require in a wife, Edenham? Beyond fecundity,

naturally.”

“Now, Sophia, pull in your claws,” Edenham said pleasantly.

“I only wondered what game is afoot between you and Miss

Prestwick and how I became entangled in it.”

“Darling, when did you become so suspicious? I have been

perfectly honest with you from the first. Miss Prestwick, as is

quite common, would like to marry. She would like to marry

well, which does show such sense. She expressed a sincere, if

tentative, interest in you.”

“Tentative?”

“Well, Edenham, darling,” Sophia said with a coy smile, “she

barely knows you. What do you want of the poor girl? For her to

carry you over her shoulder and drop you like a haunch of deer

onto her father’s desk?”

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125

“Sophia, I
expect
nothing.”

“Don’t be absurd, darling,” she said, shaking her head at

him. “You expect what all men expect of a woman. But you

shall not get it from Miss Prestwick. Not until you’re properly

married.”

“That is not at all what I meant and you know it.”

“Then I should like to know what you mean, Edenham. Do

you want to marry the girl or not? I won’t see you toy with her,

as you men so enjoy doing to an innocent, earnest girl who only

wants to do her family proud by making a good marriage.”

“And marrying me would make a good marriage?”

“Edenham, do try not to be tiresome. There are only so many

ways to be complimented and you have quite run to the limit on

yours,” Sophia scolded playfully. “If you’re interested in Miss

Prestwick, I would advise you to pursue her. I can state without

qualm that your suit will be met joyfully and enthusiastically.”

“I suppose I could talk to her,” he said musingly, studying

what he could see of her from across the room. “I don’t suppose

that could do any harm.”

“Talking, even between men and women, has yet to do any

one any harm. But talking only, Edenham. A man as experi

enced with women and as devastatingly handsome as you are

will sweep her up and away in mere moments. Have a care of

her, I beg of you.”

Sophia watched Edenham preen just slightly under the

shadow of her praise and hid her smile in the depths of her tea

cup. Darling Edenham. This was going to be so good for him.

And even better for Miss Prestwick.

Ten

“YOU would like me to cluster about you, Miss Prestwick?”

Iveston asked. “I confess to having never been asked to perform

such a service before. Are you quite certain it will be completely

proper and not do an injury to your reputation?”

Penelope suppressed the urge to smile. She was not certain

she was successful or not. This was such an important moment

in her life that she could not truly be bothered to monitor every

expression on her face, as she was wont to do. Not because she

enjoyed doing so, but because Society so rigorously demanded

it. Once she was a duchess, she would not have to be such a slave

to Society. If one had to go about in Society, and who did not,

being a duchess was the way to do it.

But truly, did Lord Iveston think that her reputation could

be harmed by him? He was so utterly harmless. Why, it was

very nearly like being with George. Except for the odd moment

or two when he’d look at her a certain way or say a certain

something that would cause the most unlikely sensation to rip

ple through her.

It was just as well that it passed, leaving her to concentrate

How to Daz zle a Duke

127

more fully on Edenham, who she did fear was being dreadfully

ignored by her. What must he think? With any luck at all, he

would think that she was charming Lord Iveston and would won

der if she would charm him just as much, which she would, and

then he would decide to marry her. Perfectly simple, if only she

could get it all to work as it should, and by
it
she meant Lord

Iveston being encouraged to show a more than tepid reaction to

her and the Duke of Edenham being the sort of man who would

notice and respond to such things.

“I feel completely safe in your care, Lord Iveston,” she said.

“I could not imagine myself even skirting along the edge of the

bounds of propriety with you at my side. No, I am quite certain

that I shall have nothing to fear.”

Strangely, Lord Iveston did not look as complimented by her

observation as he should have. There was that peculiar streak

again. He did seem able to combat it at times, seeming almost

normal, but then he would delve back into his odd little expres

sions that were apparently his response to a perfectly normal

statement on her part. He was not a bad man, but he was most

decidedly an odd one. It was very fortunate for him that he was

going to inherit a dukedom. Who would have him otherwise?

“Miss Prestwick, I am flattered,” Iveston said, his blue eyes

looking quite dark in the shadows. They really should move out

of the corner. She wasn’t even certain Edenham could see her

from this angle. “I would ask, at the risk of sounding quite un

gentlemanly, what I am to get out of this little arrangement you

have proposed?”

Penelope’s gaze snapped fully onto Iveston, Edenham forgot

ten for the moment. “Why, do you require something, Lord

Iveston? I assure you that it will hardly be an onerous duty.”

“I believe, Miss Prestwick, that only I can decide what is oner

ous for me or not.”

Well.
That wasn’t very polite, was it? He certainly knew how

128 CLAUDIA DAIN

to be high-handed when he wanted to be, a sure sign of his

inheritance. It was perhaps the first glimmer she had experi

enced that life with a duke might be a bit of a grapple. They did

tend to be so autocratic, didn’t they?

“I suppose that’s true,” she said, sounding very reasonable

about it, if she did say so.

“I assure you it is quite true.”

Pushy, too. Who would have thought the mild Lord Iveston

had it in him?

“As you are so certain, then you should be able to name with

ease what it is I can do for you in return,” she said a bit stiffl y.

Bother, she was going to owe favors all over Town before this was

fi nished. “Is it goods or services you need, Lord Iveston?”

He smiled. She could see that in the dim light of the corner,

the white of his smile, the crinkling of his eyes. He had quite nice

features, actually, quite refined, and his coloring truly was ex

traordinary. With his fair hair and pale skin, his vividly blue eyes

shone like flowers in the snow.

“Perhaps a bit of both,” he replied evasively.

“Well, when you decide, you just let me know. In the mean

time, will you help me?”

“Help you snare the Duke of Edenham?”

“There’s no need to be coarse about it.”

“I thought I was merely being direct. My pardon.”

He didn’t look at all sorry, but she appreciated the effort,

paltry as it was.

“The Duke of Edenham? What made you think it was he?”

she asked.

If she was that obvious in her interest, did that not imply

that Edenham could read her? And if so, why had he not

responded? It was the clustering principle. Edenham needed en

couragement. Iveston, mild as he was, would just have to be en

couragement enough.

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129

“Only that he seems to be exactly what a young woman

would want in a man. True?” Iveston said, a bit stiffly, if she

could judge.

She had noticed that men really did not enjoy making

positive remarks about other men. She understood that entirely

as she saw no need at all to praise other women. To what

purpose?

“I, of course, would never presume to speak for other women,”

she said.

“Of course, but what of yourself?” Iveston pressed.

“I think,” she said, trying to think of how to say what

she wanted to say without saying too much. She didn’t know if

Iveston were truly trustworthy, did she? As to that, she didn’t

know if he were trustworthy in the slightest. “I think that the

Duke of Edenham, having been happily wed three times, must

be a most experienced husband and, therefore, would be very

likely to make his next wife equally happy.”

“Because of his experience.”

“I should say so.”

“And his wives were happy?”

“I have never heard they were not.”

“And do you think you would have heard if they were not?”

“Certainly, I would have heard something.”

“Because news of that sort gets round.”

“It does.”

“And you listen to the gossip that goes round about a duke

and his family.”

“I said no such thing! I can’t think why you’re choosing to be

so contrary about this. It’s a simple thing, a very pleasant thing

I’m asking of you.”

“Pleasant for whom?”

“Why, for . . . for . . .” Because, truly, it wasn’t going to be

pleasant at all for her and she really hadn’t thought or cared if it

130 CLAUDIA DAIN

would be pleasant or not for Iveston. But it wouldn’t be unpleas

ant for him, would it?

Would it?

What kind of low insult was that?

“Are you saying that you would find it unpleasant to be in my

company at a social gathering of your peers?” she asked, quite

nearly breathless with outrage.

“I am saying nothing of the kind. I was merely wondering if

you had given me any thought at all in this plan of yours. It’s not

much of a plan, by the way. By your own definition of male be

havior, you need more than one man to cluster about you. I am

only one man. There is only so much I can accomplish. If you

want this to work, I should think you’d want at least four men to

point the way for Edenham. There are four men in this room, if

you’re in a hurry. Or would you rather handpick them? I’m not

sure how eager you are for Edenham’s attention, so naturally

I want to present you with choices in how you gather your

cluster.”

She was quite literally speechless.

This is what came of being open with a man, of being logical

and forthright. Why, they fell completely apart and became

nearly hysterical.

“All you have to do is refuse,” she said with quite a bit of

composure, considering.

“I am not refusing,” he said, his own voice quite composed.

She didn’t believe it, not his words and not his feigned compo

sure. He sounded just like her French tutor did when she pro

voked him with a question he could not answer. “I am only trying

to arrange it to your best advantage.”

“Why would you do that, Lord Iveston?” she said.

“For money, Miss Prestwick,” he said mildly, as if he had not

just said the most hideous thing. “It would be a simple matter to

How to Daz zle a Duke

131

get a wager on the book at White’s that you will marry the Duke

of Edenham this Season; I do think I should leave it open as to

the actual date, don’t you? As I am an essential part of the hunt,

I do think I should benefit somehow at the catch, wouldn’t you

agree?”

For a moment, just a moment, she again was struck speech

less. There was so much that was so hideously wrong with Lord

Iveston’s little proclamation. And yet.

And yet.