The Heart of a Duke (15 page)

He warmed inside at the memory of finding her
in the library one day with a stack of his father’s books beside
her on the table. She had chosen the oddest subjects—animal
husbandry, architecture, battle strategy. And she had fascinated
him with her ability to speak intelligently about the Vikings’
tactic of retreating to a protected bay and tying their ships
abreast to meet their enemies head-on if forced to battle at sea.
Alex had become so engrossed in their conversation he had forgotten
about attending one of the local horseraces he’d been looking
forward to all week.

Later, he had been too embarrassed to admit to
his friends that he—a man of twenty—had spent the afternoon in the
company of a scrawny fourteen-year-old girl, rather than joining
them at the races. What had really embarrassed him, though, was how
much he had enjoyed himself. After that day, he began avoiding Miss
Vallie Bell. It had been easier than sorting through his confusion
surrounding her appeal.

“
I will need a replacement for
your sister.” Langley’s voice startled Alex, and reminded him that
he still was saddled with the man. The duke turned cool eyes on
him. “Do you have any recommendations?”

He doubted the duke would like his
recommendations, which all ended in Langley taking a leap from
something tall. “I make a habit of avoiding debutantes, remember?”
Alex snapped. He was unreasonably bothered by the mention of his
preferences for widows in Miss Bell’s presence. Langley had made
him sound like a first rate scoundrel.

“
I suppose you are an unlikely
source to turn to for assistance.” Langley lips twitched as he
returned to scanning the ballroom, leaving Alex with the impression
the duke was purposely trying to rile him.

“
Perhaps you should ask your
mama,” Alex mumbled. After all, the duke’s mother had been
organizing Langley’s life for some time now.

The insult was lost on the duke, however. He
simply nodded. “Perhaps you are correct.” Langley wandered away,
freeing Alex from his duties.

He scratched the damp skin where prickles
climbed the back of his neck. He hoped his father wouldn’t ask him
how he’d managed with Langley. Father wouldn’t be pleased with
Alex’s performance—cleaning out the duke’s pockets at the card
table, insulting his superior—hardly the actions of a man trying to
keep the peace between their families. But Langley rubbed him the
wrong way. Always had. And never more so than this evening when he
had dismissed Miss Bell as if she were insignificant.

His gaze strayed to the ballroom entrance,
waiting for Miss Bell’s return. He hoped she hadn’t been hurt in
the fall. Once he could see for himself Elle’s friend was
uninjured, he could put her from his mind and focus his attention
on finding a lady to help him forget his failure with the duke this
evening.

The moments stretched out as he
waited. Surely she’d had enough time to set herself back to rights
by now.
Damn
!
What trouble has the chit landed
in now
?

Alex took a step toward the exit to go find
her when she appeared in the doorway looking like an angel in her
white silk gown. She walked briskly with her head down toward the
row of wallflowers lined up along the crimson wall. Alex cocked a
brow as she slipped into an empty seat and checked her dance card.
Her shoulders rounded for a moment before she dropped the card and
wiggled into an upright position, her head held high.

Why is she sitting with the
wallflowers
? Miss Bell might not be
classically beautiful by Society’s standards, but she was far from
unappealing with her heart-shaped face and reddish blonde curls. In
fact, he found her quite pleasing.

The corners of his mouth turned up. Her hair
had been sinfully soft against his wrist when he adjusted her
headpiece. What a glorious sight it must be when she let it
down.

His smile faded fast. She must have been
injured. There was no other explanation for her sitting out the
dances. He should see to her welfare, for Elle’s sake, of course.
His sister was rather dogmatic about her love for her friends, and
she’d be none too happy if he ignored one of her dearest
friends.

He jostled through the crowd clustered around
the dance floor in route to Miss Bell. Lady Pitsford caught his eye
as he neared, a seductive smirk playing about her red lips as her
gaze followed him. He offered an appreciative smile to the lovely
widow, but he didn’t have time to engage in a flirtation
now.

Whispers traveled in his wake as he passed the
young misses dressed in their pristine white, pale pinks, and
subtle yellows. Their anxious faces were a blur as he stayed
focused on his goal of reaching Miss Bell. Even as he came up on
her left, she didn’t notice him. She sat on a tufted seat with a
rigid back and fixed smile.

He stopped beside her chair, patiently waiting
for her to acknowledge him. When she didn’t after several moments,
he cleared his throat. She startled and blinked up at him. “Oh,
Lord Ravenswood. I didn’t see you there.”

His grin widened. “Perhaps Lady Glenhaven
should light more candles. That seems to be a common problem this
evening.”

A pink blush dusted her cheeks and her long
lashes fluttered.

A young lady he thought he should know stood
at Miss Bell’s side and stared unabashedly in his direction,
hanging on every word. He couldn’t speak of the incident in the
corridor without risking Miss Bell’s reputation, but he wasn’t yet
satisfied she was well either.

“
Would you do me the honor of
allowing me to sign your dance card?”

Her elegant eyebrow twitched, but otherwise
she remained frozen with her lips parted. As the moment dragged on,
heat swept over him. No lady had ever left him hanging on a
limb.

“
Your dance card, Miss
Bell?”

“
Oh!” She snapped to attention.
“Of course.” Her hand shook as she looked at it, then held it out
to him. Her pearly teeth captured her plump bottom lip as her wary
brown gaze slowly lifted.

Evidence of her nerves erased his tension.
He’d surprised her, that was all. “Never fear, I’m a graceful
dancer,” he teased. “Why, I stomped my last partner’s toes no more
than twice.”

She wrinkled her nose in such an adorable way
as to remind him of a rabbit. “Magnificent promises often end in
paltry performances, my lord.”

“
You had best hope Aesop was wrong
in this instance.”

She chuckled, her eyes sparkling with
amusement and warming his heart. Here was the girl he’d known long
ago.

He glanced at her card and his eyes flared.
Her card was empty? Apparently the time she’d spent searching out
the retiring room had worked to his advantage.

“
I noticed this next dance is
unclaimed. Would you humor an old friend and partner with me for
the waltz?” He returned her card and held out his arm.

“
Oh, I—”

“
She will,” the girl next to her
blurted, then turned a deep shade of red when Miss Bell whipped her
head in her direction. “You will, won’t you, Vallie? It’s Elle’s
brother.”

“
Alison,” she demurred. They
twittered together and Miss Bell turned her radiant smile on him.
His breath caught at the beautiful sight.

“
It would be my pleasure, my
lord.” Miss Bell’s slender fingers settled on his forearm as she
rose from the chair.

Again, whispers trailed behind him as he led
her toward the parquet wood floor. Once they cleared the
wallflowers and took position for the waltz, he reminded himself of
the reason he’d asked her to dance. His gaze ran from her head to
her toes and back again. She didn’t appear to have any bumps or
bruises, at least to the parts he was allowed to see.

“
Are you certain you were unharmed
in the encounter with the duke?”

She snorted. “Only my dignity
suffered.”

Her unladylike laugh made him chuckle. Miss
Bell was just as he’d remembered her, only prettier.

The sound of violins split the air and Alex
led her into the dance. She was smaller than he was, the top of her
head stopping at his chin, but they moved together well.

“
Don’t allow Langley’s gruff
manner to bother you, Miss Bell. He’s in a dither now that he must
replace his barrister.”

She laughed again, the sound more
musical.

“
Thank you, Lord Ravenswood. Is
the duke frequently high in the boughs?”

He shrugged. “I have known him for years
because of his connection with my sister, but I’m not privy to his
moods.” He hoped she wasn’t worried about having offended the duke.
If anyone had been offensive, it was Langley. But Alex didn’t
really care to think on the duke when he had a lovely young woman
in his arms. His gaze landed on the locket cradled by her plump
bosom before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat and threw
a quick glance toward the other dancers. “Miss Bell, forgive me for
being forward, but why is it you are sitting with the
wallflowers?”

Her fingers tightened on his hand, and a dark
blush climbed her face. “That is where young ladies who are not
asked to dance belong.”

How crackbrained were his fellow gents? Miss
Bell was not one to ignore. If he were in the market for a wife, he
certainly wouldn’t leave her sitting along the
sidelines.

“
Sometimes it takes time for
gentlemen to recognize a true beauty,” he said. “Don’t be too
discouraged.”

“
It does my heart good to hear you
speak those words, my lord, even if they are naught but a kindness
shown to me.”

“
I never give compliments out of
kindness, Miss Bell.”

Her dazzling smile created a jolt
in his lower belly.
Damnation.
This wasn’t good. A debutante stoking his fire
would lead to trouble, and the last thing he wanted was trouble and
a leg-shackle.

She touched the heart locket, drawing his
attention back to her décolletage. A man could have a jolly good
time with her in his bed.

He tore his gaze away from the
tempting display and rolled his shoulders.
Very well, enough of that
. Since he
could see she was uninjured, it was time to turn his attention
toward finding a widow’s bed to warm. And fast.

The dance ended and he led her into the
promenade. He should bid her farewell and be done with the matter,
but at the end of the line, he wasn’t ready to let her go. He
guided her to the sidelines. “Perhaps you would save another dance
for me tonight. If your card doesn’t become filled.”

“
It would be my pleasure, my
lord.”

She passed him her card and he claimed the
supper dance.

As she walked away, her round bottom swaying
with each step, Alex mentally kicked himself. If he was in the
market for pleasure, he wasn’t going to find it with a sweet young
miss, even if she was the most arousing lady in
attendance.

Chapter Two

Valera hadn’t made it back to her seat before
Mr. Moore, a bachelor actively seeking a wife that Season,
approached.

“
Miss Bell, may I have this next
dance?”

She gawked at him, certain she had
misunderstood him. As her silence crossed into awkwardness,
wariness began to creep across the gentleman’s long face. He eased
back as if to make a fast escape.

Good heavens, what was wrong with
her?

She snapped to attention. “Yes! Of course, Mr.
Moore. I would be delighted to dance with you.”

He released a noisy breath, an easy smile
making his eyes brighten. “Splendid. Shall we?”

She linked arms with him and allowed him to
draw her back onto the dance floor.

Mr. Moore was a gentleman’s son and heir to
his father’s lands. Any marriage-minded lady would be happy to
receive his attentions, even if he was slightly less handsome than
other sought-after bachelors, such as the Duke of
Langley.

Or Alex
.
Not that the Earl of Ravenswood was appropriate husband material.
As the duke had reminded her, Alex was a bit of a scoundrel. Only
ladies willing to risk their hearts and reputations would attempt
to bring him up to scratch.

Still, as she danced the Scotch reel with Mr.
Moore, she couldn’t help thinking how lovely it had been to be led
around the floor by Elle’s handsome brother. Having known Alex most
of her life, she had felt at ease dancing her first ever waltz with
him. Suddenly she was glad the other gentlemen had overlooked her
this Season. She chuckled breathlessly as she recalled how many
hours she had wasted fretting over how she would perform when her
turn came.

Mr. Moore met her gaze, his eyes crinkling at
the corners as they came together to join hands. “You seem
different tonight, Miss Bell. Have you arranged your hair in a new
way?”

Her fingers fluttered to her necklace. “I am
wearing a new piece of jewelry,” she said. “Perhaps that is what
you’ve noticed.”

She felt different wearing it, too, as if the
gypsy’s magic infused her with a touch of charm and beauty she
didn’t normally possess.