The Heart of a Duke (52 page)

Charlotte bit back a groan as Miss Fielding
bumped yet another of her markers out of play. Her concentration
was nil with the duke standing just over her shoulder. He was so
close she could smell his cologne, the woody scent so masculine it
made her shiver. Shutting out all thoughts of Langley, she reached
for the dice to take her turn.

“
Perhaps when you and Miss
Armstrong finish your game, we could take a walk in the garden,”
Langley suggested.

Glancing to see if her opponent noticed the
mistake, Charlotte said, “If Miss Fielding has no objection, that
would be lovely.”

Now that she was looking up, Charlotte could
see the other guests were spending more time looking her way than
they did their cards. The Martin sisters leaned close together and
whispered behind their hands. Charlotte’s stomach sank. Everyone
had noticed Langley’s marked attention to her.

Oh, dear. When word spread to London that the
Duke of Langley had singled her out at his home and she didn’t
marry him, assumptions would be made the duke had found her
lacking. She’d never considered that possibility. She needed to
deflect some of his attention to one of the other girls.

Langley cleared his throat. “Yes, it’s Miss
Fielding, forgive my weak memory. Miss Fielding, if you would care
to walk, I shall enlist my friend Lord Pembrook to join
us.”

Miss Fielding nodded with a small smile.
“Thank you, I would enjoy that.”

This was the first time Charlotte had seen the
duke consider someone else’s feelings, other than when he offered
her books in the library. This could be a deeper side of him he was
now exposing, or she might have made an impression on him. Either
way, it was an attribute she could appreciate. Assuming she hadn’t
imagined his motivation in inviting his friend to join
them.

When Miss Fielding moved her last marker off
the board, ending the game, the girls rose. Lord Pembrook offered
his arm to Miss Fielding, while Langley gave his to
Charlotte.

The two Misses Martin followed them out onto
the terrace beyond which lay an open formal garden and the hedge
maze. Charlotte shivered when a breeze stirred her skirts. “I
believe the weather is finally turning cooler.”

“
Are you warm enough?” Langley
asked.

“
As long as we continue to walk, I
shall be fine. The sun feels heavenly.”

“
I should have put on my bonnet,”
Miss Fielding complained. “Mother will be cross with
me.”

They wandered on a path leading through beds
of low-growing plants, which were probably quite breathtaking when
in bloom. Now, they were just mounds in various shades of greens
and grays, reaching for the thinning sunlight.

The duke was quiet for a time, then asked,
“Would you prefer to retrieve your bonnet and spencer?”

“
We won’t be out here very long, I
imagine. There’s no need to go back for them now.”

“
If you’re certain…”

“
I will advise you if I change my
mind, sir. Why don’t you tell me the history of your
garden?”

The look he gave her suggested she’d gone mad.
“You really wish to know?”

She kept her response low so the others
wouldn’t hear. “You will make your conquests much more easily if
you simply answer a question rather than questioning the integrity
of your companion.”

“
I’m beginning to regret agreeing
to this scheme of yours, Lady Charlotte. What if I simply desired
to know you better, and not the others here?”

Her stomach fluttered at the idea. How silly.
She wasn’t in love with him, so his flattery wasn’t important.
“That would defeat your purpose, wouldn’t it?” She made the mistake
of looking up at him, only to see the flare of something she didn’t
recognize burning in his eyes.

“
How can you be so certain what my
intentions are?”

A nervous laugh escaped her. “With our mothers
sitting together in plain view of the French doors, I don’t fear
you’ll try anything compromising.”

His smile spread. “Perhaps you are too
trusting.” He turned suddenly and led her toward the
maze.

Charlotte debated making certain the others
followed them, but decided not to make a show of her concern. He
wanted her to protest, to be shocked. She would do the
opposite.

Miss Martin rushed past them toward the
entrance. “Let’s hide in the maze and make the gentlemen find
us.”

Her sister squealed in agreement, and they ran
into the hedges. Charlotte looked at Miss Fielding. “Shall we play,
too?”

“
Why not?” Miss Fielding dropped
Lord Pembrook’s arm and hurried after the other girls. Charlotte
followed. There were several openings in the maze walls early on.
Not knowing where the Martin sisters had gone, she turned to the
left. Miss Fielding went right.

Charlotte continued to make the turns,
wondering just how large the maze was and how she would know when
the game was finished. She heard laughter, and Lord Pembrook’s
voice calling out for Miss Fielding.

Reaching a dead end, Charlotte waited. She
stood in the shade, and while the breeze didn’t reach her there,
neither did the warmth of the sun. Her thoughts began to drift…What
if Lord Pembrook found her, and not the duke? That would be
disappointing. She finally had to admit she wanted Langley to find
her. He was behaving so oddly toward her. Flirting, suggesting he
didn’t care about the other girls in attendance, only
Charlotte.

But that couldn’t be true. He couldn’t be in
love just days after asking her name. He’d singled her out; that
was all. Now it was easier to continue his pursuit of her rather
than taking the time to know all the other girls.

How far would he go in his pursuit?

She imagined him making the turn to discover
her there. He would smile, his eyes lighting with his success. He
wouldn’t call out to alert the others, he would simply saunter down
the short path, stopping directly in front of her.

He would take her by the shoulders and crush
her against his chest, his broad hands stroking down her back as he
lowered his lips to hers. She could almost feel the heat of his
body burning through her gown, taste his lips on hers.

Laughter rang out and she blinked in surprise
to see she was alone. Heavens, she was no longer cold. But she
couldn’t continue to stand there and wait.

She retraced her steps back to the last
intersection, choosing the opposite direction in an attempt to make
her way out the exit. A left turn, and a right led her to another
intersection. She went right.

Charlotte followed the path through two more
turns and nearly collided with bodies around that bend. Gasping,
she stepped back, only to realize it was the Duke of Langley
entangled with Miss Martin in a passionate embrace.

Her eyes burning, Charlotte turned and
stumbled her way back to the last intersection. There she found
Lord Pembrook who caught her by the shoulders before she tumbled
into him.

“
Careful now, Lady Charlotte. Did
you find yourself hopelessly lost?”

“
Please get me out of here.” She
blinked hard to keep her tears at bay.

“
Of course. It’s just a right turn
and two lefts from here.” Lord Pembrook took her arm and led the
way.

Her breaths came short and quick, pain keeping
her from breathing deeply. How could she have misjudged the duke’s
attentions so severely?

It would seem he’d made his decision, and that
lady wasn’t Charlotte.

Chapter Six

Langley removed the talon-like fingers digging
into his shoulders and pushed Miss Martin away. Never one to turn
away a willing female in the past, he had no desire to kiss her, or
whatever else she had in mind. “Miss Martin, I don’t recall
offering myself as the prize for your little game. You’d do best to
find your way out of the maze and stay close to your sister. I can
assure you, the Dowager Duchess will not believe I’ve resorted to
compromising an innocent.”

The scandal-seeking chit had the nerve to
smile seductively. “You mistake me, Your Grace, if you fear I’m
seeking marriage. Or that I’m innocent. I would be more than happy
to continue an assignation once you have taken a wife.”

He glared down at her, his lip curling with
the sour taste in his mouth. “It won’t be with me.”

How had he lost control of this day? He should
suggest they go for rides in his curricle, to finally be alone with
Lady Charlotte. At least then he could speak to her. Find a way to
convince her of the suitability of a match between them.

He would make her a good husband, no matter
what she feared. He might not be the romantic hero of the novels
she enjoys, but he would be a faithful, kind husband. That, along
with the obvious comfort of his station, made a good
offer.

He stepped out of the maze into the sunlight
and looked for everyone. The laughter from within the hedges had
gone quiet, so he assumed the others had found their way out. Yet
the only person sitting on the nearby benches was Miss Martin’s
sister. “Where are the others?”

“
They’ve returned to the house,
Your Grace.”

Frowning, he thanked her and headed to the
house, not waiting to see if Miss Martin had exited. He’d send a
footman to be sure the Martin sisters returned. One of the older,
sensible footmen, to protect his employee from an unpleasant scene.
He hadn’t been inside the maze overlong, so why had everyone left?
Brooky, of all people, should have remained.

His mother was alone in the game room, another
bad omen. She rose and held her head high. “Langley, attend me in
the morning room.”

He followed her down the hall like a penitent
child. What could he have done to earn her displeasure? His mother
must have spies planted about the grounds to report his every move.
She couldn’t have heard about the kiss already when he’d beaten
Miss Martin inside the house.

Mother strode to her favorite chair, shooed
the toy spaniel from it and sat. “Sit,” she barked.

The spaniel did so immediately. Langley
followed suit, choosing a nearby chair rather than the
floor.

“
Explain yourself.”

He grimaced, not about to confess to something
she’d not yet discovered. At what age would his mother quit
treating him like a child? “Am I not to know the charges I
face?”

“
This is not a matter for levity,
Andrew. When the daughter of my dear friend returns in tears from a
walk with you, I have a right to ask what took place.”

She hadn’t called him by his given name since
his father had died. He was truly put in his place. He assumed she
meant Lady Charlotte. Brooky was the only other man in the maze and
he’d never have done something untoward. “I’m at a loss to explain
it, Mother. I’d hoped to discover why everyone had returned without
me. Did you ask the girl, herself?”

“
I wasn’t going to question her
while the other guests were about. She and her mother retired to
their chambers.” Mother’s little dog had jumped into her lap and
she stroked the animal while watching her son.

“
What about that girl, what’s her
name? Fielding or something. She and Brooky went into the maze with
us. She might have observed the incident.”

His mother practically shrieked. “You took
Lady Charlotte into the maze? You didn’t do anything to disgrace
yourself, did you?”

“
Even had I wanted to, I never
found her. When I came out, the others had all gone, except for the
Martin sisters.”

“
How odd.” She looked down at her
dog, making soothing kissing noises. “Lady Charlotte came in on the
arm of Pembrook. Perhaps you should ask him. Mayhap she fell and
injured herself, and I’ve imagined a storm in a tea
cup.”

A fall. That might explain those three
returning in a hurry. “I will find him and enquire.”

“
I shall go to Lady Pinsley’s
chamber and see how Charlotte is faring. Between us, we’ll resolve
this. But if I find out it’s something you’ve done—”

“
I assure you, I didn’t have the
opportunity to do anything to upset Lady Charlotte.”

Langley’s frustration simmered while he strode
to his study, certain that’s where his friend would be. When Brooky
wasn’t there, Langley went to the billiards room, where he found
the man racking the balls for a game. “There you are.”

“
Here I am. Was I missing?” His
voice sounded tight, not the usual lazy drawl.

“
You were all missing when I came
out of the maze. Where did everyone go?”

“
Inside, obviously.”

Langley flexed his hand as it repeatedly
formed a fist. “Very well then, why did you go?”

“
Lady Charlotte wished to
return.”

Langley itched to grab the pool cue from
Brooky and snap it over his friend’s head. “Did she say why? I
received a setting down when I returned to the manor. Mother
accused me of compromising the girl, making her cry.”

“
You did something, all right, but
the lady wouldn’t say what. She stated she wished to return
immediately and had no desire to wait for you and Miss
Martin.”