When You Give a Duke a Diamond (5 page)

“It is good to see you again, Mr. Fitzhugh,” Lady Elizabeth said.

“Do forgive me for detaining Pelham. I had no idea the importance of his errand. But I am glad to have this opportunity. I understand congratulations are in order.”

Pelham was always amazed when a man like Warrick Fitzhugh, a man who by all accounts had a rather seedy past and an equally murky present, presented himself so properly and in such a charming manner. But Pelham supposed that as the son of an earl, Fitzhugh had the training, if not the desire, to live respectably.

Lady Elizabeth bowed her head in a show of modesty. “Thank you, Mr. Fitzhugh.” She glanced at Pelham. “I am overwhelmed by happiness.”

Pelham could feel more sentimentality in the air as Lady Elizabeth’s mother began to speak, and he fled with the promise to return posthaste with champagne. He felt no qualms about leaving Fitzhugh alone with the women. After all, the man had brought it upon himself. No man even alluded to the topic of nuptials without expecting at least tittering, and quite possibly tears, from members of the fairer sex.

Pelham approached a footman carrying a tray of champagne, but before he could take three flutes, Lord Ridgebury, another of his school chums, cut him off. “Pelham, old chap!”

Pelham nodded stiffly. At school, Ridgebury had always tried to copy Pelham’s answers. “Ridgebury.”

“I see you were finally able to break away. If you hurry, you might still be able to claim a dance with the duchess.”

Pelham stared at the man. “You cannot possibly be suggesting I dance with a known courtesan in the presence of my fiancée and her parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Nowlund.”

Ridgebury shrugged. “My understanding is you’ve done a lot more than that.”

“And do you believe everything you read, then, Ridgebury? Personally, I prefer my fiction in book form.”

“Then you deny the relationship?” Lord Casterly, a viscount with whom Pelham had at best a negligible connection, asked. Pelham realized he had inadvertently attracted quite a crowd.

“I do deny it. Not that it’s any of your affair. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Pelham reached for the champagne but not before he heard the Prince of Wales announced.

The Prince Regent, red-faced and waddling, entered, and his subjects bowed and curtseyed. All activity ceased for a matter of minutes as the prince greeted his favorites and exchanged quips with Brummell and Alvanley. The guests were beginning to mingle again, and Pelham reached for the champagne glasses a second time when Prinny called, “Pelham! Just the man I want to see!”

Pelham cringed, motioned to the footman to move along, then turned and bowed to the prince.

“Your Royal Highness.”

“I didn’t think to see you here tonight, Pelham,” Prinny trilled. His rouged face was accented with a painted beauty mark on his cheek. Pelham couldn’t stop staring at it. Why would a man want a beauty mark?

Come to think of it, why would a woman?

“I’d hoped to present my fiancée to Your Royal Highness,” Pelham answered coolly. “I think you know her, Lady—”

“Are you going to marry the duchess, now?” Prinny exclaimed. “Well, this is quite the
ondit
!”

Pelham frowned. He was not accustomed to being interrupted, nor was he accustomed to being the subject of rumor. “If you mean to imply that I might be marrying that strumpet—”

The prince opened his mouth and let out a small squeak. Pelham tried to speak again, but Prinny waved his hands frantically.

“That’s quite all right.”

Pelham heard a low, cool voice behind him.

“I’ve been called far worse.”

Juliette had seen the Duke of Pelham as soon as she’d stepped into the ballroom at Carlton House. She was aware all eyes were on her and the other Diamonds, and she was careful to search the room for the duke without appearing too obvious.

Apparently Lily and Fallon had done the same. As soon as they had a moment alone, Lily gripped Juliette’s arm. “He’s here! I cannot believe it.”

“Neither can I,” Juliette said, though she was careful to tell herself his presence meant nothing. But it did mean she would remain the center of attention. The
ton
wanted something to happen between the two of them. This was exactly the situation she had wanted.

“You are going to be certain Darlington makes good on his promise, aren’t you?” Lily asked.

Juliette frowned, trying to keep Pelham in sight as the crowds swirled between them. “What promise?”

Lily made a sound of exasperation. “He said he’d stand on his head if Pelham attended, and you said you’d hold him to it.”

“Oh.” Had Pelham always been so tall? Had he always been so handsome?

Lily was still looking at her. Juliette blinked. “Yes, I will hold Darlington to his promise.”

“But not now,” Fallon said. “Here’s Prinny, and your opportunity, Juliette.”

Fallon was right. She curtseyed as Prinny made his entrance, watched as he spoke to his favorites, and smiled when he nodded at her before making his way over to Pelham, who was standing near one set of the French doors leading to the gardens. So Prinny was anticipating her meeting with the Dangerous Duke, just like everyone else. Well, she couldn’t disappoint her sovereign, now could she?

She felt a surge of excitement as she started across the room. In her mind, she was no longer Juliette, but the Duchess of Dalliance. She was not a divorced country girl pretending to be a beautiful courtesan in the big city. She was royalty; she was elegance; she was one of The Three Diamonds.

The crowds parted as the Red Sea must have done for Moses. As she stepped into the divide, she wondered if the Red Sea had as many sharks as the
ton
. If so, Moses had more bravery than she’d given him credit for. It was not easy to walk past those sharks and pay them no mind. But she kept her gaze on Pelham and was soon close enough that she could hear his voice—low and velvet soft—and Prinny’s—high and far too feminine.

Prinny, as usual, was overly excited by the prospect of a scene to come and was blathering to Pelham about marriage. Juliette wanted to spin on her heel and retreat. Such a ridiculous statement gave the duke no choice but to deny it. Now was not the time to meet him, but she’d come too far to turn back now. She stopped behind Pelham and heard him say, quite clearly, “If you mean to imply that I might be marrying that strumpet—”

Prinny, of course, warned him of her presence. Juliette was actually sorry for that. She would have liked to hear how Pelham finished the sentence. She could have also used another moment to compose herself. If she was the blushing sort—and she hadn’t been that sort since she was seventeen—her face would have been bright pink. Instead, she felt the heat but maintained her impassive expression.

“I’ve been called far worse,” she said.

Pelham turned to her, and she took a short, quick breath. She had never been this close to him. She had seen him only across gardens and ballrooms. Usually men looked handsome from a distance, and when one drew closer, one noted the so-called handsome man had hair growing out of his nose or pockmarks on his cheek or food in his teeth.

But Pelham was perfect. He was dressed immaculately in evening wear, the cut of his coat tight over broad shoulders. His cravat was tied simply but impeccably, and his breeches were snug over muscled thighs. His skin was a rich bronze, indicating he spent some time outdoors. Perhaps that was where he’d acquired the streaks of red and gold in his thick, wavy brown hair. That hair was a bit longer than was fashionable, as though the duke had better things to do than sit idly for a haircut.

His eyes were impossibly blue. She didn’t remember Pelham’s eyes being quite so vivid a blue before. She did not think she had ever seen eyes so brilliant. Men often remarked on her eyes, but she thought they were too pale. Pelham’s were dark and bright and… hard. No wonder he was called the Dangerous Duke. She was tempted to step back when his gaze swept over her.

She didn’t. Instead, she notched her chin up, smiled, and ignored him. She focused her gaze on Prinny and curtseyed gracefully—Lady Sinclair would have been proud. “Your Royal Highness, I’m honored to be here.”

Prinny giggled—probably because he had been trying to see down her bodice—and stepped forward. He took her gloved hand and kissed it. “Duchess, I am honored to have you in attendance. Might I say that you look exquisite?”

“You might. I should be disappointed if you didn’t.” Juliette focused her gaze on the top of Prinny’s head, but she could feel Pelham’s dark gaze on her. She didn’t know why it should make her feel so warm and tingly when he was looking at her with such scorn.

Prinny giggled again. “You look exquisite, Duchess. As always. You know I could think of more compliments, but I’d like to give them to you in private.”

Juliette was adept at maneuvering around the prince’s suggestions for liaisons. She glanced markedly at Pelham, and said, “Your Royal Highness, do introduce me to your friend. Perhaps then he might cease staring at me.”

“There’s no need for an introduction,” Pelham said in that low, velvet voice. “You know perfectly well who I am.”

Prinny gleefully clapped his hands together. Juliette was aware the whole of the assembly crowded closer, hoping to overhear. “And Your Grace obviously knows who I am. I’ve read so much about us, it’s a pleasure to finally meet the man with whom I’m having a scandalous affair.” She thought his mouth might have quirked minutely. “I will say I’m happy to find you are even more handsome than in the sketches I’ve seen.”

Juliette could almost see the
ton
’s collective neck craning to hear more. As one, their heads swiveled to Pelham. It was his turn to compliment her. What would he say?

“Your Royal Highness,” Pelham addressed the prince. “If you’ll excuse me, my fiancée is waiting.”

The prince blinked. “Ah—I—”

Pelham began to move away, and Juliette almost choked.

Pelham was going to cut her!

In front of the entire beau monde.

Prinny was still stammering, trying to think of something to say to keep the duke from walking away, from ruining her.

Juliette couldn’t leave this to the prince, and she couldn’t allow Pelham to cut her. She didn’t have time to think. She composed her face into an expression of ennui and remarked, “Too bad the papers didn’t mention how rude you are.”

The prince gasped. At least she thought it was the prince. It might have been someone else in the crowd. But her statement worked. Pelham stopped. Slowly—her heart pounded at least ten times—he turned and directed those dark blue eyes at her.

“Excuse me?”

Her instinct was to apologize. Instead, she stepped forward to face him. They were standing toe-to-toe now. “I thought you had better manners than to be rude to a lady.”

He raised a brow. “You are correct.”

She was? Juliette almost smiled. She was saved.

“I would never be rude to a lady. You, madam, are not a lady. You are nothing more than a well-paid whore.”

The silence surrounding them was as thick as London’s morning fog. Juliette could all but hear the blood racing through her veins. It flowed fast and hot because she was truly angry now. How dare he? Who did he think he was? She had done nothing to him to deserve this.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fallon and Lily approaching. No doubt they would intervene to save her. But Juliette didn’t want to be saved. She wanted to bring Pelham down a notch or three. He had turned away from her again and was beginning to move through the crowd. Juliette cleared her throat. “I would rather be a well-paid whore, sir, than an insufferable ass.”

He jerked to a halt and spun around. His fists were clenched and his face red with what looked like fury.

“One is a choice and can be changed,” she continued, raising her voice so it would carry. “Whereas the other is a permanent trait of the personality. Not that you have much of one.”

And with that, she turned on her heel and strolled away. She kept her head high and her face composed, but inside she was seething. And as she caught a glimpse of the faces of the members of the
ton
, she felt the first stirrings of panic. They were moving out of her path, their expressions full of pity. Juliette didn’t mind the pity; it was the men who refused to meet her eyes that caused her stomach to tense and tighten. If she had just become unfashionable and unwanted, her career was over. How would she pay for her town house? Her clothes? Her carriage?

Her debts were not outrageous, but she did not have nearly enough saved to cover them. And she would not, could not, ask Sinclair to pay them for her. He had done more than enough for her already.

Damn Pelham! She wished she had never heard his name.

She was still walking, she knew not where, when Fallon and Lily appeared on either side of her. Somewhere in the distance she heard the orchestra begin to play a reel.

“That was magnificent,” Fallon said. “You put him in his place.”

Juliette shook her head. “Then why isn’t anyone looking at me? Why are you two the only ones dashing to comfort me? I’m done for.”

“Nonsense,” Lily said, but she was a bad liar, and Juliette heard the tinny notes of false confidence in her voice.

“Who cares?” Fallon said.

“
I
care,” Juliette hissed. “My creditors will care. How will I pay them?”

“Sinclair—” Lily began.

Juliette held up a hand. “No. I won’t take his charity again.”

“Calm down.” Fallon put a hand on Juliette’s arm. “We’ll discuss this in the carriage on the way to Somerville. Lady Sinclair will know what to do if we three are unable to work out a solution.”

Fallon was right, and Juliette took a long, measured breath. Her heart slowed its rapid staccato. “You’re right. Perhaps it is a good time to leave London.” First that business with Lucifer, and now Pelham.

“It is,” Lily agreed. “A holiday is precisely what we need. In fact, let’s quit the ball now and begin preparations.”

“No.” Juliette shook her head. She could see what her friends were doing, and she would not take them down with her. “You stay here. I’m sure you have dances reserved. I’m going to take in some fresh air and then sneak away.”

“No!” Lily cried. “We’ll go with you. You don’t have to leave. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Juliette could have hugged her, and Fallon, too. They were such loyal friends. Their own good intentions would be their ruin. Juliette wouldn’t allow it. “I need some time alone,” she said, her tone harsh so Fallon would not argue. “I’d really prefer it if you afforded me some time to myself.”

Lily frowned but nodded. “Very well. If that’s what you wish.”

Juliette started moving away, but Fallon caught her arm. “I know what you’re doing. I’ll allow it this time, but we
will
stand by you.”

When they had both been absorbed by the crowd and Juliette stood alone, she whispered, “Thanks.”

For the first time in recent memory, no one clamored for her attention. No man was at her elbow with champagne or a request for a dance or a jeweled ornament he begged her to accept. No women were observing her, studying her mannerisms or her gown. She was an outcast and would be completely ignored.

The panic swirled again, and the room spun. She really did need some air. She managed to make it through a set of French doors and leaned her hands against the balustrade. The small balcony overlooked the prince’s gardens, but Juliette was not interested in the view. She concentrated on filling her lungs with air and tried not to think about Pelham.

Breathe. Just breathe,
she told herself. This was not how she had hoped the night would end, but it was not the end of the world. So her reign as one of The Three Diamonds was at an end. She’d had worse setbacks. She would recover.

She always did.

“Are you certain you prefer to wait out here?” a man’s voice asked. Juliette shook her head. It sounded remarkably like Pelham. Now she was imagining him?

“Yes. I feel faint in this stuffy ballroom.”

Juliette’s head jerked up. She had not imagined the woman’s voice. It must be Pelham and his fiancée. The last thing Juliette wanted was to be seen by either of them. She pushed off the balustrade and scurried into a shadowed corner then wedged herself behind one of the open French doors. It was scant protection if either of them looked directly at her, but it was the only place to hide.

“I’ll fetch your pelisse and be back momentarily.”

“Thank you,” Pelham’s fiancée said. She was pretty but not overly so. Still, Juliette could see the woman had grace and bearing. Her gown, her hair, and her face might be rather plain, but she was regal. She moved out onto the balcony while Pelham stalked away. Juliette breathed a little easier when Pelham’s fiancée walked straight to the balustrade and peered out at the gardens. Now would have been an excellent time to sneak back into the ballroom. Unfortunately, she was trapped behind the door. If she had been wearing a dark-colored dress, she might have risked moving out of the shadows, but the silver was too conspicuous and shiny. She need only stay hidden for a moment. Pelham would be back, and then he would whisk his fiancée away.

Poor woman.

Juliette hoped she never saw the duke again.

“I know you’re there,” the woman said.

Juliette jumped. Had the duke’s fiancée seen her step outside? Then why would she follow? Did she
want
to speak to her? Well, Juliette had nothing to say to the woman. She was about to declare this when a man’s voice answered, “You’ve kept me waiting.”

Juliette froze. There was something familiar about that voice. She shivered and pressed against the wall so hard she would have melted into it if possible. “Pelham is difficult to maneuver,” the woman said. Her voice sounded rather husky more than regal now. “I was lucky to make our rendezvous at all.”