How to Dazzle a Duke (20 page)

“You misunderstand me, Lady Dalby,” Iveston said. “The

crux of each wager is a woman.”

“But naturally, darling. The most interesting wagers always

are,” she said.

“And the woman is—”

“Miss Prestwick, of course.”

“But how did you know?”

“She is quite beautiful, quite available, and quite the most

unique woman out this Season,” Sophia said. “Whom else should

you be tempted to wager over? I should be surprised if Miss

Prestwick does not induce many men of discernment to seek her

favor.”

“By wagering about her?” Cranleigh said, rather snidely, too.

“But, Cranleigh, surely as a man of the world you know per

fectly well that that is precisely how men behave. It is not how

they
should
behave, at least as instructed by their mothers, but it

is
how
they behave.”

Unpleasant, but true. Even Cranleigh was forced to silence.

Something of a relief to Iveston as this wasn’t the most effortless

How to Daz zle a Duke

139

conversation he found himself having. But what else to be done?

He needed someone to make the arrangements to get the proper

people in the proper room, and he knew without question that

Sophia was the one to do it.

“Will you help me, Lady Dalby?” Iveston asked. “I am in

volved in a wager that I fear is quite beyond me to manage. A

matter of gathering the principals into the same place at the same

time, you see.”

“And the principals are?”

“Your nephew, Mr. George Grey,” Iveston said, “Miss Prest

wick, Edenham, and myself.”

“Ah, the matter becomes quite clear upon hearing the names

of the principal players, Lord Iveston,” Sophia said, smiling

brightly up at him. She was quite a beautiful woman and so

sparkling in her intelligence. “You and George have a wager as

to how soon Edenham and Miss Prestwick will marry. I daresay,

it will not be long before White’s book is full of such wagers and

counter wagers.”

Perhaps not as intelligent as he had first hoped, but her beauty

made up the lack somewhat.

Cranleigh chuckled. Iveston elbowed him in the ribs, dis

creetly, of course.

“Not precisely,” Iveston said. “However, the particulars of the

wager are really not the point. It is only that we all must be to

gether as often as possible over the next few days. Can you think

how to manage it, Lady Dalby? I must believe that you would

know how, you have such skill at these things.”

“Wagers, Lord Iveston, or managing?” she asked.

“Both, I should think,” Iveston said with a hesitant smile. He

had her. She was going to help him. He could see it in her eyes.

“How right you are, Iveston,” she said. “I don’t see a problem

at all. Leave all to me.”

“Happily,” Iveston said.

140 CLAUDIA DAIN

“Fool,” Cranleigh said under his breath, still rubbing his

rib cage.

“You have received an invitation to the Countess of Lan

reath’s soiree tonight?” she asked. Iveston nodded. “Perfect. I’ll

see you there, Lord Iveston, as will all the principals.”

“But Miss Prestwick,” Iveston said, “you have no doubt that

her presence is assured?”

“Lord Iveston, would you care to wager on it?” Sophia

answered with a bright smile.

As it happened, he did not.

Eleven

ONCE Iveston and Cranleigh had departed, with obvious reluc

tance on Iveston’s part and obvious eagerness on Cranleigh’s, the

others did not long linger. Of course, as it was long past the time for

them all to prepare for the evening’s revels and they did have to

dress the part, lingering was not at all to be encouraged. Miss

Prestwick and her darling brother stayed the longest, partly to stay

near Edenham for as long as possible, but also because Sophia

had by a most quelling look encouraged her to stay for a private

moment between them.

She had very much to say to Penelope and very little time in

which to say it. Things were moving at a furious rate, which was

sometimes enjoyable, but only if one were prepared. She

very much doubted Miss Prestwick was properly prepared and

equally certain Miss Prestwick thought she was.

“Mr. Prestwick,” Sophia said, sliding her hand around his

arm, “do make it a point to drag Lord Ruan with you as you

leave. I shall never be able to perform the necessary steps in my

toilette if he cannot be encouraged out upon the street. I think it

must take a man of your affability and charm to accomplish the

142 CLAUDIA DAIN

deed. I shall just have a small moment with your sister whilst you

engage him in some topic that will compel him to follow you out,

shall I?”

Of course it was absurd to think that a young man of Mr.

Prestwick’s experience and disposition could compel Ruan to do

anything, but it was just as true that a man of Prestwick’s disposi

tion and youth would be delighted to perform an act of apparent

chivalry. What was left to conjecture was how Ruan would react.

Sophia couldn’t help but be curious. She didn’t think Prestwick

would come to any harm. She was very nearly certain of it. Cer

tainly Ruan had better manners than that.

“I should be delighted to assist you in any way I may,” Prest

wick said. “Do you know what his interests are?”

“I believe he enjoys the hunt,” Sophia said, meaning some

thing else entirely, something that did not involve dogs or foxes

but perfume and stays.

While Prestwick walked over to the door to the white salon,

where Ruan was most definitely lingering, Sophia took Penelope

by the elbow and led her firmly to the other side of the room, to

the precise spot where she had been engaged with Iveston for the

better part of a quarter hour.

“We had an agreement, Miss Prestwick,” Sophia said. “I don’t

enjoy having a firm arrangement change under my very feet, and

certainly not under my very roof.”

Penelope looked at her with her dark eyes wide and said, “I

desire no change to our agreement, Lady Dalby. Not at all. I only

sought to hurry things along. I am very eager to have it all set

tled, which I’m certain I made clear to you.”

“And I’m certain I made clear to you that I do nothing

for nothing. I have yet to meet your father, yet to state my

price, yet to have that price met. Of course, I am not unreason

able. The promise of the price is enough to satisfy me, if the

How to Daz zle a Duke

143

person be someone of honor. You, Miss Prestwick, have not

behaved honorably. You have acted precipitously and without

due consideration of all the particulars.”

“I only wanted to properly meet the Duke of Edenham. Surely

the sooner the better, Lady Dalby.”

“I thought that you were leaving it to me to decide which man

is best for you?”

Penelope lowered her gaze for a moment and then stared

boldly into Sophia’s eyes. “I assumed you had Edenham in mind.

He’s quite eligible. I do think he was favorably impressed by me.

It’s a good beginning, don’t you think?”

Sophia shook her head at Penelope and said, “It might

have been a good beginning, if you had let me arrange things. It

did you little good to meet him in a room full of people, all of

them men.”

“I thought that was to my advantage,” Penelope argued, lift

ing her delightful little chin.

“It was not,” Sophia said. “Men are very different when

grouped into a throng. They are nearly desperate to behave in

ways which are not at all flattering to them, and they are wise

enough in the ways of women to know it. By being the sole

woman in the room, your presence made them uncomfortable.

Is that how you wanted to impress Edenham? By making him

uncomfortable?”

“I was not the sole woman. You were there as well,” Penelope

said stoutly.

“Darling, I am very able to manage myself in a room full of

men because I am very well able to manage the men. I assume

that’s why you came to me in the fi rst place?”

“No, I—”

“Miss Prestwick, things have indeed, by your very wish, pro

ceeded at a nearly alarming rate,” Sophia interrupted. “The

144 CLAUDIA DAIN

Duke of Edenham is indeed interested in you, in so far that he

has noticed you, for what cause I am not certain, but he has no

ticed you. He is not adverse to marrying again. He noted your

extended and highly cordial conversation with Lord Iveston,

which was very clever of you, I daresay. There is no good reason

for Edenham to be encouraged to think you will jump into his

bed if he but snaps his fi ngers.”

“Lady Dalby, I would never—”

“Darling, don’t say what you would never do until you are

actually faced with the opportunity,” Sophia said, tapping her fan

against her thigh in clear agitation. “I am going to do you the

great honor of being honest with you, Miss Prestwick. I do

hope you have a stalwart nature and can bear up under some

thing so uncomfortable as the truth.” Naturally, she did not pause

for either permission or approval and continued on, Miss Prest

wick’s lovely face showing her alarm most clearly. “The Marquis

of Iveston has a wager going as to whom you shall marry. This

sort of thing, managed well, can be a complete boon in situa

tions of this sort. What I propose is that you get your brother to

place a wager on White’s book that you will marry Edenham.”

“But, Lady Dalby, I have—”

“You do understand that the wager is a spur, darling. Men

respond so well to the spur, it simply is foolish not to use one

when they appear to require it so completely.”

Penelope got a very focused look on her face, her gaze quite

penetrating as she stared at the drapes at the front windows.

“Edenham will feel the need to compete,” she said softly,

stroking the edge of her crimson shawl. “He will feel slighted and

will make every effort to . . . marry me to win a wager? No,”

Penelope said firmly, looking directly into Sophia’s eyes again.

“That’s ridiculous. No man marries to win a wager. Especially

not a duke.”

How to Daz zle a Duke

145

“The wager is the spur, darling, that is all.”

“It doesn’t seem logical in the slightest.”

“Of course it’s not logical, but we’re dealing with men. Had

you forgotten that?”

Penelope nodded and said, “That’s true. They can be very

difficult, can’t they?”

“I’m convinced they make a study of it,” Sophia said. “Now,

tonight you and your darling brother are going to attend the

Countess of Lanreath’s soiree.”

“We have been invited, and I will admit that I was hoping to

engage the Duke of Edenham in conversation whilst there,”

Penelope said.

“I shall manage everything, including the arrival of Lord

Iveston, who is most essential to our plans, is he not? As to plans,

I believe it would greatly simplify things if we all arrived to

gether. You will attend with your darling brother, and I shall go

on George’s arm.”

“George? You mean, your nephew?” Penelope did not look at

all pleased.

“Yes,” Sophia said. “He’s most eager to see more of London

Society and this should be an ideal opportunity for him. You can

certainly have no objections.”

“Of course not,” Penelope said with alacrity, stiffening her

shoulders.

“You can manage your brother?”

“Of course,” Penelope said, nearly offended by the suggestion

that she couldn’t manage something as ordinary as a brother.

Delightful girl.

“I shall arrange all else,” Sophia said, “but I want it under

stood, your father must appear at my door tomorrow. I will aid

you tonight only because I am choosing to believe you are an

honorable girl. At heart.”

146 CLAUDIA DAIN

“I am,” Penelope said stiffly. “Have no qualms about that. You

shall be paid in whatever manner you name, Lady Dalby. All I

ask is that I get the man I want.”

“Darling, I am quite convinced that nothing will keep him

from you.”

6

OF course it didn’t take any effort on Penelope’s part at all to

convince George to drop in at White’s. The difficult bit was in

convincing him make a wager that she would marry the Duke of

Edenham during the present Season. His reasoning, and it was

a bit logical, was that he had to make the wager
with
someone,

and just whom did she suggest he do that with?

Typical. She had to think of everything.

In the end, she had declared that all he had to do was fi nd

someone in the mood to wager, and when was a man not in that

frame of mind, and simply compel them into wagering against

him. How difficult could it be? Anyone, just anyone would do.

As long as the wager appeared on White’s book, well then, she’d

done exactly as advised by Sophia.

Penelope didn’t give another thought to it. She had to dress

for Lady Lanreath’s soiree, as did George, so he’d best be quick

about it.

With that admonition hanging over his head, George, slightly