The Danger of Dukes (5 page)

Belle of the ball

The lights lit at night set the large hall hosting the party alit, crowds already forming in a line to get in, out of their carriages and greet the hosts at the giant double doors of the mansion.

              I swallowed nervously and smoothed my hands down the front of the sapphire silk gown that had come only the day before from the dressmakers. She had outdone herself to combine my taste with the Duke’s to create a dress beyond compare. I had run my hand over the silk lovingly and admitted to myself that perhaps my older gowns were a little out dated. Millie had dressed me, pulling the strings of my corset so tight I could barely breathe, then dressed my hair in a wonderful updo creation. After everything was done and applied it was time to go down stairs and there had been waiting Lord Draco. His eyes had narrowed upon seeing me and something sparked.

              I had grinned just for him, striking a pose and waving at him regally. He had bowed and then escorted me to the carriage with no word a’tall. Our carriage came to a halt in front of the gated mansion and there was a polite knock then the door opened. Lord Draco exited first then held up a hand to help me out as well. My slippered feet touched cool stone ground and I was guided inside into a long lit hallway and was greeted by the Duke of Bedford, but his wife was not with him.

              “Nicely met, old friend,” Lord Draco greeted his surprised friend, who turned his eyes to me.

              “It is nice to meet you, Your Grace,” I replied shyly holding tightly to Draco’s arm, my smile strained.

              “Well meet indeed.” The Duke eyed me closely, “If I may say so you are not back in Town a month and have such a beautiful woman on your arm, old fellow.” He grinned then, “Too bad I married just a few months ago, but then again better I have for your chances are greater.”

              Lord Draco glared at him and led me into the grand ball room beyond. Soon he was swarmed by ladies and I was knocked out of the way by the redhead we had met a few weeks before. I righted myself and looked around for people less annoying. I found a group of wonderful girls sitting down by a nearby wall and asked kindly if they would let me join.

              Their stared dumbfounded at first, but all nodded and a few smiled.

              “I could swear we were in a nest of snakes,” I said by way of greeting as I sat.

              “You have no true idea, my lady. Most of them are worse, they like to hunt,” giggled a pretty little brunette who looked slightly older than the others.

I nodded and laughed quietly. “I am Isadore, and my guardian is His Grace, Lord Draco of Ravenbrood. It is nice to meet you all.”

              “How is it, to be related to such a man?” asked a tall blonde with almond green eyes, then she blushed. “Forgive me that was rude, I am Lady Ali of Berwick.”

I laughed feeling the tightness in my chest go away slightly. “I am not related to him, I am just his ward. When my father died I was left in the care of his household. But he is not an easy man to get along with.”

“I could agree,” giggle the brunette that called herself Emily.

“Why are you all sitting along the wall?” I asked looking around every once was in groups forming couples already for the dances.

“We hardly ever get asked,” Emily replied.

“We are either too old or not pretty enough,” Ali agreed.

“Tosh, don’t be silly. You are all lovey and a bit of age on a woman is a good thing. No more silly dream eyes,” I quipped with a smile. They smiled back gratefully. “Now since the men won’t come to you, let us go fine some, hm?”

I rose from my chair about to set off when Emily grabbed my hand.

“That is most improper,” she said quietly.

“Do you wish to dance or sit away the Season? You are all dressed beautifully, if not dance then why did you come?”

She thought about it then nodded with a smile. Alana followed close behind, I was going to make a pass by Lord Draco’s group of growing women when he grabbed my wrist and tugged me to him where I tumbled into his side.

“I am most sorry ladies, but I have already promised, Lady Isadore my first dance, I am sorry but I am sure I shall see you all soon,” he said with a light smile, but I could tell he was not happy.

When the crowd had drifted off to better places he was about to lead us out when I pulled on my wrist.

“Let go,” I hissed.

“Not a chance,” he hissed back, “I refuse to be pranced around with those harpies and their mothers! We shall dance together.”

I pulled back. “No,” I said firmly. “I made a promise to my new friends that we shall find partners all.”

He growled something then stormed off into the crowd of people.

“Well my word,” murmured Emily and Alana together. “What a tempter.”

“You have no idea,” I muttered darkly and as I was about to turn and lead off again, Lord Draco caught my wrist yet again, but this time he had dragged over a few of his friends. One was rather tall with a nice crop of blondish red hair and sparkling blue eyes, another with dark brown hair, a handsome face and winning grey eyes.

“Will these do for your friends?” he asked shortly.

“You are such a brute!” I gasped. “Will they do, I don’t know, why don’t you ask Emily and Alana?” I stepped aside breaking his hold so his friends and my new ones could look each other over.

The darker of the two whistled softly. “To be led around by such a beauty Draco, I never thought I would see the day.” He stepped forward and addressed us kindly. “I am Bentley, Earl of Korfield, and the man to my right is Jackson, Baron of Berkley. May we ask for this dance?” he eyes danced as he gazed upon Alana and she nodded with a blush.

“Of course, my lord,” she said as she took his arm and they were off.

Lord Jackson smiled sweetly at Emily and bowed. “May I request this dance?”

She nodded and smiled shyly. As Lord Jackson led her off she turned and whispered her thanks.

“Can
we
please go dance now? The song shall start any moment,” glowered an angry Duke Draco.

“You may ask and I shall answer and not a moment before,” I stated crossing my arms.

He looked on at me in disbelief. “You’re not serious are you? Any number of women would die to have this dance.”

I smiled sweetly. “Then call back one of your harpies, my lord.” I turned and took a step before he grabbed my wrist.

“May I have this dance?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” I nodded regally and was swept onto the floor. It would be the devils very own luck the first dance was a waltz, the one I hated most.

“Follow my lead, and forget everything, but the music,” he whispered in my ear as we spun around, me close in his long arms.

My heart fluttered and I closed my eyes trying to listen to the music. As soon as I heard the beat I flowed with it, it was a good moment later when I opened my eyes and realized that we were the only ones still dancing and the crowd and other couples had stopped to watch. I blushed deeply and he chuckled. With the final stoke of the bow against string, he gave me a final dip.

His green eyes glittered and cut into mine with a sharp emotion, then I was lifted back to my feet and he left me without a word.

“He can be rather cruel at times, maybe this is pay back for the faint?” remarked a familiar voice.

I turned around to find a grinning Drake.

“Why are you here?”

“Same reason you are, love, to dance and find the partner of a lifetime. After all it is the job of an Earl to find his future wife right?”

One Earl too many

The night turned into a blazing success. With all my dances filled, and many great men to be met I enjoyed myself more than I ever had. It just irritated me that he hadn’t come back yet and there was only one set left. Perhaps something had happened?

…

Lord Drake and Lord Whitt came by almost every day over the next two weeks and I was asked to choose one to consider seriously as a suitor. With my mind twisted in knots and Millie of no help, I turned to Lord Draco who had been doing his damnedest to avoid me. I found him holed up in his little study and dropped myself into a chair.

“I have a question to ask you,” I said with a small smile, petting his hound’s head.

“What?” he asked grumpily.

“I have been ask to choose one of them as a serious suitor, who do you think I should bestow my favor upon? Lord Whitt or Lord Drake?”

“Drake?” he nearly yelled.

I nodded calmly.

He got up from his winged chair and glared down at me. “You will do better to stay away from that man! And serious suitor? The Season is not even half over!”

“I tire of all the fun, it has been great, but I miss being home,” I said softly.

“If you marry one of them you shall not return to the place you have called home,” he said grimly. “You shall leave everything behind.”

I was getting frustrated. The plan Lord Drake and I had made was not working. Could the man be so thick headed?

“What shall I do then?”

Lord Draco cleared his throat, “You are young yet, why not wait another year before you make your choice.” He sat down next to me a placed a gentle hand on mine. “There is no need to rush.”

Finally my tempter got the better of me and I snapped, “Why do you not take the hint!” I slapped a hand over my mouth too late.

His eye narrowed. “What hint?”

I stood on shaking legs. “You are arrogant, thick headed and a brute on top! Why should I feel this way?” I told myself, but walked over to his chair and stared down at him.

“You are the one I want, you mule. We haven’t you been able to see it? Drake said you weren’t this daft, but now I see he was wrong,” I huffed.

“You want me,” he pointed to himself dumbly.

I nodded slowly and suddenly the room was spinning as he caught me up in his arms with a laugh that boomed. Setting me on my feet his kissed my lips lightly and gave me a tight hug.

“You, my sweet, are a puzzle. We are at odd ends but I have a feeling that is how it is to always be. Are you sure?”

I grinned in his arms. “Never more sure.”

He smiled down at me devilishly, “Then, my dear, be prepared for as soon as we marry there shall be no escape.”

A Duke’s Entangled Enchantress

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015

Cover Design © Wicked Cover Designs

wix.com/wicked_art/wicked-cover-designs

A Great Need Arose

Bedford Estate, England 1818

The rain this afternoon was making what could have been a rather good day a dismal one. On top of that the Duke of Bedford had just been given news that he hadn’t wanted to hear. His younger brother by two years had just perished in a racing accident and had left the him with a rather large sum of debt to take care of; a debt much like their father’s that had taken the family under. However this time he was unsure if he could dig himself out a second time.

              With a heavy sigh he looked to his solicitor. “Are you sure there is no other way around my brother’s foolishness?”

              The tall thin man cleared his throat and started to shake his head, but stopped suddenly at a remembered reminder. “Your brother had told me that a grand race was coming up at the end of this summer would have a pot so large it could pay off all his debt and then some. However, Your Grace, the only horse that could have won such a race…”

              “Happened to be the one my brother had the accident on.” The duke slammed his hand on the desk. “Foolish boy, what had he been thinking? We have no horse to race, and to win a race such as that one, we need one bred to win it.”

              The tall man cleared his throat. “If I may, Your Grace, I may know of such a horse, but to obtain him would be almost impossible, he is selling for a rather large some.”

              The duke grasping at straws asked, “Where is he located and what man owns him?”

              “The horse, milord, is in America and the owner is a lass not a man. She and her father co-own one of the best breeding facilities in the racing world. They live in the center of horse country in Kentucky,” the man winced slightly as he said it.

              “What is the price on this horse that seems worth so much?” the duke asked evenly, if he played his cards right then he might be able to afford it.

              “Marriage, Your Grace, to the daughter is his price. The horse is only one part of the deal, however if you wed the girl you will own half of the property and half of his railroad rights in America. The man is a millionaire, you could be set. I know that marriage is not quiet in your mindset at the moment, but everyone within your circles already knows that thanks to your father and brother, all you shall have left is the title. Unfortunately there are not many choices for you at the moment, milord.  You may use the rest of your assets to pay your brother’s debt, but you would be left with little to start over from.”

              The duke leaned back in his high winged chair and looked about his office that had belonged to all forty-eight dukes before him in his father’s family. Could he trade his pride to marry for money or could he leave his younger sister to fend for herself?

              Pride it must be and his brother be damned!

              “Write this man right away and tell him I am offering for his daughter. If all goes as planned I shall go and retrieve her and the horse within a month’s time. Prepare the papers. How long until the loans must be paid?”

              “Your brother’s loan will run out in four months, after the race, and then all must be paid. I wish you the best of luck, milord.”

              ‘Luck indeed,” the duke returned darkly.