Page 21

Hugo’s brow rose suspiciously.

“What sort of party?” He asked warily.

“One where your handsome looks, and not your reputation, will gain you nothing but pleasant attention,” Tristan promised, rising from his chair.

“Come, Hugo,” Dominic said, sounding sincere for the first time, “It is time you shuck off your mantle of solitude. I know you do not yet like London, but trust us, there is more to offer here.”

“Especially when night falls,” Everett chimed in, “And you are part of the proper circles.”

Curious and feeling more at ease, Hugo rose with his friends. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps it was time for some changes. Starting with how he approached his life outside of Caldermere.

“To the proper circles then,” he said, rising from his chair with his glass.

“There’s our lad,” Tristan cheered as they all grinned and clinked their glasses.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Iam such a dolt,” Theo huffed, shaking her head.

Seraphina gave her a warm smile as she laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder. The poor woman could not seem to stop apologizing.

“You are no such thing,” she replied.

“I should have told the others the plan was delayed, or told you at the very least when I greeted you,” Theo insisted.

“You had neither the privacy nor the time!” Seraphina insisted, “You were helping Tristan coordinate his party, and trust me, I know how hopeless he can be on his own.”

She said the latter with a chuckle, and to her relief, Theo finally smiled for the first time that evening.

“Besides,” she went on, “It is not as if the plan did not work. It might have not gone as planned, but there were indeed positive results.”

“Yes,” Ophelia mused, “However you must admit, catching the attentions of theactualDuke of Caldermere was not within any of our plans.”

Seraphina pressed her lips together as she gave Ophelia a look, but she felt a flutter in her chest at the mention of his name. His intentions still repeated constantly in her mind, his words echoing in her thoughts. The way his deep voice had affected her when his hand had caressed her cheek and then slipped around her throat. Even now, her hand gravitated toward where his fingertips had rested, and she pretended to fidget with her necklace.

“I confess that was unexpected,” she murmured, “But his proposal still surprises me. Surely he did not mean it.”

“Why would he not mean it?” Amelia countered, throwing Ophelia a discouraging look, “You are a catch! And I wish you could have seen yourself dancing with him. The way you both moved. It was so enchanting.”

Seraphina gave her an appreciative smile. It had felt enchanting too, but that was now spoiled. His behavior at the house, despite the rush of desire it had caused within her, had been completely untoward.

“You are just being kind,” she replied.

“No, truly,” Theo chimed in. “It was as if the two of you had practiced; as if it were truly an act. I know I said I was worried for you earlier, but honestly, there was no doubt an obvious connection between you two. I also spoke to my brother. He tells me that the accusations regarding how the Duke treats women are quite false.”

Though she did not know how, Seraphina already sensed that her friend was right. There was something feral and untamed about the highborn Duke. Something, she suspected that even he found difficult to control. And yet…yet even as he had snaked his fingers around her throat, had leaned close and inhaled her as if she were a scent he needed to breathe, he did not feel dangerous. He felt-starved.Not just for anyone. For her, and it had awakened a hunger of her own.

Still, It did not matter. It was a hunger she needed to ignore. She wouldnotend up like her mother.

“Even so, he was far too bold for my liking when he proposed,” Seraphina replied. “He spoke as if he could see within me, and it was—most jarring.”

She shook her head, forcing away the warmth and dizziness the memory made her feel.

“And if he had not done that, my mother made her decision quite clear. She is not going to allow it. The choice, I understand now, was never my own. It was always going to be hers.”

Her friends grew quiet.

“Either way,” Seraphina sighed, pushing away her self-pity, “You have nothing to apologize for, Theo. I will soon be taken off the marriage market one way or another, so I beg you please to stop.”