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“How do you find London, Lady Caroline?”

“London is exciting. It is nothing like Somerset, although I love it dearly. There is more to do here. I understand why my brothers come so often and hold places of residence here.”

I frowned slightly.

Caroline’s voice was childish and breathless. Perhaps beauty was her sole possession, and she owned little intelligence. I didn’t want a silly chit who would bore me with conversations about clothes.

Then Caroline belied her true self by following up with, “I do not believe that I have seen you in my brother’s presence before. Do you know my family, for I must admit I do not know yours?”

Bold little hussy! She was seeking my status.

“No, I rarely go to Somerset. My family has residences here, and estates in Norfolk and several other counties. I, myself, remain in London mainly.”

That was true about my estates I had purchased them many years ago. Typically, I avoided them for around ten years, rotating them on a schedule. It was easy to lead the staff to believe that one Marquis had died, and another taken his place.

I often went abroad to Spain and France, and that helped keep the illusion up. My staff saw me so rarely that they couldn’t say if I was the same one or not. I put the story about that the family likeness ran strong in our genes, and that was believed.

“Oh,” Caroline said, fluttering her fan lightly. “Is your family large?”

“Only I and a cousin residing in France.

Of course, the cousin living in France was me.

“You are an orphan. How sad.”How interesting, she really thought. That meant Caroline wouldn’t have to share the money if she snared me.

Cheeky little wench!

“Would you like to dance?” I asked as the musicians struck up a tune. Her mother looked over and nodded approval, and I led Caroline onto the dance floor. Away from Victoria, she opened up, and the simpering act disappeared. Caroline was well-informed of current events and proved quite insightful.

At the end of the song, I walked Caroline back to her mother and bowed over her hand before taking my leave. Davenport caught up with me as I made my way towards the front of the house. Outside, he threw an arm around my shoulders and chuckled.

“Now that is a first, Jacques. You actually danced with someone. Could it be that you are smitten?”

“Me?” I asked, amused.

“Yes, Marquis Du Mont, you.”

“Ah, Davenport, if only you knew!”

I laughed as we made our way down the street to Whites. Davenport reminded me a lot of Kait and Pari, and I needed a friend like him. He wasn’t a vampire, nor would he be one. I was entitled to my human friends, and Davenport was a good man.

Over the coming weeks, I searched out what balls Caroline would attend and made my way to them. Of course, I nearly always got an invite, I was a bachelor with a title and a fortune behind me.

Nobody knew just how much. But because my solicitor was Jonathon, who only dealt with the very rich, then it stood to reason that I had a vast amount of wealth. Jonathon, the son of a duke, had defied his father by becoming a solicitor and had been disinherited at first. (His life had been intended to be that of a priest, as was common practice in his family.)

Jonathon’s reputation, boosted by many positive comments, and his firstborn’s boldness led the duke to summon him home once again.

I stalked Caroline as she did me. Every ball I attended; I asked Caroline to save the last dance for me. She did, and this became a habit. Victoria encouraged Caroline’s efforts when she heard good reports about me.

I made friends with her brothers and thought they were fairly nice, if not boring, people. James was slightly stuffy and self-opinionated but, on the whole, was a good egg.

Davenport and several others teased me mercilessly, but I got my own back when Davenport fell for a sweet young lady by the name of Margaret. She was just what Davenport needed, and he paid court to Margaret earnestly.

Another of our friends, Andrew, Lord Haughton, was infatuated with a girl, and the three of us all played the same game. Unfortunately, many other men also stalked our chosen. But we were winning through to their hearts. We played thegame as everyone else—but in a different way. My friends and I played to win.

In the end, the girls sought us out, and that was exactly what we wished.

Only my little sweetheart could play the game as well as I.