Page 4 of A Bride for the Wicked Duke (Claimed by Regency Devils #2)

Chapter Four

"W hat of this one?" Rosalind asked, holding up a sun yellow dress which was an elegant design but a little busy on account of the frills bursting from the hems and shoulders and all over the skirt.

“I do not think so,” Aurelia said, curling her nose with distaste.

“Oh, it is not that bad!”

“It looks as if a sunflower vomited all over it,” Eveline giggled.

“It does not,” Rosalind protested, looking at the dress again. “I rather like it...”

“Pass,” Aurelia said.

Rosalind sighed loudly and tossed the dress onto the bed, on which there were another half dozen already piled. None of them were particularly bad or ugly, simply not those which Aurelia would ever be caught dead in.

“Perhaps we should choose according to color,” Rosalind mused as she rummaged through her wardrobe. There were still well over a dozen dresses hanging inside, a cornucopia of bright colors and different designs, each of which any young lady should be thrilled to find herself dressed in.

Aurelia was not any young lady. She had a style of her own, one which she was beginning to realize clashed mightily with Rosalind’s. Too many colors, she thought. Too much embroidery and flair. What was more, even if she was to find one that she liked, a quick glance at Rosalind’s tighter frame brought into question the likelihood of the fit. But that was a worry for later.

“This one?” She pulled out a lime green number. It was simple. Clean. Sleeveless. A modest neckline. Gold-trimming but no decoration running up the skirt or body. “I have always said that green suits you.”

“I don’t know...” Aurelia eyed the lack of sleeves, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She would not say it out loud, but she hated her arms, as did her mother for that matter. And the idea of wearing a dress that showed them off fully was a nightmare to her sensibilities.

“I like it,” Eveline said in agreement. “It is rather slimming, also.”

“Perhaps a little too much,” Aurelia muttered.

Rosalind clicked her tongue as she looked from the dress to Aurelia. “Obviously we can have the size adjusted. What we need to find first is a dress that suits you. Or one you will wear willingly, if such an outfit exists.”

“I do not know why I can’t wear one of my own.”

“I have seen your wardrobe,” Rosalind said rightly. “Which is answer enough.”

“Perhaps we can ask the kitchen if they have any potato sacks,” Eveline joked. “Surely, they will be able to lend one.”

“Funny,” Aurelia said dryly. “Oh, how you amuse me with your wit, Eveline.”

It was two days following the ball and Aurelia found herself in Rosalind’s bedroom with an express purpose in mind – a task set which was looking more and more hopeless by the second. And the fact that I invited Eveline along, with her jokes and so-called humor, is only making things more difficult.

In five days' a garden party was being hosted at the Malsbury Estate, which itself would be a perfect opportunity to officially begin her pursuit of courtship. Now that the pressure of having to find a man in a single evening was no longer a worry, Aurelia had decided on a more practical approach. She needed to catch a suitor’s eye. She needed to lure him to her. She needed to behave herself as she did, at least for long enough to make him see her as a potential wife and then propose. Easier said than done.

It started with her outfit, a problem as Rosalind had described it, as Aurelia wasn’t exactly bursting at the seams with appropriate dresses, having never cared much for dressing up; at least not where catching the attention of men was concerned, anyhow. Thus, Rosalind insisted that she lend her a dress of her own, a sure way to get off to the best start possible. Or so it was thought.

“It is a shame that Violet no longer lives with us,” Eveline sighed. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking bored. “She had so many pretty dresses.”

“How is she doing?” Rosalind asked of Aurelia and Eveline’s older sister. “Married to Duke Aldworth. It must be heaven.”

“Oh...” Aurelia shared a quick look with Eveline, a warning to not say anything. “The last we spoke, she is perfectly happy. As is Caroline, for that matter.”

“Isn’t it wonderful,” Rosalind said with a dreamy look on her face. “And to think, that will be you soon! Falling in love. Getting married! Children, a family....” The dreamy look in her eyes grew. “Tell me you are at least a little bit excited.”

Rosalind knew Aurelia’s thoughts on marriage well enough, that being that she had no desire to ever marry. This was borne from her upbringing, as her mother and father’s marriage had been a most horrid affair which had poisoned the well in such a way that Aurelia had grown up knowing that she would rather die a spinster than go down that same road.

However, Aurelia’s newfound mission to find a husband must have convinced Rosalind that she’d changed her mind, even if Rosalind knew the true reason behind it. She thinks that if she continues to romanticize the concept of marriage that I might forget why I am doing this. Bless her...

As to Aurelia’s sister, Violet, that was a story which only affirmed Aurelia’s already sullied views. Indeed, Violet was married to a duke, and indeed she was happy, but this happiness was a result of Violet and the duke living separately, as neither liked one another and had no desire to try and make the marriage work. This arrangement was also a secret, which even Rosalind did not know.

Now, Caroline’s marriage might have been a happier story, and indeed her other sister was said to be very much in love with her husband, also a duke. But in Aurelia’s eyes, this was the exception to the rule, not proof of it, and she would not waste time pretending that when she wed that her life might turn out anything the same. I know what is in store for me, no matter who I find myself bound to. So, why pretend at anything different?

“How about that one?” Aurelia pointed at a dress in the wardrobe; it was a darker green, had long sleeves and a high neckline with a corset tied together at the front by intricate lacing.

“Oh!” Rosalind rushed to pull it out. “Yes, this one...” She whipped it from the wardrobe and held it out for them to see. “It is rather pretty, isn’t it. What’s more, I’ve never worn it.”

“At least that way Aurelia won’t look worse in it than you did,” Eveline chuckled.

“Quiet!” Aurelia snapped at her.

“I am just saying!”

“Try it on.” Rosalind shoved it into Aurelia’s chest. “And we will be the judge.”

Aurelia clicked her tongue as she took the dress and held it before her. Again, she really did not want to be doing this, but she caught Eveline turning up her nose and despite how much they argued and fought, she still loved her with all her heart. And if getting married to some uppity lord might save her from a life of sorrow, it was the least Aurelia could do.

“Fine,” she sighed. “But I will not dress in front of you.”

“That is fine,” Rosalind said excitedly, taking Eveline by the arm. “How about you put it on and then meet us in the garden – I will have tea and sweet meats ready.”

“I thought mother told you to lay off the treats,” Eveline teased Aurelia.

“Go,” she said forcefully, widening her eyes in warning at Eveline. “I will be down shortly.”

Eveline opened her mouth to make another joke but Rosalind pulled her from the room before she had a chance. The door closed behind them, leaving Aurelia alone to try on the dress.

“Urgh...” She waded toward the mirror, looking at herself and the dress.

Aurelia had never cared much about what her mother said of her voluptuous figure. Yes, she was a little chubby. And yes, most of the ton might not have appreciated her body type. But Aurelia hadn’t given a damn because she didn’t waste time worrying about what others thought. And as she never planned to marry... at least I hadn’t.

Nonetheless, she busied herself slipped from her dress and then shuffling into Rosalind’s. As expected, it was too tight, and she was only able to get it over her torse because she had left the lacework open fully, there to be brought together and tied tightly once she was fully inside the garment. However, now that the dress was up and over her shoulders and her arms were through the sleeves, she began to suspect that to tie the front together at all would take a miracle.

She clicked her tongue and sucked in as she pulled the corset tight, trying at the same time to interweave the laces. Frustratingly, her bosom was too large, refusing to give any room so that she could barely close the front without having to hold her breath.

“Well, this is just...”

A knock at the door had her head snapping up and she released the lace, breathing out so that the corset of the dress opened. She still had her chemise on underneath, so her breasts were not fully exposed, which was the only reason she did not hesitate in approaching the door.

“I told you,” she began as she grabbed the handle. “I will meet you out --” Her words caught in her throat as she opened the door to find the duke standing there.

“I take it this is a bad time.”

Once again, the duke was a little too calm for the situation presented. He did not appear caught by surprise to find Aurelia spilling from her dress. He did not look as if he might retreat or even turn away as most gentleman would do. It was the opposite, in fact.

A picture of coolness, his piercing blue eyes drifted down her body, lingering on her open dress. A smirk pulled at his lips. The hint of a chuckle then escaped them. But still, he remained in the doorway, his large frame taking it up fully so that if she had wanted to escape, she would not have been able to.

“Your Grace!” Aurelia gasped, taking a quick step back into the room as she hurried to cover herself. Of course, she could not, for the tightness of her dress did not allow her to merely pull it across her chest. “What are you --”

“Searching for my sister,” he answered before she finished, even stepping into the room without pause. “Have you seen her?”

“She is not here.” She turned away, blushing furiously.

“Clearly.”

“She is in the garden,” she continued, still with her back to the duke. “I am sure you can find her there.”

Was it anyone else, Aurelia was certain they would have apologized and left quickly. And a man of the duke’s reputation almost certainly should have. But that is not who he really is, which is why I should not be surprised by the way he lingers...

Indeed, lingering is exactly what he did.

With her back turned to the duke, she could feel him watching her. It should have angered Aurelia, enough that she might have turned around and snapped at him. That is what she would have done was it anyone else! Still, she reminded herself how she was supposed to feel about this man, how she had always felt about him for as long as she had known him. But that did her little good.

The duke was not what she had thought, nor was he what he seemed. And where she did not like him, she could not escape that same feeling that had infused her the last time they were alone together, and the time before that. A helplessness which she was drawn to. Trapped and at his mercy... only in a good way. Whatever way that might be...

“I take it that it you are finding a dress to wear for the Malsbury garden party?” the duke said finally.

She scoffed. “That is hardly any of your business.”

“On the contrary...” Behind her, she heard the door close, which set her heart to racing. “It is entirely my business. Until your debt is paid, as far as I am concerned, I own you.”

Her eyes widened at the comment, the presumption of it! Despite the situation, and her less than appropriate fitting, Aurelia turned about and glared at him. “You most certainly do not.”

“Not in the literal sense.” He walked toward her, still wearing that same knowing smirk. Her first instinct was to back up, but she held her grown and pointed her chin up in defiance. “But I am invested in your success, Lady Hawkins. Far more than my sister is, at any rate.”

“I do not need your help,” she sneered at him for no other reason than she felt she should. He was trying to intimidate her, and she would not let him.

“Are you sure about that?” He chuckled as he raised an eyebrow and looked down at her. “From where I am standing, you need all the help you can get.”

“I --”

“This dress...” He spoke over her as he so often did, clicking his tongue as a hand reached up. She gasped and froze, no idea what he meant to do. Her heart leaping through her throat, the urge to scream upon her, clashing brilliantly with another, far darker thought... “It is not the one.”

“What do you --” She stammered as his fingers wrapped around the lace of the corset. “What do you mean?”

“It does not suit you,” he said, still fingering the lace. “Or your body type.”

Again, rage infused her. “How dare you!”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Everything,” she hissed. “It is funny, Your Grace, but all this time I have hated you for the wrong reasons. My belief being that you were far too proper and therefore boring for my liking. Now, I see it is the opposite.”

“Oh?”

“You are a wicked sort,” she continued hotly. Deep down, she knew she should have taken a step back and then told him to leave. But she stayed where she was, right in front of him, almost on him. “Not becoming of your station. A stain on it, as I see it.”

He frowned. “And this comes from you?”

“What does that mean!”

He clicked his tongue, his fingers still playing with the lace. “I never much liked your friendship with my sister. She is a kind soul, a boon to her name. While you...” He twirled the lace through his hands, his eyes fixed on them as if he could not look away. “You are trouble.”

“I am --”

“Never mind the things you say,” he continued, not raising his voice because he did not have to. “You dress as a man and sneak into town. You blackmail me. You...” He chuckled. “You walk right into danger where most women would run. It is no wonder you have remained single all this time.”

“I am single because I want to be.”

“An easy excuse,” he said. “One that sounds acceptable but only cuts to half the matter. As to the other half...” Again, he clicked his tongue, this time stepping in closer. His eyes lifted from her chest and met her own stare, which he held for just long enough to have her body trembling. “It begins with this dress.”

“And I told you, I do not care what you think.”

“It is too tight,” he continued as his other hand lifted, taking more lace. “You have a beautiful figure, Lady Hawkins...” Her eyes widened and she felt herself blush. “This does nothing for it. Here, allow me to demonstrate.”

“What do you – ow!”

Without waiting for permission, the duke seized both sides of the dresses’ corset and yanked it tightly together. She gasped as the duke pulled her into him, forcing the corset to close. This had her bosom squashed and then pressed up, spilling over the front. Or it would have, was the dress not holding it in place.

“You see...” His fingers held onto the lace, keeping the dress closed. “Far too tight. If you are to meet a man who might deem you worthy of marriage, I suggest you find something more appropriate.”

She didn’t know what to say. Or what she could say! He held her into him, their bodies pressed together. He looked down at her, perfectly calm, no sense at all that he was doing anything inappropriate or scandalous. It was as if they were having a conversation about the weather, such was how composed he was. Aurelia, on the other hand, was trembling.

“You... unhand me,” she stammered, breathing heavy.

“Do I make you uncomfortable?”

“I thought you a gentleman,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

“I am,” he said, still holding her together. “A gentleman who wants what is best for you.”

“I do not want your help.”

He licked his lips as he looked down at her. His eyes then drifted downward, over her lips, to her chin, down her neck, and onto her heaving bosom which struggled beneath the corset of her dress. Again, he licked his lips, and he did not need to speak for Aurelia to know what was on his mind.

That alone should have had her crying for help. Perhaps slapping him across the face because this was beyond inappropriate. Aurelia knew she was in her right to do so. That she wanted to be free of this man! And yet... why can I not bring myself to pull away.

She knew why, of course, not that this made things any simpler. What she did not know was whether the duke was doing it on purpose, or if she was simply reading into his actions. She must have been, as there could be no way that he… he is not like that. Surely, not.

Ultimately, the duke made that decision for her.

He released her suddenly and stepped back. Then, he turned and strode toward the door. “That dress will not do,” he said as he reached it.

“I don’t care what you --”

“I will have one sent to you in its stead.” He threw the door open and turned around. “A more appropriate garment that is befitting of you. Make no mistake, Lady Hawkins, I am invested in your future, whether you like it or not. And where you might not want my help, my help is exactly what you are going to receive.” He raised an eyebrow at her, expecting her to argue.

All she could do was stare.

He smiled then and nodded, pleased that he had managed to bully her into silence. After that, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him, at which point Aurelia gasped.

She had no idea what to make of what had just happened. No way to comprehend not just how the duke had acted, but how she had responded. Common sense told her that the duke was simply toying with her, that he enjoyed making her uncomfortable because she was the only person he knew who had seen the true side of him. And yet...

There is more to it than that. I am sure of it. The way he treats me, the way I react, it is almost as is...

She shook her head and dispelled that notion. For it was ludicrous. His only concern for her was the money her family owned, and thus the husband she found for herself. That was where their relationship started and ended. And if she needed another reason to find a suitor and quickly, the chance to expel the duke from her life fully was an added bonus.