Page 5 of A Duchess Bound (Dukes of Dominance #2)

C atherine, the Duchess of Sarsen, entered the ballroom with all the poise and grace her title implied.

Dorothy smiled softly. Her sister had bloomed into a beautiful duchess and wife.

No one would have ever guessed that she was once a wild miss, deemed undesirable by most men in the ton.

As she descended the stairs, her hand placed delicately on the arm of her husband, the Duke of Sarsen, her gaze landed on her siblings.

Catherine smiled impishly, and her eyes gleamed.

There was that wildness, indomitable but carefully concealed for the benefit of the ton, who were far less forgiving about such things. Dorothy thought she might burst with pride. Here was proof that her efforts were not in vain. She had seen Catherine successfully wed.

Once the duke and duchess reached the foot of the stairs, Elias approached. He offered a cursory nod to His Grace.

“Reeds,” the Duke of Sarsen greeted. “How good to see you again.”

His Grace had always seemed to take himself a little too seriously in Dorothy’s opinion. It was as if proper etiquette had been carved into every aspect of his being, all the way down to his bones.

But Catherine was happily married to him. Her joy mattered more than anything else.

“Of course,” His Grace continued. “I imagine that it is really Catherine who you are happy to see.”

“You cannot possibly fault me for being happy to see my sister,” Elias said, embracing Catherine.

“Especially not when you have sisters of your own,” Bridget said.

“Yes,” the Duke of Sarsen said. “Soon, it will be their first Season. How are you enjoying yours, my lady?”

“It is pleasant,” Bridget said, her eyes sweeping across the ballroom floor.

A lively waltz had begun, and the couples eagerly converged on the dance floor.

“I imagine you have good prospects,” Catherine said.

“She does,” Dorothy said, “along with some less desirable prospects.” Dorothy’s throat grew dry when she thought about one specific undesirable prospect. She had let that man kiss her.

Worse, she kept thinking about the kiss.

It had been two weeks since that night, and Dorothy was certain that her thoughts had turned to the Duke of Greenway at least twice a day since then.

That was at least twenty-eight occasions upon which she had contemplated that detestable man’s affections, and that was twenty-eight occasions too many.

“I should like to talk to you about it,” Catherine said. “In theory, I know what is required to see a lady into her first Season, but I am certain that there are some matters which I have simply not considered.”

Dorothy smiled wryly. “The first rule of seeing a lady through her first Season is to anticipate everything going wrong.”

“That is how all my Seasons went,” Catherine said slyly. “Until my dear husband rescued me, like Lancelot coming to save Queen Guinevere.”

“I shall leave both of you to your conversations,” His Grace said. “Lady Bridget, may I have the first dance with you?”

She curtsied. “I would be delighted, Your Grace.”

Bridget shyly accepted his offered arm, and they crossed the floor and joined the ring of dancers.

“So,” Catherine said, smiling. “Shall we take a walk about the room and discuss Bridget’s first Season?”

“Yes,” Dorothy said.

“I will see you both later,” Elias said, grinning. “I have some business matters to discuss with a few gentlemen. It is good to see you again, Catherine.”

“Likewise.”

As their brother set about to join his friends, Catherine linked her arm with Dorothy’s. “So,” Catherine said cheerfully. “How is the Season going?”

“Well,” Dorothy said. “This is Bridget’s second ball, and the first one went well. Her dance card was full, and she never lacked for potential suitors. A couple of them have come to call.”

“That is good!” Catherine exclaimed. “I anticipated that Bridget would do well in her Season. She is a beautiful girl.”

“She is.” Dorothy paused. “Truthfully, the most difficult part of it all is trying to dissuade the less desirable suitors from pursuing her. There are so many of them!”

Catherine nodded sympathetically. “I do not recall such perils during my own Season, but I have heard other ladies mention them. It does seem as if the rakes are more plentiful than usual.”

“Indeed.”

Dorothy glanced about the ballroom. To her horror, she realized she was searching for the Duke of Greenway. She swallowed hard.

She was only searching for him for Bridget’s sake.

That was it. Dorothy wanted to ensure that the wretched man was not vexing her poor, innocent sister, who had naively agreed to share a dance with him in the hopes of keeping the peace between them.

The poor girl did not realize that dancing with a rake even once would be treated as an invitation to do much more.

Dorothy had done much more to invite a rake’s attention than her sister had, though. She grimaced and silently cursed herself for being so foolish.

“Do you know what the biggest problem with rakes is?” Catherine asked. “They are not always obviously rakes, and because ladies do not wish to admit when they have been seduced by a rake, such men are allowed to treat women as they will without consequence.”

Dorothy took a steadying breath. Catherine could not possibly know about the encounter with the Duke of Greenway, but the remark was like a knife twisting in Dorothy’s heart.

She could not tell her sister about the encounter.

She could not tell anyone about it. Was her silence only enabling His Grace to continue with his rakish conquests?

Oh, he was known as a rake by many of the ton, but there would always be some ladies who did not know what the man was.

And she herself was testament that even ladies who knew better could still be susceptible to the charms of rakes.

“I am certain that you will make certain that Bridget is spared having to deal with such men,” Catherine said warmly. “She is very fortunate to have you.”

Was she? Dorothy did not feel as though she was. What good was she to Bridget when she found herself feeling affectionate towards the same men that she had cautioned her sister against?

“I am trying my best,” Dorothy said.

“Your best will be enough.”

They had completed their walk around the perimeter of the ballroom and stood where they had begun. Bridget was a vision in pale green on the dance floor, dancing as elegantly as any other lady. Dorothy’s chest tightened. “It is difficult to believe that she is old enough to have a Season.”

“I know,” Catherine said. “Time has moved so quickly.”

Dorothy bit the inside of her cheek. She searched the crowd for Elias and found him speaking to a young lady in a lavender dress. Soon, Elias would have to wed for the good of the dukedom.

“Are you happy?” Catherine asked suddenly.

“Happy?” Dorothy echoed. “Have I done something to give you the impression that I am not?”

Catherine hesitated. “Not exactly.”

“But?”

“But I am married, and in my marriage, I have discovered greater joys than I ever imagined,” she said. “I had not realized that would happen. I thought I knew everything that there was to know about marriage, but I discovered that I was wrong.”

“And you want me to experience similar happiness?” Dorothy asked, a little startled. “I have said time and time again that I am content with my lot in life. Nothing could bring me greater joy than seeing my brother and sisters happily wed.”

“I know you have always said that.”

“Yes,” Dorothy said. “If you recall, the Duke of Sarsen first proposed marriage to me .”

“And you would have accepted,” Catherine said, “except that I interfered.”

“I am grateful to you for that, and I am pleased that you love him.”

“Ah! You are deflecting,” Catherine said. “I respect your choices, my dear sister, and I always will. However, I do wonder if you are sacrificing your own happiness for ours. If so, you need not do that.”

Unbidden, the Duke of Greenway’s hazel eyes came to mind. The way that he had stared at her sent a shiver of delight coursing through her, just as it had two weeks prior.

“I am sacrificing nothing,” Dorothy said. “I promise.”

Catherine searched her sister’s face for a little longer.

It was impossible to say what Catherine found in Dorothy’s expression, but at last, she nodded.

“If you are truly happy, that is enough,” Catherine said gently.

“I shall mention the matter no longer. I just wanted you to know that it is fine for you to think about yourself. You are as deserving of love and happiness as we are.”

“I know that,” Dorothy said. “And I appreciate your concern. You take care of me as much as I take care of you.”

“You deserve to be taken care of,” Catherine said.

The Duke of Greenway was not a man who would take care of her. At best, he could be depended upon to give her some semblance of fleeting pleasure before he decided to pursue another lady, a younger one.

One like Bridget.

“I will be taken care of,” Dorothy said. “By you, Bridget, and Elias.”

“That is not quite the same as being married.”

“No, but it is enough for me.”

Catherine’s smile was soft. Her blue eyes drifted a little over the ballroom. “I believe there is a gentleman looking at you.”

“There is not,” Dorothy said.

It could not be him . Her heart fluttered madly in her chest. She doubted that the Duke of Greenway had given her a second thought since their initial encounter. His attentions had already likely found another lady to seduce with his wicked smirks and sharp gazes.

Still, she turned to look.

“The gentleman must be looking at you ,” she told Catherine. “I cannot imagine…”

The words caught in her throat. It was him. The Duke of Greenway. Catherine was right. His eyes were fixed intently on her. She shivered and tore her gaze away as if she had been burned.

“The Duke of Greenway,” Dorothy explained. “He wished to dance with Bridget, and I informed her that he was an incurable rake. I believe that he feels insulted.”

“I see,” Catherine said. “Well, I am certain that you and Elias are capable of handling one rakish man.”

“Indeed.”

A shiver traced the path of Dorothy’s spine. The kiss?—

It kept coming to her mind unbidden. Worse, it brought a surge of unspeakable sensations with it. Her body became hot and sensitive, and on at least three separate nights, she had lain awake with an ache between her thighs.

It was no small wonder that he was a rake. His charms were enough to bring most ladies to their knees.

“Come,” Catherine said. “Let us continue our conversation with some lemonade.”