Page 21 of A Lady of Means (Roses and Rakes #1)

Chapter Sixteen

Precious furs, peacocks, pearls, and now a pianoforte. One must have deep pockets to woo London’s favorite debutante, and even then, all bets are off.

- Scandalous Lives of London, scandal sheet

* * *

Moria turned up on her own doorstep to a very disgruntled Jasper who greeted her with a towel to wrap

around her shoulders. Really, it was very cute the way he took her hand and towed her inside chastising her like she was a child of seven, slamming the door in the Duke’s face.

“You are absolutely soaked to the bone, my girl. Go upstairs and change. I’ll see to the Duke.”

“You slammed the door. He’s still outside on the stoop.”

“Oh dear god,” Jasper’s hazel eyes widened in mortification, “I slammed my front door on a Duke!” He pointed at her with an accusatory finger, “And you let me, Moria!”

“I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, Jas.”

Jasper leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “I’d hug you, but you’re—”

“I know, I'll go upstairs and change.”

“I’ll go make obsequious apologies to the Duke.”

Moria paused at the bottom of the stairs, still dripping. “Probably just pour him a brandy.”

“I’ll do that.”

Moria took three steps up the stairs but something just inside the open door of the sitting room caught her eyes.

“Jas? Where did the piano come from?” she cried out at the same time the Duke entered with an affronted: “I’m not going to keep running after you, my lady.”

“Fine. Then walk,” she said, stepping past him with cool unaffectedness to the sitting room. She didn’t pause to gauge the Duke’s reaction, pausing only to run a hand over the fine piano.

On the oak music desk, there were painted flowers. The bench was upholstered in a soft blue velvet cushion close to the shade of her eyes.

“Do you know who sent it? It must have cost a fortune!” Olivia called.

“I don’t think you’re helping, actually,” the Duke leaned to whisper to her with a playful grimace.

“There was a note,” Jasper said, clearing his throat uncomfortably, holding up a mostly chewed, handwritten note.

“Bad Fitzy!” Moria called to the hound at Jasper’s heels.

“You have a dog…named after your brother-in-law?” The Duke questioned, looking between the three siblings.

“If you’d endured their whole saga last season you’d understand,” Olivia said, patting the Duke’s arm.

The Duke of Andover ran a gloved hand through his hair and then replaced his hat. “I’ll be back to fetch you for the ball at Lady Lansdowne's at seven, Lady Moria.”

* * *

So this was it. Tonight would either be the ball that everyone saw her on the arm of a Duke or discussed the overly large gift that had been delivered to her by a secret admirer.

It was up to her what she gave them to talk about.

One of the few things that was ever up to her.

She only had to give interested parties something new, something different to take apart and poke holes in like a wheel of cheese.

When they were alone, Bridget helped Moria prepare for the ball.

“It was from him, wasn’t it?”

“I couldn’t possibly know which him you are referring to,” Moria shot back, dabbing perfume between her breasts.

“Your captain. Who I helped you sneak out to meet with in secret yesterday,” Bridget pushed.

Moria sighed, setting down the perfume on her dressing table.

“He had a piano in his rooms. He knew I played with my left hand, somehow. Maybe I told him, and he remembered, though I can’t recall mentioning it.

Maybe it’s a soldier’s skills of observation.

I played with the left, he played the right. ”

“Well…then I hope the Duke is prepared for you to turn down another proposal. Your captain’s ruined you for the others.”

Moria said, “Devyn hasn’t ruined me, perhaps that’s the problem.”

Her companion, bless her, sighed and seemed to quell the urge to roll her eyes; though Moria had been goading her.

“No, that isn’t what I mean. You can’t give your hand away, even to a duke, when your heart already belongs to someone else.”

“Perhaps I’m waiting for the duke,” Moria said, splashing cold water on her face.

“Perhaps that’s what you want us all to believe,” the other woman tossed over her shoulder before making her exit.