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Jenny, finding all eyes upon her, did not crumble. She even curtseyed to the duke. “Miss Talbot has shown us nothing but kindness. She rescued us from being stranded in the road when our post chaise lost a wheel.”

“That much I know. Whose idea was it to put up at the hotel rather than the more discreet inn?”

“Mine, of course,” Elaine said. “Since my rooms were already bespoken. And if you can’t grasp that my chaperonage was necessary, then you are a bigger fool than you look.”

The duke blinked.

Joe grinned. “Blinding right hook. Sorry, Miss T. When I saw you with His Grace, I’m afraid anger inspired entirely the wrong conclusions.” He bowed. “I humbly apologize.”

“So do I,” Jenny said.

Mollified, Elaine raised one eyebrow at the duke.

He raised one back at her. “What would you like me to apologize for, madam? Escorting you from the beach? Or being related to this pair of ninnyhammers?”

Joe started forward, his scowl back, but again Jenny caught his arm.

“As I understand it, you are not related at all to Miss Smith,” Elaine said.

“Nor have I any intention of becoming so,” the duke retorted.

“So you have come all the way to Blackhaven to separate them?”

“Of course I have.”

“How did you find us?” Joe demanded. “You were meant to go all the way to Gretna Green while we crossed the border further west.”

“It was a good ruse,” the duke allowed, a bizarre hint of admiration in his voice.

“I almost fell for it. Then I had to drive most of the next night to catch up. Last night, it was my good fortune to encounter your postilion and his wheelless chaise on the Blackhaven Road. So I knew you were at the inn. The innkeeper was closemouthed but his wife did promise to inform you of my presence. I went for an early walk to clear my head, and encountered your Miss Talbot on the beach. She never said a word about you, and I saw no reason to ask until I found you here rather than at the inn.”

A knock at the door broke into the silence.

At Elaine’s command, an army of servants filed in with overloaded trays.

A maid set the table with lightning speed, while footmen deposited tureens, teapots, and coffee pots on the table, with others on the sideboard.

The gentle clatter of their work was the only sound in the room until they departed.

As the door closed behind them, Elaine rose and went to the table, politely gesturing to her guests. This time, Joe and Jenny sat with her. The duke, after a moment, emitted a hiss of laughter through his teeth and sat also.

Elaine found she was not remotely hungry anymore. She filled her plate more from pride than anything else and occupied herself pouring tea and coffee for her guests.

“I am grateful, madam,” the duke said abruptly, “for your care of this troublesome pair. The question remains as to how the devil to get them home again safely and separately.”

“Not the only question,” Elaine murmured, raising her coffee cup to her lips.

“I’m not going home,” Joe pronounced. “And I doubt Jenny can.”

“My aunt and uncle won’t take me back now,” Jenny said calmly.

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you left,” the duke snapped. “Better still, my harebrained nephew should have thought of it.”

“We both did,” Joe retorted. “We will make our own way, once married. You know you cannot stop me.”

“Oh, I can,” the duke said softly, and Elaine realized all over again how right she had been about the hardness of his eyes. “What’s more, you know it too, or you wouldn’t have spent so long trying to shake me off your tail. As it were.”

“I don’t want any unpleasantness,” Joe said between his teeth, as he attacked a piece of bacon with his knife. “I just want to marry Jenny.”

Elaine sipped some more coffee and set down her cup, waiting for the duke’s explosion of wrath. It didn’t come. Quite.

He reared back in his chair, dragging one hand through his short black hair.

“Perhaps,” Elaine said delicately, “Your Grace should explain why you don’t wish your nephew to marry Jenny.”

“Because they are children!”

Joe let out a derisive hoot.

“Facile,” Elaine observed. “How old were you when you married?”

The duke blinked. “I was five and twenty.”

“And Her Grace?”

He stared at her. “Eighteen.”

“So you were three years older than Joe is now when you married. Your wife was the same age as Jenny. Shall we rule that out as an objection?”

“Absolutely,” Joe said, grinning.

“The duchess,” said the duke freezingly, “was an earl’s daughter.”

“And Jenny is the vicar’s poor relation,” Elaine said with an understanding nod. “Though no one could doubt she is a gentlewoman.”

“Of course she is,” the duke replied abruptly. “In point of fact, I like her, and Joe is quite right that she is taken advantage of at the vicarage. That does not make her a suitable duchess.”

“What would?” Elaine asked, holding up her hand to prevent Joe’s wrathful outburst. To her surprise, he subsided, waiting for his uncle to respond. When he didn’t, merely chewed his toast with unnecessary force, she suggested an answer. “Being a mirror of your late duchess, perhaps?”

He glared at her.

“Am I correct in thinking yours was a successful marriage?”

“Not by Society’s standards,” the duke said scornfully. “We were not blessed with children. Which is how Joe comes to be my heir. The marriage was arranged because it was suitable and we both understood our duty.”

“But you loved my aunt,” Joe accused. “I know you did.”

The duke’s face colored with rather endearing confusion. “Of course I did. My wife was a wonderful woman.”

“So is Jenny!” Joe fired back.

“I don’t dispute it.”

Hastily, Elaine held up her hand once more to keep the peace.

“I am not an advocate of youthful marriages, as you might guess. However, this was my personal choice. I have known some youthful marriages that proved very successful. I have known some arranged marriages that soured very quickly to the misery and scandal of all concerned. The point is, we are all different and surely should be allowed to choose, as Your Grace did. As I did. I don’t think we can really accuse these young people of being too young to know their own minds or believe they do not know each other well enough.

Let us consider the options, in light of the situation we are all in today. ”

“Do, let’s,” the duke said sardonically, although there was an intriguing glint in his eye that might have betokened amusement, or even fascination.

“Your Grace proposes to separate Joe and Jenny, and, presumably, take Joe home while leaving Jenny here, since she does not have the luxury of a home.”

The duke shifted uncomfortably. “I would not leave her penniless.”

Jenny’s mouth fell open. “You would pay me off ? Like some—”

“Like some other kind of female you don’t know about,” Elaine intervened hastily before turning to the duke. “She is right, though. That is insulting.”

The duke stared at her. “You expect me to take them both home? Let her live in my house?”

Joe let out a crack of laughter. “That would certainly show up the vicar’s charity.”

“Everyone would know, of course,” Elaine went on, collecting some egg on her fork.

“The young couple vanished. So did the duke. And a week or so later, he returns with the runaways. Scandal and speculation ensue, and I very much doubt the ducal mantle will save Jenny’s reputation.

Especially with her living in the same house as Joe. ”

Yes, that glint in the duke’s eye was fascination. “Do tell, Miss Talbot. What is your solution? A family jaunt to Scotland and a respectable marriage?”

“It is one solution,” she allowed. “But it is still somewhat rushed and hole-in-the-corner, as they say. We are all in Blackhaven. I have already introduced Jenny as my goddaughter and let it be assumed Joe is the family friend and escort of choice. Your Grace’s presence need not be one of outrage and tragedy.

You have merely joined the party as planned. ”

“I have?”

“The Blackhaven waters are excellent for choleric individuals,” Elaine said sweetly.

The duke’s lips twitched.

“Perhaps,” she continued, “I am considering adopting Jenny as my companion. I had such a lady with me when I came here last year.”

“What happened to her?” the duke asked.

“She married one of the local landowners, Sir Julius Vale. Which might make her some kind of sister-in-law, at least to my brother, who is married to a Vale sister. The point is, it is a believable position.” She regarded the wide-eyed Jenny.

“The work is not arduous, and I might even pay you for it.”

“So we are all having a jolly holiday together up here?” His Grace sounded bemused but not angry.

“What did you tell them at home when you left?” Joe asked.

The duke grimaced. “That I was joining you on a fishing trip.”

Joe grinned. “You are a genius, Miss Talbot.”

“What about my family, though?” Jenny asked anxiously. “My aunt will tell everyone how I have let her down.”

“They know you’ve bolted with Joe,” the duke said. “But of course they won’t say so. They are giving out that you have the chance of another position, if asked, and will never mention your name again.” He turned to Elaine. “How the devil did you know?”

“I didn’t, of course. But people’s reactions to given crises are often similar.

It would seem our story works out quite well.

” She met his gaze squarely. “And puts off any need to rush to Gretna Green. It would take a rather insulting investigation to prove I was not with Jenny for most of the journey, and I am, you know, the most respectable of aging spinsters.”

“No you’re not,” the duke said ambiguously, if firmly.

Joe was frowning. “But I will still marry Jenny.”

“Will Jenny still marry you?” the duke snapped. “I’m surprised she’s tolerated your company for this long.”

“So am I,” Joe admitted, smiling and reaching for his beloved’s hand.

“I shall be sick,” the duke threatened.

“Not at my table you won’t,” Elaine said roundly, and the blaze of laughter in his eyes took her breath away.