Page 24 of Her Duke’s Second Chance (Regency Second Chances #1)

CHAPTER 24

“ W hat is taking them so long?” Robert grumbled.

The duke paced impatiently in the parlor as he waited for Georgiana and her sister to join him.

He fished his fob from his pocket and stared at the time.

While it was de rigueur to be fashionably late, he had never subscribed to it. He much preferred to arrive on time and leave early.

He sighed with impatience, staring at the door just as it opened, and Georgiana swept into the room.

Robert cursed inwardly.

She was wearing a burgundy satin gown, her shoulders on display due to the scooped neckline. Her breasts perked up in twin peaks, held in place by the glittery silver lace of her bustier. Her skirt flared out extravagantly from where it cinched tightly at her waist, brushing the floor in a short, elegant train.

My God , he thought to himself.

His gaze raked her frame, and his eyes widened with admiration. “You are very beautiful,” he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away.

She smiled shyly and blushed, executing a tiny curtsy. “Why thank you, Your Grace.”

Their gazes caught and held, and they continued to stare at each other for an interminable period before Daisy cleared her throat.

“Will you not compliment me too, Your Grace?” she asked cheekily.

Robert smiled and offered Daisy a deep, respectful bow. “My apologies. You are lovely as well, Lady Daisy. The color of your gown suits you well.”

Daisy beamed. “Thank you,” she said with a little skip and clap.

His sister-in-law wore a yellow-green satin gown that made her seem even more of a fairy than usual. Her long, carefully curled, straw-colored hair hung down her back, making her appear to have wings each time she moved.

Robert smiled indulgently at her. “I see you are looking forward to this night.”

“Oh yes! I have never had a chance to attend such an important ball. Oh, Mother will be so envious when I tell her.”

Robert saw Georgiana grimace and lifted an eyebrow at her in inquiry. She shook her head briefly before pinning a wide smile on her face.

“Shall we go?” she asked.

“Yes, let us depart,” Robert agreed before offering her his hand. “The carriage is waiting outside.”

Georgiana stepped into the ballroom and immediately felt as if every eye was upon her.

Do not be ridiculous. No one cares about you.

She tried to convince herself that no one would notice her, but she could not stop her cheeks from heating up with nervousness.

She stole a glance at Robert, who looked impatient with everything. Since they stood at the top of the three steps leading down to the ballroom, he towered over everyone, and Georgiana was sure she was not mistaken about the amount of interest his presence generated among the ladies.

She could see several of them whispering behind their fans and flicking glances at him.

Do you not see that he is married?

“Shall we dance?” She startled at the sound of Robert’s voice.

She had expected that he would run off as soon as he could and would not invite her to dance.

“I…you…uh…” She blushed, feeling inarticulate and caught out. “What about Daisy?”

“What about me?” Daisy asked, staring at Georgiana challengingly.

“Well, I cannot leave you alone.”

“Why ever not?” She pointed across the room. “Ariana is right there. I shall be fine. Go and dance with your husband.”

With a reluctant sigh, Georgiana took Robert’s arm and let him lead her to the dance floor.

She could barely look at him, but he was staring quite intently at her.

She was not used to this caliber of attention from a man; it made her feel off-kilter and awkward.

She placed her hand on his shoulder as he clasped her other hand and led her around the room in a graceful waltz. His eyes did not leave her, and she hardly knew where to look.

“It is rude to stare, you know,” she whispered softly.

“Oh, is it?” he said with a smirk.

“It is,” she insisted.

“Is it truly rude when one stares at his wife?”

“Why are you acting as if you have never seen me before in your life?”

“You are dazzling tonight. I am merely being appreciative.”

Her face grew hotter. “You are too kind.”

“Am I? I would not say so. I am merely honest.”

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “It is Daisy who insisted we must be very well shod for this soiree. She said it was the most important ball of the Season.”

“Is it? I would not know.”

“As…unenthused as you are to be here…it seems plenty of the ladies are glad to see you.”

“That is hardly of interest to me. I am taken now,” he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, his hot breath tickling the naked skin of her neck and shoulders.

“Perhaps we should make it clear,” he whispered, making her shiver.

“How?” she blurted before she could stop herself.

He turned his head, his nose brushing her cheek. “Arch your back. Allow your mouth to brush against my neck. Your rouge should leave a mark on me.”

She whimpered nervously, feeling her mind go blank with confusion. She almost stumbled, her feet tangling together as she momentarily forgot her steps, but his strong arm around her waist saved her from taking a spill.

“You like it, do you not? When I whisper in your ear? When I tell you things too risqué for polite company?”

She breathed shakily, unable to articulate anything, her fingers digging into his coat to hold her up because her knees had gone weak.

“You cannot…” she said at last.

His hand trailed downward, just barely brushing her bottom before he returned it to her waist.

“I cannot…what?” he asked.

She shivered, eyes closed.

“You…you…”

She lost track of her train of thought, wondering if the whole room could see how…aroused she was. She oscillated between mortification and desire, cursing the moment she agreed to come to the godforsaken ball.

“Yes?” he teased with a self-satisfied smirk.

Georgiana groaned in frustration.

Thankfully, she was saved from the need to make further comments as the music came to an end.

Even as a married couple, it would be a faux pas for them to dance together twice in a row.

Georgiana relinquished her hold on Robert with relief and allowed herself to be escorted to the sidelines, where Selina was waiting for her.

Robert’s attention was immediately engaged by a man with a German accent as Selina looped her arm through Georgiana’s.

“Come, let us retire to the powder room. It is already so hot in here and I think we both need some fresh air,” she teased gently, her eyes on Georgiana’s burning cheeks.

Georgiana was too dazed to respond. She stumbled along with Selina, glad to be out of the ballroom and away from the ton’s prying eyes.

They spent a good half hour powdering their noses and catching up on the day’s gossip with the other ladies present.

“Someone said the Regent may attend,” Lady Stark said excitedly. “Would that not be so exciting?”

“I do not know. It sounds incredibly stressful, especially for the hosts,” Georgiana said a bit more truthfully than she might have, had she been less discombobulated.

“Oh, of course, but my darling Ariana is in the running for Belle of the Ball,” Lady Stark confided, as she leaned closer. “As is Lady Susan Windermere and…” she widened her eyes excitedly at Georgiana, “your sister!”

“What? That is…” she shook her head, at a complete loss for words. “Who decides these things?” she asked curiously.

Lady Stark shrugged. “The patronesses I would imagine.”

“Mmm,” Georgiana replied.

“Well,” Selina clapped her hands together, “we should get back, else your husbands will begin to wonder what became of you.”

Lady Stark trilled with laughter, getting to her feet. “That is true. Poor Lord Stark is lost without me.” She waved to them and left the powder room.

Selina and Georgiana exchanged glances before they too got to their feet.

Georgiana gave Selina a guilty glance. “I feel as if I have abandoned you tonight, what with my husband being in attendance.”

“Please do not,” Selina said at once. “All the suitors I have encountered this evening were after my fortune, not my person. This time, I have the luxury of choice. I intend to make the most of it.”

“Yes. When you put it like that, you are the lucky one here. I do wish for you to find that person, even though my chance to do so has passed.”

Selina patted her hand, smiling slyly. “I saw how you danced with your husband. I do not think your chance has passed quite yet.”

Georgiana blushed bright red.

“It is not… I mean… uh…” She rolled her eyes, letting her attempt at finding the right words slip away.

As they stepped back into the ballroom, they bumped into Lord Ketteridge who was also entering. He beamed at them both.

“Your Grace, Lady Galerton, this is a pleasant surprise. I did not expect you at this ball.”

Georgiana grimaced. “We did not expect us to be here either.”

The earl gave them a sympathetic look. “Are you chaperoning a debutante then?”

“Indeed. My sister has only just come out.”

“Well…look at it this way; she might catch some gentleman’s eye tonight and you may thus escape chaperoning her for the entire Season.”

Georgiana made a noncommittal noise, exchanging a loaded glance with Selina. She felt quite sure that if Thomas had spoken about his adventures with Daisy, then Lord Ketteridge would have known about it. Such gossip tended to spread like wildfire, which meant that their aborted elopement remained a secret.

Thank Heaven for small mercies.

Lord Ketteridge held out a hand to Georgiana. “Will you favor me with a dance?”

She looked at his hand in surprise.

“Oh…well…” she glanced at Selina who slanted her head towards the dance floor, urging her on. “I suppose.”

She put her hand in Ketteridge’s, and let him lead her to the dance floor.

It was strange dancing with him because he was an old friend, one who knew her before she was married, who had stayed at her family home and knew her parents and their peccadillos.

“Do you remember the summer before I left for Europe when we set fire to your barn?”

“ We ?” she said in denial, “that was you and Daisy. Mostly you misleading Daisy.”

“True.” He smirked. “I thought you might smack my bottom; you were so angry.”

“Indeed, I was. I would have been the one tasked with finding the wood to rebuild it.”

His mouth turned down. “I am sorry I was so much trouble to you.”

She waved it away. “We were children, and you were simply being that. A child.”

“While you never were,” he said with sudden understanding.

She shrugged. “It was a long time ago. And I can now look back at it with fondness and laugh. You were such an incorrigible child.”

“I remain an incorrigible adult. I could still lead you astray if you wish.”

She threw back her head and laughed before shaking her head.

“Emberford? Are you listening?” Count Jacob asked. Robert turned to him immediately.

Count Jacob was regaling Robert with how smoothly things were going with the establishment of the London chapter of their business, but Robert could not focus on him.

His blood was still thrumming from dancing with his wife and all he could think about was being close to her again. She had left the room with her friend, and since then he had continually glanced at the door, waiting for her to return.

He saw her appear at the entrance to the ballroom, where she was accosted by Peter Easton, the Earl of Ketteridge. He frowned, watching them speak very familiarly. They were clearly well-acquainted.

Robert did not know Ketteridge well, but what he knew of him was not reassuring: he was a charming man and something of a dandy, with a predilection for the widows of the ton.

As far as Robert knew, he was no respecter of boundaries.

“Of course, I am listening. You were speaking of…?” He turned to the German count.

The count snorted but repeated himself. “I was saying that it would not hurt to take the lord chancellor out for a lovely dinner at the club.”

“Mmm,” Robert said noncommittally; he was not as eager as the count to blur the lines between government and business. “We shall see.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Georgiana throw her head back and laugh. He had to wonder what Ketteridge was saying that had her in stitches.

As far as he knew, the man was not that amusing.

How does she even know him?

His focus shifted briefly back to the count, just to keep track of the conversation before he pulled his attention back to Georgiana and the many gentlemen who had taken notice of her loveliness.

He could see the shine of admiration in their eyes as they waited their turn, eager to dance with her.

He had already fulfilled his duty and husbanded her around the dance floor; he would not be expected to dance with her again.

But he could no longer stand the keen looks of the waiting men, and could not stomach the suggestive glances Ketteridge was giving Georgiana.

His wife .