Page 10 of Her Heartless Duke

“And I suppose you are not merely doing this out of the goodness of your heart?” he scoffed.

She smiled at him, relief filling her chest until it felt like it would explode. “Naturally.”

“And what would you like in exchange, Lady Olivia?”

At his words, her face broke out into a wide smile. The fact that his rigid stance had also softened visibly seemed to indicate that this conversation would go favorably for her.

“Your Grace, you might have heard of Lady Willow’s dance competition at the brink of the Season,” she began.

Isaac raised an eyebrow at that. “I fail to see how that is any concern of mine.”

She could not help but narrow her eyes at his indifference.Is he being difficult?

Perhaps dancing was not something he was extremely fond of, even if he did excel at it. Some people were just blessed with an abundance of talents they could find no use for, it would seem.

“Well,” she said in as firm a tone as she could manage. “I was hoping that I could participate in it.”

“Then the best of luck to you, Lady Olivia.” He raised his drink in her direction in an almost mocking salute.

He trulyisbeing difficult!

Olivia clenched her hands into fists at her sides and took a deep breath before telling him what she wanted from him in the plainest words she could muster. “I was also hoping that you would be my dance partner and teach me to dance.”

His reply was one of stunned silence, followed by a sharp burst of laughter. The sound was harsh, almost as if it had not been used in a long time.

“What makes you think that I would be a good dance teacher?” he chuckled cynically. “Or that I would even be interested at all? Besides,” he paused and took a slow, leisurely sip of his drink, “are young ladies not taught the art of dance before they make their bow?”

He made an excellent point—young ladies were expected to learn the art of dancing before being presented into Society, but Olivia—bless her soul—had not learned it as much as the other young ladies. Certainly not enough to win Lady Willow’s dance competition.

“You are right—all young ladies are expected to learn how to dance,” she replied with a tight smile. “But I do not intend to just dance—I intend towina competition, which is why I am soliciting your guidance on this matter.”

“And you think I would make a fine dance tutor?” He shook his head as if he could not believe what she was asking of him and finished the rest of his drink. “What makes you think I would be amenable to the very notion itself?”

Olivia lifted her chin defiantly. “Because, unlike my brother, I can provide you with a means to communicate with Lady Vivian Pierce.”

“So, are you a medium now as well?”

“A medium is required to summon someone beyond this world. You and Lady Vivian are still very much alive, Your Grace,” she pointed out to him. “Besides, I have no interest in dealing with the occult, thank you very much.”

“Very well then, considering I accept your offer, how do you intend to go about this?”

She saw the wariness in his eyes, saw the doubt flickering in their depths. She smoothed her gloved hands over her skirts and smiled up at him. “I suppose you will need some reassurance, considering the stunt my brother pulled earlier.”

He made no reply and Olivia took it as a cue to carry on.

“It should come as no surprise to you that as a young woman of theton, I am limited in my choice of friends,” she explained to him. “Since Lady Vivian and I are friends, I am certain I can put in a good word or two for you.”

“A good word, huh?”

“Ortwo.” She glanced up at him with a smile that bordered on devious. “Would you prefer to send your regards to her yourself, then? A short note or letter, perhaps? She does so prefer those things.”

His disbelief was wavering before her eyes.Good.

“And how do you intend to do that?” he scoffed.

“Perhaps I can be persuaded to hand it over to herpersonallywhen I visit her next,” she smiled serenely. “Lady Pierce’s cook makes the best lemon cakes in all of London, and Lady Vivian and I are quite partial to them.”

His silence told her that she was winning this round, that he was beginning to believe her. Thus, it would be best to make her exit now, before doubt would make him question her more.