Page 12 of Her Heartless Duke
“Yes, that would be for the best, milady,” the maid responded wryly. “A cloak would be best to keep your identity hidden—”
“And keep my dress from getting dirty!” Olivia added cheerfully.
“Milady, I would advise you against using your better gowns in such an area,” Jane told her fretfully. Her eyes darted around the room before she leaned in and whispered, “You would not be wanting to attract the wrong sorts of people, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh… you mean those who might rob me, yes?”
“That is a very mild way of putting things, but yes.”
“Well then, we should make sure the cloak covers everything, should we not?”
Jane could only sound out her reply in resignation. “Yes, that would be for the best, milady.”
The next half hour was spent in preparation for her much-awaited dance lesson. Jane advised against wearing the matching dance slippers for the dress, opting for the more worn-out footwear instead as it was only going to be a lesson.
“Oh no, no, no!” Olivia shook her head adamantly. “I must learn how to use my best shoes or not at all!”
“But, milady, you will wear them out before the dance competition!”
She waved her hands and dismissed the maid’s concerns. “I can always tell Daniel to buy me more. You know how he hates having to discuss fashions and fripperies—he will just tell me to get whatever I need from Madame Delacroix.”
Although Madame Delacroix will not be pleased to learn that I have been using her designs to traipse all over London in the middle of the night,Olivia sighed inwardly.She will, however, be pleased to be able to sell more designs, so I doubt she will be broken-hearted over a few shoes and dresses.
Finally, in much less time than it took to prepare for a ball, Olivia stood before the mirror, admiring her reflection, before Jane draped a plain cloak over her.
“I suppose that I am dressed to dance, right?” she remarked cheerfully.
“That you are, milady,” Jane sighed. “Should I call for a coach to take you to His Grace?”
“Oh, goodness me, no!” Olivia cried out. “If Daniel finds out that I have been taking dance lessons—well, you already know he is thoroughly opposed to it. I shall take a cab instead!”
“A cab, milady?” At this point, Jane had visibly paled and was seriously mentally debating her mistress’s decisions.
“Yes, Jane. A cab,” Olivia affirmed.
“And what about your headaches, milady? Will you need some rosemary tea before you leave?”
She shook her head. “No, I feel much better now, actually.” She smiled at her maid. “Do not fret, Jane, I shall be perfectly alright. I do not think that the Duke will knowingly and willfully put me in any sort of danger, considering his friendship with my brother.”
“Begging your pardon, milady, but His Grace…” Jane’s eyes darted from side to side before she leaned in and continued in a much softer voice, “He has not exactly been himself since he came back from the war, or so I heard.”
Jane did not need to warn her of that for Olivia was very much aware that the Isaac that returned home from the Iberian Peninsula was much different from the one that left London. Gone was the carefree youth who used to come over and joke with her brother. The Duke of Langley had been hardened by the horrors of war.
“I am very much aware of that,” she told her maid softly. “But I also feel that deep down, he is the same Isaac that we have known for a long, long time.” She smiled at Jane. “He will not let me come to harm, that much I can assure you.”
“Very well, milady. Then, I suppose I shall have to help you get out of the house without alerting your aunt.”
“Yes, thank you very much, Jane.”
Olivia glanced at her reflection once more before drawing the hood of her cloak over her head, effectively hiding her features under the cover of fabric and shadow. The place that Isaac had stated was rather unusual, that was true, and perhaps he did it as a way to test her mettle, to see if she truly was set on learning from him.
She would prove to him that she could be just as intrepid as any soldier going off to battle!
* * *
After half an hour of standing outside of White’s in the freezing cold, Olivia was seriously considering the decisions she made that led her up to that point. She was also torn between stomping her foot in frustration on the paved street or stomping it on Isaac’s face the next time she saw him.
“It certainly is ungentlemanly of him to keep a lady waiting,” she grumbled as she tugged at the hood of her cloak as a few passersby looked at her with a little more interest. It simply would not do for her to be seen by someone she knew.