Page 47 of Her Heartless Duke

“Why? What are they up to now?” Isaac tried not to let the eagerness show too much in his voice.

The last time he saw Olivia was when she collapsed in his arms in the Wellington ball and that was already a week ago. He had not seen her since and to say that he worried about her was an understatement—she was all he could think about.

“Well, Fiona still has her usual round of suitors and it was a good thing I was there the other day or I swear the two of them would have broken out in a brawl right in the parlor.”

Isaac shook his head. “Where is common decency these days?”

“I swear it went to hell with the latest fashions,” Daniel scoffed, downing the rest of his glass. “And then, there is Olivia—”

“What about Olivia?”

“I had her confined to her bedchamber to recuperate, but it had not even been three days since she was up, demanding that I let her out to attend the opera.”

Isaac raised an eyebrow at that. “The opera?”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I am certain you’ve heard of it—Lady Willow would not dream of forgetting your invitation.”

“I must have overlooked it.”

“In any case, you know how Lady Willow is,” Daniel continued. “These things the Dowager arranges—to call it an opera would be putting it mildly, although I’m sure there will be singing involved at the very least.”

He noted the soft look that crossed his friend’s eyes. It would seem that there was more to this opera than Daniel was letting on—like a particular opera singer that might have caught his eye.

In any case, it was hardly his business how his friend conducted his private affairs, as long as it did not do anybody any harm. An affair between a gentleman and an opera singer could hardly upend the status quo of theton.

“So, will the ladies be attending it?” he asked casually.

The Earl poured himself another glass and made a face. “It is not like I have any choice in the matter. They will ensure that my life will be a living hell until I agree to their demands.”

Isaac merely grinned. “Heaven help us from the scourge of young ladies everywhere.”

“Well, at the very least, it seems that Fiona will be able to find her match soon,” Daniel muttered. “Shehasto find someone amongst those fops parading in and out of my house. As for Olivia—”

Isaac looked up swiftly at the mention of Olivia’s name.

“—she does not seem to be interested in anyone at all,” his friend finished and he inwardly released a sigh of relief.

As soon as he got home, he was going to turn over his study looking for that damned invitation. If Olivia meant to attend it, then he sure as hell was not going to miss it.

* * *

Lady Kaitlyn Willow certainly was a woman of strange tastes.

As expected of the formidable dowager, the opera she held was attended by an impressive guest list with none of the guests willing to incur her wrath with their absence. In the midst of the crush, Lady Bennet had taken to sitting to one side of Olivia, with Fiona on the other side, both of them effectively flanking her so that she would not have to be bothered by people crowding in on her as they found their seats.

“I wonder what the night has in store for us,” Olivia whispered to her cousin. “You do recall that last year, Lady Willow hired a troupe of acrobats to a musical gala.”

Fiona nodded in agreement. “I do remember—it caused quite a stir when Lady Morton protested their attire!”

Both girls giggled in their seats while Lady Bennet looked on with an affectionate yet protective smile.

Soon enough, the curtains glided open and both young ladies trained their eyes on the stage, where a beautiful young opera singer had begun to belt out an impressive aria. As she sang, several acrobats leaped and tumbled onto the stage, while a handful more swung from above in death-defying stunts.

“See, I told you there would be acrobats,” Olivia remarked to her cousin. “Now, what else could she—”

Her words were cut off when one of the acrobats spewed a column of flame toward the sky. The crowd gasped, before bursting in applause.

“Only Lady Willow could think of such things,” Fiona shook her head. “I daresay, she must be enjoying herself thinking up such displays!”