Page 20 of His Stolen Duchess (Stolen by the Duke #7)

Chapter Sixteen

“ H is Grace, the Duke of Windermere, and Her Grace, the Duchess of Windermere!”

Georgina felt butterflies flapping in her stomach as their names were announced from the top of the ballroom stairs. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been to a ball, and it was their first time out in society since they had married.

She held on tightly to the Duke’s arm as they descended the stairs.

All eyes were on them, and she had to concentrate on her descent, so she didn’t take a tumble.

At the same time, she tried to keep her chin as high as possible.

Georgina tried to do both without looking like she was constantly nodding in agreement.

Lysander leaned in as they walked, his breath warm on her ear like liquid honey. “You have nothing to be afraid of. Not when you are with me.”

His simple reassurance shouldn’t have affected her, but she suddenly felt a wave of calm course through her. He was so sincere that she believed every word. She repeated the sentiment to herself as they descended.

She did feel some pride in being at the ball.

The Duke was pristine in his jet-black tuxedo and dark green cravat, and it appeared that his attire was a deeper shade of black than everyone else’s.

It was easy to admit that he was the most handsome man at the ball; being on his arm boosted her confidence.

Her self-assurance was further supplemented by the dark green velvet dress she wore, which matched the Duke’s cravat. The Duke had paid for the dress, and she didn’t know how much it cost, only that it was expensive.

She loved the way it hugged her figure and showed off her curves. She had felt good upon leaving the townhouse, but now that they were at the ball, she was nervous. As the guests looked at them, she wondered how many of them knew her story and judged her because of it.

Lord and Lady Smithers approached them at the bottom of the stairs to welcome them.

“Thank you for having us,” the Duke said. “I’ve always been told that your ball is one of the best in London.”

“Oh, you flatter us,” Lord Smithers said. “But we do try our best. It’s a blessing to have you here, Your Grace.”

“Might I introduce you to a friend of mine?” Lady Smithers asked. “She has only recently joined society, and I consider her to be a good friend.”

“Of course,” the Duke said agreeably.

“Your Graces, might I introduce Imogen Lockridge, the Marchioness of Eastbeck?”

Lysander shook her hand, introducing himself and Georgina in turn.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Georgina said.

“Excuse us,” Lord Smithers said. “We have more guests to greet.”

Lysander nodded to the couple as they left.

“I must congratulate you on your marriage, Your Grace,” Lady Eastbeck said. “You’ve been married for a month, haven’t you?”

The lady was in her mid-thirties, tall, elegant, and moderately handsome.

“Yes, almost a month to the day,” Georgina said. “The time has flown since then.”

Lysander stood by, but he wasn’t a part of the conversation. He surveyed the great hall.

“I hear you’ve settled in quite well, Your Grace.” Lady Eastbeck’s words didn’t sound entirely sincere, as though she were jealous of Georgina. “I do hope your new husband has been treating you… kindly.”

Georgina felt her nostrils flare and did her best not to scowl at the woman. “Yes, thank you. We’ve both adjusted to this new life.”

Lysander placed a hand on Georgina’s waist, and it helped to ground her, to calm her. She let out a breath through her nose, and it released the tension she had been holding.

“Come, my love,” Lysander said. “I have someone I would like you to meet.”

“Of course.” Georgina turned to Lady Eastbeck. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure was mine, Your Grace,” the Marchioness drawled.

Lysander led her away from the woman and around the outskirts of the grand hall, where he took two glasses of champagne from the server’s tray and passed one to Georgina.

Georgina took the glass, still in a daze.

He called me his love! I know it was only for show in front of the Marchioness, but how good it felt to be called that. I was almost able to feel like myself for a moment.

Georgina shook her head and got hold of herself. She took a sip of the champagne, enjoying the bubbles.

“Who is it you would like me to meet?” she asked Lysander.

“No one,” he replied. “I didn’t much like that woman, and I don’t think you did either, so I thought we would extricate ourselves from the situation.”

Georgina smiled.

“We shouldn’t give our time to people we don’t like,” he continued. “There was nothing to be gained from that conversation.”

“No, there wasn’t,” Georgina agreed.

She wanted to find someone else to talk to, someone who would have nothing to gain, only to feel his hand on her waist again. To have him protect her again and guide her away from an awful person.

Georgina suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was surprised to see her sister Emily and her husband Ambrose.

“Oh, my goodness,” Georgina exclaimed. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“And we didn’t expect to see you here, sister.”

Emily embraced her younger sister. Her other sisters then joined in, and just like at Juliana’s townhouse, the embraces and greetings took some time, during which Lysander was able to introduce himself to their respective husbands.

As Georgina hugged her three sisters, she dreamed of the day when the eight of them would all visit together and have an enjoyable time. Lysander was the outsider of the group, mainly because this was the first time he was meeting any of them, and that made Georgina feel like an outsider, too.

“Oh, Uncle Francis! You’re here, too.”

“I am,” Francis replied. “It is good to see you,” he said. “I have only heard wonderful things from your sisters. It is so welcome to see you married and looking so well. Your Grace, I hear you are in London on business.”

“I am,” Lysander replied. “There’s always so much to do.”

“Yes, I know that life,” Francis said. “And my niece has not been bothering you too much?”

“Uncle Francis,” Georgina warned.

“Well, you did take your parrot with you when you moved out. I know how much noise that beast can make. I’m certainly glad it’s gone.”

“Uncle Francis .”

“Sir, you don’t need to worry about your niece or her parrot.

We were down in the village not long ago, and my subjects took to her immediately, and the staff in the manor are delighted to have her there.

And we have heard barely a peep from the parrot.

Mr. Squawksby mostly keeps to himself, and he has the conservatory at the manor and an aviary enclosure at my townhouse.

I’m sure his days of mischief are over.”

“Oh, they certainly are,” Georgina chimed in. “He was never that bad back at home, and I believe he has taken a liking to the Duke.”

“Your Grace, I am also told that you are a military man.”

“I was a military man,” Lysander said.

Georgina could feel her husband’s body stiffen with sudden tension.

“I suppose you fought in the Napoleonic Wars,” Uncle Francis continued.

“I did, yes,” Lysander responded curtly.

“Yes, I thought so.” Uncle Francis rubbed his nose with his thumb.

“I only ask because I am a military man myself. I would have guessed that about you purely from the way you hold yourself, Your Grace. You are a military man through and through. It is welcome to have another military man in the family. Georgina’s father and I both served, and now you have served.

It is a proud tradition to have kept up. ”

“It is a tradition to be sure,” Lysander said.

“Might I ask about more modern warfare? It has been some time since I served in the military, and I am sure much has changed. I have read about it, but that doesn’t compare to talking to someone who has actually lived it.

What are your views on war and the current military?

Do you believe there is a chance of England being invaded, or are we sufficiently prepared to fight off invaders? ”

“I might be the wrong person to ask,” Lysander replied. “I don’t have a lot of in-depth knowledge.”

“Still, you must have seen some things. What has stuck with you, Your Grace?”

“Uncle, you don’t need to talk the Duke’s ear off. There are many lords here who have served in the war.”

“Yes, but His Grace is right here, and I’m sure he doesn’t mind talking about it. You must have seen some horrors, too.”

“The horrors are best left on the battlefield,” Lysander said.

“My dear, they are about to play a song,” Georgina noted. “You promised me that you would dance with me at least once tonight. Can we please dance to this song?”

The Duke smiled, looking at Georgina and then her uncle. “How could I say no to such a beautiful woman. Will you please excuse us?”

“Yes, of course,” Uncle Francis said.

Lysander took his wife’s hand and led her away from the small family group and toward the dance floor.

“Thank you,” he said to Georgina.

“You’ve led me from one conversation that I didn’t want to have, so I thought I should repay the favor. You didn’t want to talk about the war, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Lysander admitted. “There are some things that are best left in the past, and war is one of them. If your uncle was asking about it, then it means he hasn’t experienced the full brutality of war.

If he had, he wouldn’t want to talk about it.

Thank you for drawing me out of that situation. ”

“You are welcome,” she replied. “At times, we do make a good team, don’t we?”

“I will admit that we do at times.”

They reached the dance floor and stood facing each other as more couples joined them in the center of the hall.

Georgina noticed the deep sorrow that now clouded the Duke’s eyes and sensed it stemmed from his wartime experiences. Since Lysander had said he didn’t want to talk about it, she refrained from asking.

The prelude began, and the couples took up their dancing positions.

When Lysander placed his hand on her waist, she felt delighted that they would finally have an opportunity to dance together, although it hadn’t occurred to her that they would be so close and intimate.

She had only searched for a way to get Lysander out of a conversation he didn’t want to continue, and it came with the added benefit of getting closer to her husband and engaging in something normal couples would do.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he took her free hand in his.

Then, their dance began.