Page 15 of The Diamond's Absolutely Delicious Downfall

“Dear boy, you do look as if you are about to have apoplexy.”

Tobias turned to spot the owner of his accuser’s voice and spotted the most magnificent elderly woman. He was not being rude in calling her an elderly woman. She quite clearly was at least eighty years of age.

Her face was bright, her eyes sparkled, but there were many wrinkles and lines on her face. Her wig was large, elaborate, quite powdered, and festooned with feathers and flowers.

Her gown was magnificent and somehow managed to fit her quite petite form with finesse.

Tobias inclined his head. “Madam, forgive me, but do I know you?”

“No,” she said merrily. “But you are about to. I am the dowager Duchess of Westleigh.”

He blinked.

“You did not actually think that my grandson would allow you to escort my granddaughter, the diamond of the season, alone.” Her lips curled in a knowing smile. “Did you?”

He groaned. “I suppose not.”

She nodded, her feathers bobbing. “I have been in the ballroom for some time and have already said hello to Juliet. She will come stand with me. But you, my dear boy, look as if you are about to fall apart. It is not a thing for a man to do.”

He gazed at the wise and blunt woman before him, feeling completely off foot.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” he said, “but I don’t understand. Why are you speaking to me?”

She stared at him for a long moment before she intoned rather grandly and without apology, “Because it is clear that you are in love with my granddaughter, and you are standing over here gaping like a codfish.”

He frowned and tugged at his waistcoat. “I don’t gape, Your Grace.”

“Indeed, you do,” she countered.

The dowager duchess took his arm and wrapped her hand about it. “Now, there’s only one thing you are going do. You are going to ask me to dance right now.”

“I am, Your Grace?” he asked in awe of her.

“Of course, you are,” she said as if it were the only sensible thing in the world to do. “When an old woman tells you to ask her to dance, you do.”

He couldn’t stop his smile. And so he did as she said. “It would give me great pleasure, Your Grace, if you would take to the floor with me.”

She beamed at him and winked. “Ah, there. You are indeed a gentleman. Even if you are an American.”

“I cannot help the land of my birth,” he returned as he led her through the crowd, which parted rapidly for them.

She tsked. “You could have chosen sides with your Royalist parents, but you did not. You held firm to your beliefs, and I admire you greatly for that. People often think that it was Juliet’s mother who made the Briarwoods notorious, but that is absolute tosh! It’s remarkable to me how quickly people forget.”

They took up their position on the floor, the dowager standing with easy grace. She had no need of a cane. Indeed, she looked as if she could walk to Scotland.

The dowager clearly needed no reply, so Tobias was silent, waiting for her to continue, which she did with a gleam in her eye. “But, of course, they forget because we tell them to.”

He shook his head, aware that a good portion of the room was staring. “I don’t follow you, Your Grace.”

She gave a dramatic sigh as the musicians began to pluck and tune their instruments. “No, no, no. I am supposed to follow you in the dance,” she teased. “Surely, in America, that is how it is too.”

He laughed at that. “It is, Your Grace.”

And as the music began, he found himself in far better humor than he had been just moments before. Soon, he began leading her up and down the floor in a rather staid but quite sprightly manner.

He was amazed by her ability to dance so lightly.

“You know,” she said suddenly, “I often wish that the galliard still existed. I have read about how wonderful it was when Queen Elizabeth used to be lifted up and bandied about by her rugged admirers. I think it’d be very nice for young people to be able to embrace whilst they dance. Perhaps the waltz will come up to England. I’ve heard it’s quite the thing in Germany.”

He gazed down at her, taken in. She was a breath of fresh air in the stuffy ball room. “You are quite bold in your opinions.”

She nodded. “It’s one of the fortunate aspects of age, dear boy. And now I must tell you that whatever you are doing, you must do better.”

He coughed. “And what exactly is it that I’m doing?”

“You’re trying to make my granddaughter fall in love with you,” she said simply.

“That is not at all what I’m doing, Your Grace,” he choked.

She rolled her knowing eyes. “From what I can see, it is what you want to do, but something is holding you back. You must not allow that, young man. You see, our family comes from a long line of very headstrong people, whether it be Juliet’s father or Juliet’s mother. Now, Juliet’s mother was an actress, and everyone thinks that we were very benevolent to allow her into the family. This is not true at all. You must understand that my family comes from the bastards of Charles II.”

The dowager’s face lit with pride at her history. “My great grandfather was given a dukedom simply because he was a child born on the wrong side of the blanket. But his father was a king who looked after all his children and gave them important titles.”

If he had gaped before, he was certainly gaping down. He was dancing with a woman who had royal blood. Illegitimate, but still…

As a man of the United States, he usually would not have cared. But it felt as if he was part of some wild past history. For he’d read of the Merry Monarch. What a time for England that had been. He’d been a king who’d steered the country away from darkness and revolution. Only for it to return upon his death.

“So,” she continued merrily, “my line was born out of… What shall we call it? Sin.” She gave a firm nod. “I like a good rebel. As did the people in those days. We’ve gotten far too serious, if you ask me. I miss the days when people boldly went after what they wanted. Gentlemen had rapiers and were prepared to use them! They seized what they preferred and didn’t make all these rules. Too many rules are keeping people desperately unhappy.”

He blinked at her. “I’m not in disagreement with you there, but Lady Juliet has a plan.”

The dowager let out a surprisingly cheerful laugh. “Plans change.”

“Perhaps you don’t know that her brothers have warned me that if I get in the way of her plans, they shall murder me.”

Her brows rose. “And that is a deterrent to you, revolutionary that you are?”

As her words took hold, he let out a bold laugh. “A point to you. I should not be afraid of death. Is that what you are saying?”

She shrugged her slender shoulders. “We could die any day. I could drop dead on this dance floor.”

“Please don’t,” he groaned.

“Oh, never, you dear boy. It will take more than a handsome young man prancing me up and down the floor to cause me to die.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he managed, feeling rather overborne. If she’d been with Cornwallis at the battles, he never could have lost.

“The only way to stay young,” she declared, “is to surround oneself with young women. And young men.”

He grinned at her. “I’m glad to hear that you have not shut yourself away.”

She sighed. “I don’t come to London often. Terribly stuffy people. But I do love to travel. I was recently in Europe. Terrible business, what’s happening in Paris. And I tried to convince my grandson to come home, but he absolutely refuses.”

“What is your grandson’s name?”

“Achilles,” she stated.

“Truly?”

She nodded, her wig wobbling. “Truly. My son was quite eccentric and loved to name his sons after the great characters of that age.”

The whole family was positively wild.

“Now,” she said with a great deal of seriousness, “you must stop this nonsense and go after her.”

He cleared his throat as he turned her to the music. “But what if I don’t actually wish—”

The dowager let out a snort. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve seen the way that you look at her, and my daughter-in-law has sent me a long letter about the way she’s absolutely convinced that you two are to marry.”

He sucked in a breath. “The duchess told you that?”

“The duchess has told me many things,” she cut in. She reached up and patted him on the cheek. “She’s a very clever woman. She always knows what’s what. And she can usually anticipate what will happen.”

“So,” he whispered, “she arranges things like she arranged me staying at the house.”

“Exactly,” the dowager said without embarrassment.

His throat tightened and he barely managed to choke, “Like she arranged—”

“Shush, shush,” Juliet’s grandmother rushed. “We mustn’t actually speak about it here, but yes, you’re correct. My daughter-in-law is excellent at arranging things so that they happen the way that she’s certain they will.”

He frowned. “Isn’t that a bit manipulative?”

The dowager blinked at him as the music came to a close. “The entire world is manipulative, dear boy. She is at least benevolent, doing for people what they want for themselves but are too afraid to try. Now why are you standing here with me? Go over there and ask Juliet to dance.”

He swung his gaze to Lady Juliet and the surprisingly handsome, tall man she was with. “She’s dancing with Lord Beamish.”

The dowager huffed. “Lord Beamish is a fool. And if she marries him, I will have nothing to do with her. I will not be a part of that ridiculous family. They’re pudding-brained and have no taste. They have no conversation, and they’re utter milquetoasts.” She drew herself up and pursed her lips. “I can abide a great deal, but I cannot abide a milquetoast as part of our family. Not for anything. Not for money or a title. Do you understand? It’s why I’m quite willing to put up with you because—”

“I’m not a milquetoast?” he ventured.

She smiled slowly. “You are the opposite of a milquetoast. We need more like you in our family.”

He narrowed his gaze. “What makes you think I want to marry into the family of a duke?”

“Because you want Juliet.” The dowager’s faced softened. “But if we are honest, I don’t think you’d mind being a part of our family.”

“No,” he relented, unable to lie to her. “No, I wouldn’t. Your Grace, you are a remarkable group. Even if you are titled people.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” The dowager all but gave him a little shove.

He glanced back to Lady Juliet. Lord Beamish stood by her side, a most serious expression on his face.

“Her dance card is already full,” he gritted.

“You didn’t put your name on it when you first got her here?” the dowager exclaimed. “Help me from men, dear Lord.”

“It was virtually full,” he explained. “When we got here, it seemed as if the ladies of the house had already filled it out.”

She eyed him up and down. “Are you going to sit back and do things the way the English do them? Or are you going to be a bloody American and go over there and start something?”

Her words jolted him. “Should I?”

She beamed. “Of course you should, pet. Of course you should. A little excitement will be just the thing.”

And with that, he squeezed the lady’s hand. “I’m very glad to make your acquaintance. I need someone like you in my life.”

She patted his hand in return. “Oh, we all do, my boy. We all do. And I need someone like you too, to keep me young. Now, off you go. Off you go. No wasting time!”

He nodded, then took one look at Juliet and the gentleman with his pomaded hair and sleek clothes.

The two were just beginning to dance the first steps of an Allemande as he crossed to them. He tapped the gentleman on the shoulder. “Might I have the honor of dancing with Lady Juliet?”

“No, sir. Go away. She is obliged to dance with me.”

If he’d said something else, Tobias might have retreated. “She’s not obliged to do anything, sir. And I’m asking. Now, step aside.”

Lord Beamish’s eyes flared, but then he bowed quickly and retreated lest they cause a scene. He swung his gaze to Juliet. “Don’t make the American feel too at home. After all, he rejected it.”

Her mouth tightened. “It is too late, my lord. He is staying at Heron House, and I have been happily making him feel…at home.

At home. Tobias swallowed. Because he did feel at home with her. More at home than he’d ever felt. Anywhere.