Page 12 of The Duke’s Indecent Scandal (Indecent Dukes #1)

Chapter Eleven

T iffany

Riding around Hyde Park with Gregory turned out to be far more pleasant than Tiffany had expected and not only because he had such a lovely pair of greys . They had stopped several times to speak to others, including the Duchess of Richmond, to apologize for disrupting her ball, and each time, Gregory had dropped more hints about how he and Tiffany had planned to announce their engagement… at the end of the Season. The ton was agog. The gossip had only heightened interest in them, and Tiffany had been painfully aware of all the eyes on her. Watching her. Weighing her. Judging her.

Wondering what she had done to make a duke fall in love with her.

She was sure they were full of skepticism rather than belief.

She would have been as stiff as a poker if not for Gregory’s charm as he joked with her, prying answers to his questions from her one at a time. It became easier and easier to talk to him, and she even made him laugh several more times. Perhaps the difference truly was whether she was trying to catch a gentleman or if she had already caught him.

A small, selfish part of her was relieved that they were not in the landau with her mother, where she would have to see her mother’s responses to everything she said. Perhaps her mother would not have disapproved, as Gregory was already engaged to her, but Tiffany was glad she did not have to find out.

When they left the park, she let out a sigh of relief, even though she knew there would only be a short reprieve before this afternoon’s at-home. At the very least, she was sure her mother’s friends would come calling, and from the reactions of the ton in the park, they would likely not be alone.

“That was not so bad, was it?” Gregory asked as they tooled along the street. Tiffany shot him a look of frank disbelief, which had him throwing his head back and laughing again. “It could have been far worse. And we got to know one another a bit better, which is very good as we are to be married.”

“That is true enough,” she admitted, though she still did not feel as though she knew him well. But she knew more about him than she had the day before when she’d kissed him. “I will be happier when all the attention turns elsewhere.”

“You are not interested in being the center of the ton ’s interest?” he teased, seeming rather pleased.

“Not at all.” She stated it very firmly, and he nodded in approval.

“Good girl.”

The two words did something very odd to her insides, making her stomach flutter, but it was very low in her stomach. Tiffany pressed her thighs together at the sudden ache in her lower belly. Her skin felt odd, as though it was tingling, especially along her chest. What caused such a reaction, she had no idea, but pure warmth had flooded her body.

She opened her lips to say something, but her head had gone blank, and she found she did not have the breath to murmur a word, even if she could think of one.

“Here we are, then,” Gregory said cheerfully as he pulled the curricle to a stop in front of Bolton House. Thankfully, he did not seem to notice that she had been suddenly struck mute. He handed the reins over to their footman, Archie, then hopped down to help her down.

The landau had come up behind them, and Sebastian was doing the same with the mothers.

When she stepped down, Gregory did not immediately let go of her hand, and she looked up at him in surprise. He brought her hand to his lips again, his gaze holding hers, and her whole body flushed through, the same way it had when he’d called her a good girl. Everything felt like it tightened and loosened, and her head went dizzy.

“Perhaps tomorrow we can take another ride?” he asked.

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry, Your Grace,” Tiffany’s mother said, coming up alongside them and giving him a sweet smile. “There is so much to do to prepare for the wedding, you see. Your mother and I have been talking, of course, but we need to start immediately if we are to have a wedding in a month. It is possible that another scandal will take precedence, of course, but the sooner we can move to salvage everyone’s reputation, the better.”

Tiffany sighed quietly in disappointment, but her mother was likely correct. The Duchess of Clarence came to join them, smiling and nodding in a way that made Tiffany feel rather uneasy. Her own mother had never smiled at her like that, so she could not understand what she had done to earn such instant approval from Gregory’s.

“We will return for this afternoon’s at-home,” the Duchess of Clarence said, giving Tiffany’s mother a nod before turning to Tiffany and beaming up at her. Though she was very petite, she was somehow the most intimidating person Tiffany had ever met. The duchess reached out her hands, and Tiffany held out her own for the duchess to take in a surprisingly strong grip. “I am so looking forward to getting to know you, my dear.”

Terror. Utter and complete terror was what Tiffany felt, but she nodded and made herself smile because she knew that was the expected thing to do.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” she said, bobbing awkwardly into a curtsy—awkward because the duchess still had not let go of her hands.

“Come along, Mother, we will have plenty of time for that in the weeks to come,” Gregory said, putting a gentle arm around his mother’s shoulders. She gave Tiffany’s hands another squeeze and released them.

“Toodle-loo! We will return soon!” The duchess gave them a wave and allowed her son to escort her away.

“Gaudy creature,” Tiffany’s mother muttered under her breath, where only Tiffany could hear her. “If she were not a duchess…”

Sensing her mother’s disapproval, Tiffany knew better than to speak up. She did not know what to think of her mother’s description of the Duchess of Clarence as ‘gaudy’. She had not been decked in jewels, though her clothing had been rather bright—but so were the clothes Tiffany’s mother insisted she wear.

Perhaps because the Duchess of Clarence was her mother’s age? Tiffany’s mother did not wear the brighter colors Tiffany did. She was partial to deep greens and blues. Perhaps she felt the Duchess of Clarence should be more muted?

If her mother was in a better mood, Tiffany might have dared to ask.

“Come. We have much work to do to make you presentable,” her mother said irritably, gesturing sharply. “A mere ride in a park is hardly going to convince anyone that you two are in love.”

Tiffany nodded meekly, following her mother to the front door where Sebastian was waiting for them. Their butler, Graves, stood beside the open door, bowing as they entered. Tiffany smiled and quietly thanked him after her mother and Sebastian had passed, and he gave her a quick smile in return, breaking his customary formality for a mere moment.

“That was a good first outing, I think,” Sebastian said, pulling off his gloves as he walked toward the stairs, their mother beside him. Tiffany trailed behind them. “I would have liked to have shared the ride, but I think Gregory had the right idea. The two of you on your own made a far better impression than if we had all been together. I think everyone we spoke with believed there was an understanding between the two of you before the Season began. Well, everyone but Lady Tremaine.”

Lady Tremaine was a marchioness and their mother’s closest confidant. She had a daughter who was also debuting this year, Lady Louisa, who detested when she and Tiffany were forced to spend time together because of their mother’s friendship. Tiffany did not much enjoy it, either.

“That is because Alice knows I tell her everything, and if my daughter was going to marry a duke at the end of the Season, she would know about it.” Their mother sighed, putting her hand on the banister of the stairwell to assist her ascent. “This is why this will not work.”

Tiffany’s stomach turned over. Her mother had a point. The servants knew the truth, though they were very protective of the family. She thought most of them liked her well enough and would not speak out of turn.

“Yes, it will.” Sebastian gave their mother a look. “You can tell her you had agreed not to say anything as it was not going to be announced ‘til the end of the Season. She will understand that you did not want to look foolish if Gregory and Tiffany’s… romance… did not last.”

“That might do.” Their mother reached up to pat at her hair, which was still pinned neatly in place. They’d hardly been moving fast enough for it to become windswept, even in the streets. “Yes, Alice will understand that I did not expect Tiffany to be able to keep the attention of the Duke of Clarence throughout the Season.”

“He does have a bit of a reputation as a rake,” Sebastian agreed. “But reformed rakes make the best husbands… that is the saying, is it not?”

“It is, but the reformation is necessary.” Tiffany’s mother sniffed. “Come, Tiffany, we must get you dressed.”

“In a different color,” Sebastian said, frowning as Tiffany walked past him. “I think Lady Tremaine was correct. This is certainly not the most flattering dress for her.”

The look Tiffany shot him was one of pure relief. If he could convince her mother not to force her into the apricot again, she would be most grateful.

“Yes, yes,” her mother waved her hand. “I had already come to that conclusion myself. She will wear the mint this afternoon.”

“Fashion is hardly one of my interests, so I will leave you to it,” Sebastian responded with a wink at Tiffany as they reached the juncture where his wing separated from the one where her room was. Part of her wished he could come and advise on fashion since her mother was far more likely to listen to his opinion.

“Come, Tiffany,” her mother said sharply as she watched Sebastian saunter down the hall to his suite. “Do not dawdle. Just because you are to be a duchess does not mean you can keep everyone waiting.”

She almost opened her mouth to protest when she thought the better of it. Meekly, she followed her mother down the hall. At least she was to wear the mint dress for the at-home. If she were truly lucky, she would never have to wear the apricot again. It was the first time in her life that she felt grateful to Lady Tremaine.

Gregory

Bolton House had been mobbed. The drawing room was packed, not only with young ladies and their mothers all looking for gossip but with some young gentlemen as well. His friends—other than the noticeably absent Drake—were also there, which was causing a bit of a tizzy among the ladies who had come to call. Five eligible dukes in one small gathering were enough to send all of them into a confused flutter, trying to decide where to focus their attention.

Christian rather looked to be enjoying himself, with a small crowd of young ladies all gazing at him with stars in their eyes, struck dumb by his beauty. Sebastian and Nathanial had been cornered near the front windows by a bevy of beauties, and he could see the strain in their smiles as their eyes flitted back and forth, looking for escape. Zachary and Matthew were hardly better off, though they managed to commandeer a position beside the tea cart, where drink and food were plentiful. Matthew did not have enough elbow room to flip his coin, which was likely paining him, and Gregory was amused to see that he had his hand pressed against the chest pocket where he kept it.

Gregory searched the room for the bright apricot dress Tiffany had been wearing earlier and was surprised when he finally found her wearing a pale green one instead, seated in the center of the room. Perhaps she had not wanted to be seen in the same dress twice in one day. Her mother was on one side of her, speaking with Lady Tremaine, a dragon of the ton he recognized immediately. Lady Louisa, the daughter of Lady Tremaine, was on Tiffany’s other side.

Seeing them together gave him pause.

Lady Louisa had already been acknowledged as a Diamond of the First Water upon her debut this Season. She had curling blonde hair, dark brown eyes, delicate features, an oval face, and was the very definition of an English rose. Gentlemen had already begun writing poems to her beauty, and it was agreed that she would have her pick of the gentlemen this Season. Everyone expected her to marry one of the dukes, in fact, though the lower ranks were vying for her attention in hopes of drawing her beauty—and her large dowry—to themselves.

Yet, despite her great beauty, his eye was immediately drawn to the young lady beside her. The pale green dress Tiffany now wore was much more flattering to both her complexion and her hair, though it did not benefit either very much; at least, it did not detract from her. Still, next to Louisa, most gentlemen would not pay attention to Tiffany… but his was arrested.

He had no interest in Louisa, despite the way the chit suddenly sat to attention and beamed at him when he approached them.

“Tiffany,” he said, deliberately leaving off the honorific of ‘lady’ to emphasize their situation for all those listening ears. Two young ladies on the other side of the couch began to fan themselves as they watched and listened with wide eyes. He held his hand out, taking hers in his, and dropped a kiss to the back of her hand—this time, he did not take improprieties with her wrist.

“Your Grace,” she replied, a heated blush flushing her cheeks despite the chaste kiss. “I mean, Gregory.” He winked at her. She cleared her throat when he did not let go of her hand, turning slightly to her side. “Have you met Lady Louisa Tremaine?”

“I have not had the pleasure,” he said, reluctantly letting go of Tiffany’s fingers to take Lady Louisa’s. He bowed over them, eschewing the kiss, and immediately let go of the young beauty’s hand as she simpered up at him.

Sadly, he could not take Tiffany’s hand again, according to good manners. Instead, he had to step to the side of the sofa, which meant he was on the other side of Louisa and not at all close to Tiffany.

“Lady Louisa is my maid of honor,” Tiffany explained, though she did not seem very enthused by the prospect. Neither did Lady Louisa when he glanced at her. Interesting. He looked over at their mothers, who were so deep in conversation, he was not sure Tiffany’s mother even realized he’d arrived.

Perhaps Tiffany had been forced to have Louisa as her maid of honor because of her mother’s friendship with Lady Tremaine?

Should she not have a friend of her own fill the position?

She only wants to speak with me and my mother. Sebastian’s words echoed in his head. At the time, he’d liked the idea of a wife who only wanted to speak with her immediate family, but…

It was not as though he wanted her gallivanting around the ton flirting with all the rakes and roués , but…

She should have a friend.