Page 11 of The Guardian Duke (Wayward Dukes’ Alliance #21)

For the second day in a row, Henry left his library to hear conversations coming from the parlor, then frowned when he realized that his cousins were not alone. Several other females were with them, or so it seemed.

Bloody hell! Was this their plan? To bring women into his home and hope that he fell in love.

He had overheard their whispered conversation as he neared the breakfast room this morning about how he needed to find a wife and that they should help him. Henry had not been concerned, until now. How much of this was Lady Penelope’s doing?

After a deep breath, Henry stepped across the entry to find not only his cousins but Lady Penelope and five other misses of the ton .

They all looked at him expectantly. His cousins grinned and their guests, except for Lady Penelope, blushed and fluttered eyelashes.

“Lady Penelope, a word, please.”

She excused herself and Henry patiently waited for her to join him in the entry then escorted her to the library where he slammed the door after their entry.

“What are those misses doing in my home ?” He already knew, or could guess, but wanted her explanation.

“Your cousins are learning to entertain,” she answered innocently. “I chose ladies and misses who were of a similar age and are from respectable families, with whom they could form friendships.”

It all sounded innocent enough, but many things did that were not. “Can they not make friends in a ballroom?”

“It is better to have friends before one enters,” she replied. “As a duke, you have no idea what it is like for a miss, new to London, knowing no one. It is daunting and intimidating to enter such an environment where no one is known.”

“They have already been in a ballroom. Several times.” It wasn’t that he objected to his cousins having friends. He objected to those friends being in his house.

“Yes, they were and if you recall, they were relegated to being wallflowers with no help from you.”

Blast! She was yelling at him again. She really should not do that. It did not matter if she was right.

“Can you not arrange for walks in the park or something like that so that they do not need to come here ?”

Lady Penelope blew out a sigh. “That is as ridiculous as your idea to take them about a ballroom and introduce them to everyone to avoid holding a ball.”

“My idea still has merit and is still being considered.”

“It is foolish and you know it!”

He narrowed his eyes on her. “Are you calling me foolish, Lady Penelope.”

“If you persist in this idiocy, then yes.”

“I am a duke,” he reminded her.

“My brother is a marquess but that doesn’t mean either of you have any sense.”

He gaped at her at a loss for words. She had just insulted him. How dare she!

“This is necessary, Your Grace,” she offered in a calmer tone. “You do want your cousins to be a success and attract suitors, do you not?”

Yes, he did. They may object to marriage this Season but they also had met no eligible bachelors and when they did, their thoughts might change.

“I will allow it today” he finally said.

“You will allow it until the day of your ball,” she returned.

“I said today! Only!”

“Then you can send the missives uninviting those who have been asked to take tea over the next four days.” Lady Penelope turned on her heel and marched toward the door.

“Days!” He yelled. “You have teas arranged daily!”

Lady Penelope drew in a deep breath, her slender shoulders rising and falling before she turned to face him. “Yes. Days. It is for their benefit, which you should be able to comprehend if you were not set on not having people in your home.”

“It is not people I object to but eligible misses and ladies.”

“Ah, so that is it. You are afraid.” She then had the audacity to grin at him.

How dare she! “I am not afraid of anything, Lady Penelope.”

“If that is so, then I expect you to greet the guests of your cousins each day. You do not need to take tea, simply greet them. It will increase their popularity as those very misses will believe that if they have found favor with your cousins, it might bring them favor with you.”

“It most certainly will not!”

“They do not need to know that.” She smirked. “But it will make your cousins some of the most sought-after hostesses.”

“Because they will expect me to be present.”

“Which you will be, even if you brood in the library until they are gone.”

“I do not brood,” he growled.

“You do, but that is neither here nor there.” She crossed to the door. “Do not forget to greet your guests.”

Then she was gone, leaving Henry grumbling and all alone. But he was not brooding.

He also came to the decision that while Lady Penelope may have decided that teas were an excellent way for his cousins to make friends, she was ignorant of their plans for matchmaking.

For a moment he wondered if he should warn her but decided against it. If anything, Lady Penelope would encourage more teas and delight at his discomfort.

* * *

Goodness! She had never expected that she would speak to Eldridge in such a manner, yet it had become a common occurrence but only because he was being obtuse in what his cousins needed.

Had he been completely unaware of how his sister went about in Society before she wed? Had he not lived in the same household and witnessed that she had a lady’s maid, or invited friends to tea, or how she was presented at entertainments?

One would have thought that this was his first time to enjoy a Season, not his cousins.

Penelope blew out a sigh and calmed her irritation before she returned to the Simpson sisters and their guests.

“Is our cousin angry?” Chloe asked quietly.

“Not at all,” Penelope lied. She did not need the sisters concerned with His Grace. “Surprised, but I expect him along any moment to greet your guests.”

The statement brought twittering excitement from the guests who wanted nothing better than to make a favorable impression on the duke. She could already tell them that they would not attract his attention. At least, she assumed Eldridge didn’t want a silly, giggling wife, but she could be wrong.

Conversation continued and she kept an eye on the door, but it wasn’t until the tea was about to come to an end that he made an appearance, was polite and spoke to each of the guests, then made his excuses.

He had done well and his cousins relaxed.

All worked out well.

However, it was not long after he had disappeared back into his library that a footman left the mansion with a missive before Eldridge stormed past the entry to the parlor and out of the house.

Goodness, she hoped all was well and wondered at the urgency.

Thankfully, the cousins had not noticed and continued their conversations until it was time for their guests to depart. Once gone, the footman removed the tea service and Penelope retrieved parchment and pencil.

Now, to plan a ball.

“Who will we invite?” Judith asked.

“I will finish the guest list of those who are worthy of your attention,” she answered.

“Only those with titles?” Damaris asked with concern.

Penelope smiled and shook her head. “Titles have nothing to do with character. It is the same guide that I used when inviting misses for tea.”

“Oh, I like that much better. Character is very important,” Chloe agreed.

“However, we do need to decide the decorations, themes, flowers, food and hire musicians.”

The cousins blinked at her.

This was rather overwhelming for them.

“Let us begin with colors and then flowers.”

She wrote down the ideas and guided them on what would be fitting for a duke and they listened aptly. They then requested the presence of Cook for guidance on the menu. She was very clear in what she would prefer. They then sent a footman to inquire about musicians, then they set to writing the invitations. It would be Penelope who would decide how they were addressed.

The sisters were filled with excitement and pleased with their first tea, especially since Damaris did not spill anything.

“Do you think Cousin Henry will want to court any of the misses who were here today?” Bernice asked.

“I do not know.”

“Maybe someone tomorrow,” Chloe suggested.

“We shall see,” Penelope answered, not expecting His Grace to find favor with any of the women invited.

The guests had been chosen because Penelope hoped the sisters would find friends among Society. If one of the women she considered might be of interest to His Grace, the woman had not been invited to tea. Not that she told the sisters, of course. While Penelope applauded their attempts to play matchmaker, she had decided not to be of assistance. She would hate it if someone did that to her and after giving it considerable thought, did not want to subject His Grace to such a tactic. Oh, she would watch and enjoy his discomfort, but she would not assist.

Penelope also told herself that His Grace needed to concentrate on his cousins and then he could find a wife, but that wasn’t completely true. In fact, there had been a pang of jealousy at the thought of him courting another, kissing another…Was it because he had nearly kissed her?

She assumed that was what he had been thinking when he looked at her lips when they were in the garden. And she did enjoy waltzing with him.

What was wrong with her? She had not been jealous of anyone before this and it was for a woman that was not yet involved in his life.

Further, she wanted to hold tight to her independence, so a courtship was out of the question. Yet, she still wanted to be kissed by His Grace.

How had her life tilted so suddenly and all because she wanted to assist five sisters to have a successful Season?