The Perfect Duke Read online

  She swallowed the roasted pheasant she’d been chewing then took a sip of wine. “I can’t just ignore Miss Wilmington. She’s the other leader in Ladies of Grace. I have to deal with her whether I like it or not.”

  He rolled his eyes. “This whole thing is silly if you ask me. No gentleman cares what you ladies are doing.”

  “That’s ironic you should say such a thing when you made it clear to me that I would either be a part of that group or be tossed out of this townhouse.”

  “You’re exaggerating. I didn’t say I’d toss you out of here if you didn’t join.”

  “Yes, you did. You were adamant I do everything possible to be in Lady Eloise’s good graces.”

  Shaking his head, he cut into his pheasant. “I merely encouraged you to join because you had no friends.”

  Her lips formed a thin line. She hated it when he did that. She hated it when he said something and then forgot all about it. She wished she had something in writing that she could show him to prove she was telling the truth. But unfortunately, she didn’t. It was her word against his, and he never believed her.

  “Most gentlemen don’t care what ladies are doing,” he insisted. “They’re too busy making money or enjoying themselves. I admit that I thought an association with a prestigious lady’s group would benefit you when you entered your first Season. But look at where we are. You’re twenty years old, and you still don’t have a husband. After you botched things up with Sir Tristan Blakemoor, I don’t know if you’ll recover. I suppose it’ll be my burden to take care of you for the rest of your life.” Then, seeming rather pleased with his comment, he bit into his food.

  She focused on chewing her meat so that she wouldn’t remind him that Nick had asked him for her hand in marriage and he had refused. It might be to her advantage to avoid bringing it up. After all, he still believed she was twenty. As long as he didn’t remember when her birthday was, then he wouldn’t suspect her of running off to Gretna Green and taking her money with her. If he thought she might do such a thing, he’d probably steal her money and squander it out of spite.

  It really was a shame that she thought so little of her brother. Honorable gentlemen would never do such a thing to their sisters, but Basil wasn’t honorable. Ever since they were children, he’d been focused on what other people could do for him. Never once did he give any thought to others.

  She would be meeting Nick tomorrow afternoon. Since she had to be careful about seeing him, she had asked Lady Gareth to join her for a walk. Then she asked Nick to bring one of his sisters or his mother along—or even all of them—so that it looked like a chance encounter. If her brother found out, she would just explain that she happened to run into Nick by accident. As long as she wasn’t actively hiding her whereabouts, she didn’t think her brother would get suspicious.

  “Well, I still think you’re wasting your time with the group,” Basil spoke up after he finished the main course. “There’s no benefit in it, especially after you lost Sir Tristan Blakemoor.”

  “How long will you be moping about that?” she finally asked, deciding she’d had enough of this.

  “For as long as I mourn his loss.”

  The butler set a slice of nougat almond cake on Basil’s plate before doing the same for Tara.

  “If it means that much to you that you get to associate with him, why not host a ball and invite him here with Miss Wilmington?” she pointed out. “You don’t need me to marry him in order to get better acquainted with him.”

  His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re right. I don’t. And since you’re still in that group with Miss Wilmington, it’d be foolish of me not to invite both of them to my ball since they are to be married.” He smiled in satisfaction. “What a brilliant plan. I’m glad I thought of it.”

  Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. “Yes, you’ve always been so clever.” With a sigh, she focused on her dessert.

  ***

  “Thanks for meeting me,” Tara told Lady Gareth as the two left Lady Gareth’s residence.

  The day was a little cool but still pleasant enough to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the park, so Tara was glad she’d thought of this plan. She checked the small pocket watch in her drawstring purse. Good. She was right on time. Nick would be at Hyde Park around the same time they were.

  “I admit that I was surprised when you asked me to go for a walk today,” Lady Gareth said. “I know we’ve had pleasant conversations in the past, but you seemed to get along better with Miss Wilmington and Lady Eloise than you did with me.”

  “Oh, well, my brother was insistent that I do everything possible to please them.” Though he’d never remember it. Tara hid her frustration. She honestly didn’t know if her brother did remember such things but pretended not to or if he really did have a horrible memory.

  “Are you mad at me for leaving Ladies of Grace?” Lady Gareth asked, her tone hesitant.

  “No, of course not. What Lady Eloise did hurt all of us.”

  “Are you upset that I joined Enduring Friendships?”

  “No.” She offered a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t have asked you to go for a walk if I was upset with you.”

  “Miss Wilmington did.”

  “She did?”

  “It was right after I joined the other group. She demanded to know what was so great about Enduring Friendships that I gave up my allegiance to Ladies of Grace at a time the group needed me most.”

  Tara frowned. “Miss Wilmington didn’t tell me she did that.”

  “Would it have mattered if she did?”

  “Yes. She and I now have joint leadership over the group. She can’t go around doing these things behind my back. It’s not appropriate. I would have told her she had no right to pester you like that.”

  Lady Gareth chuckled. “I would have enjoyed watching you tell her that.”

  Tara relaxed, but only a little. “I don’t want people to be in the group unless they want to be. I don’t want things to be like they were when Lady Eloise was leading it. I want things to change.” After a moment, she added, “Did you know that Miss Wilmington told Lady Stacey she’s no longer in the group?”

  “I heard something to that effect.”

  “Well, Lady Stacey is still in the group if she wants to be in it. Don’t believe what Miss Wilmington is saying.”

  “You might want to tell Lady Stacey that.”

  “I will when she returns to London. I heard she ran off to Gretna Greene with Lord Whitney.”

  “She did, but they’re back.”

  “They are?”

  Lady Gareth nodded. “My husband saw Lord Whitney talking to Lord Edon, Mr. Robinson, and Lord Erandon at White’s.”

  “In that case, I’ll pay her a visit when we’re done.”

  Tara was glad Lady Stacey had returned. The sooner they resolved this matter, the better. But at the moment, she needed to tend to other things.

  “My lady,” Tara began as they entered the park, “I know that Ladies of Grace and Enduring Friendships have been at odds in the past and I gather that Miss Wilmington will only encourage it, but I hope you and the other members in your group don’t think Miss Wilmington speaks for the rest of us.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Lady Gareth replied. “Maybe Lady Eloise’s absence will be a blessing.”

  “I think it will be. The group might finally be something ladies will enjoy.” Or at least, that was her hope.

  Lady Gareth laughed. “And to think all this time I thought you were good friends with Lady Eloise and Miss Wilmington.”

  “No, I was never good friends with them. I think we were all together so much because we benefited from it.”

  “I can see that. A lot of ladies did envy you three, but part of it was because they thought you were close. It wasn’t just because you came from wealthy families that you were well established or knew how to conduct yourselves in public situations.”

  Tara had no idea appearances could be that deceiving. She’d
never once fooled herself into thinking either Lady Eloise or Miss Wilmington actually cared about her. And she was sure they didn’t think she cared about them. They tolerated each other for social advancement. Which was sad when she thought about it. She didn’t really have any real friends. None that could be counted on to help her through a rough situation or had a sincere interest in her. She hadn’t realized how empty her life actually was until this very moment.

  “Are you all right?” Lady Gareth asked.

  Tara forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  And that wasn’t a lie. She still had to sneak off to marry Nick without her brother finding out, and it was hard to sleep when that particular task was looming over her. The sooner she got married, the better. Then she’d be out from under her brother’s control. Nick, thankfully, was nothing like him. With him as her husband, she might actually enjoy a few freedoms she’d never had before, and, with any luck, he would have a much better memory than her brother did.

  Already, it seemed as if Nick had a better memory, for he was walking with three ladies. One was considerably older than him, and the other two looked to be younger. Since they shared the same features, it was obvious they were family.

  She took a deep breath and told herself to relax. There was nothing to this. All she had to do was make pleasantries with the mother and sisters before she had a quick moment to talk to him about eloping.

  When she and Lady Gareth reached them, she called out a greeting. The others returned a pleasant reply, but Tara had a difficult time prying her gaze from Nick. Again, she grew excited by simply being near him. The fact that he was a nice person only heightened her attraction for him.

  “Mother, this is Miss Webb,” Nick introduced. “If I remember right, that is Lady Gareth?” he asked, his gaze going to Tara’s companion.

  Lady Gareth’s eyes widened. “It is. How did you know? I don’t recall meeting you before.”

  “I had a conversation with your husband at a ball,” Nick said. “He mentioned how fortunate he was to be married to someone as wonderful as you. Then he pointed to you so I knew who he was talking about.”

  Lady Gareth’s face flushed with pleasure. “My husband said that about me?”

  He nodded. “He’s very happy with you. I’ve overheard a few gentlemen say they wished they had the kind of marriage you and Lord Gareth do.”

  “Well, I happen to be very happy with my husband, too.”

  Tara smiled. “You two do make a good match.”

  Lady Gareth smiled in return then looked at the others.

  Tara took that as her cue to say, “This is the Duke of Ravenshire.” Since she hadn’t met his family yet, she waited for him to chime in.

  “This is my mother,” he began as he gestured to the older lady. “And these are my younger sisters. Miss Augusta Lidgate who is fourteen, and Miss Cressica Lidgate who is seventeen.”

  “I like to be called Cress,” Cressica inserted.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Tara told them, and Lady Gareth followed with the same pleasantry.

  The group made small talk about the weather and the things they had planned for the rest of the day before Nick asked the others if he could pull Tara aside for a couple of minutes to talk to her alone, or at least, as alone as possible in the middle of the park. Since no one voiced a complaint, Tara and Nick stepped a few feet from the others.

  “I hope it’s all right that I brought my entire family,” Nick said, keeping his voice low. “I told my mother and sisters it wasn’t necessary they all come, but they were eager to meet you. They’re very grateful to you for helping us. I am, too. It’s because of you I don’t have to go to debtor’s prison and they won’t have to live on the streets.”

  “You should probably be thanking my father and grandfather for being so good with their money,” she replied.

  As much as she appreciated their gratitude, it didn’t seem right to take credit for simply being born into a situation where her father and grandfather had done the actual work of acquiring the wealth. Just as it wouldn’t be right to condemn him for the fact that his father squandered his.

  “You’re very humble,” Nick said. “But you’re the one who agreed to marry me even though I have no money. You could have married gentlemen more deserving than me. I’m sure you had others to choose from.”

  She wished such was the case, but she decided he didn’t need to know that. Since their time was limited, she went straight to the point. “I’ve been thinking over how we should marry, and I think our safest bet will be a trip to Gretna Green. I don’t want to risk my brother realizing I don’t need his permission to marry you. If he remembers I’m twenty-one, I’m afraid he’ll take my money and spend it while I’m not paying attention. So I’m going to take care of getting that money first thing tomorrow morning. Then we can make the trip to Gretna Green, and you can pay off your father’s creditors as soon as we return.”

  “I like that plan. Where should I meet you tomorrow?”

  “Do you have a carriage and coachman?”

  He hesitated to answer, which she took to mean he didn’t. She hadn’t noticed it before, but every time she’d seen him, he hadn’t ever been with a carriage. He had walked to and from her townhouse. He had walked here. He had walked to Miss Wilmington’s that day he had gone to Hyde Park with the members of Ladies of Grace and their suitors. Just like her, everyone probably assumed he loved to walk. Considering the excellent condition of the attire he and his family wore, no one would suspect the truth about his situation.

  Which was the point. He couldn’t very well attract a wealthy lady if he let others know he was about to be hauled off to debtor’s prison. He’d only gotten to the point of desperation that he’d resorted to telling her the truth. And honestly, she was glad for it. She would rather marry him knowing the truth than find out he had lied to her.

  “I’ll bring a carriage to your townhouse,” she told him so he wouldn’t have to come out and tell her just how bad his situation was. “I’ll leave some money with your mother and sisters so their needs will be met while we’re gone. I’ll be at your townhouse at nine. My brother should still be asleep, so he won’t be able to stop me. Take this evening to pack for the trip. We’ll be gone for several days.”

  She glanced over at Lady Gareth and the duke’s family. They were laughing and enjoying each other’s company. And while it was nice they were preoccupied, it wouldn’t do well to linger like this. People would likely start gossiping about it.

  “I can’t think of anything else to tend to at the moment,” she told him. “Can you?”

  He shook his head. “No, I can’t.”

  “Let’s just hope my brother’s too busy in his own pursuits to get involved in ours.” At the very least, she hoped that by the time they left for Gretna Green, it’d be too late for him to stop her.

  Good. With that out of the way, she could visit Lady Stacey after she was done at the park. Now that she was back in London, Tara could pay her a visit and implore her to stay in Ladies of Grace. She couldn’t let Miss Wilmington get away with throwing her out of the group. If the group was going to be better, it needed help, and it’d be better getting that help if Tara wasn’t the only one fighting Miss Wilmington all the time.

  After talking to Lady Stacey, she would focus on getting ready for her trip to Gretna Green. And when she came back to London, she could fight Miss Wilmington about the direction the group would take from here. Satisfied with her plan, she joined Nick in returning to the others.

  Chapter Seven

  “Are you sure she said nine?” Augusta asked as Nick paced back and forth in the parlor the next morning. She peered out the window. “Maybe she said a number that sounded like nine.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly,” Cress replied from where she sat on the settee next to Nick’s mother. “There is no number that sounds remotely like nine. I’m sure something delayed her.”

 
; Nick tried not to look at the clock above the fireplace, but his gaze went to it…for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was fifteen after nine. Fifteen minutes really wasn’t all that much. It was a minor delay. Unfortunately, with so much riding on this marriage, every second that ticked away felt like ten minutes. He didn’t know it was possible for time to creep at such a slow pace.

  Tara had said she’d be here at nine. Maybe something stopped her. Maybe her brother found out and interfered. Or worse, maybe she changed her mind. At once, he felt his hopes crumble all around him. He wouldn’t blame her if she changed her mind. What did she have to gain by marrying him?

  Sure, she seemed to think he would be a benefit to her socially, but certainly, there were other gentlemen—better gentlemen—who could do the same. All marrying him would do was deplete her of a good amount of money. Money her father and grandfather had been diligent in saving for her.

  He glanced at the clock again. Another minute had passed.

  “I think that’s her!” Augusta called out.

  He ran over to the window, Cress and his mother following close on his heels. A carriage pulled up to the front of the townhouse. The coachman stepped down from the carriage, and, after a long and agonizing moment, Tara stepped out of it.

  The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and it was then that Nick realized he wasn’t the only one who’d been worried. Well, naturally, he wasn’t. Without this marriage, they would be in a more vulnerable position than he’d be. Even if he was in prison, he’d get a piece of bread. Who knew how much longer they would have something to eat? And worse, who knew if someone would come along and take advantage of them?

  He hurried to the front door, aware they trailed behind. He was about to tell them it wasn’t necessary that they all show how desperate they were for this marriage to take place, but Augusta bypassed him so that she could open the door. She waved to Tara and got ready to call out to her.