How to Dazzle a Duke (6 page)

was not such a fool, for a fool is what would be thought of any

man not eager to bed Sophia Dalby.

It was not that he did not find her beautiful, for she was and

he was not blind to beauty in any form. It was that he had so very

few friends and he counted Sophia as one of them, though he

could not think why. They shared no intimacies of any sort. He

did not know her secrets, nor did she know his. It was, perhaps,

36 CLAUDIA DAIN

that she did not hold him in either awe or fear, and that was

worth more to him than he would have thought possible ten

years past.

Perhaps, studying her now, her expression curious, clearly

waiting for him to entertain her and even delight her, if he could

manage it, she valued the same things in him. He respected her,

who she was and what she had accomplished, but he did not fear

her. Very many people did. And they were right to do so.

“There is very little point to having a dull secret, Edenham.

It defeats the point entirely,” she said with a smile. “Shall I

guess it?”

Edenham left off his musings and chuckled, enjoying his ex

changes with Sophia as he did with few others. “Guess? I’ve all

but told you. The blanc de Chine cup is missing. Another price

less porcelain from China in its place. Did Westlin give you this

one, too?”

Sophia grinned and said, “Darling, why should Lord Westlin

give me anything more? He has given me his son, by way of my

daughter. That is more than enough to satisfy me.”

“You returned the porcelain to him then? It was worth a small

fortune. I had no idea you were so generous. Certainly there isn’t

a single rumor to that effect.”

“It was worth a very large fortune, darling,” she said, taking

a sip of her tea. “Let’s be honest about it. It was quite generous

of me to return it, true, but then, the need for it had disappeared

entirely. Caroline is to be the next Countess of Westlin, once

dreary Lord Westlin dies. What need have I for a small cup?

He was more than welcome to it, though I must confess he did

seem surprised that I returned it to him. Perhaps he is the one

who started the rumor that I am not generous? I certainly think

it sounds like something he would do.”

“You could have kept it. I’m quite surprised you didn’t,” he said,

taking a swallow of tea, studying her across the rim of his cup.

How to Daz zle a Duke

37

“Everything has its uses, darling, and when its use is fulfi lled,”

she said softly, gazing serenely into his eyes, “why not be rid of

it? I do enjoy a simple solution, don’t you?”

Edenham smiled mildly and shook his head at her. “There

is nothing simple about you, Sophia, and it is far too late to

pretend so now. Are you going to tell me about this celadon

vase or shall I be forced to place a wager on White’s book as to

its origin?”

“Why, it’s Chinese, Edenham, as you can plainly see,” Sophia

teased. “As to who gave it to me, I don’t think I shall tell you.

Keeping this a mystery to you is far more entertaining than tell

ing you could possibly be. See what happens when you push too

hard? All is denied you.”

“Dear Sophia,” Edenham said, grinning like a boy, he was

certain, “I can assure you that never in my life have I pushed too

hard and been denied. Quite the contrary.”

And it was on that rather ribald note that Sophia’s butler,

Fredericks, entered the room and informed Sophia that she had

a caller.

Mr. George and Miss Penelope Prestwick were admitted

nearly immediately. By the startled look on Fredericks’s face,

they stood upon his very heels.

“Miss Prestwick,” Sophia said serenely, “what a surprise to

see you again so soon, but how lovely of you to have brought your

darling brother along. Mr. Prestwick, you are looking marvelous.

Quite recovered from the ball you hosted, obviously.”

“I find myself hardly taxed at all, Lady Dalby,” Mr. Prestwick

said cordially. “But then, I do think it is a woman’s domain to be

overtaxed by social tides and streams, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I most certainly would not,” Miss Prestwick said, fl ashing

a dark look at her brother as she sat upon an elegantly propor

tioned chair. Mr. Prestwick smiled cordially and sat in a matching

chair next to her. “I can’t think how you came to such a conclu

38 CLAUDIA DAIN

sion, George, as I am not so fragile as that a ball would over

whelm me. Wouldn’t
you
agree, Lady Dalby?”

Sophia smiled as she poured out two more cups of tea and

passed them gracefully to Mr. George and Miss Penelope Prest

wick. “Miss Prestwick, I can’t think how anyone would ever

conclude that you are the least bit fragile. Brothers, excluded,

naturally. It is very nearly common knowledge that brothers are

very nearly imbeciles when it comes to understanding their sis

ters, even if they understand all other women very well indeed.

You have a sister, do you not, your grace?”

“As it happens, I do,” Edenham answered pleasantly. Miss

Prestwick did not look at all pleased by his admission, which was

quite amusing.

“And do you fi nd her fragile?”

“Not in the slightest,” Edenham said, taking a slow swallow

of his tea to seal the statement.

“Not highly emotional, perhaps a bit irrational?” Sophia con

tinued.

“Well,” Edenham hedged, shifting his weight upon the sofa,

“perhaps occasionally, but certainly not as a matter of habit.”

“And there you are,” Sophia said, looking pointedly at Miss

Prestwick, who was a quite attractive girl. “As I am cordially

acquainted with Lady Richard, Edenham’s sister, I can assure

you that she is not irrational in the least particular. You, darling

Edenham, are just the slightest bit deluded about your darling

sister, which is perfectly normal. Don’t bother about it in the

least. You are quite astute in all other matters, I’m quite certain.

Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Prestwick?”

A most odd turn to the conversation, to be sure, but Edenham, quite relaxed, sat back against the cushions and waited to

see what would happen next. It would have quite a bit to do with

Miss Prestwick, of that he was certain. Sophia seemed to attract

these young things like bees to honey.

How to Daz zle a Duke

39

Miss Prestwick, to her immense credit, did not blush, though

perhaps her generally dark coloring was more to be credited

than her composure. Her skin was quite a lovely shade of dark

cream, from her throat to her forehead, with just a suggestion of

rose pink in her cheeks. Quite a lovely looking girl, now that he

took his time about studying her.

“I am sorry to admit that I don’t know his grace well enough

to have formed an opinion,” Miss Prestwick said serenely. “I am

more than happy to take your estimation of his general character

as genuine and without fault, Lady Dalby. I hope that does not

distress you, your grace?” she said, turning her gaze fully to his.

“As it has been decided that brothers are imbeciles where

their sisters are concerned,” Edenham said, “it does not. In fact,

I think it highly logical and very nearly a compliment for a man

to see his sister in an entirely different light than he sees all other

women. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Prestwick?”

George Prestwick, very nearly a mirror image of his sister

with his dark hair and eyes and general arrangement of features,

smiled and answered, “As this exercise in logic has resulted in a

compliment to me, then I most heartily agree, your grace. Thank

you, Lady Dalby. I had heard that you were most charming and

now I can see why. I have never been called an imbecile with

quite so much grace in my entire life. I can go quite contentedly

on now, a happy imbecile, which is quite the way it should be,

shouldn’t it?”

It was at that rather oddly pleasant remark that Fredericks

entered the white salon with slightly more force than was expected

of a butler and informed Lady Dalby in the most amused fashion

imaginable that she had two more callers and was she in?

She was most assuredly in.

Whereupon Fredericks allowed the Marquis of Iveston

and the Earl of Cranleigh into the white salon. Miss Prestwick

looked quite nearly shocked.

40 CLAUDIA DAIN

How perfectly amusing. Edenham hadn’t been so entertained

in a six month. He couldn’t think why he’d been hiding away at

Sutton Hall, his primary estate, when there was so much amuse

ment to be had in Town. From the look which Sophia cast in his

direction, it was more than obvious that she was of the same

thought in the same instant. And was not above taking great

pleasure in displaying that his seclusion, and his reasons for it,

had been completely absurd.

And he was not above finding amusement in being very

nearly publicly chided for what, in some circles, might be called

morbid mourning
. In point of fact, he had overheard his pastry chef

say exactly that to his housekeeper. He had left for Town that

very week.

“What a lovely surprise,” Sophia said as they all stood to greet

each other.

The men bowed.

The women curtseyed.

They sank back into their seats, Cranleigh and Iveston sitting

side by side upon a settee done up in white velvet with pale blue

braided trim. They looked uncomfortable, particularly as Cran

leigh had an awkwardly shaped parcel that he was trying to hold

as unobtrusively as possible. It was hardly possible.

“I had not thought to find you still in Town, Lord Cranleigh.

No wedding trip? I shan’t believe it. And Lord Iveston,” Sophia

continued, without waiting for Cranleigh to answer, which clearly

annoyed him, which was dreadfully amusing, was it not? “I do

believe that this is the first time you have ever visited Dalby

House. I am most,
most
delighted that you have done so, though

I cannot think what has spurred you to action now . . . although,

do confess,” Sophia said, smiling broadly, her dark eyes glitter

ing, “can it be the lovely Miss Prestwick who has lured you out

and about and into my salon? Can it be that she has done what

How to Daz zle a Duke

41

no other woman has done before her? Are you smitten, Lord

Iveston? Is it love?”

Well. What to say to that?

Iveston, clearly, did not know what to say. He looked, to be

blunt, quite as chilly as November rain. Cranleigh looked hot to

bursting, but he also said nothing.

Miss Prestwick was not so hampered.

“I do think, Lady Dalby,” she said stiffly, “that as it is his fi rst

visit to you, you should not make Lord Iveston the butt of what

is an obviously ill-conceived jest.”

“Then,” Sophia said innocently, a bit of acting far beyond her

reach, “you did not come over from Hyde House together?”

Edenham snapped his gaze back to Miss Prestwick, as well

as to Iveston. All at Hyde House? They did have a rather guilty

look, now that the question had been put to them.

“Absolutely not,” Iveston said, shifting his long legs, and then

shifting them again. He could not seem to find a comfortable

position, likely because Cranleigh was equally tall and the settee

was not overly large.

“But why didn’t you come together? How perfectly ridicu

lous,” Sophia said crisply. “You were all at Hyde House not a half

hour ago, were you not?”

She did not wait for a reply. It was clear that none was

needed.

“And now you are here,” Sophia said, driving home the

point, which was perfectly unnecessary. But what had they

all been doing there and what now were they all doing here? It

was a question he should not mind an answer to. The fact that

Sophia had known of Miss Prestwick’s appointment at Hyde

House . . . well, that did put a very particular spin on things,

didn’t it?

“I was merely returning—” Miss Prestwick began, then caught

42 CLAUDIA DAIN

herself at Sophia’s raised brows. “An item of no particular interest

to anyone here, to Lady Amelia.”

“And did you?” Sophia prompted.

Miss Prestwick looked most uneager to answer. Cranleigh,

Prestwick, and Iveston were all staring at her in a nearly accusa

tory fashion.

“I believe it was given to the butler. I am confident he will

make certain she gets it,” Miss Prestwick said primly.

“As to getting things,” Cranleigh said, interjecting himself into

the stilted and mysterious battle between Sophia and Penelope

Prestwick, “I came for a similar reason, Lady Dalby, though I

suppose I could have left this with
your
butler.”

“But as it is a gift,” Iveston said smoothly, “he was not at all

disposed to do so.”

Iveston looked askance at Penelope, his visage stony. Penel

ope looked stonily, and a bit dismissively, back at Iveston.

What on earth had happened at Hyde House in the past half

hour? It looked not unlike some romantic entanglement was

afoot between Lord Iveston and Miss Prestwick, which did