There’s the rub. What did he tell her? What had Prinny allowed him to tell anyone? Bloody hell. What did he say? He did what any man in his situation does.
“There is a chill in the air and you’ve been out here far too long. Shall we,” and he presented her with his arm.
Her almond-shaped eyes flashed with anger, but she said nothing. Slipping her arm through his, she let him guide her back inside where her friend Lady Ariane was waiting.
Lady Ariane gave her a beaming smile. “Lord Bladestow, how lovely to see you this evening.” Before he could reply he saw Lady Harriet give a shake of her head and the beaming smile faded.
“Lady Ariane, you look as pretty as a picture this evening. Now, if you’ll excuse me, ladies, I have business to attend to.” He bowed to both ladies but couldn’t help adding to Lady Ariane as he moved off, “Don’t let her wonder off again.”
“Before you ask, no, Blade did not take me out to the terrace. He rescued me from Lord Fallon.” Harriet was having a miserable night. She’d stupidly played into the hands of a known rake and to top it all off, the one man she wanted to impress above all others, had seen it and had to rescue her. “What are you smiling at?”
Ariane slipped her arm through Harriet’s and leaned closer. “He must have been watching you if he saw you go out onto the terrace.”
Hope flared, then died. “He could have simply wanted some air. It is awfully hot in here.”
“The duke doesn’t seem to be a man who needs to be propped up by cool air.”
“Stop making excuses for him. It’s obvious he’s not interested in courting me. It’s halfway through the season and I’ve talked to him once. Once! Tonight is the first time he’s bothered with me, and it was only because his honor made him come to my rescue.”
The two ladies made their way around the edge of the ballroom towards where Ariane’s mother, Lady Cuthbert, sat. It was nights like this Harriet wished her mother was still alive.
“Just face it, Ariane. Our silly childish dream will not come true. We won’t have a double wedding. You’ll marry next spring and I’ll likely become an old maid.”
“Don’t be dramatic. You have plenty of men chasing you.”
She sighed. “Not the man I want. Love’s out of reach. Well, for me anyway. Kingsley is absolutely smitten with you.”
Ariane glanced across the room at her beau. George Fogel, Viscount Kingsley, was the Earl of Southerby’s eldest son and heir, and Ariane had loved him with all her heart since the first time they’d meet two years ago. And to her delight, this season, it appeared he was keen on a match.
The two girls had pictured a duel wedding. Ariane and Kingsley, and Harriet with Blade. Harriet had been so sure Blade would come calling. A few months ago, he was by her side more often than her ladies' maid. She’d known him since childhood and he was all she thought about for five years, since the age of fifteen. She’d thought he liked her too. Now her pride and her confidence had fled because of his lack of pursuit.
“Perhaps it’s time you take some of your other suitors more seriously. That might bring Blade to heel.”
She glanced toward the other end of the room and she could see him as he stood head and shoulders above the crowd. To her surprise, he was glancing her way. Was he keeping his eye on her as Ariane thought? Perhaps she could try Ariane’s suggestion and favor some of her suitors. It might make Blade wake up to the fact she would not wait for him forever.
Yes, you would if you thought it would do any good.
Just then she saw a flash of glittering light through the gap of bodies. Princess Charlotte’s diamonds were setting the room alight at Blade’s side. Harriet gritted her teeth. Being the daughter of a earl saw her as a sought after marriage prize, but there was no way she could compete with a princess. Princess Charlotte would win this game if Blade wanted more power and position.
Just then Lord Punting arrived to claim his dance. She smiled brightly and let him lead her onto the floor, even though her heart was shredding in her chest.
She gave Lord Punting an encouraging smile. She would not think of Blade for the rest of the night.
As she’d expected, and to her dismay, that was much harder to do than she’d hoped.
Chapter One
Yorkshire, England,
Six months later, December 22nd 1814
“Let’s slow down, Ghost, and give the carriage time to catch up.” Blade patted his horse’s neck as he reigned in his stallion. While he was looking forward to his stay at Hearthstone House, if he arrived too far ahead of his carriage he’d have nothing to change into, and the smell of horse was not a fragrance he wanted to linger on his person for too long. He’d been traveling for several days. If luck went his way, the carriage would make the estate of the Earl of Hearthstone by early evening in time for him to change and join the family for dinner.
Smelling of horse and dust was not to be borne. Not when he would finally see Lady Harriet again.`
While he knew his family would miss him this Christmas, his mother didn’t care because he was about to fulfil her biggest wish. She’d stated that her son selecting a wife was present enough.
He patted his jacket pocket where the Duke of Bladestow’s historic family betrothal ring sat in a beautiful pouch his mother had made herself. The ruby gemstone ring was handed down to all the Duke’s wives-to-be, since his great-grandfather.
He’d never put much stock in gift giving for the festive season, but he hoped this Christmas day he’d get the best present of all—Harriet’s agreement to become his duchess.
The thought of waiting for her answer made him almost want to gallop again. He could barely sit still atop of Ghost. His nerves skittered with tension.
Duty meant he’d not been able to court her during her come out this past season, and he’d lived in constant fear she would not wait for him. He knew she’d had offers, and he hoped the reason she’d not accepted was because she was waiting for him.
He had no idea why he thought she was waiting for him, because he’d never given her any indication that he would offer for her. His duty to Prinny wasn’t his only reason he’d taken so long. He knew why he’d hesitated. He feared the feelings she evoked deep inside. He’d experienced the highs and lows of love and decided friendship and respect were a much better basis for any marriage. Did she?
He shook off his doubts and hoped her brother and father had guided her towards a marriage between their families.
She would be perfect in the role of his duchess. He needed children and Harriet would make a wonderful mother. He could think of no other woman he’d want to leg-shackle himself to.
He refused to look closer at the reason he wanted Harriet as his wife. He liked her, that was true, and she was exquisite. But he had learned that a duke never put his heart first. A duke could not afford that luxury. It cost too much. And he should know.
He watched the steam rising off Ghost now that? they were walking, and a shiver snaked under his shirt to his bare skin. He pulled the flaps of his greatcoat around his legs. God, Yorkshire was bleak in winter. Already a light cold mist was forming and it was only around midday. Harriet would not miss the weather when she moved south to Dorset to live with him.