Standing abruptly, Dare earned the attention of everyone in the dining room as conversation evaporated into silence. “Please excuse me.”
He left the dining room, knowing his departure would be the talk of the house party. Not that he cared. People often talked about him, and he didn’t care. Mrs. Langton and their hostess had been doing it just that afternoon, in fact.
Dare found himself in the library, where he plucked a book from the shelf and tucked himself into an alcove to read. If it hadn’t been dark, he would have gone outside for a walk. A book about the wilds of Ireland would have to suffice.
He lost himself in descriptions of lush green hills and bold, crashing waves. He’d no idea how much time had passed when he heard a laugh.
“Poor Lady Cosford,” a feminine voice said. Two women came into the library. Dare recognized them, but couldn’t have recalled their names on pain of death. One was married to a member of Parliament. Huxley? Halsey?
“Don’t pity her. This house party will be discussed for some—” The woman’s voice cut off, and two pairs of eyes fixed on him in his alcove.
Hell. He’d hoped to be invisible.
“Oh dear. We beg your pardon, Your Grace,” Mrs. H said, her face pale and her dark eyes wide.
“Were you discussing me?” Dare asked with a suffering sigh as he closed the book on his finger.
“Yes,” the other lady responded, which earned her a stifled gasp and a shocked glare from her friend. The woman shrugged in response to Mrs. H. “Whom else would we be talking about?”
Mrs. H exhaled. She turned her focus to Dare. “You did cause a stir when you left dinner so abruptly.”
“I know.” And he didn’t care.
“Oh, to be a duke, and do precisely as one pleases,” not-Mrs. H said wryly.
Juno’s words from earlier in the day came back to him. Perhaps he took for granted the fact that he could do as he chose and behave as he liked without consequence.
Not-Mrs. H cast him a cautious look, as if she expected him to react negatively to her comment. “I suppose I am allowed certain…foibles. Or at least forgiven for them.”
Dare suspected Juno didn’t forgive him for a thing. Had he done wrong? He hadn’t been entirely…pleasant during his promenade with Lady Marina at the picnic.
“Are you disagreeable on purpose?” not-Mrs. H asked while Mrs. H once again shot her a look of shocked distress.
Dare liked not-Mrs. H in the way he liked Juno. Neither suffered his grouchy demeanor. Well, not precisely in the way he liked the goddess.
“Not entirely. I don’t generally like people.” He shrugged, his shoulders scraping the back of the chair, as if that sentiment were common.
Not-Mrs. H’s light blue eyes gleamed. “How refreshing to hear honesty from someone of our station.”
Our. Was she peerage, then? He probably ought to know her name, but he wasn’t going to ask. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the nerve. He doubted he’d remember, so why bother?
“W-why don’t you like people?” Mrs. H asked tentatively.
Dare wasn’t sure how to answer that question or if he even could. So he chose to ignore it. “Shouldn’t you ladies be in the drawing room?”
“There is no rule requiring it,” not-Mrs. H said with a laugh. “We went for a walk.” She lowered her voice, a twinkle in her eye. “So we could gossip.”
“About me.” They’d already said they were talking about him.
Not-Mrs. H grinned. “Of course!”
Mrs. H pursed her lips as another flicker of worry passed over her features. “Lady Wetherby was most upset.”
“Indeed.” Not-Mrs. H edged closer to his chair, her expression eager. “Does this mean you aren’t going to offer for Lady Marina?”
While he appreciated the woman’s forthrightness, that didn’t mean he would contribute to her gossipmongering. “That’s between us.” He used an even haughtier tone than usual in case the woman decided to grow even bolder.
Thankfully, she did not. Exhaling with an air of disappointment, she pulled back to her position next to Mrs. H. “I had to ask.”
“You really didn’t.” He actually gave her a half smile, shocking her, which made him inordinately pleased. He had the sense that little surprised not-Mrs. H. Perhaps he should go to the trouble of learning her name. Or pay attention to who her husband was in case he recognized the man, if he was even in attendance.
Mrs. H tittered softly, provoking her friend to look in her direction and then share in her laughter. “This is much better than a walk,” Mrs. H said with a cautious glance toward Dare.
He was certain their exchange would be bandied about as soon as they returned to the drawing room, not that he cared one whit.
“What of the treasure hunt tomorrow?” not-Mrs H asked.
There was to be a bloody treasure hunt? He longed to remove himself, but he’d come all the way to this party and ought to participate. Even if it grated his every nerve. “What of it?”
“It sounds most diverting,” Mrs. H said with a nod. “We’ll be put into groups. I daresay you and Lady Marina will be together.”
There was absolutely no question they would. He began to wonder if the entire purpose of this house party was to push him and Lady Marina together. Lady Wetherby wanted her daughter to snag a duke, and Juno was certainly doing her part, as was Lady Cosford. But if there wasn’t so much as a hint of anything between them, what was Dare to do?
He should give her one more chance. He’d been distracted by Juno at dinner, which had been foolish. Juno wasn’t a potential duchess—Lady Marina was. She deserved his full attention and his best behavior.
Standing, he strode to replace the book on the shelf. He turned back toward the two women and inclined his head. “I bid you good evening.”
Tomorrow, he would participate in the tiresome treasure hunt and try doubly hard to engage with Lady Marina. Hopefully, she would do the same with him, for he couldn’t make this match on his own.
Couldn’t he, though? He’d long told his mother that he didn’t need a wife he could love, just an exemplary duchess. Perhaps he should prepare a list of questions about running a household and performing the duties of a duchess and simply ask Lady Marina each of them. That would tell him definitively if they would suit.
He’d compose a list as soon as he arrived in his chamber. How orderly and efficient. Just the way he preferred things.
Chapter 5
The following afternoon, Dare fortified himself with a small glass of brandy before striding into the drawing room where everyone was gathered for the insipid treasure hunt. His gaze went directly to Juno and then to Lady Marina, who stood at her side, head bent with her gaze locked on the floor as usual. Her mother, Lady Wetherby, was also there, but her attention was not on the floor. Her prickly stare was trained on Dare as he entered. He nearly turned and left.
“Good afternoon, Duke,” Lady Cosford greeted him with another of her endless smiles. “I hear you took a rather long ride this morning.”
Were the stables reporting his every action now? “Yes,” he said simply.
“I’m glad. Cosford says riding is your favorite pastime, and we’re delighted you find our stables to your satisfaction.”