“That sounds like quite a tale. If you believed in love once, you will again,” Cecilia said with a smile. “You just need to meet the right person. Perhaps you already have.”
“The duke?” Juno scoffed. “I am not in love with him.” She was something, though. He wasn’t at all the type of man she would have expected to provoke romantic thoughts. Yet she’d thought of him far too much since kissing him. Thoughts that had only multiplied—and intensified—since their ride together in the coach earlier.
“I just hope you aren’t closed to the idea,” Cecilia said warmly. “It would be a shame to miss out on something special, even if it isn’t forever.”
Of course it wouldn’t be forever. He needed a duchess, and that could never be her. As tempted as she was by him, she needed to keep her eye on the future. That future contained Lady Gilpin’s daughter.
To that end, Juno ought to go and speak with her. But the gentlemen started to filter into the drawing room, and Juno held her breath waiting for Dare to appear.
He filled the doorway, commanding her complete attention—from the thick, dark hair atop his head that she hadn’t yet gotten to run her fingers through to the delectable athleticism of his body, obvious when he walked, but even more so when he held her in his arms. Heat suffused her, and she wondered how she would stay away from him for the duration of her stay.
No, she wondered why.
Dare’s gaze found Juno perched on a chair, her attention focused completely on him. His body instantly reacted, his pulse picking up speed and his cock twitching. He’d desperately wanted to frig himself after their encounter in the coach, but there hadn’t been much time before dinner. Plus, he was rather enjoying the sensation of being wholly on edge. Dinner had been a delicious torment. He only hoped there would be sweet relief later—not with his hand, but in Juno’s arms.
Before he could make his way to her, he was intercepted just inside the doorway by the ladies from the library the other night. He’d since determined that Mrs. H was Mrs. Hadley; however, he still couldn’t recall the other woman’s name.
“Good evening, Duke,” not-Mrs. Hadley said. Since she was referring to him in that manner, he could confirm at last that she was peerage. Unfortunately, that didn’t help him recall her name. He really ought to have paid more attention during dinner. Not that he could have dragged his focus from Juno. “You seem in lively spirits despite the departure of Lady Marina this morning. Whatever happened?”
Both ladies looked at him with candid anticipation. Normally, their nosiness would annoy him. However, it seemed he was currently impervious to irritation.
That didn’t mean he would allow their intrusiveness to pass. “You seem quite excited to gather the details. I’d rather not provide you with gossip.”
“Pshaw,” not-Mrs. Hadley, who was the bolder of the pair, expelled with a wave of her fingers. “You can either provide the truth, or people will come up with a story they like and that will become the truth.”
He growled in response, but in the end, he didn’t care. “I did not have romantic feelings for Lady Marina, nor did she have them for me.”
Mrs. Hadley blinked up at him. “That’s all? You simply decided not to wed?”
It hadn’t been that explicit, of course. Perhaps he should have made sure. No, he was sure. She hadn’t wanted him any more than he’d wanted her. “You see, it’s not very interesting.”
Not-Mrs. Hadley pursed her lips. “It is, though, because you were both allowed to make that choice. I married Bentham because my father decreed it.”
Lady Bentham!
Mrs. Hadley nodded in agreement. “I did the same. My father-in-law and my father came to the arrangement a year before I even met my husband. How nice it must be to be able to choose for yourself.”
Dare felt a pang of pity for them. Along with that came a wave of awkwardness. He didn’t know what to say. He tried, “I’m sorry you’re unhappy.”
“We never said we weren’t happy,” Lady Bentham said with a chuckle. “I’ve done quite well with Bentham. Better than some.” She arched a brow toward Mrs. Hadley, who again nodded toward her friend.
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Hadley said earnestly. “We’ve both been fortunate.”
“Well, you perhaps more than me, but I am a viscountess, so there’s that.”
The ladies laughed together, and Dare’s awkwardness increased. He wanted to get to Juno.
Lady Bentham sobered as she pinned Dare with a serious stare. “You were wise to wait for someone for whom you will have romantic feelings. I do care for Bentham, but it’s not a passionate love affair, which my dear friend enjoys.” She cast a slightly envious glance toward Mrs. Hadley. “I am most grateful for my children, however. Bentham will always have a place in my heart for them, if nothing else.”
“I must disagree,” Mrs. Hadley said, surprising Dare. “I don’t think His Grace needs to wait for romance. I didn’t have that when I wed Hadley. I liked him when we met. I found him dignified and charming. It was a good basis for marriage.” She looked to Dare. “I would encourage you to find a lady you like and respect. Passion may very well come later as it did for me.”
“You think I should have wed Lady Marina,” he suggested.
Mrs. Hadley arched a shoulder. “Not necessarily. But love may have come. You’ll never know now, of course.”
That stung. Not because he thought he’d missed out on some grand love with Lady Marina, but because he could very well miss that with someone else. He flicked a glance toward Juno. Rather, where she’d been and was no longer. He found her seated beside Lady Gilpin on a settee near the center of the large room. They were likely discussing her forthcoming employment.
Dare didn’t want to have any regrets. He looked back to Lady Bentham and Mrs. Hadley. “Would you marry your husbands again, then?”
“Absolutely,” they both said almost in unison.
“Excuse me,” he said, finished with the conversation. He wanted to go to Juno, but she looked rather engaged with Lady Gilpin. Furthermore, he didn’t want to raise any suspicions from the two busybodies. He ought to feel bad thinking of them that way, but they’d likely agree. They made no secret of trying to ferret out information wherever they could.
Fetching a glass of madeira from a footman, Dare went to brood in the corner. Normally, he would just have retired, but he was far too anxious to do that. Anxious? More like stretched taut with lust and hope.
Hope?
Because the future—even later tonight—was completely uncertain. And for the first time, he wanted something for that future. For tonight and perhaps even all the nights after.
Was he considering something…permanent with Juno? He certainly liked and respected her, as the ladies had advised he should do. Hell, what would his mother say if he came home with the intention to marry a paid companion—who was also the granddaughter of a baron? Surely the latter would count for something.
Scowling, he brought the wineglass to his lips and drained half of it. When had he ever cared what people said? Yes, that included his own mother. Not that her opinion didn’t matter. But in this instance, perhaps more than any other, the only one that mattered was his. And Juno’s.