Chapter 2

A WALTZ TO REMEMBER

“ W hat on Earth is that girl doing? You would think I had not spent a small fortune on dancing and etiquette classes. Smile, go on smile. Oh, heavens. Not like that.” Lady Veronica Nettle, Countess Bellmore shook her head in frustration and disgust.

Beside her, Lady Charlotte Nettle gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Anger will not serve me now. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Charlotte followed her stepmother’s gaze and found the focus of her ire.

A woman of about nineteen with chestnut hair and green eyes was dancing with a man more than twice her age. The woman was Charlotte’s younger sister, Philippa, and the man was Mr. Benedict Alders, an up-and-coming merchant.

“I would not concern yourself with whether or not Philippa attracts Mr. Alders’ attention,” Charlotte said, tempering the disdain in her voice with a more gentle amusement.

“Of course, you would not; you care not one whit if you are married or not. Your sisters are another matter entirely,” Lady Bellmore snapped, barely looking at Charlotte.

“It is not about my personal feelings towards marriage, mother .” Charlotte said the word with distaste — Lady Bellmore insisted she called her that, especially in public. “But the man you have directed my sister to, in your haste to marry her off, is a notorious fortune hunter.”

“What? Do not be ridiculous. Mr. Alders is a very respectable merchant.”

“Whose business went bankrupt some months ago, and who has been spotted with every high-born lady from the ton in a desperate attempt to secure himself another fortune,” Charlotte said simply, tugging at a loose thread on her dress.

The dress had been plain even when she had commissioned it years ago, choosing the cheapest fabric in the modiste so that her sisters would have the best selection for themselves. The sting of memory helped to dull some of the smugness she felt at the disdain on her stepmother’s face.. Mother cannot see my satisfaction, or poor Philippa will bear the brunt of her anger. She straightened the necklace around her neck, and rearranged her face to be suitably neutral.

“You are just saying that to be spiteful.” Lady Bellmore sounded uncertain as she glanced between Charlotte and Philippa.

“I am not being spiteful; I am merely pointing out that if Philippa fails to attract this man’s attentions, it is hardly the end of the world. Indeed, it would be preferable for all of us if he does not pursue her.” Charlotte kept her voice level and even. “After all, the scandal of being associated with such a man would surely dampen all of our family’s prospects.”

“There may be some truth to what you say. Of course, it will require me to find another more suitable match for Philippa, but the night is still young.” Lady Bellmore stroked her chin thoughtfully, already scanning the room for her next victim. “Now to find someone for young Evelyn to dance with.”

At her words, Philippa’s twin’s eyes widened in alarm. Charlotte caught Evelyn’s pleading stare and subtly shook her head. She knew why her sister was panicking, but she could not let their stepmother know.

“What? Aren’t you going to try and find a suitable companion for me? After all, I am the eldest.” Charlotte smiled sweetly at her stepmother, knowing that she was right and that this would irritate the other woman.

“I would have better luck marrying a shrew than I would to find a suitable match for you. At least your sisters understand how to be proper young ladies.” Lady Bellmore scowled at her, turning away from the dance floor and Evelyn as she did so.

Perfect — direct your attention here; leave my sister alone. Charlotte shrugged and said, “I understand how to be a proper young lady; I simply choose to behave in a way that suits me rather than the rest of society.”

Behaving like the good girl she ought to be had done nothing but hurt her. That was how she ended up with Lord — no she was not going to think of that now. She caught a glimpse of Penelope across the ballroom, their eyes met, and the other woman looked hastily away. Charlotte’s heart squeezed. Why does this still hurt?

“Which is why you take up hobbies such as fencing, archery, horse riding, falconry, and hunting.” Lady Bellmore rolled her eyes. “Yes, you are the epitome of ladylike behaviour.”

“And don’t forget reading,” Charlotte grinned.

“Yes, politics and scientific journals. And novels.” Lady Bellmore’s lips thinned in disgust. “Your father is far too lenient with you. I will not make the same mistake with your sisters.” Her stepmother turned away from her. “Ahh, Evelyn. What about that young man? He is rather handsome.”

Charlotte looked in the direction her mother was gesturing and felt equal parts exasperated and amused as she realised who she was indicating. It was Dominic Dorson, the Duke of Verimore.

He was a tall man with wavy brown hair and dimples. His clothes were artfully tailored to show off his imposing physique, and he kept running a hand through his hair.

“Surely you cannot be talking about Duke Verimore?” Charlotte asked without thinking. The man is a well-known rake.

“Of course, I am. He would be a most excellent match for Evelyn. After all, he is a duke . The only person above him is royalty, and we are unlikely to find a prince any time soon.” Lady Bellmore’s eyes were fixed on Duke Verimore, and Charlotte recognised the look of a predator stalking its prey.

“But mother, I —” Evelyn began, but Lady Bellmore cut her off.

“But what? You could hardly hope to do better. Smile. Yes, that’s it. Perfect.” Lady Bellmore gripped her daughter’s arm tightly.

“He is the walking definition of a rake! Even the most ardent mothers of the ton have long given up on him,” Charlotte scoffed.

“Which makes him just ripe for the plucking. And besides, none of their daughters had Evelyn’s charm or wit.” Lady Bellmore began moving towards the Duke, pulling a reluctant Evelyn with her. “Smile, Evelyn, and for goodness’ sake, stand up straight. You look like a sack of potatoes.”

“Yes, Mother, s-s-s-sorry, Mother.” Evelyn glanced back at Charlotte and mouthed, “But what about Michael?”

Charlotte mouthed back, “Leave this to me.”

Lord Michael Belton was heir to the Marquess of Fife and had been secretly courting Evelyn. Charlotte could see him watching out of the corner of her eye but knew he would not approach.

“Curse interfering parents. If Evelyn had a larger dowry, they would be engaged already, and I would not be here playing the anti-matchmaker,” Charlotte grumbled under her breath as she followed her stepmother and sister towards Duke Verimore.

“Let us make the introduction before the next dance starts. We can intercept him if we just keep walking this way.” Lady Bellmore diverted them, keeping both eyes fixed on the Duke.

“You are wasting your time,” Charlotte said. “What makes you think you will succeed where every other mother in the ton has failed?

“Did I ask for your opinion?” Lady Bellmore hissed before breaking into a smile as they intercepted the Duke a moment later. “Ah, Duke Verimore. I believe you know my husband, Earl Bellmore?”

“Ah, yes. How is His Lordship doing?” The Duke inclined his head towards them.

“Very well, thank you, Your Grace. Forgive my somewhat impertinent manner, but I remember how fondly my husband spoke of you and wanted to introduce you to my daughters, Lady Charlotte Nettle and the lovely Lady Evelyn Nettle.” As Lady Bellmore introduced Evelyn, she took pains to place her directly in front of Charlotte.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.” Evelyn smiled shyly up at the Duke.

Charlotte decided to remain silent. She was not overly concerned with this latest attempt of her mother’s to make a match for Evelyn. She had been telling her the truth. The man was harder to pin down than an eel.

“The pleasure is all mine, dear ladies.” Duke Verimore smiled a charming smile as he bowed low.

Charlotte only just managed to resist rolling her eyes. She was familiar with men like the Duke. He thinks he is a gift to all women, that no one could possibly resist his charms. All style and no substance.

Lady Bellmore made a show of adjusting the bracelet on Evelyn’s hand, not-so-subtly showing Evelyn’s dance card as she did so.

Charlotte was sure that a man like the Duke, who had for years avoided the most insistent mothers of the ton and their attempts at marrying him to their daughters, would see through the ploy and leave their party. To her surprise, the Duke instead glanced at the card and then canted his head towards her sister.

“Lady Evelyn, it appears that you have this next dance free. Would you perhaps do me the honour of being my partner for it?” The Duke held out a hand to her.

“I —– um — yes, of course.” Evelyn’s voice was higher than usual, and Charlotte could tell that her sister was feeling anxious.

“Do not worry.” Charlotte mouthed to Evelyn once more as the pair walked away. The Duke will probably leave as soon as he can.

She glanced around, trying to see where Philippa had got to, and was vaguely trying to formulate a plan to help her when her stepmother’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“It seems you were wrong,” Lady Bellmore murmured, sounding exceedingly pleased with herself.

“Wrong about what?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

“That the Duke would be uninterested in your sister. Look how amiably they are chatting. He seems rather taken with her.” Lady Bellmore inclined her head towards the dancers on the floor.

To Charlotte’s horror, she realised that her mother was right. The Duke did indeed seem to be rather taken with Evelyn. She could see that the Duke was engaging in lively conversation with Evelyn.

And more to the point, he seemed to be genuinely interested in what Evelyn had to say. As the two turned, Evelyn caught Charlotte’s eye, and she could see the panic in her face. Thankfully, Lady Bellmore was too busy gloating to notice. I cannot let this continue.

“Mother, do you really think it entirely sensible to encourage the Duke’s affections? He is a rather well-known rake. If the rumours are to be believed, he has been intimate with half the ton.” Charlotte did her best to sound calm and reasonable, hoping her mother would listen to her.

“Men will be men, and a duke is still a duke. I am sure Evelyn will be able to calm him down.” Lady Bellmore clasped her hands together, and Charlotte had no doubt the woman was already planning out the wedding in her mind.

Charlotte grabbed her mother’s arm, forcing her to pay attention to her. “But what about the rumours?”

“What rumours?” Lady Bellmore frowned at her.

“They say he has an illegitimate child with Baroness Worthington.” Charlotte was fairly certain it had been the Duke who had done that.

“You are thinking of the Duke of York. And that affair was ended some years ago.” Lady Bellmore waved a hand dismissively as she extracted herself from Charlotte’s grip.

“He is seen regularly coming out of gentleman’s clubs, and I have heard that he wagers rather often.” Charlotte forced herself to speak slowly and evenly as she took a steadying breath.r

“So, the man likes to gamble? He is hardly the first.”

“Mother, Evelyn cannot pursue him.”

“Of course, she can.”

“No, she cannot.”

“Why?”

“Because… Because…” Charlotte wracked her brain, trying to think of something that would stop her stepmother.

“You see? You can’t give me a single reason to deny your sister this opportunity. You are just trying to stand in the way of your sister’s prospects.” Lady Bellmore made to turn away from her.

Something inside of her snapped, and Charlotte exclaimed without thinking, “Evelyn cannot marry the Duke because we are courting!”

“What do you mean ‘you are courting’?” Lady Bellmore turned back to face her, her eyebrows wide with surprise. “This is a rather despicable trick, even for you.”

“It is no trick, just the simple truth. Duke Verimore and I are courting.” Charlotte seized on the momentum she’d gained and took a step in front of her mother, turning her own back to the dance floor as she did. “This is why Evelyn must not pursue him. It would only waste her time and yours.”

“You mean to tell me that you have been courting with a duke, and you have only just now decided to tell me of this fact?” Lady Bellmore narrowed her eyes.

“I —” Charlotte began, but before she could say anything else, a shadow fell across her, and her mother’s gaze fell upon someone standing behind her.

“Ah, Duke Verimore. You will not believe what my daughter Charlotte has just told me.” Lady Bellmore glanced at Charlotte and then back at the Duke. “She claims that you are courting.”

Charlotte’s heart sank. It’s over. Now she will know the truth, and poor Evelyn will be thrust upon him.

“We are,” the Duke replied.

Charlotte only just managed to keep herself from gaping at him as he said it. Did he just say we were?