Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

" J enny, would you like more tea?"

Nora's maid stood beside where Jenny sat, holding the teapot expectantly.

Jenny shook her head. "No, thank you, Nora. I've had enough."

"So, as I was saying, I heard that Lord Gloushire asked Anna Dennison to marry him." Nora stirred her tea after adding a healthy amount of milk.

Sarah scrunched up her face. "Anna Dennison? The girl that never quite grew into her feet and is always tripping over them?"

Jenny chuckled at the image. Sarah was right, a baby deer walked better than Anna Dennison did at the age of three-and-twenty.

Nora nodded. "The very one."

"Could you imagine if Lord Banefieled asked for her hand? The two of them wouldn't make it anywhere—they'd be too busy tripping each other on their way out the door."

Sarah and Nora burst into giggles.

"I heard you had the honor of dancing with him the other night." Sarah eyed Jenny's feet. "You seem to have recovered well."

Jenny snickered. "Yes, it was touch and go for a while."

"Wait." Sarah sat up. "Wasn't Lord Gloushire the one who asked for Frannie's hand but she turned him down?"

Jenny nodded. "Yes, she turned him down to give my brother a chance to get his head on straight. And lucky for him, he did."

The women all tittered at her response.

"And how is Frannie doing?" Sarah asked. "I miss seeing her during our weekly teas."

Jenny chose her next words carefully. She didn't want to come across as insensitive or selfish. "She is very busy with Simon—they both are. They dote on him hand over foot. It's quite endearing, actually."

The truth was that she missed the camaraderie she had with Frances from when they first moved here. Frances and Nora were the first ones who truly accepted her into Society. Now that Simon was here and Frannie was settling into the role of Duchess and motherhood, Jenny barely saw her.

"Still, it's not like she's the first one to give birth. I'm sure she could spare an afternoon for her friends," Sarah huffed with a roll of her eyes.

Jenny cackled, while Nora, always the voice of reason, chastised her. "Sarah Hornsby! That was not a very nice thing to say. I shall remember that when it's your time to juggle a family and a title."

Sarah didn't look one bit remorseful. "You do that. Frances was supposed to be the old spinster in the group. Since she's off and married, I'll take up the post. Feel free to chastise me about the amount of time I will spend with my cats."

Nora narrowed her eyes at her friend. Sarah stuck her tongue out.

This is what Jenny missed with Frannie. She couldn't help but laugh at the two grown women making faces at each other.

"I understand what you mean, Sarah," Jenny said wistfully. "I miss her and I live with her."

"What you two need is to find good matches, and then you'll both be too occupied to be worried about what your friend is doing," Nora chastised.

Sarah and Jenny looked at Nora and stuck their tongues out at her.

"Very mature, ladies," Nora sniffed.

The women couldn't contain their giggles. Sometimes it felt nice to set the rules of Society aside and be silly with trusted friends.

"How was the latest ball? I heard it was at Lady Staunton's. She always has the best biscuits," Sarah sighed.

Jenny chewed on her bottom lip. She had been dying to talk to someone about what happened at the ball and what transpired three days later, but she had no one to confide in. But what she really needed was to find out more about the Duke of Marlow. The only information her maid had was his address.

"Yes. It was lovely as usual. The same people were there, with a few new faces," Nora responded.

Jenny nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, Lady Staunton's distant cousin was there. I think his name was Lord Rifly. Oh, and the Duke of Marlow was there as well. And yes, her biscuits are always so tasty."

Sarah sat straight up, her teacup clattering on its saucer. "Wait! Stop. Did you say the Duke of Marlow?"

Jenny's heart began to race, and she prayed her face wasn't betraying her with a blush. It was always so hard for her to conceal any true thought or desire when her face was basically projecting her thoughts.

She cleared her throat. "I did."

Sarah clasped her hands together. "Oh, how I wish I was invited. I would have loved to see the illustrious Duke in real life. I hear he is quite dashing."

Jenny swallowed past the lump in her throat.

"Oh, he is that. I also hear that he runs hot and cold," Nora added.

Jenny cocked her head and cleared her throat. "I danced with him."

Both women stared at her with their mouths hanging open.

"I'm sorry, I just heard a buzzing in my head. Did you say you danced with him?" Sarah came and sat next to her on the settee.

"Yes." Jenny gave in. She could feel the blush bloom on her cheeks.

The two other women started talking over each other, each trying to get their questions in.

"What was he like?"

"Did he know how to dance?"

"What did he say?"

"What did you say?"

Jenny threw her hands up to quell the onslaught of questions. "He was a very good dancer?—"

"I heard he's good at everything, " Sarah interrupted, nudging her.

"Sarah!" Nora gasped. "Really, what has gotten into you today." After a quick dismissive look at Sarah, she returned to Jenny. "Don't mind her, go on."

Jenny licked her lips. "Well, we didn't say much to each other."

She couldn't tell them what they talked about. It felt too private, something she wanted to protect.

"But I will say he is a very handsome man, and charming."

Sarah fanned herself. "I've heard such stories about him. I'm surprised he didn't try to back you into a dark corner of the ballroom. He has quite a reputation for ruination. It's like a sport to him. Although, if the gossip is true, I wouldn't mind being ruined by him," she added with a wink.

Nora looked on, horrified, but she soon burst out laughing. "Sarah, you are something else today. However, I don't think you should say such things in front of Jenny. She is still young and hoping for the best in the opposite sex."

Jenny looked down. Would she always be seen as the "little sister," the young naive girl who needs help with the most mundane task?

She decided to ignore Nora's well-intended jibe. This was her opportunity to get the information she wanted.

She cleared her throat again. "What specifically have you heard? He seemed like a gentleman during our dance."

"Of course, he would be—he was out in the open." Nora stood up to refill her cup of tea. She held out the plate of biscuits to Sarah and Jenny. Sarah took one and began to nibble on it.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to proposition you somewhere he could be seen and risk marriage. That's not how his kind works."

"His kind ?"

Nora sighed. "Oh, love, you are naive, aren't you?"

Jenny frowned at the description. She was beginning to hate that word.

"He's a rake, Jenny," Sarah said while brushing crumbs off her skirt. "A scoundrel. Charming, yes, but they have to be. They fill your head with pretty words and introduce soft touches that encourage wild behavior. They make you think you're the only one in the world and then leave you ruined, with nothing but regrets. I've seen it too many times to count. It's sad, really. I'm sure it's exciting in the moment, but the aftermath is ugly."

"I'm familiar with the term and concept," Jenny spat out. "People accused my brother of such things." She tried to steady her breathing.

There was so much she wanted to ask, but she didn't want to come across as desperate. These women had an ear for gossip and an eye for pinpointing people's true intentions. If they got one whiff of desperation from her, they'd know she was dangerously close to getting caught up in the Duke's snares. They'd most likely warn her off him.

"I haven't seen him around other balls. I wonder why he came to this one…"

Jenny had hoped she sounded nonchalant. However, if they looked closely at her hands, they'd find her teacup shaking. She set the cup down and folded her hands in her lap, hoping to still them.

"He doesn't attend them often," Nora offered from her chair. "Probably lost a bet to the Earl. Lady Staunton has been begging him to help her get more gentlemen to show up to her parties. She has it stuck in her head that all the best matches must happen at her events."

Sarah laughed. " Gentlemen being the keyword. However, if they're losing bets, something tells me they are not the kind of gentlemen the Countess should be inviting."

The women chuckled, but Jenny just sat there, processing their words.

"Why hasn't he taken a wife?"

Both her friends looked at her curiously.

"What I mean is, my purpose is to go to these affairs and find a husband, and if the Duke needs to find a wife to produce an heir, shouldn't he be concerned about the continuation of his line instead of sowing his wild oats? You'd think he'd be married by now."

Jenny crossed two of her fingers under her hand, hoping her explanation was good enough to fend off follow-up questions.

Nora waved off her question. "It's different for men. I agree, most men are married by his age, I believe he's seven-and-twenty, but unless they have a mother breathing down their necks to get married, most men take their time."

"So, he doesn't have anyone breathing down his neck?" Jenny questioned.

The two older women exchanged a fretful look.

"No. His father died when he was twenty, passing the title to him. His mother was never the same after his passing."

"Don't forget about what happened to his sister," Sarah added.

Nora shot her a pained glance. "Sarah, we shouldn't gossip."

Because what we've been doing up until now hasn't been gossiping.

Jenny looked between the two women. "What happened to his sister?"

Nora huffed in Sarah's direction, who was completely unaffected by the gesture.

"Right after she turned eighteen, a suitor came to her door and asked for her hand in marriage. Some of the details have been lost to the rumor mill, but the common theory is that the Duke was not happy and the two young lovers ran away to Gretna Green to get married."

Jenny's heart hurt for the young couple having to run from family. She couldn't imagine having a wedding and not having Thomas and Frances there. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel for the young Duke trying to take on such a role while doing what he thought was right for his family. If he didn't want the marriage, he must have had his reasons.

"The Duke went after them and…" Nora leaned in. "This is where details get hazy, but somehow his sister ended up dying."

Jenny's heart dropped to her stomach, and her mouth went dry. She couldn't imagine the pain and torment the Duke must have felt at the loss of his sister.

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was all so shocking and terribly sad. But no one really talked about it. The Duke kept to himself for a while, but when he emerged, he was more concerned about solidifying his reputation as a rake and scoundrel than settling down."

Jenny could only stare. Her heart broke for the man, although hearing these stories helped put some pieces of the puzzle together. His aloofness, his temperament.

After a moment, she spoke up. "It didn't seem like much affected him when we danced. He seemed very nonchalant. I would assume someone who went through so much trauma would be like… well, like my brother. Thomas was very off-putting. You ladies remember how he acted when we joined polite society ? Everyone was afraid of him."

Sarah laughed. "I certainly was. Your brother definitely carried a cloud of darkness over him. Most of the time, I find that intriguing in a man, but with him, let's just say that I was all too happy when Frannie came along and lightened him up."

Mock shudders ran through their bodies, and they burst into more sober laughter.

Jenny smiled at the mention of Thomas and Frances. They definitely were each other's perfect match.

Could I be the Duke of Marlow's perfect match?

She blushed at her thought. He shouldn't even be an option. Their agreement, if she could call it that, was just a way for him to help her and at the same time have her company.

Company.

The realization dawned on Jenny like a ton of bricks.

He is lonely.

Of course! That's why he asked for her time in exchange for his help. Maybe she was as naive as everyone said.

"Nonchalant—that is a good word to describe him," Nora pointed out. "He's charming, of course, but one of the most repeated complaints from wanna-be-conquests is that he can turn that charm off in an instant and become distant."

Jenny bit her tongue, stopping herself from agreeing with those poor women. She witnessed firsthand how quickly the Duke could change the direction of their discourse.

"Do you remember when Caroline Linesby and Danielle Cherston had a bet going on to see who could make him smile? Really smile." Sarah laughed.

"He smiles!"

Sarah and Nora both were taken aback by Jenny's slight outburst.

Jenny looked down at her hands. "I mean, I've seen him smile. He smiles."

She'd seen his smile—it was when he held her wrist after she tried to slap him. Her wrist tingled at the memory of his touch.

"No, not a polite smile," Sarah continued. "Like one that lights up your whole face. For instance, when you say something and the person's whole expression changes with delight. Like they truly enjoy your presence. Those kinds of smiles. He doesn't do that often, if ever."

Nora agreed. "Oh Sarah, you're right. Any time I see him with a woman, he's smiling. But it's not a genuine smile, it's more cunning and manipulative. Like a cat playing with a mouse." She sniffed and flicked a crumb off her skirt. "He's most likely trying to flirt and charm her to get what he wants. He seems like he keeps his true feelings to himself."

Sarah squealed. "Yes! He can be so charming yet so stone-faced at the same time! He is quite an enigma."

Jenny's heart twisted. She was hungry for more information about the Duke, but hearing stories of him trying to capture other women left a funny feeling in her stomach. One she did not care for.

Sarah sighed. "However, I wouldn't mind being the woman who finally cracks that nut."

Nora clapped a hand over her mouth as she barked out a laugh. "Sarah! You are too much today. Has my maid slipped something in your tea?"

The women erupted into fits of giggles.

Jenny tried to join in the merriment, but her thoughts kept straying back to a duke who lived three blocks away. Some of their stories helped her understand him. He was lonely, so it made sense for him to want her company.

However, some of their stories left her with more questions. They called him a scoundrel and a rake whose favorite pastime was ruining young girls. However, he said that he never took something that was not freely given. He also said her virtue was safe with him.

Was she truly naive in thinking that he wanted more than just her company? Plus, he may come across as aloof, but Jenny swore there was something deeper lurking under his mask. They might have never seen him truly smile, but she had, and it was beautiful.

Call it na?veté, call it stubbornness, call it what you like. There was only one way to find out what the Duke's true intentions were, and she was going to find out. Now she was determined more than ever to figure out the paradox that is the Duke of Marlow.