Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A week quickly went away and it was the night of the Banbury's ball. Some of Katarina's gowns have arrived and she admitted they were quite pretty and fit like a dream. With how elaborate the style and the embroidery on the gowns were, she marveled that she had it ready already in less down a week. Not only was the woman a fashion genius she was also swift too.

Wearing a crimson dress with a daring V neck that exposed a good portion of her decolletage, she felt like a confident and sensual woman of the ton while she prepared to attend the ball.

The appreciative gleam in her husband's eye and the way his eyes lingered on her exposed decolletage led her to believe that he loved it as well.

She reveled in her new found power that consisted of the ability to make the powerful Duke of Devlin speechless.

" You look absolutely ravishing, Duchess," he breathed taking her hand when she stepped off the last step of the staircase he placed a warm kiss on her gloved hand.

He offered an arm, when she took hold of it, he led her to the carriage that was waiting outside the castle. He helped her into the carriage climbing in to seat beside her and throughout the journey to the ball he kept a possessive hand around her, almost like he couldn't stop himself from touching her even if it was in such a small way.

When they arrived at the ball. He stepped down and made sure to hand her down from this carriage waving away the footman who offered to perform the task.

When she stood next to her, he placed a hand low on her back.

Victoria was sure she could feel the warmth of his hand burn through the layers of clothing, sending shudders she tried to conceal down her spine.

When the butler at the door announced them by their title, there was a wave of excitement swept over the ton. The young ladies tittering so hard behind their fans that Victoria feared there were close to having seizures. She knew she should be bothered by the rise in noise level that showed the members of the ton were gossiping about them. But somehow she could not summon an atom of concern about their opinions.

She and Anthony both were tasty topics for Society's daily dose of gossip that members of the ton seemed to survive on. Knowing this, she had been under no delusion that the gossip will die down simply because they had married each other.

The subject of gossip just changed from them wondering who would marry them because of their unpopular status. After their marriage the speculation moved to the cause of their hurried marriage. Apart from the fact that were caught in flagrante delicto, some also postulated that the new duchess was pregnant and that she had only instigated the scandal to make sure that is he duke who was the father of the baby married her and saved her child from the curse of being Bien a bastard.

Victoria did not particularly care for this version because it made Anthony out to be a cad who had to be coerced to attend his duty. Which was in fact very far from the truth.

As they moved through the crowd, it divided like the biblical red sea allowing them space to pass

This added to the confidence she felt already. Of course it was to be expected, seeing as the dukedom was only second to the crown

She have never considered the significance, but now, she did she was determined to wear the title as comfortably as a second skin exploring the power it gave her, within reason of course.

She couldn't afford to relapse back to the quiet wallflower she had been as an unmarried lady.

Now she had to become the confident, powerful new Duchess of Devlin. The fate of the ancient title she had inherited by marriage, depended on her and her conduct. She was determined to bring the dukedom to it's once popular glory, even if it was the last thing she did.

"..... I do wonder how she could abide such a man, with his beastly demeanor" one feminine voice said somewhere to her right.

" Right, I could never imagine lying with such a man even, though it is necessary to make heirs. I will surely faint dead away, should I see his face hovering over mine in the dark"

Victoria could feel anger blooming in her chest on Anthony's behalf. She looked at his face and going by his expression, she might have been led to believe that he was not heard them, but the vein that pulsated at his forehead belied his expression.

He might have developed an ability to conceal his expression, a survival instinct in the cut throat world that was the ton

But he didn't have to. He didn't deserve to be vilified because of an event that was not directly his fault.

He didn't have to be mocked for injuries that he had acquired while he was fighting to protect his country, to protect the lives of these ungrateful brats that had the effrontery to reduce his person to a mere function of his appearance. An appearance that was quite charming in her opinion.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became until she just stopped in the middle of the ballroom.

Ignoring the askance look her husband threw her way, she turned and matched back to the point where age first heard the malicious whispers.

Of course when she stood right in front of them, the gossips had composed themselves, so much so, that if she had not heard them and seen their sneering expressions earlier, she might have thought the voices were just a figment of her imagination

" Ladies" she said with a chilling smile " I never imagined that cowardice had suddenly made the list for lady like virtues. You just stand here with so much paint on your faces insulting a man that has more honor in his little finger than the lot of you put together. While he was out there fighting for his life and his country. What were you doing?. I am sure that I can imagine that your idea of honor includes sitting about your tables, spitting whatever hare brained ideas that makes it's way into your brain."

" You could never be good enough for him and because you cannot have him, you seek to destroy his reputation to grant yourselves comfort.

Unfortunately that does not change the fact that you remain ordinary. I am happy and fortunate to be married to such an extraordinary man who is both kind, charming and honorable and that is one boon you cannot boast of"

By the time, she had finished speaking, her breath came a little faster and she could feel the eyes of many of the guests on her.

Turning on her heel. She held her head high and matched to where Anthony still stood and took his arm.

He seemed to understand her non verbal cue and continued forward. She could feel his gaze on her but she refused to meet his gaze for fear of losing her composure

" Devlin" an older gentleman called stopping them. It was Lord Banbury. The man was a tall gentleman with a slight stoop that could be attributed to age, jet black hair that was generously sprinkled with grey. His eyes twinkled behind his spectacles with intelligence and he always had an amused expression as if he had a running joke he alone was privy to. He was an old business partner of Anthony.

She knew this because, the man was the only one who cared so little about society opinions that he always approached Anthony in public balls to discuss matters pertaining to their business. It was little wonder the man was a wealthy man, since he did not allow petty appearances deter him from his goal. That quality alone endeared him to Victoria

" Good evening Lord Banbury, it is lovely to see you today."

" You are the lovely one, my lady" he said bowing and placing a kiss on her gloved hand.

Turning to Anthony he teased " You, my friend have quite insightful eyes"

Anthony waved him off with a slight laugh and then they started discussing business in earnest, something about railway or so.

Well, she couldn't stand beside her husband all night and expect to make the societal connections she needed for her plan to work.

Extricating her hand from her husband's arm she granted him. reassuring smile

" Excuse me gentleman. I must see about greeting some acquaintances"

It turned out she was not just giving excuses, because she could see her sister from the corner of her eye waving at her excitedly. They had returned home a few days ago so She had not expected them to be in attendance and it seems she was with her father who was making the best impression of a person that did not notice her presence

" Of course my dear. I would join shortly" Anthony said in a tender voice.

She walked as sedately as possible towards her sister and her father where they stood at the fringes of the ballroom.

When she got close, Charity threw her arms open and gathered her in a hug.

" You look absolutely ravishing Victoria... er, your grace" she amended when her father shot her a scatting glance.

Victoria smothered the urge to roll her eyes.

" I hardly think such formalities is needed between us Father, At least when we are alone"

" Titles are important your grace. She needs to remember that you are no longer just her sister but a high ranking lady in England as a whole"

" And is my change of title, the reason why you have been avoiding my gaze?" she asked.

His gaze jerked up, his eyes widening slightly with surprise. He must have not expected that she would call him out on his odd behavior. It had been quite odd because even while she spoke to him in greeting. He had studiously avoided her eyes, seeming to find it uncomfortable standing with her.

" No your grace. I just seek to a oud embarrassing you" he protested weakly.

Now she looked around, she noticed that several judging eyes belonging to the members of the ton present were trained on them.

She sensed his discomfort might stem from the fact that he was now the target of scrutiny standing in the ballroom with his daughter that have been involved in the recent society scandal. But that couldn't be the cause of his discomfort right?. Her Father could not be that vain.

But all appearances pointed to that, as the cause of his discomfort. A full ache started in her chest at the thought, that her father considered her as just a tool for his societal elevation and the possibility that he would give her the cut direct simply to save himself from public scrutiny.

Turning to Charity she smiled tightly " It was pleasant seeing you here dearest. I would speak to you later" she said patting her on the back and ignoring the confused look on her face, she matched away before she betrayed the feeling of betrayal that tore at her chest.

She walked away blindly, moving with no actual destination in mind. She just knew that she had to create some distance between her and her father.

" Victoria" a familiar voice called and she felt a hand on her arm stopping. Looking up, she found that it was Theodore demanding for her attention.

" Victoria, " he called peering into her face with a concerned expression " Are you alright. You seem distressed "

" I am quite alright Theo. There is absolutely no need to worry on my behalf " she said pasting on her brightest smile.

The doubtful look on his face showed that he was not convinced of the sincerity of her claims., so she sort to distract him.

" I am surprised you are still in London. I had expected that you would have joined your family by now."

" Well, I did not need to, my family came to join me instead."

At that news, Victoria felt her eyes widen with surprise.

" I thought she was heavily pregnant?"

" Well she did have the child but unfortunately t he birth was a still birth. We lost the babe. Mother thought it was best she comes to London to take her mind off the tragedy" he said with a tone that was slightly sad.

Victoria felt sorrow on his wife's behalf. They might not be close but she imagined the woman must be in deep sorrow following her child's death. She personally loved children and thought that are nature's best gift to humanity. She could not imagining conceiving one, carrying the pregnancy and then end up loosing the child. It was unimaginable.

As if she knew the discussion about her, a fair skinned woman she recognized as Henri, strode towards them and came to stand beside Theo.

" Your Grace," she greeted with a perfect curtesy but the pinched look on her face was one of a person that was deeply unhappy. Her demeanor was a far cry from the cheerful young girl she had met years ago when she married Theo.

" It is my pleasure to meet you again Lady Seton. My deepest apologies for your loss " she said making sure her tone conveyed her sorrow about the incident.

" Thank you your grace" the lady clipped out. Victoria was shocked by her tone and when she peered into her eyes she was sure something faintly resembling resentment.

She felt her face furrow into a frown. She could not think of any reason why Theodore's wife would have a reason to resent her.

Theodore seemed to notice the tension in the air and tried to place a hand on his wife's waist, probably to convey tenderness but she sidestepped his touch, her gaze trained somewhere behind Victoria.

That behavior cast a shadow on Victoria's belief that Anthony had a happy marriage with his wife. She wanted to ask what the problem was, but worried that she might come across as prying. The situation was quite awkward and she wondered how best to extricate herself from the situation

" Here you are darling. I have been looking all over the room for you" Anthony said beside her, pausing when he noted the people she stood with.

" Seton" he greeted Theodore with a slight nod of his head " My lady he said bowing to Lady Henri.

" I must apologize because I would like to have my wife back. She owes me a dance " he said with an adoring smile on his face that dared her to contradict him.

He must have known she could not contradict him considering the state of their reputation in the ton

" Of course " she said with an agreeing smile. Turning to her companions she apologized " Please excuse me".

She took Anthony's arm as he guided her towards the middle of the ballroom, when the musicians struck up the tune, she realized it was a waltz and her eyes narrowed wondering why he would choose such a dance that involved such close proximity with one's partner when he have been studiously avoiding her for the past week.

When he finally placed his arm around her, leading the step of the dance

" What are you planning" she asked bluntly.

" I do not know what you speak of" he said with an apparently innocent expression. She. might have believed him if not for the mischievous smile that tugged at his lips.

" Why would you choose such an intimate dance as our first dance of the night. You abhor my presence remember?" She said bitterness spilling into her tone.

Drawing her even closer than was proper so that she felt or the contours of his body including his rosing arousal he said.

" You should know better kitten. What I feel for you is a far cry from hatred. You should know, since you feel it too."

When she started to shake her head in denial, he chuckled darkly

" You can deny it all you want, your body does not lie and right now in this moment, I can feel your body melting into mine" he said the last one so close to her ear that she had to try hard to conceal her shudder.

" It is that intense attraction that caused me to be away from your bed for over a week. You felt I had abandoned you, believe me it was torture for me as well."

When she would have pulled a way, he held her fast by his arm around her waist.

" I still wonder how I was able to leave you that night, our wedding night when you wore that lingerie. I was so sure that I had died and gone to heaven. I still regret leaving when I could have just tore the thing away from your body and worship you all over. Touching and licking you all over.

Victoria became aware that her breathing was now faster, her cheeks burned and she ached in places she could not mention.

He was not done. He seemed to have decided to torture her with his words tonight.

" It is never late though. He said with a surreptitious lick on the shell of her eye. Victoria gave a strangled whimper in response. " We can consummate our marriage tonight. I would really love to stop this struggle against our attraction. I am sure that we could give each other pleasure.... So much pleasure ".

With that he stopped to bow to her. Now she looked around, she found that the waltz had ended. While she burned with desire and felt like jelly, her tormentor appeared unflappable.

It was only his arm around hers that prevented her from melting in a pool at her feet. It was mortifying how easily he could reduce her to a mess of longing and arousal. This time he had not even needed to touch her, just with his words he had managed to shoot her arousal to the roof.

Just as they stepped off the dance floor, she felt Anthony stiffen beside her, staring off in a distance. When she followed his gaze, she saw a tall blonde lady, shapely and beautiful, animatedly speaking to her companions

The feeling of jealousy they stirred in her chest quickly died when she realized that the expression on his face was not that of admiration, instead his eyes conveyed pain and a profound sense of betrayal.

She opened her mouth to ask him who the lady was. Her question died in her throat when he turned to her with an intense expression.

" Wife. I think it is time for us to leave" he said stiffly. His eyes shadowed, he might have phrased it like a statement, but it was an order and there was no room for disobedience, not when she could see that he was barely holding on to his composure.

She nodded her head in assent and he led her away from the ballroom as fast as was humanly possible.

Whoever that lady was, she had managed to do something to Anthony that even the scars lining his face could not. She had broken his spirit. She could guess that she was the reason why he had transformed from the cheerful gentleman to a recluse. She truly wished to know who she was and somehow she had a gut feeling she knew her exact relationship to her husband.