CHAPTER 1

London, three weeks ago.

Madeline marveled at the beauty of the ballroom swirling around her. The candles flickering, dancing in time to the orchestral music lingering in the air. The chandelier, dangling down over the dance floor, highlighting the most beautiful gowns that Madeline had ever seen in her life. The gorgeous looking portraits hanging on the walls, smiling down at the happy couples enjoying conversation as they glided together in harmony…

Even if she was always on the outskirts, looking in, a famous wallflower at this type of event, Madeline enjoyed every moment of it. It gave her a moment of respite from all the hardships she faced at home. Not that her mind was ever far from home, especially with her father's current illness. It was not like him to miss an event like this, he loved socializing and mixing with the ton. He certainly did not like to make his daughter miss out on anything. Luckily, Lord Marcus Penny had agreed to chaperone Madeline tonight, along with his daughter and Madeline's best friend. Catherine.

Catherine was currently on the dance floor, being spun around by a very handsome duke who put a smile on her face every time he spoke. Madeline missed having her friend by her side so they could talk and gossip about everyone else in attendance, but she was also happy to see her having some fun.

She would also like to be asked to dance by one of the fine gentlemen in attendance because she was sure that it was a lot of fun. But then being a spectator made her smile as well.

"Oh my, what do you think about Lady Black's gown?"

"The duke never attends events like this. I wonder what is happening…"

"That is not what I have heard."

Madeline allowed the gossip to swirl around her. It was impossible for her not to pick up snippets of conversation, but she did not allow any of it to sink in. She was too busy admiring the flowing expensive looking material some of the ladies were wearing. Material she would love to be able to wear herself…

But all that changed the moment she heard her own name being whispered.

"I am surprised that no one has asked Lady Moore to dance."

Madeline's blood ran cold as her shoulders stiffened. She hated being talked about, it caused anxiety to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Her mind raced with terror.

"You would think that her newfound wealth would make her far more appealing, ignoring her plain appearance."

A thick ball of bile lodged itself at the base of her throat as her looks were commented on. Madeline herself knew that she did not have striking beauty. She had dull brown hair that was more frizzy than curly, a body that was considered far too slender with no bosom to fill any of her dresses properly, and a smile that was often labeled as ‘too wide'.

But having someone else pick up on her insecurities was like a dagger to her chest.

However, it was not that which troubled her the most.

It was the talk of her newfound wealth.

Instantly her mind traveled back in time, to three weeks ago. To a cold, spring day when she and her father Frederick were at a church in London attending the funeral of her father"s closest friend, Oliver Weston. An adventurer with a heart of gold, who had been a rock for her father to rely on when he lost his wife.

Madeline did not have many memories of her mother. She was very young when she passed away, but she did know that her father carried a storm cloud on his shoulders for far too long. Aside from when Oliver was there to make him laugh and to remind him that there was still a life for him to live.

Losing Oliver was a huge blow. The funeral service, beautiful as it was, had been a somber affair. It was hard for everyone to understand why a strong and capable sailor like Oliver had been lost at sea. But with his boat being found and him not, the chance of that man having not drowned was far too slim.

But leaving the church had offered Madeline and her father the biggest surprise of all.

"My name is Henry Dixon," the finely dressed gentleman had declared as he approached them. "I am the lawyer of Mr. Oliver Weston. I would like to offer you my condolences."

Madeline had not listened much. She assumed the conversation had very little to do with her. Thankfully, her father was happy to engage with the man because of what came next.

"Miss Madeline Moore, I actually have some news for you." That was the moment Madeline started to pay attention. "As Mr. Oliver Weston was your godfather, with no children of his own, you are the one to inherit his fortune."

She had blinked a few times, assuming this was some kind of ill timed joke. But the lawyer did not laugh. He actually continued to talk about this.

"The will contests that the money shall be held in trust as a dowry for your marriage."

That was the moment Madeline realized that this did not mean a thing.

She might have been inheriting a lot of money, because Oliver was known to be wealthy, but it would never come to her. The chances of her getting married were incredibly slim, and not just because she would never be the most beautiful woman in London. But because she had already reached the grand old age of six and twenty years old. Soon, she would have another birthday and would be a year older.

She had long ago resigned herself to the spinster lifestyle.

Madeline no longer minded that she would never get married because it meant she could be there for her father. Especially now that a lonely black cloud had come for him again. Tonight was a little break from her life, but she was keen to get back as soon as she could, to care for him once more.

"Madeline, oh my goodness, Madeline, you will not believe it…"

Catherine's cheeks shone red, and her eyes almost bulged with excitement as she raced to her friend. Madeline snapped out of her memories and back in to the present moment to find out what had her friend quite so thrilled.

"What is happening?" she gushed as Catherine got closer to her.

"Duke Thompson, the man who I was just dancing with has asked me to introduce you to him. He wants to ask you to dance."

"W… why?"

Madeline was stunned. This never happened. She was so unused to hearing these words that she was not quite sure how to handle this.

But she was also not naive.

A part of Madeline already knew why this was happening. If the ton was gossiping about her newfound fortune, that meant everyone knew. Madeline was shocked at herself that she had not considered this as a possibility. Of course gentlemen would start to notice her now.

"Lady Madeline Moore," Catherine started in a strong, dramatic tone of voice, ignoring Madeline's question. "His Grace, the Duke of Devonshire."

Madeline's heart thundered in her throat.

Nerves got the better of her.

As the duke bowed to Madeline, she curtsied back politely, recalling her manners even if she was a little confused.

"Lady Moore, would you like to dance with me?"

There was a tremor in his voice. He sounded a little nervous, which immediately flamed Madeline's heart. Her instincts were to do whatever she could to make this man feel comfortable, so refusing the dance, whatever his intentions were, was simply not an option.

"Thank you very much, that sounds wonderful, your Grace."

Madeline caught Catherine's delighted look as the duke led her on to the dance floor. At least her friend was excited for her. Madeline was not quite sure how she was supposed to feel in the midst of all of this. Mostly, she was just confused.

"It really is lovely to meet you, Lady Moore," the duke continued, still sounding a little anxious. "Thank you for accepting the dance."

"Your Grace, I would love to hear more about you."

As the music began, the duke started to open up a little. He seemed to find talking about himself and his business more comfortable than anything else, so Madeline happily nodded along and gave him the willing ear he needed. By the time the music had come to an end, he seemed much more personable and pleasant to be around.

"Thank you, Lady Moore," he declared with a warm and inviting smile. "That was the most enjoyable dance that I have been lucky enough to have all evening."

Did he mean that or were the words just there to charm her because of her wealth?

She supposed it did not matter too much. She was not going to be charmed quite so easily.

Madeline did not even make it back to Catherine before she was approached again.

This time, it was a lord who often found himself on the tip of everyone's tongues as well. A gentleman whose rumored nights in the gambling hall had gotten him the reputation as a bit of a rake. There was no way that Madeline was going to be fooled by anything he had to say.

But she did not refuse his offer to dance, because she was finding it a lot of fun.

"You look rather ravishing, Lady Moore," he said as soon as they were on the dance floor. "Sage green is a colour that very much suits you."

Madeline narrowed her eyes at him, deciding to tease him a little, to take advantage of the attention she was getting for a change. "I have never heard such a compliment in my life. No one ever calls me ravishing. Pray tell, what about my dress do you like so much?"

The panic flashed across his face for a moment, but the lord did everything that he could to regain himself rapidly. "I think it brings out your hazel coloured eyes. You have a lot of kindness in your eyes, and I like that a lot."

Madeline was not expecting such a nice response, so she said nothing back. The way that he spoke those words felt much more genuine, so any wit fell of her lips. She simply smiled back and nodded instead.

"So, tell me about yourself," she said instead, choosing manners over wit once more. "I would love to hear all about you."

When he talked about work, Madeline did not have much to say. She was happy to just listen to him, but when he started talking about the books that he loved, she found a light igniting within herself once more. That was a subject that she could talk about for hours. Madeline absolutely loved reading. Whether it be romance or adventure novels, or it be a non fiction book that she could learn a lot from. Whenever she was not busy with household chores, she had her head in a book.

"My, I have never met anyone else who has read as many similar books as me," the lord declared the moment the song came to an end. She might not have meant to charm him, but it seemed like she had managed to do it anyway. "You are quite the intellectual, Lady Moore."

Now that was a compliment which Madeline enjoyed. It showed that the lord had actually listened to her as they danced. These gentlemen might have started to show interest in her because of her new money, but it seemed like she was going to be able to change their mind about her once she talked.

That was interesting. Something she might never have learned if tonight had never happened. It was something that she was going to take with her moving forward. It did not all need to be about beauty.

"Oh my, you are having quite the night!" Catherine laughed as soon as Madeline was able to join her for a moment at the refreshment table. "You have been asked to dance so many times. Are you enjoying it? I do not think you have ever danced quite as much as that."

"I am," Madeline admitted with a small smile. But she needed to be honest with Catherine about her true feelings here. "Although it is a little distasteful, do you not think?"

"What is that?" Catherine looked worried, like she did not want her friend to be hurt which was very sweet of her.

But Madeline was not hurt. She could simply see through them all. "Well, these gentlemen might be pretending to like me now, but they have never shown any interest before. It is all because of my finances. I am not fooled. The ton is gossiping about the death of my godfather and what that has meant for me. I am sure that is why I am suddenly the center of attention."

Catherine pulled a face. She clearly did not like this idea at all. "Well, it does not matter why they are asking you to dance, they are all coming away from the dances with big smiles on their faces. I am sure they are charmed by you."

"Hmm, perhaps."

Madeline offered her friend a one shouldered shrug. She could not deny that the gentlemen had left her side looking at lot happier and calmer around her. She supposed it was a good chance for her to show that she was more than just a plain looking wallflower. She did actually have something to offer more than a dowry. Not that any of these men were going to see any of the money because she was not going to give them her hand.

But as another man approached her with a smile on his face, she knew that she was most certainly going to enjoy the attention and dance with anyone that asked her too. She was smart enough not to get all caught up in her emotions when it came to these men because she could see what was going on.

"Well, it looks like I am about to be asked to dance again," Madeline said with a giggle. "Let us see if I can charm this gentleman as well. What is his name?"

"That is Lord William Jones. He is very well connected in the ton."

"Yes, I can tell. Hopefully my dancing skills will be up to par for a man like that."

Catherine smiled and nodded at her friend, but Madeline could not help but notice that she still looked a little worried. How could she reassure her that she was going to be just fine? Perhaps on the carriage ride home she would be able to truly make her see that she was going to be fine.