Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

“ Y our Grace,” Lavinia repeated what she’d heard the lady on the path say. “So you’re a duke, then?”

The gentleman stared at her. “Do you mean to tell me that you don’t know who I am?”

“Oh.” Lavinia blushed. “I’m sorry. Am I supposed to?” This was one of those things that always seemed to get her into trouble in social situations. This was probably a well-known gentleman. Her parents would have scolded her for failing to remember who he was. Perhaps they’d even been introduced before. But it was very like her to make this sort of a mistake.

“I thought everyone knew who I was,” the duke said.

“I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“You haven’t offended me. Well, not by not knowing my name, at any rate.”

“So I have offended you in some other way?”

“Do you really think it’s appropriate to drag gentlemen into the bushes? Do you go around doing that sort of thing often?”

She blushed fiercely. “No,” she said. “I was trying to help you. You seemed as though you were trying to get away from her, and I didn’t know if you would think of hiding here. It sounded as if you didn’t even know that lady. I think I would have wanted someone to assist me if I was in that situation. But perhaps you’re different. Perhaps you’re happy to be caught in a compromising situation with a lady you hardly know.”

“Well, if I’m not, I’m hardly better off now, am I? I’m in another compromising situation with another lady I hardly know.”

“But in this situation, you’re very unlikely to be caught,” Lavinia pointed out. “As long as we remain quiet, no one will be any the wiser.”

“You shouldn’t have done this. I had the situation under control.”

“Perhaps you did,” she agreed. “I’m not holding you here. But I can’t help but notice you have a lot to say about my behavior when you haven’t even bothered to introduce yourself to me.”

“Seth Carter,” he said, his eyes fixed on the bush, trying to peer through the leaves. “Duke of Loxburgh.”

“Oh,” she said. “I have heard of you. My father has mentioned you to me.”

“And who is your father?”

“The Marquess of Feverton. I understand the two of you have met.”

The duke nodded. “We have,” he said. “I wasn’t aware that he had a daughter.”

“I suppose he doesn’t talk about me much. My sister and I are both here for the party. I’m sure you’ll meet her sometime too. He’s very adamant that I should try to find a match this week.”

“Oh,” the duke said. “So that’s what you’re doing? Pulling gentlemen into bushes in the hope of compelling them to marry you?”

Lavinia frowned and took a step back. “You’re very rude,” she informed him.

He raised his eyebrows. “No one speaks to me like that.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it,” Lavinia said. “They’re probably too afraid to say it to your face.”

“But you aren’t.”

“I’m not afraid of you, no,” Lavinia said. “My parents would want me to try to win your respect and favor, but I think it’s safe to say it’s too late for that . It’s clear you don’t think much of me. You’re ungrateful to me for helping you, and you’re even accusing me of doing so for selfish reasons. You’re right. I should have left you out there on the path to deal with that lady on your own.”

She stared him down, expecting that he would say something harsh back to her, but no longer really caring if he did.

But, to her surprise, his expression softened slightly. “All right,” he said. “Whatever it is you want, I suppose you’ve earned it.”

“What makes you think I want anything?”

“I don’t even know you, and you went out of your way to help me. You must want something. Go on. Ask.”

“I don’t want anything.”

“Of course you do. Marriage? Or is it money?”

She sighed. “I hardly did anything at all,” she said. “I pulled you into a bush. There’s no need for a reward. Let’s just go. I’m sorry I intervened. I’m sorry I did anything at all.”

“Wait,” he said.

“What?”

“Well…perhaps I had this wrong. Maybe you really were only trying to help.”

“Maybe? I told you I was only trying to help, and you didn’t believe me. I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince you. You’re worried that it might not go well for us if we’re discovered here together, so I think we ought to leave before that happens. Good day, Your Grace. It was a pleasure to meet you—oh, no, I won’t lie to you, it wasn’t much of a pleasure. You needn’t worry that I’m going to try to trick you into a marriage. A marriage to someone who would accuse me of trickery is the last thing in the world I would want. I hope you have a good evening.”

She stepped away from him and out of the bushes, glad that their little interaction had taken place in a location where no one could see them. She knew all too well that if anyone in her family had seen them together, there would have been questions. There would have been suggestions that she ought to try to gain his interest, to make a match with him. If she were to marry a duke, that would shock everyone.

Well, for once, Lavinia was glad for the aspects of her personality that seemed to turn gentlemen away from her. For once, they had served her well. What did she want to associate with someone like him for? He seemed positively dreadful, and the accusations he had made were deeply unkind. As if she would ever try to trick anyone into marrying her—much less someone she didn’t even know!

“Lavinia, this is Lord Ocherton,” her father said the next morning after breakfast.

The gentleman beside him smiled and bowed to Lavinia. He seemed friendly enough, she thought, though he was at least ten years older than she was. It was obvious what her father was doing—trying to play matchmaker. Though Lavinia had nothing against Lord Ocherton, it was impossible to imagine ever falling in love with him.

She didn’t want to be impolite, so she smiled back. “A pleasure to meet you, my lord.”

“Lord Ocherton has suggested that the two of you take a walk in the garden today,” her father said. “Your sister can accompany you as your chaperone.”

“All right, Father.” Lavinia wished she could see some way out of it. She had a feeling she knew what would happen. It would be the same as what always happened when she spent time with a gentleman with her sister as chaperone. Edwina never tried deliberately to outshine her, but she couldn’t seem to help it. Lord Ocherton would no doubt be so taken with Edwina that he would be ignoring Lavinia within minutes.

Not that it mattered. Lavinia wasn’t interested in him either, and as far as she was concerned, he could do whatever he liked. Still, it would not be enjoyable to spend the day with a gentleman who was expressing a clear preference for someone else—especially when that person was her own sister.

Still, she knew she had to accept her father’s designs for her. If she tried to fight back, he would only push that much harder, and it would make it all but impossible for her to find any time to herself. And if she was going to manage to find herself a match in the next twelve days—no, eleven days, she had only eleven days left now—she would need to control as much of her own time as she possibly could. Ultimately, that would be better accomplished through cooperating with her father than by fighting with him.

Lord Ocherton smiled. “I’ll come and collect you in an hour,” he said.

“I’ll look forward to it, Lord Ocherton,” Lavinia managed.

When he had walked away, her father looked at her disapprovingly. “That’s the sort of thing you ought to be able to arrange for yourself,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to do it for you.”

Lavinia wanted to tell him that she might have managed it for herself if he had given her the chance, but she knew what his response would be. He would tell her that she had had a year to find herself a match, a year in which he had not interfered, and now it was too late. He would tell her there was a perfectly good reason she couldn’t be trusted to manage her own affairs. And for all she knew, he was right.

He walked off, leaving her alone. Lavinia wondered whether it would do her any good to go and find the library. Perhaps she could claim she had gotten lost in a book. If she played her hand well, she might be able to get away with hiding up there all day.

“Lady Lavinia?”

She looked up. It was the duke. “Good morning, Your Grace.”

“I saw you speaking to Lord Ocherton,” he said. “Already trying to ensnare another man?”

His lips twitched, and she thought he might be joking, but it wasn’t funny. “Excuse me,” she said, and turned away from him.

“Hold on,” he objected. “Don’t walk away from me.”

“My father made me talk to him,” Lavinia said.

“Yes, you mentioned that your father wanted you to make a match during this party. So he’s the lucky one, is he?”

“I don’t know,” Lavinia said. “I doubt it will be up to me, Your Grace. You ought to know that gentlemen don’t find me very appealing, so it will simply depend on what sort of deal my father is able to make.”

“Gentlemen don’t find you appealing?”

“ You certainly didn’t,” she said. Then she sighed. “It wasn’t unusual of you. Most gentleman respond to me the way you did.”

“Do you drag them into bushes, too?”

“If this is all you wanted to say to me, perhaps we can consider that it’s already been said.”

“It’s not all,” he said. “I wanted to offer to help you.”

“What?”

“You’re trying to make a match. You say you have trouble getting the interest of gentlemen. Well, I know what gentlemen want, and I also know which are the most eligible at this party. I can help you. If a match can be made in two weeks’ time, I can help you make it.”

She stared at him. “Why would you do that? You don’t even like me.”

“I don’t dislike you.”

“I don’t think you and I have ever exchanged a friendly word,” she said. “You may not dislike me, but you’re not particularly warm toward me. Why would you go out of your way to do me a favor?”

“Because I owe you,” he said. “Because you’re right. You did help me last night, and I repaid you with accusations. I had every reason to be suspicious, of course, but as it turned out, my suspicions were false. I’ll help you now, and that will settle the score.”

“I see. You don’t want to be in my debt.”

“No, I don’t.”

Lavinia wanted to turn down his help under those circumstances, but she knew it didn’t make sense to do that. Her father was doing all he could to give her away to someone of his choosing. The duke might be able to help her find someone of her own choosing.

“Wear a green gown tonight,” he advised. “Do you have one?”

“I do.”

“It will complement your eyes. We’ll begin then.”

He turned and walked away before she could say anything else, before she could accept or reject his offer of help. But she knew that if he had waited, she would have told him yes.