Chapter Eight

London, April 6 th , 1818.

Dearest Ashley,

I have lately been plagued with a most vexing toothache, which led me to seek the aid of a dentist a few days ago. Fear not, my dear friend, for all my teeth remain securely in place, albeit bejeweled with a few more golden fillings than I ever expected. Alas, it is not my teeth but rather my heart that gives me cause for concern, as I fear I may have bestowed it too readily upon another.

In defiance of your counsel, I pursued the acquaintance of a certain Black Widow of Whitehall, whose name I need not mention. I shall give you a detailed account of my intended groom after our introduction at this evening's dinner, for the Black Widow will eat me if I don't accept the match she's so graciously secured on short notice. Thus, my chances of experiencing true love's kiss become faint echoes in my dreams for I shan't be able to receive a kiss from the one I desire.

Pray, do not tell me you have forsaken your dreams of a true love's kiss with the earl!

Yours affectionately,

Lexi

If her dear old friend Ashley Sinclair could get engaged to her arch nemesis, the Earl of Langley, why couldn't Lexi find a suitable groom? There was more to love than Lexi had read in the stories, but she couldn't figure out how to seize it. Even though she'd expected that she'd feel relief when the note from the Lyon's Den arrived, announcing a candidate for marriage, a duke even, the expected relief eluded her. Instead, Lexi couldn't stop thinking about the prince-dentist's gentle touch and warm smile, which sent a flurry of butterflies to her stomach. Their shared conversations had been the highlight of her week. All season even! And his kind response to the story of Princess Leela had her imagining him as her Prince Jai.

Never mind, for Lexi couldn't choose the excitement of the flirtation—for what else could the lovely chai and delightful encounter with him be called? Her sole task in life was to marry well, not marry for love, especially not a simple tradesman like the dentist.

And yet, Lexi couldn't help but wonder how life would be in the arms of a man who exuded such strength and warmth. What if she ignored the restrictions on her life as the earl's daughter and chose love?

Love.

She'd never been in love before but fancied the idea of being loved by the prince-dentist. She could certainly picture herself loving him, given the chance. When he'd rested his hand on her cheek, she'd nestled into comfort, making her break out in joyous goosebumps. The tenderness of his green eyes and the brightness of his smile made her fan herself for air and she felt hungry to see him again. Lexi couldn't help but wonder if she'd answer Mrs. Dove-Lyon's question about the kind of groom she wanted differently now, because nobody could live up to the prince-dentist. What she hoped for in a husband was everything she'd seen in Dr. Dustin Fitzwater. Except, perhaps his status within Society. Even a respected doctor or tradesman wasn't enough for the daughter of an earl. But she was a fallen woman—perhaps now he would be acceptable.

Still, it was too late now; she'd engaged Mrs. Dove-Lyon's services, and she had no doubt her parents would welcome a speedy betrothal. They feared the family's doom if Melissa fell out of Prinny's graces; it was bound to happen soon, for the regent often and quickly disposed of his mistresses. Without a titled match, Lexi would have nothing. Even though she'd be financially secure, she would be a failure in the eyes of the ton and marginalized by society. Perhaps she'd have to move to the country all alone while Melissa would remain at the royal court? But a titled husband would ensure she could remain in London, close to her family, and yet she'd have to submit to his rule.

She wanted to see the prince-dentist again before she had to marry someone else when it would become forbidden for her to return to 87 Harley Street.

Lexi brought her sealed letter for Ashley to her father's study, where her parents usually shared an aperitif before dinner. She'd add her correspondence to his to be mailed out by the secretary. Their house cat was curled up under Father's chair, as usual.

"Have you heard about the latest petition before the Committee?" Lexi's father said when she entered his study. He ruffled through some papers while Mother poured a tumbler of whisky for Father and a sherry for herself. Then she splashed a large portion of whisky into her sherry. Lexi chuckled.

"Isn't that too much liquor so early in the afternoon, Mother?"

"There is no such thing as too early in the afternoon, Darling," her mother said and sipped at her sherry with whiskey. "In the curious game of life, when society's gossips brandish their sharp tongues, a sip before tea can truly dull the stabs and whispers that seek to wound us."

"Who is after us?" Lexi asked.

"Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst," Father growled.

"Darling, whatever it is he accuses us of, Melissa hasn't done anything that would affect your work, and yet I doubt Lyndhurst will let you return," Mother said. Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst had presided over the Peerage Committee for as long as Lexi could remember, and her father had been his right-hand man in ensuring that only the deserving held their titles. It was a way to police nobility, but the irony wasn't lost on Lexi that her sister's new position had backfired on her family. Melissa had ascended to the regent's entourage and yet her family was at the brink of ruination should Melissa's tryst with the prince be short-lived.

"See here, Anna." Father waved her mother over as if she could watch the proceedings on the parchment give its account. "I examined the Records of the Rolls Court, from the first of Richard III, inclusive, to the end of the reign of Queen Mary. There's no doubt."

"You cannot be sure. His lineage is as clear as rainwater. Stonebridge is the duke."

"He's not," Father said. "But we don't have another candidate for Lexi, not on short notice."

"It can't be!" Lexi's heart stumbled before it found its rhythm again. "He's the one you've been investigating all this time? He's not the rightful heir to the title, you said."

"Since Melissa has become mistress to the Prince Regent, I have not been called back to the Committee, Lexi. But I have been privy to more information than ever before. And I have quite a bit in here, too!" Father knocked on his balding head and gave Mother a besotted wink. If it hadn't been for her parents' silly flirting in front of her and her sister, Lexi would probably have none of those grand romantic ideas of a love match, and her sister wouldn't have become a kind of lightskirt for Prinny. Yet, because Melissa was doing whatever a mistress did at court with the Regent, the entire family's reputation was teetering at the brink of ruination.

"I hear that the Black Widow of Whitehall has an impeccable track record for love matches," Mother said with an indulgent smile. "Perhaps we should have some faith in her expertise."

That was exactly what Lexi had thought initially. Information about the ton was the currency Mrs. Dove-Lyon traded in thus she'd have more influence than Lexi even if she had been introduced to men at Almack's because she'd barely knew more than was written in Debrett's .

Well, it was too late, now that Mrs. Dove-Lyon had found a candidate and the man Father had been investigating was the one who was coming for dinner. Except that his identity might be a separate problem altogether.

"Are you quite certain that he isn't who he claims, Darling?" Mother asked with half-interest, eyeing the stack of books on the side table.

"Anna, do you understand what this means? Lexi, please tell her." Father was exasperated.

It was just Lexi's luck that the name Mrs. Dove-Lyon had announced was the same that her father had been investigating for months. Her father had completed the research but had not had the chance to present his findings to the Committee, for Lord Lyndhurst who oversaw the investigation claimed the father of the Regent's paramour presenting evidence of a peer's lineage to the House of Lords would cause a conflict of interest. Funny that, Lexi thought, because there was nobody to claim the Duke of Duncan's title and yet, it was under scrutiny.

It was the age-old story of lost sons who crept out from the remote areas in England to claim their position as peers of the realm as soon as some title threatened to revert to the crown. However, this case was different; it all started just before Melissa assumed her role as Prinny's mistress, and it could potentially ruin Lexi's life if Melissa were cast aside like one of the used mistresses Prinny tired of, especially if that happened before Lexi was wed. Lexi had to marry quickly or may never have the chance.

"Mother, if the Duke of Duncan died without heirs, his brother's only living son inherits the title. And that's Stonebridge, isn't it?" Lexi said, hoping that the man and the candidate Mrs. Dove-Lyon had secured had a solid title. If she had to settle for a title in lieu of love, she didn't want to jeopardize that.

"He's the cousin, yes. But there's another heir," Father said as he flipped through some papers on his desk.

"The old Duke of Duncan had a son, but he died, didn't he?" Mother's question merely repeated what Lexi already knew. It was fodder for gossip, the lost Duke of Duncan. Lexi couldn't understand why a lost son couldn't stay lost so that her betrothed would keep the title she desperately needed to ensure a comfortable future.

"Indeed, there's a son. His mother took him to Scotland and raised him among her Russian relatives who were exiled there. Last I could find out, he was sent to Edinburgh University, but after that, there's no record. It's as if he…disappeared." Father stared toward the window as if the lost son would waltz in any moment, prove his theory, and restore their place in society.

"Dead?" Mother gracefully maneuvered around the cat under Father's chair, which had emerged from its hiding place to stealthily weave its way between her legs.

"I don't think so; there'd be a record of his burial or a certificate. Even the Scots keep track of their departed noblemen," Father chuckled.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found, Father?" Lexi pictured a red-haired, impoverished duke in a green and blue tartan quilt with a fuzzy beaver hat riding through the snow on a large black stallion. She shook her head; she read so many stories that her imagination sometimes got the better of her.

"He's hiding," Father said. "There's a reason but I can only speculate."

"From what is he hiding?" Mother asked.

"And what's your theory?" Lexi added.

"I wish I knew. There's much the dukedom has lost over the years, but he's got plenty to his name. Except that there was a bad metal deal the previous duke got entangled with. I hope the boy is not trying to recover the lost fortune, or worse, seek revenge."

"What have you found out about him already?" Mother asked but Lexi was just as eager to know.

"His father, when he was the duke, lost several acres of land over a lousy deal with silver, which wasn't silver after all." Father shuffled with some papers and retrieved his notes, a timeline of sorts. "His maternal grandfather had been a czar, not a ruling one, but wealthy beyond measure and quite powerful."

"So he's got royal blood from the English and the Russian side?" Lexi asked but her mother gave her a rather pleased look as if it were Lexi's accomplishment to land such a high-ranking candidate. Rubbing her brows with two fingers, Lexi wished she could remind her mother that she hadn't landed anyone yet.

"When his father mined for precious metals and gems in the tundra, he met the woman who became the heir's mother. Blinded by his English title, the woman's father had accepted the match, and she became the Duchess of Duncan. Yet, there was little show for her family's wealth since the duke had met a middleman, Mr. Corrigan. And this is where my investigations come to a halt."

"Why?" Lexi couldn't help but feel invested in this exciting family history even though she didn't know them—yet.

"Well, it's where the heir to the duchy of Duncan's tracks end. He went to Edinburgh University and then…he vanished. We don't know where he went."

"You lost a duke?" Mother asked.

"Only his tracks. Perhaps he wanted us to lose him. According to some reports, he left to clear the family name and that's where the trail ends. He was never heard of again."

Lexi narrowed her gaze. "And nobody from the Peerage Committee knows if he's alive?"

"That's the question, isn't it? If he is, then the candidate Mrs. Dove-Lyon sent is not the actual duke."

Mother clasped her hands together. "Well, I think a man lost will probably not return. So let's ready ourselves for the duke who's stepped into the missing duke's shoes. A cousin, isn't he? So, he's in the same line and will do just fine."

"If he died, it was to clear his family's name. There's nothing I have against the man coming to dinner then." Father rose and tugged at his cravat.

"What's wrong with trying to restore the family's name?" Lexi mused, not expecting her father to hear but there'd been an undercurrent in Father's voice as if she were settling for less than her station commanded.

"Darling, revenge breeds despair and shatters hearts. But forgiveness mends what vengeance tears apart." That gave Lexi pause.

Mother eyed Father with such warmth that Lexi's heart hurt. She'd never have the admiration of a loving husband, and if she married a stranger, she had to leave her parents' loving home for something alien to her.

She wanted more information. At the very least, the history of the family of the man she'd probably marry needed to be something with which she was familiar. Maybe knowing that would settle her fears. "What's the given name of the Duke of Duncan?" Lexi asked.

Father rifled through the pages and mumbled something inaudible when her mother shrieked.

"Not again!" The nasty little cat had sharpened its claws on the Persian rug and pulled out a long white piece of yarn, systematically unwinding the fringes. "Oh no, bad kitty! Stop!"

Her father groaned. "This cat costs me more in household repairs than I had budgeted for the entire year." He plopped into his chair. "Lexi, what did you wish to speak to me about?"

Lexi unfolded a parchment with the header 87 Harley Street. "I have a medical bill, Father. It is my wish to pay it from my dowry."

Her father leaned back, tilted his chin, and stared at her curiously. "What kind of medical bill?"

Mother stilled, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Darling, have you gotten yourself in circumstances required—"

"No, Mother, not at all. I went to see the dentist."

"The dentist." Her father pinched his mouth shut, and Lexi was reminded of his own unpleasant encounters with a dentist. Even now, he had few teeth left to show for all the pain he'd endured. "Why?"

"I had a cavity that was causing me unbearable pain." Lexi tried to speak with as much confidence as she could and hoped she played her role well. She couldn't tell her parents she'd consulted the Black Widow of Whitehall, who'd made her treatment a condition to find her a match before her sister's complete ruination would cost Lexi any chance at a reputable match—ever. In her parents' eyes, her fillings were blemishes and could cost her the match with the duke—or any man for that matter. She went from being the belle of the ball to the unmanageable sister of Prinny's mistress in just a matter of days, and the slope downward was steep for girls like her. There was no need to remind her parents how sharp the edge was if they were so close to falling from society's graces. Any imperfections of Lexi's physique wouldn't help the matter.

Her father sighed. "What did the dentist say and do for…" He perused the invoice and gasped. "This must be a jest!"

"I assure you, Father, it is not. I received four gold fillings and a gold inlay."

"What?" Her parents shouted in synchrony.

Lexi walked around the desk, knelt beside her father's chair, and opened her mouth wide, tilting her head back to show him. Her mother rushed to her side and pulled her to the window to see once her father had his fill and plopped back in his chair.

"Lexi!" She gasped. "How? Why?"

"I don't know how, Mother." Actually, she did. Dustin had told her exactly how it happened. So, she explained using the language he'd used because it had been so easy to understand. She finished with, "It was impossible to pretend the pain didn't exist. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't even drink hot or cold drinks! Father, surely, with your dental issues, you'd understand the pain. And I am positive that if I ignored the problem, it would only have gotten worse. This way, it's stopped."

"Fillings don't last, you were duped." Her father dropped his face in his hands and rubbed his face so vigorously that white spots appeared when he pushed over the wrinkly cheeks. "See Anna," Father said to Mother, "this is what we get for teaching these girls to have a mind of their own. They get tricked into golden fillings and get into bed with the monarch."

"I wasn't duped. These fillings will last forever." What the prince-dentist touched turned to gold. Lexi was sure of it.

"Darling, if anybody finds out, you'll be ruined." But her mother's words failed to resonate with her.

"Mother, I'm already ruined, or on the verge of it. There's no reason to wait and be in pain until I lose a tooth or more. I won't let my reputation ruin my future or my health. I'm only nineteen and wish to smile."

"You wish to smile? Are you mad?" Her father gave a fake laugh with the emphasis of a stage actor.

"I assure you I am not, Father. I'm free."

"Free to do what exactly? Smile? There won't be anything to smile about for a girl like you. And if Duke Duncan isn't confirmed at the next Peerage Committee hearing, you won't have anything after I die."

"I'm free to live my life without worrying what the ton will think or whether gossip may harm my prospects for a love match, free to love whomever I please."

"There were go again. The love match. All those stupid books have cooked your mind soft. And look what they've done to your sister!"

"Darling, please." Her mother had a soft spot for romance, and it was well-known Lexi's parents were a love match indeed, even if they were too bashful to admit it these days.

"All I ask is that you arrange to pay this bill."

"I will not pay for such charlatanerie, Alexis." Father crumbled the bill into a ball and tossed it onto the table. "We have dinner to worry about if this man will still have you."

"A moment ago, you said he might not even be the rightful duke and now you question whether I'm good enough for him?" Lexi couldn't fathom her father's double standard. "Have you checked his teeth, or will you just consent to him courting me because he'll have me?"

"He's not a horse, Alexis. I'm most certainly not checking his teeth." Her father snarled through the gaps in his own mouth.

Bile rose in Lexi's throat. This was everything she'd always loathed, the pomp and circumstance of being an earl's daughter on the outside but feeling shabby and duplicitous on the inside. She longed to escape her privileged life. "But he should inspect mine as a prerequisite to courtship? Am I a mare then? Mere chattel to be handed off to the highest bidder?"

"Alexis, darling, there's no bidding at all these days." Her mother's words, dulled by the sadness in her tone, pierced Lexi sharper than a sword. Her parents had given up hope since Melissa was called to Prinny's court as his mistress, and with her sister's change of station, Lexi had lost all chances for a good match even in their eyes.

"With Mrs. Dove-Lyon's help, there may still be hope," Lexi said, and her mother gasped. "She sent me to Harley Street for a miracle and I'm ready for one."

"Miracles don't come when beckoned," Father growled.

"But they do happen in matters of the heart." Mother took Lexi's hand. "Sometimes love finds us in the most unexpected ways."