Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

T he Duke's sleep did not improve much over the next few days. If anything, it got more fitful as he tried his best not to think about Seraphina, or his reaction to her.

When he'd married her, he thought her comely but forgettable. He'd barely spent forty-eight hours in her company before they wed, and then he'd left right away, with barely a look back.

He'd assumed that she would be grateful for his lack of interest. She'd been rescued from a dire situation and made into a duchess. On top of that, she did not have to worry about pleasing a husband.

According to the widow May, who had been his mistress during his wild days before he married, it was the ideal set of circumstances. Everyone got what they wanted.

But now…he was not so sure about his decision. With everything going on in his life, the weight of his responsibilities, he had wanted to limit himself to the things he could control.

If he knew one thing for sure, and that had been confirmed to him in the last few days, it was that a wife was chaotic.

So he'd done the wise thing and avoided her for the time being, until he got his libido back under control.

"Your Grace?"

He turned to see the butler bowing before him. "Yes Howard?"

"Her Grace requests your presence in her chambers."

He flicked an eyebrow up. "Does she?"

Howard looked momentarily confused by his response. "Er, yes Your Grace."

Gerard sighed heavily. "Very well then. I shall attend her."

He made his way to the stairs, wondering what this could possibly be about. He knocked on her door and heard a faint voice tell him to come in. When he stepped in the room, he was surprised to see it looked empty. That was until he peered behind the screen that separated the bedroom from the wardrobe.

Seraphina was sitting in the bathtub, steam obscuring visibility, stark naked. Gerard blinked, unable to stop staring at her glistening skin, her warm brown tresses wrapped messily at the top of her head.

She was resplendent and he hated that he noticed. She rolled her head around so she could look up at him and smiled.

"There you are," she said languidly, stretching a hand out to him.

Gerard ignored the hand, noticing the glass of port sitting on a stool by the tub. "You summoned me?"

Her lazy smile widened. "I did indeed summon you."

She stretched, breasts swelling as she arched her back, pressing them against the side of the tub.

He swallowed trying to keep his face expressionless. "I had something to tell you, and I did not want to forget."

He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes darting to her lips, and then meeting her eye. "Is that so? What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"I wished for you to know that my father and sister are also attending the Winchester ball."

She reached out with a finger, running it down his breeches absently.

He frowned distracted by her pawing. " Also attending? You mean in addition to…?"

"You and I, of course. I saw the invitation on your desk, so I assumed you knew."

She gave him a look from beneath her lashes.

Gerard frowned remembering the invitation he had received a few days ago. He had quite forgotten about it, though his uncle's words echoed in his head as he remembered. "Well, do tell them that I wish them a jolly old time. I am sure they will enjoy themselves immensely."

She frowned at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not going."

"But…" her voice trailed away as she gave him a plaintive look. "My sister…"

"What of your sister? She does not need me in order to socialize with the other debutantes, or to pine over potential suitors. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"We are supposed to be presenting her to society!" Seraphina straightened up, her breasts bouncing.

Gerard fisted his hands to forestall the temptation to touch. "Your father and you can do that just as well on your own."

Seraphina pouted. "You are rude to boot. I do not know why I ever considered you to be a catch."

Gerard chuckled in amused derision. "Chalk it up to your inexperience. Now if you will excuse me…" he made a gesture towards the door asking for permission to leave. Begrudgingly, Seraphina gave it to him.

"I can attend the ball on my own. After all, that's what I've been doing for a whole year. What's one more?"

Gerard clapped his hands in faux encouragement. "Indeed my dear. That's the spirit."

Seraphina narrowed her eyes at him. "Bastard," she muttered under her breath.

Gerard swooped down and grabbed her chin, looking her in the eye. "That may well be so, but it is no language for a lady to use."

She gave him look for look. "And in the presence of a real gentleman, that might be an issue."

"Oh-ho! I see you have a sharp tongue in your head. I look forward to engaging with it more." He made her an elegant leg, turned around and left the room.

He could not help how much he was smiling. Honestly, his wife had turned out to be much more entertaining than he could ever have imagined. It was disconcerting but he could not deny that he was enjoying himself.

Seraphina was feeling more than a little miffed as her lady's maid artfully arranged her hair. She finally had her husband in the same town, yet he still refused to attend balls with her. The Winchester ball was the first of the year, and rumors had been swirling all week about what to expect. The entire ton was expected to attend, perhaps even the Regent.

Seraphina did not expect that she would be the only wife attending without a husband, for men would always be men. But she suspected that she was one of the very few who were quite happy not to have a spouse on their arm.

Seraphina had had a thought or two about taking a lover, but she could not do that without giving the duke an heir first. It left her suspended in some kind of limbo where she could not get on with her life but was just doomed to wait on the Duke's convenience.

It seriously drove her mad.

I will confront him about this. He cannot continue to treat me in this way. What have I done to deserve it?

"Seraphina?" She turned to see Rosalind, her dear friend, giving her a concerned look. She tried her best to smile, but the results were shaky at best. "What's the matter?"

Seraphina shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, really. Just…" she sighed, shaking her head.

Rosalind slipped her arm through Seraphina's. "It'll all come right in the end. You have to believe that."

Seraphina touched her temple to Rosalind's. One thing she loved about her friend was that she did not insist on details. While Rosalind knew the broad strokes of Seraphina's life—her dissolute father, her concern for her sister, and her distant husband—she did not pry but listened patiently should Seraphina decide to open up to her.

Seraphina had never had a friend like that, and it made her feel safe.

"At the moment I am having trouble believing that anything will work out for me," she said miserably.

Just then, Tessa arrived with their father.

Seraphina stared at her sister who was resplendent in a dark grey satin gown. She wore large silver earrings in her ears that Seraphina recognized once belonged to their mother. She had on matching grey satin gloves, and a silver diadem holding back her glorious strawberry curls.

She was glowing, and Seraphina had a second thought about her being the diamond of the season. Her little sister's dream just might come true. She wondered how she had never noticed how beautiful her sister actually was.

"Is that your sister?" Rosalind sounded surprised. "I think it's been a while since I saw her. She's grown into quite the beautiful woman."

Seraphina turned to her and nodded in bemusement. "Indeed she has."

At that moment Tessa saw them and her face lit up. Abandoning her father at the entryway, she skipped towards Seraphina and Rosalind. "Isn't it just fabulous? The fairy lights on the chandelier are just magical," she said with no preamble.

Seraphina looked up noticing them for the first time. She nodded slowly. "They do look lovely."

She realized she was missing out on what was going on around her by dwelling on her recalcitrant husband. She smiled at Tessa. "I'm glad you're here. You remember my friend Rosalind, Lady Portswick?"

Tessa turned her beaming smile on the countess. "Yes, I do recall her. We met at your wedding did we not?" she asked Seraphina.

"Yes, we did," Rosalind said, beaming in return, "what a wonderful memory you have."

Tessa shrugged self-deprecatingly, "I don't meet many new people, and even fewer who I like. I tend to remember them."

Rosalind's smile grew fond. "Oh that is such a compliment, thank you."

"You're welcome, my lady." Tessa gave her a cute little curtsy and Seraphina noted that Rosalind was further endeared. She smiled wide glad that her friend and her sister were getting along.

Suddenly, their father was by her side. "Seraphina, I understand that you bought Tessa some clothes. You should have given the money to me so that I could make the purchases. This is most irregular."

Seraphina blushed embarrassed that Rosalind had heard that. She wanted to say something cutting to her father, but she knew this was not the time or place.

"Apologies," she said through gritted teeth. "I shall make sure and do that in the future."

Lord Northwick nodded curtly. "Make sure that you do." He walked away towards the drinks table.

Tessa gave a deep sigh, turning to Rosalind. "I'm sorry about our father. Sometimes he forgets his manners."

Seraphina snorted shaking her head, as her eyes darted around the room avoiding theirs. She folded her arms against her chest but didn't say a word. Rosalind rubbed her shoulder gently in commiseration but also did not speak. This was exactly why Seraphina loved her so much.

"Pardon me." They all turned to see a young man peering anxiously at Tessa, "May I have this dance?"

Tessa sent Seraphina a wide-eyed glance filled with a plea for help. Seraphina nodded encouragingly. Tessa turned to the young man. "Er, yes you may I suppose, though we haven't been properly introduced."

The young man bowed low. "I shall make sure it is done before the night is over."

Tessa gave him a huge smile, taking his hand and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

"She's very sweet," Rosalind said, holding out her hand as her husband appeared at her side. He took it at once winding their fingers together.

"Your Grace," William bowed his head towards Seraphina. They were usually much more informal aside from in when they were in Society.

Seraphina smiled and nodded back. "My lord. It is good to see you. Where have you been?"

"Losing my money at cards," he said breezily.

"Ah, what else is money for?" Rosalind replied in the same tone, a grin spreading over her face.

"Why, to drape you in jewels my love." He leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her mouth.

Seraphina could not help but feel a little jealous. Everything seemed so effortless between the two of them.

Will I ever get to experience that?

Seraphina doubted it very much. Even were her husband to work on their evident physical attraction, she could not see him opening up to her the way William did with Rosalind, or vice versa. They just did not like each other enough. In her year of observing society couples, she had come to the conclusion that that was the foundation of a happy union.

The young man who had swept Tessa off returned her with a bow and a vow to find their hosts, so as to obtain a formal introduction. Seraphina lost no time in introducing Tessa to William. He smiled amiably at her, complimenting her on her ensemble and assuring her that no, it was not too flamboyant for a debutant.

Seraphina really appreciated how kind he was to her.

Someone clapped William on the shoulder. "Portswick, old man, you disappeared so fast. Didn't give me a chance to win my money back."

Rosalind gave her husband a look. "I thought you lost."

William shrugged. "I won some. I lost some."

"Don't be so modest, old man. You swept the table."

William laughed uncomfortably. He gestured towards his wife. "You remember my lady, Rosalind. And this is her friend, the Duchess of Irondale, and her sister, Miss Tessa Pennington." He turned to them, "Ladies, may I present the Earl of Ruebridge, Nicholas Larson, and his brother Mr. Benjamin Larson."

Seraphina leaned to the side the better to see the younger brother, whom she had noticed before. He was shorter than the earl, with a friendly smile, and long curly blonde hair tied in a tidy queue at the back of his head. He seemed to have eyes for no one but Tessa.

Seraphina gave him a second look, a frown on her forehead. Before she could say anything though, the younger man was holding his hand out to Tessa. "I am very pleased to make your acquaintance," he said. "May I say that you are the loveliest lady in the room."

Tessa blushed prettily. "Why thank you, sir. It's very kind of you to say."

"I'm not kind, trust me. I simply felt compelled to tell the truth. Please tell me that there is room for me on your dance card."

Tessa giggled. "Certainly there is."

Mr. Larson heaved a dramatic sigh of relief. "Thank heavens for that. I thought I might have to fight a duel in order to spend some time with you."

Seraphina and Rosalind exchanged amused glances. It was clear that both young people were smitten. Seraphina wished nothing but the best for her sister.

Mr. Larson held out his hand, "Please Miss Pennington, will you honor me with a dance?"

"It would be my pleasure," Tessa grinned as she put her hand in his and let him lead her to the dance floor.

Lord Ruebridge sidled up to Seraphina with a sheepish grin, "My apologies for my brother. I do not think he knows what the word restraint means."

Seraphina laughed. "That's quite all right. He was respectfully eager, which was endearing."

The earl laughed. "Well, he might find Miss Pennington irresistible but to my mind, he picked the wrong sister on whom to bestow his compliments."

Seraphina blushed. "Oh. I think I must agree with your brother. As a married woman, I don't think it would be right if he showered me with such compliments."

"Are they compliments if they're true?"

Seraphina laughed shyly, flicking her fan at the earl. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so who is to say which is true or not true?"

"Beauty and wit? Your husband is a lucky man."

Seraphina could not help grimacing. "Some would not think so."

Lord Ruebridge leaned confidentially towards her as if to whisper a secret. "Some would be mistaken."

Seraphina couldn't help feeling flustered. She could not remember another time when a gentleman paid her so much attention. Not even Gerard had given her so many compliments, during their brief courtship. She had no idea what to do with it.

"Oh, I do so enjoy this tune," Lord Ruebridge said, "Will you dance with me, Your Grace?"

Seraphina was floundering. She looked to Rosalind for help, but she and her husband were deep in conversation.

With an inner sigh, she turned back to the earl. "Of course I shall dance with you," she said, plastering on a smile.

She allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor, all the while an internal argument was raging.

Should I be doing this?

Is it disloyal to my husband?

Should I even care about that?

Meanwhile, she could feel Lord Ruebridge's eyes on her, practically boring holes into her cleavage. The instinct to hunch was strong, but she resisted it. She had no idea what to do with the man's admiration.

She cleared her throat. "So what brings you to the city? Are you here to join the marriage mart?"

"Oh heaven forbid. I am enjoying myself way too much to tie myself down like that." He stepped closer. "Of course, if I met someone in whom I was interested, and who returned that interest…" he trailed off, though his eyes visibly caressed her flesh.

She looked around uncomfortably, hoping nobody had noticed. Even though she had done absolutely nothing wrong, she still felt a tad guilty for entertaining the earl's flirtations.

"Lord Rueb—" she began to say.

"Please, call me Nicholas."

"Absolutely not. That would be too informal. We do not know each other well enough."

The earl rolled his eyes. "Very well, then call me Ruebridge because I most definitely will not go about calling you ‘Your Grace'. You are way too young and beautiful for such a staid title. Shall I call you Seraphina?" he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Only when we are alone of course."

Seraphina gave a little startled jump. "I do not plan on being alone with you, Lord Ruebridge. And you may call me Duchess if Your Grace is too staid."

Nicholas laughed. "Oh, a tough nut to crack. I do enjoy a challenge."

Seraphina rolled her eyes.

Escaping from Lord Ruebridge was easier said than done. Seraphina was very glad when the dance came to an end, and she could sidle off with the excuse of visiting the powder room. Having made the excuse, she shrugged internally.

Might as well go.

The powder room was always an excellent source of gossip, And the Seraphina were honest she was curious about the earl. He had been so...overt with his advances that she had to marvel at his audacity. She wanted to know if he was a widow or a bachelor, and why he was here.

Feeling a bit hunted, she hurried down the hall and entered the room reserved for the ladies. There were various velvet lined benches to sit on and she hastened to take a seat, her ankles feeling quite thankful not to have to support her weight. Her pumps were built more for beauty than comfort and it was a relief to take a break from standing.

There were two ladies beside her, heads together, their voices too low for Seraphina to hear their conversation. She hoped they were not talking about her and the earl. In a fit of paranoia she almost felt like leaning forward and letting them know that dancing with him had not been her idea.

"Your Grace," a familiar voice said, making Seraphina's heart sink. "Fancy meeting you."

Seraphina pinned a smile on her face. "Lady Stanton…"

The dowager viscountess took a seat next to Seraphina without asking. "And how are you?" She looked her up and down, "You are looking well this evening."

Seraphina's eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was Peggy trying to say?

"Er, thank you."

"And your husband? How is he? Is he here?" Her voice rose higher with excitement at every question.

Blushing Seraphina shook her head. "Oh no. He does not enjoy these types of functions. He much prefers to stay home with his books."

"Such a shame." Peggy's mouth turned down, "I was looking forward to seeing him."

"Oh well. You know how it is. Men will do as they please." Seraphina gave her a big smile, just to show how much she did not care about how Gerard chose to spend his time.

Peggy grimaced, "Oh yes, I remember my John, always going on and on about his plants. I was afraid he would drive me quite insane." She shuddered delicately before taking hold of Seraphina's hand, "But at least he chose to spend time with me. It must be so difficult and lonely for you." She squeezed Seraphina's hands sympathetically, while gazing at her with pity in her eyes.

Seraphina looked away. She really hated Lady Stanton's attempts to relate to her, but she did not know how to stop the other woman from bringing up the topic of Seraphina's marriage. Especially since this time she had hit the nail on the head.

Seraphina got to her feet. "If you will excuse me, I have to go in search of my sister."

"Oh. Is she here too? How lovely." She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but Seraphina forestalled her by taking a step away.

"Well, goodbye, I'll see you later," she said as quickly as she could before Peggy might suggest that she come with Seraphina.

She had had quite enough of the other lady for now. She could not help but compare the way Rosalind made her feel as opposed to Peggy. They were both her friends, but so diametrically opposite of each other. It surprised Seraphina sometimes how things had turned out.

She would not have guessed that her closest society friends would be two such different women.

She wandered down towards the ballroom, deciding to make her excuse reality. She wanted to check on Tessa and see that she was getting on well. She was essentially the girl's chaperone, but she wasn't worried. She knew that Tessa had a good head on her shoulders. She wouldn't go wandering off with the wrong person and find herself trapped into marriage.

Seraphina's footsteps hastened. Now that the thought had entered her head, she couldn't help but to worry just a little.

I should have prepared her a bit more for this. She thought with regret.

But she had been too busy obsessing about her husband and what he would think of their shopping spree, to worry about giving Tessa a few tips on how to successfully maneuver the marriage market.

If she were honest, she did not have much wisdom to impart. She had met Gerard at a house party, where they had been divided in groups and sent out to find the apples hidden in the haystacks around the property. She and Gerard had simply happened to be in the same group and for some reason he had taken her under his wing.

At the time, she had thought it was because she was clearly nervous, but in hindsight she had come to the conclusion that he was looking for the meekest, mildest maiden, to make his wife.

And that was probably what he saw in me. She thought bitterly.

She came to a stop at the door of the ballroom, searching the room anxiously for her sister. She spotted Tessa by the bar, a drink in hand, deep in conversation with Mr. Larson. It was clear that they got along like a house on fire, and Seraphina smiled wondering if her sister, who had just joined the marriage mart, was now already taken.

Then she remembered how effortless her own engagement had been and stopped smiling. It was important to discern the motives behind a man's interest. But looking at Mr. Larson it was obvious to her that he was smitten.

It's your brother that I should worry about.

She could not see the earl anywhere about, which was a relief to her. She had no wish to fend off his affections again. She took a slow circuit around the room, intending to end up at her sister's side. Since Tessa and Mr. Larson were not —yet —betrothed, it would behoove them to behave in a more circumspect manner and not spend the entire evening in making cow eyes at each other.

She bumped into someone and blushed, gushing apologies. That was until she realized it was her father. "Papa."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why can't you look where you're going?"

She blanched, stepping back. "Excuse me?"

"Did you do it deliberately? I know you bear some animosity towards me."

"I do not." Seraphina took a deep breath. "Why would I?"

It was a trap of course. If he articulated why Seraphina would have animosity, he'd have to admit that he'd been a less than stellar parent. Lord Northwick would never admit that.

"I did want to speak with you about Tessa, however. This is her debut year, and she will need your support. I hope you're ready to give it to her."

Her father gave her a look. "Tessa knows what she's about. She'll manage."

Seraphina gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying something about his lack of funds, or the fact that he had not made provision for Tessa's dowry.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but then Lord Northwick walked away from her without so much as a backward glance.

Seraphina was fed up with everyone.

With a sigh she pushed her away forward until she reached Tessa and grabbed her arm. "Darling, I have to leave now."

Tessa's brow furrowed. "Oh so early?"

"Yes, I'm tired and I feel a bit of a headache coming on. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, sister." Tessa rubbed her arm gently. "Should I come with you?"

Seraphina flicked a glance at Mr. Larson who was watching them intently. "I don't want to spoil your night. I feel I should tell you that you shouldn't spend so much time publicly with Mr. Larson as you are not betrothed. Try to dance with other men as well, and do not agree to walk out with anyone ."

Tessa grinned at her. "Of course I know that. Do not worry about me. Go home and rest. I shall call upon you tomorrow at breakfast and tell you all about my evening. Papa is here. I shall be fine. I will probably spend the night trying to make sure he does not fall over or embarrass himself too much."

Seraphina's lips twisted. "It will be a good test for your gentleman. If he is not put off by Father, perhaps he will be the one."

Tessa laughed, but the furrow upon her brow grew deeper. "I suppose," she said.

Seraphina kissed her on the cheek. "I'll bid you goodnight. Be careful."

"Goodnight, dear sister. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I promise to be careful."

With the last squeeze of Tessa's arm, Seraphina turned and left. She felt a vague regret that she hadn't seen Rosalind again, but she knew that it would not be long before they invited her to their home or called upon her in hers. They rarely stood upon formality these days, although they might have to with Gerard and his uncle in the house.

Thinking about Gerard only served to annoy Seraphina further. It seemed that everything about this ball was designed to put her in a bad mood.

She couldn't wait to fall asleep so that this day would just be over.