Falling for the Marquess - Julianne MacLean Page 0,17
at her, waiting for her reply.
“I came here because I’ve never been kissed like that, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” With that, she walked away.
Chapter 5
Dear Clara,
You must be more careful about breaking the rules, and I am not referring to your foolish desire to return to that scandalous ball. Even the smallest mistake matters. Just the other day, Mrs. Carling gave Mrs. Jenson the cut direct because Mrs. Jenson wore her diamonds in the morning. (Be sure not to do that.)
Now that I have said my piece, you must tell me all about your adventure. Was he there?
Love,
Adele
“Did you see the Duke of Guysborough last night?” Mrs. Gunther asked, looking up from her embroidery to peer at Sophia over the rims of her spectacles. “Did he attend the assembly?”
Sophia raised her teacup and sipped, a faint smile touching her lips. If the Duke of Guysborough had been at the Cakras Ball, she and Clara certainly hadn’t known of it.
“We didn’t see him,” Sophia replied.
“I wonder if he’ll be at the Tremont assembly this evening. He’s a handsome man, don’t you think? A duke, Sophia. And widowed.”
Sophia inclined her head. “You think he would be a good match for Clara?”
“Naturally, don’t you? Your mother would be very pleased.”
“He’s rather old.”
“Nonsense, he can’t be a day over forty-five.”
“But he has children already from his first wife, who passed away not long ago. Do you think he wishes to remarry so soon?”
Mrs. Gunther poked her needle into the fabric on her lap. “I’ve been making inquiries, and from what I understand, he has only one son and four girls. No spare, so to speak. I should think he would be vastly inclined to marry again, and Clara is certainly a beauty.”
Sophia dabbed at her mouth with the corner of her linen napkin. “I hadn’t considered the duke. I don’t know him well. Do you think he’s handsome, and doesn’t seem too mature?”
“To a woman of my age, he’s barely more than a schoolboy.”
Just then, Sophia’s husband entered the breakfast room. “James, you’re back.”
He smiled at her. “Yes, I decided I missed my wife and sons far too much to spend another day away from them.”
Sophia rose from the table to greet him.
They sat down and discussed the renovations at Wentworth Castle while James ate his breakfast. When he laid down his fork, Sophia stood. “Shall we go and see the boys?”
“I would like nothing more.” Together, they excused themselves from Mrs. Gunther’s company and left the room.
As soon as they were alone in the corridor, James took hold of Sophia’s hand, kissed it, and held it as they walked. “Perhaps next time you’ll accompany me to Wentworth,” he said, “and spare me the agony of sleeping alone.”
Sophia’s voice was flirtatious. “I didn’t like sleeping alone, either. And I would have gone with you if Clara wasn’t here. But she needs me, James. In that regard, there is something I must tell you, and I hope you won’t be angry: I took her to a Cakras Ball last night.”
James stopped and let go of her hand. “You did what? Why in the world would you do that?”
“It’s a long story, but I must confess all, for I worry that the situation could become dangerous if we don’t soon learn about a particular gentleman who has made quite an impression upon Clara.”
“And this man was at the Cakras Ball?”
She nodded.
“That’s not a good sign to begin with. But why did you take her there, Sophia? It’s hardly a suitable destination for a young lady seeking a husband.”
Sophia explained the whole situation—how Clara had walked into the wrong ball a week earlier by mistake, and how she had not been able to forget the man who had informed her of her error.
“We returned last night to try and discover his identity,” Sophia explained.
James took hold of her hand again. “Did you?”
“Only his given name. It’s Seger.”
James thought for a moment. “Seger. The only Seger I know of is Seger Wolfe, the Marquess of Rawdon.”
“He’s a marquess?”
“If he is indeed the same man.”
“Have you met him?”
“No, he doesn’t sit in the House. He has no interest in politics, or perhaps he simply doesn’t like to show his face. He was involved in a divorce scandal a few years ago. He was called to court as a witness to testify for a fellow peer, to prove his wife’s adultery.”
Sophia tried not to sound glum as she walked slowly down the corridor beside James. “So, I