Scoundrel of My Heart (Once Upon a Dukedom #1) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,47
should mention he had a flaw in his system. If she returned. When she returned.
She glanced around at the ladies walking about or riding in carriages. Some with beaux, most without. It would change as the Season progressed, as matches were made. “What other rules has he put into place?”
“Only spinsters and bachelors are allowed entry. No firstborn sons who will inherit titles. The firstborn sons of commoners are welcomed. It’s actually a very interesting mix. People of different backgrounds and social status. I’ve spent time in the company of some very intriguing gentlemen. They’ve had some success, or they wouldn’t be able to afford the membership. It doesn’t come cheaply.”
She wondered if Griff would ask her to pay for hers. He could certainly ask, but she wasn’t going to hand over any funds. As far as she was concerned, he owed her for that deuced wager. “Has anyone in particular taken your fancy?”
“No, I’m still on the hunt.” She tapped her shoulder against Kathryn’s. “But I find I rather enjoy the hunt.”
“Are you going tonight?”
“I am indeed. I would offer to pick you up in my carriage, if you’ve a mind to return, but I fear it might become inconvenient if one of us wishes to stay later than the other. But I could meet you there, show you around. Last night, I don’t think you saw much of what the place offers in the form of entertainments.”
“I shouldn’t go.” She knew she shouldn’t.
“Are you seeing Kingsland this evening?”
“No, he is in Yorkshire until next week.” And her parents weren’t a hindrance. They were in Paris for another sennight.
“I wouldn’t get in the habit of putting my life on hold for him, for any man, truth be told.”
She hadn’t. She was involved with her charitable endeavors and attended social functions, even if he wasn’t about to escort her. Then, there was the Elysium Club. “I might see you there.”
“We should have a signal. If I’m holding a glass of white wine, then I am available to escort you about. A glass of red indicates that my attention is otherwise occupied, and I might not be quite as welcoming of an interruption.”
“Why, Wilhelmina! A secret code? I do believe there is a side to you with which I am not familiar. I also believe you are implying that you intend to indulge in a bit of wickedness.”
“Unlike you, Kathryn, should a gentleman catch my fancy and I catch his, if we explore our interest in each other, I have nothing to lose.”
She had everything to lose. A duke, respectability, an inheritance.
She should have taken up her needlework in the parlor. She should have gone to the Elysium for a bit of gambling or a waltz or dinner. She should have sat in her bedchamber and penned a letter to Althea to see how she was enjoying her time in Scotland with her new husband.
She should have done anything other than slip into the gown that matched the shade of her hair, the gown he’d seen her in when she went to the theater with Kingsland—but she thought it might serve as a reminder that the duke was her future, even as she traveled in the coach to see a man who should remain in her past.
Perhaps he wouldn’t give her any attention this evening, and that would be all for the good, even as she knew she wouldn’t tolerate his ignoring her. Not completely. If Wilhelmina was holding a glass of red wine, which Kathryn dearly hoped she was, then she would insist that he give her the grand tour.
She did want to see the place, every nook and cranny. Since the night he’d shown her the vacant building, she’d imagined countless times how it might have looked if he ever acquired it. Wilhelmina had the right of it. She’d noticed little save him once she’d heard his voice, once the giant barring her way had moved aside and Griff had stood before her. So she would go tonight, see what she wanted to see, and be done with it all. Be done with him.
Before rumors reached the duke.
No closed doors. No whispered words. No kisses. No touches. No moans.
Griff had known she’d come. It was the reason he’d been standing at the curve of the stairs, halfway up them, so he had a good view of the door. Every other night since he’d first opened, he’d gloried in the abundance of people streaming in. The curious, the extras, the