Page 48 of Last Night with the Duke
“If you’re going,” Lady Sara said, “I want to.”
Making a waving motion with her hands, Esmeralda said, “All of you, please go ahead.” She quickly glanced at her surroundings. “I’ll stand over there and observe from that rise.”
Esmeralda kept her gaze on the twins as she walked the short distance. After they melted into the crowd, she knew exactly where the girls were because of the twins’ parasols. It was fascinating to see how effortlessly the juggler kept the leather balls in the air. But he soon tired out and stepped aside. Then the marionette show began. She couldn’t hear everything that was said, but judging by the laughter and clapping, all were enjoying the puppets’ antics.
The crowd grew larger as time passed and, unexpectedly, she realized someone had moved very close to her. Someone warm. Comforting. Someone too close. An arm brushed against hers as they clapped. Her body tingled. She knew it was the duke who had come up beside her.
Esmeralda turned her head and stared up at him. Her stomach turned a slow, easy summersault. Joy filled her at the sight of him. He was so divinely handsome she was tempted to throw her arms around him, hug him close, and tell him how good it made her feel just to see him.
“Hello, Miss Swift.”
Pushing all those delicious feminine feelings aside, she asked, “Your Grace, is something wrong?”
He glanced over the crowd in front of them and said, “Not as far as I can see. Why?”
She frowned and pursed her lips before saying, “That’s too bad. I was hoping there was.”
“You’re upset that nothing is wrong?” An inquisitive expression settled on his face. “Why is that?”
“I was hoping there was something amiss so it wouldn’t feel as if you were here in the park to check up on me.” Her gaze briefly darted to the basket in his hand and the blanket thrown across his arm. “That is what you’re doing, isn’t it?”
He gave her a good-natured smile. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
She didn’t want to get caught up in the magical feelings that always assailed her whenever they were talking, so she looked away and gave her attention back to the parasols and puppet show. She would have loved to have been offended by his arrival, but she wasn’t. As hard as it was to admit, no matter the reason, she was happy to see him.
“Any other gentleman would have denied such a breach in common decency and here you are almost boasting about it.”
“Ah, but I knew you would have seen right through my attempt to be so noble. So why do it, right?”
“Still, you could have tried in order to save my feelings.”
“That’s true. I’ll do my best to be more gentlemanly next time I want to see if you have everything under control.”
“I will have to give you high marks for being honest about why you have followed us here.”
“That’s a good sign, at least. Tell me, did the twins come below stairs dressed alike for you this week?”
Her head snapped around and her gaze caught his. “How did you know? Did you tell them to do it?”
“Me? No. Believe me, those two don’t need coaxing from anyone to be mischievous. It’s been one of their favorite things to do since they were little girls. Guests of the Griffin family have always been treated to the twins dressing differently on one day and then dressing identical on another. It was probably Lady Evelyn who first gave them the idea. They get an enormous amount of delight out of confusing people about who is who.”
“The girls did seem to relish seeing me perplexed. Maybe it would have been easier if I were more familiar with them.”
He grinned. “How did you do?”
“Quite well, oddly enough. I knew I had a fifty-fifty chance of getting their names right, and luck was with me. I called the right name each time I needed to.”
“I’m not surprised you were so intuitive, but I bettheywere.”
His praise pleased her. She smiled and remained quiet.
“Most of our guests would end up being so flustered by seeing double that they wouldn’t try to get their names right. They would just say ‘my lady.’”
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t given that option.”
“After you’ve been around for a few more days, you’ll be able to tell them apart no matter how they are dressed.”
“It’s already getting easier.”
