Page 69 of Only Pleasure Will Do

Slow and stately, they danced about one another. The minuet afforded couples the time to look one another over, take in their grace, their form, their ease of motion. Lord Arrington danced very well for one so young. She’d wager he was younger than her by more than two years. Perhaps in need of ready money, so her inheritance would be attractive to him. But then that would be true of most of the men she danced with tonight. Marriage was a game of advantages, not emotions. One usually married for money or position—or security, in the case of women. Fondness for one another didn’t always count for much in a marriage, which was why so many men came to the House of Pleasure or took mistresses for whom they had tender feelings.

She and Lord Arrington continued to circle one another, their steps light and quick, the mirror image of each other. Her gaze went suddenly to his face, his pleasant smile unchanged from when he had offered his arm. Behind that mask, likely he was calculating her interest in him as well. A conventional marriage needed nothing more than the agreement of the two parties and their families. The result would be no words of warmth, no shared feelings, no passion between them, save the purely physical kind. Only duty. She might as well remain in the House of Pleasure where at least she had a measure of control over her life.

Taking hands with Lord Arrington again, circling around and around, her decision became clear as the crystal vase that sat on her dresser. She would not give this young gentleman false hope for even a moment. They moved apart once again, Maddy turning around, all eyes on her still. She moved back toward the young lord, hands outstretched. In this last figure, he was supposed to take both her hands and circle around, but she kept them just out of reach.

He frowned, his pleasant mask slipping just a bit, but it was best this way. They backed away from one another, bowed to the company, bowed to each other, then Maddy took his arm and he led her back toward her group of friends, his friendly smile back in place. “Thank you, Miss Forrester. I would never hope to have a more graceful partner.”

“You are kind, my lord. I’m certain, however, you are mistaken. It is I who can claim to have had the most elegant of partners. Such exquisite form is extremely rare in one as young as you.” Too young for her by far. “I daresay your next partner will please you more than I.”

Thankfully, they had arrived at Kat.

“May I dare ask for a second dance, Miss Forrester?” Lord Arrington had tenacity, she’d give him that. If he were a racehorse, she’d wager her fortune on him.

“I believe I am engaged for the rest of the evening, my lord.” She cut her gaze at Kat as if to confirm. “As it is my first ball, Lady Dalbury suggested it would be more appropriate for me to dance only once with each gentleman, so that I might make the acquaintance of as many as possible. But thank you, my lord. You have been most kind.” Maddy curtsied, but made no further effort at pleasantries.

“My gratitude as well, Lord Arrington,” Kat chimed in at last. “And that of Lord Dalbury. You were the perfect partner for dear Miss Forrester’s first dance. Our compliments to you.” The marchioness nodded, stared into his deep blue eyes, and silently dismissed him.

Lord Arrington shifted uncomfortably for a moment then bowed. “Thank you, my lady. Miss Forrester.”

Kat nodded briefly then took Maddy’s arm and turned them toward their friends. “I see we must work more with you on schooling your face,” she said, sotto voce.

“Why do you say that?” Maddy had been sure she’d kept that sickly smile on her face the whole dance. Her cheeks still ached with the effort.

“You have come to some sort of decision, Maddy. I could see the determination clear across the ballroom when you were dancing with Arrington.” Kat laughed, for the world as though Maddy had said something amusing. “If you would keep it between us, chatter as though you are telling me about your handsome partner.”

“I have made a choice about my life, Kat. For better or worse.” She couldn’t reveal the plan she and Reginald had for this evening. Not until he arrived, anyway. She could, however, lay the foundation for their coming revelation. Calling on the training she had tried desperately to ignore, Maddy summoned Amorina’s cool detachment and smiled. “I will not submit to a conventional marriage, no matter how advantageous you or anyone else may think it is. I endured seven years of tyranny at the hands of a ‘gentleman.’ I’ll not submit one moment more of my life to a man for whom I have no feeling and who has no regard for me other than how advantageous I will be to his bank account.” She looked defiantly into Kat’s startled face. “I swear to you I will not do it.”

* * * *

Reginald had paced the length of the library seven times at least until the door opened, admitting Lord Dalbury’s tall frame. Although he’d known Dalbury for well over a year now—very well, in fact, as the man had married his cousin—he couldn’t help but be wary of him. The marquess had the well-deserved reputation of getting exactly what he wanted, and despite his claims to the contrary, Reginald suspected that Dalbury had an ulterior motive for taking such an interest in Maddy. He’d had gone above and beyond trying to make amends for his misdeeds with her, or rather with Amorina Vestry. Time for him to relinquish any claim to the woman and let Reginald do what they both wished.

“Grayson gave me word you were here.” Dalbury made a beeline for the sideboard and poured two hefty libations. The man could drink anywhere, anytime, any amount and remain cold sober. No one’s tolerance was that high. “Aren’t you supposed to be out in the ball room acting as escort to the fair Maddy?”

“I am, but I need to speak to you, Dalbury.” Reginald seized the glass and gulped down a third of it then wheezed as the potent cognac seared his throat. “As you insist on acting as guardian to Maddy, I wanted to be the first gentleman here tonight to make an official offer for her hand.”

“Oh, did you?” Dalbury peered at him over his glass. “What makes you so sure you are the first?”

A chill raced down Reginald’s back. Maddy technically was not “out” until tonight, however, it was not unheard of for gentlemen to inquire about a young lady beforehand and make their intentions known. Just as he was doing now. “Has someone else made an offer of marriage to her?”

“A gentleman called last week, according to Grayson, with a note for Miss Forrester. Fortunately, I had already instructed him that if any such note should arrive for her, he would take said note to the lady but make no effort to stop her from meeting the man.”

“The devil you did.” Reginald shook his head. He’d sworn the butler to secrecy. “I would have thought Grayson the soul of discretion. He promised to say nothing.”

“The last time I looked, Grayson worked for me, not you.” Dalbury peered at him and waited.

After what seemed a lifetime, Reginald set his glass down on the sideboard. “Yes, of course it was me. I had to see her, Dalbury. It had been above a week. I wished to tell her…to ask her…” Dash it, this was deucedly awkward when it came down to it. “I asked her to marry me.”

“According to Grayson, a great deal more than a proposal took place that afternoon.” Dalbury glared at him.

Reginald stared straight back at him. “So you now stoop to having your guests spied upon by your household staff, Dalbury? Is this a new fashion you wish to set?”

“I mean to know what goes on in my household,” Dalbury leaned forward until his face was dangerously close to Reginald’s, “especially with regard to a young woman who is at a point of delicate balance in her life. I wish to make certain no one else takes advantage of her.”

“You hardly need to worry about that where I am concerned, surely.”

“Do I know that, Matthews?” Dalbury’s question caught him off guard, so all he could do was stare at the man, indignation rising to a fever pitch.

“You should damn well know it.” Reginald seethed at the insinuation. “I’ve admired Maddy since before she even had an inheritance. I was fully prepared to marry her two weeks ago, but you and Kat seemed to think that plan wasn’t good enough. Instead, you have made her miserable, trying to make her fit into a society that will shun her for the rest of her life if they ever find out about her past.” Staring the marquess down, Reginald stepped toward him, furious that the man had apparently been ignoring the obvious. “And you know someone will recognize her. At some point, you know it will happen.”

Dalbury shrugged and set his glass down. “Perhaps, perhaps not. Or if someone thinks they recognize a brothel madam in a sweet, innocent young woman, both she and the rest of us will simply deny it. There is no proof of it, no way for anyone to be completely certain.”

“That will hardly be convincing.”

The marquess seated himself behind the polished walnut desk, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back. “There have been many cases of mistaken identity that the public knows well. The Lord Crosby’s first footman is the very image of Lord Foxhill, which has caused Foxhill no end of embarrassment. Sir Henry Grabble has been mistaken for Lord Smythe-Carlton more than once at their club, just to name two. We will put forth those and other examples and simply reject anyone’s accusation.” He smiled and a chill crawled down Reginald’s neck. “Trevor, Manning, Morley, and I will also make it clear that anyone who puts forth such a claim would undergo a challenge from not one but all of us. I suspect that will deter even the most self-righteous gentlemen.”

Quite likely it would. All of those men, but especially Dalbury, were expert swordsmen and duelists. Anyone willingly crossing swords with any of them was taking his life in his hands. “I must agree with that, Dalbury. It reassures me more than anything else your little cabal has put in place.”

“I am glad to hear you approve of something, Matthews.” The marquess smirked. “If you are to be the favored suitor, you must join the line of Maddy’s champions. Hell, when you two are officially betrothed, you will go to the head of that line to defend her honor.”

“A conundrum given my present profession.” Being a magistrate would mean he could not officially condone a duel, not even one he fought in himself.

“That, my dear fellow, is your problem to solve.”

“One among many and no solution in sight for any of them. Best wait and see then.” Reginald nodded grimly.

“Very well.” Dalbury rose. “We must return to the ballroom. Maddy should have had her first dance already and is likely inundated with offers for all the rest. You’d best pray she’s saved one for you, else you are not likely to get close to her until the Trevors’ ball day after tomorrow.”

As he hurried after the marquess, who was striding out the door as if hellhounds were chasing them, Reginald smiled. Maddy had promised to save at least one dance for him, so he need not worry whether or not he would dance with her before the night was over. They simply needed to figure out when would be the most auspicious moment to dash the hopes of every other gentleman in the ballroom.