Page 27 of Once Upon a Devilish Duke

Marianne smiled as Lord Faulkton and Lord Mitchell came to claim their dance.

“Edward, must you embarrass your sister in such a way? You know how she feels about that man,” his mother said.

“Mother, if you took the time to actually remember back, even though Dunstan was pursuing Lucinda, it was Marianne he had eyes for.”

“I never saw such a thing. He seemed devoted to Lucinda until…well, you know.”

He bent down towards his mother’s ear to whisper, “Trust me, Marianne is half in love with him.”

“Half?” she asked with an arched brow.

“The other half may hate him right now, but I suspect that will change.”

“You are surely not matchmaking.”

“Not matchmaking, Mother, just letting fate take its course.”

His mother frowned up at him. “You really do need sleep. You have become delusional.”

That made him smile. “We will see. We will see.”

Marianne may have eluded Dunstan tonight, but she could not claim a full dance card at every ball. Plus, he wanted to bend the man’s ear about what he might have heard in the House. Dunstan went far more often than Edward did and was trained to look for the unusual. He could be useful, and not just to him. He knew his sister well enough to know she was not immune to Dunstan. She may be playing the betrayed heroine right now, but once she saw through the hurt to the man, Edward would bet his title that she would fall. And then his worst fears might come true. But for his sister he would embrace the loneliness that would come with her marriage to the Earl of Dunstan.

*

Charles Ashton sat uncomfortably in the parlor of Warrington House, trying not to look at Edward. He wrung his hands and let his left leg jig up and down until his wife, Gabrielle, placed her hand on his thigh. “I actually think this will be good for you,” she said, glancing up at Edward, who leaned carelessly against the mantel of the fireplace. “Your brother is only asking for a little help.”

“How much help, though? You know I have responsibilities to the Royal Institution and the Royal Society of London,” he said, looking over at Edward.

Edward sighed. “All I need for you to do is correspond with Carter on estate matters, and if there are any problems, then you may inform me. As you are usually at Harlow Manor for most of the year, I would think you are the perfect person to deal with such matters.”

Charles tugged on his cuffs. “So, because you are too stubborn to return to Ashtonvale, I must look after it? Have you not already pushed your greatest responsibility on the rest of us?”

This he had not expected from his mild-mannered brother. He was speechless for a few moments, not sure whether to yell or try to keep calm instead. His anger reared. “I will not explain myself to you. I am the duke and you are my heir. Do your duty and do not worry about mine.”

Gabrielle gasped, and Charles went red. Perhaps his tone had been a little harder than he had intended, but really, he deserved it. “I ask little of you, Charles. The least you can do is this small favor.”

Charles looked at Gabrielle, who nodded. “Fine,” he said. “I will have a footman come and retrieve the correspondence.”

“I will make sure it is ready.”

Charles nodded and stood, offering his hand to his wife. They left without even a goodbye, but Edward did hear his brother say, “He did not even offer us tea.”

Chapter Seven

The next day, as the ladies were finishing up their morning calls, Dunstan arrived with half a dozen paintings, all brought in by footmen and placed around the room. Marianne stood motionless as the covered paintings were placed on stands and then left. Edward had watched the procession from the foyer where he had met Dunstan and then ushered the man into the parlor.

“Ladies, Lord Dunstan has brought us some of his paintings to look at. I am going to commission him to do a landscape of Ashtonvale.”

Marianne laughed and turned away towards the fireplace.

He was mildly amused by her reaction. “My sister wonders why I would want such a painting. Am I right, Marianne?”

She turned back to him with a glare that was also not an expression she usually wore. “You are. I am all ears for your explanation.”

“I must admit I am too,” his mother said, all confusion.

Rose sat silently, watching. Clearly, she was waiting for his answer as well.