To Capture a Duke's Heart Page 8

  Puffing out his chest with exaggerated pride, Rafael’s mouth split into a wide grin. “Told me I have the most beautifully shaped ears she’s ever seen.”

  Gabriel stared at his brother in utter bewilderment.

  “Now that I think about it they are rather nice-looking, especially my lobes.” Rafael raised his hand and rubbed his left earlobe between his thumb and forefinger.

  Gabriel regarded his brother incomprehensibly for several more seconds before finally asking, “Have you gone completely daft?”

  “Perhaps that’s why so many women like to nibble on them,” he mused, ignoring his brother’s question.

  “Nibble on what?” Michael asked as he came up behind them.

  “My earlobes.”

  Gabriel emitted a wearied sigh and rolled his eyes upward to the host of cherubs frolicking upon the painted ceiling.

  “I’ve recently learned that my ears are quite appealing to the fairer sex,” Rafael informed his twin.

  Michael nary missed a beat as his eyes went directly to his brother’s ears, angling his head first to the left and then to the right as if he were giving serious consideration to the ridiculous notion. “I never noticed it before, but I have to admit they are rather nice,” he ultimately agreed, his expression deadpan, “and ideally proportioned in relation to the size of your head.”

  “Oh for God’s sake,” Gabriel muttered in exasperation, eyeing both Michael and Rafael in disgust. And with that he turned and walked away, mumbling to himself about the injustice of having been saddled with a pair of imbeciles for brothers.

  “So, would you mind telling me what that was all about?” Michael inquired with an amused grin, once Gabriel was no longer within earshot.

  Rafael chuckled. “Just giving His Grace a little nudge.”

  “In any particular direction?” he asked. “And what, pray tell, do your ears have to do with it?”

  Smiling, Rafael clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Come along Michael, let’s have a drink and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  As the night progressed Penny was growing increasingly anxious, for as she returned from a brief visit to the lady’s retiring room she could see that the orchestra was preparing for the next set and first waltz of the evening and the Duke of Ainsworth had yet to approach her for the dance he’d requested. Only slightly comforting was the knowledge that he hadn’t danced with any of the other young ladies in attendance either, only stepping onto the dance floor once in fact, with their hostess, Lady Gilchrist. Hesitating then just beyond the threshold, she scanned the room, searching for the duke’s commanding figure.

  She took a few more steps into the room, her eyes still searching when she spotted one of Eleanor’s cousins, Mr. Fitzgerald, moving purposefully in her direction. Oh drat, she thought in dismay, for while Mr. Fitzgerald was a pleasant enough fellow he seemed to have only two interests in life, sheep and sheep farming. As such, during their last conversation she had been subjected to a rather lengthy account of the North Country Cheviot’s most notable characteristics, as well as the breed’s superiority in comparison to the Devon Longwolled variety of wool-producing sheep. Even so, she resisted the urge to turn and flee back to the safety of the retiring room and instead affixed a polite smile upon her face as she prepared herself to receive another lesson in sheep rearing.

  Thus it came as quite a surprise when Mr. Fitzgerald suddenly halted his forward progress in seeming midstride. Surprising her even further, he politely tipped his head and then promptly turned away, hastening in the opposite direction. How very odd, she thought, watching curiously as he disappeared back into the milling crowd.

  “If I’m not mistaken, I believe the orchestra is cuing up for a waltz.”

  Hearing the quietly spoken statement over her shoulder, Penny spun around and came face to face with the very person she had been searching for just moments ago. “Your Grace,” she uttered, her stomach doing a crazy little flip flop at the sight of him. Goodness, wherever had he come from, she wondered?

  “Lady Penelope,” he greeted with an engaging smile. “You’re enjoying the night’s entertainment, I hope?”

  “Indeed,” she replied a tad breathlessly. “It’s been a wonderful evening thus far.”

  “I’m delighted to hear it,” he responded warmly. “If you are amenable, I was hoping you might honor the promise you made at breakfast, though I suppose I probably should ascertain if all of your toes are still intact before I officially request the next dance.”

  Penny blinked. “My toes?”

  “I saw you dancing with the Marquess of Farleigh before the intermission,” he clarified. “The man’s a jolly good fellow,” he continued in a hushed tone, “but notorious for having two left feet.”

  “Ah.” Penny nodded as understanding dawned. “It was thoughtful of you to inquire, Your Grace, but you needn’t worry,” she assured him with a lighthearted expression, “for my toes are as yet unscathed.”

  “Well that’s a relief,” he replied with a surprisingly earnest expression, “as I would have been exceedingly disappointed to have lost my opportunity to partner you on the dance floor.”

  “As would I, Your Grace,” Penny professed, offering him a shy smile in return.

  Would you do me the honor then?” He raised his hand, motioning toward the dance floor.

  “Yes, of course.” To Penny it felt as if a kaleidoscope of butterflies had suddenly taken flight within her stomach, for this was the moment she’d been waiting for all evening. Her very first waltz and ‘twas to be with the Duke of Ainsworth of all people, she mused in silent wonder, scarcely able to believe her good fortune. Placing her fingers within the crook of his elbow, she followed him onto the dance floor, her heart beating wildly within her chest.

  “I must confess that this is to be my first official waltz,” she informed him with another shy smile.

  “Well I shall consider myself the most fortunate of gentlemen then, for it is said that a lady never forgets her first waltz or the gentleman who partnered her.”

  “In that case, Your Grace, I can assure you that I consider myself most fortunate as well,” she replied softly, knowing with absolute certainty that each and every second of the next several minutes would be emblazoned upon her memory for all of eternity.

  The unexpected artlessness of her reply, combined with the subtle hint of desire he saw reflected in the depths of her eyes as she gazed up at him, caused the breath to catch momentarily within Gabriel’s throat. He recovered himself quickly, however, as they took their place amongst the other couples gathered on the dance floor and within seconds the air within his chest was moving freely once again. Even so, he could hardly discount the singularity of his reaction, for whilst he had garnered literally hundreds of similar, desirous gazes throughout his lifetime, none had ever affected him quite like that.

  As Penny and the duke assumed their positions, she felt another one of those exhilarating little tremors run along her spine as she placed her hand upon his broad shoulder, just as he settled his at her waist. Good gracious, but the man sent her senses reeling in the most delightful way, she thought in silent wonder.

  With scant inches now separating them, Gabriel took Penelope’s other hand within his; and as the musicians took up their instruments and the beginning strains of Josef Lanner’s Mille Fleurs filled the room, he guided her into the steps of the lilting Viennese waltz.

  To Penny it felt as if she were floating on air, the soles of her satin dancing slippers nary touching the parquet flooring beneath her feet. For while it was true that the marquess hadn’t been the most graceful of partners, in comparison to the sheer effortlessness of the duke’s movements as he spun her about the floor, one would think she had been dancing with a lumbering ox just a short time before. Even her dancing master hadn’t moved with such inherent grace, nor had he evoked anything even remotely similar to the wild, dizzying pleasure she experienced as the duke held her in his arms, her eyes riveted upon his handso
me countenance.

  She knew that she was staring, but Heaven help her she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from the beautifully sculpted planes of his face or the captivating depths of his extraordinary green eyes, eyes that seemed to beckon her like the lure of a siren’s song.

  Looking upon Penelope’s upturned face as she gazed at him through wide, adoring eyes, Gabriel felt an unmistakable rush of desire course throughout his body, much as he’d experienced the night before; and without conscious thought his fingers tightened just a fraction upon her waist, drawing her another inch closer as they moved in seamless harmony to the music’s languid tempo. Holding her thus, with his fingers curved around her narrow waistline and her long, slender neck, smooth, rounded shoulders and lush, milky-white bosom mere inches from his pressed white shirtfront, he drew in a slow, deep breath as the fragrance he’d noted during the recital swirled around him, the delicious scent even more intoxicating than he remembered. And irrational as the notion was, he wanted nothing more in that moment than to sweep the beguiling miss up into his arms, carry her from the ballroom, deposit her into his bed and strip that pretty lavender gown from her delectable body.

  Unfortunately, however, carting the Earl of Beckford’s innocent young daughter off to his bed in the midst of the Cunningham’s affair was hardly an option. Thus, with a determined effort he did his best to redirect his nefarious thoughts. “I hope, Lady Penelope,” he began, breaking the silence between them, “that you are enjoying your first waltz?”

  Willing herself to stop staring at the duke like a silly, besotted peagoose, Penny forced herself to blink as he awaited her reply. “Indeed, Your Grace, I am enjoying it immensely,” she declared with a gracious smile; though in all honesty to say that she was enjoying it immensely was nothing short of a gross understatement. In fact, immeasurably, infinitely or incalculably would serve as a far more accurate assessment, for truly it felt as if she were in the midst of a dream.

  “I’m glad,” Gabriel responded, returning her smile with one of his own.

  “It’s such a beautiful dance; it’s a shame it took so long to gain acceptance in Society.”

  Gabriel nodded. “I couldn’t agree more. Although, despite its now favorable reception, you might be surprised to know that there are still a handful of Society matrons who consider the waltz to be quite decadent and staunchly refuse to allow it to be performed within their ballrooms.”

  “Truly?” Considering the effect the duke’s proximity was having upon her already heightened senses, she supposed it was rather decadent, albeit delightfully so.

  “Oh yes,” he assured her. “You needn’t fear, however,” he continued with an encouraging smile, “as I am entirely certain that for you this will be only the first of many waltzes to come as there are far more ballrooms in London that allow it than not; and once you make your debut the gentlemen are sure to keep your dance card filled.” Hell, he mused, with the combination of Penelope Houghton’s extraordinary beauty, youthful innocence and budding sensuality, the Town’s eligible young bucks would likely be bowling one another over to secure a spot on her card.

  “Well, I’m not so sure about that,” Penny replied in a quiet, unassuming tone, “but even so it is difficult to imagine that any of my future partners could possibly compare to you, Your Grace.” Then realizing how her words may have sounded, she was quick to clarify her statement. “Compare to your expertise on the dance floor, that is,” she hastened to say. “In fact, I’m quite sure that my former dance instructor would marvel at your skill.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “You can thank my mother for that if the two of you should ever chance to meet, for she loved to dance and insisted that each of her sons be proficient in the art.”

  “Oh?”

  “Indeed,” he replied with a rather doleful expression. “Much to our youthful indignation, my brothers and I were required to spend hours under the tutelage of one of London’s most celebrated and exacting dance masters.”

  “How incredibly awful for you all,” Penny replied with a teasing smile. “Your mother must have been a dreadful tyrant.”

  Gabriel couldn’t help but grin. “I confess that I may have thought so at the time. However,” he continued, his expression sobering slightly as he regarded the enchanting young woman in his arms, “it is on the occasion such as this that I freely acknowledge the error in my judgement.”

  Oh my, Penny thought, his words sending the kaleidoscope of butterflies she’d felt earlier fliting about within her stomach once again.

  “Would you care for a refreshment, my lady?”

  Maryanne briefly shifted her malevolent gaze to the inquiring footman as she accepted one of the crystal flutes from the silver serving tray he held aloft, and then promptly returned her focus to the center of the ballroom, watching through narrowed eyes as the Duke of Ainsworth spun her stepdaughter in graceful, sweeping turns across the parquet floor.

  “Bastard,” she cursed under her breath. Then raising the champagne glass to her lips, she downed nearly half the contents in a single swallow.

  “They make a lovely couple, don’t they?” Lady Gilchrist commented as she came to stand at Maryanne’s side a few seconds later.

  “Oh, who’s that?”

  “Why Penelope and the duke of course,” the countess replied with a radiant smile. “I think he’s taken quite a fancy to her,” she proclaimed, turning her gaze back to the dance floor.

  Maryanne didn’t respond. Instead, she raised the crystal flute in her hand, swallowing the remaining portion of her champagne before returning her own gaze back to the couples revolving gracefully within the center of the room.

  “In fact,” the countess continued, seemingly oblivious to Maryanne’s lack of response, “Eleanor informed me that Ainsworth could scarcely take his eyes off of Penny last night during the recital. And then, this afternoon Lady Marsh mentioned that she had seen the two breakfasting together this morning.”

  Maryanne’s head swung around. “Did she?”

  Lady Gilchrist nodded exuberantly. “Isn’t it wonderful,” she gushed. “To think, Maryanne, that if all goes well our darling Penny could very well become the next Duchess of Ainsworth.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Eliza,” Maryanne replied brusquely. “Everyone knows that Ainsworth is on the verge of offering for Cecelia Penworthy.”

  “Oh twaddle.” Lady Gilchrist waved her hand dismissively. “Tis only gossip at this point. Besides, you know as well as I that nothing is official until the contracts have been signed.”

  “Really, Eliza, I hardly think-”

  “Oh dear,” the countess interrupted as her focus was suddenly redirected toward something over Maryanne’s shoulder. “You’ll have to excuse me, Maryanne, for I see Eugenia motioning to me quite frantically from across the room.”

  “Yes, of course. Do see to your daughter,” Maryanne replied with a benevolent smile, a smile that abruptly disappeared as the countess hurried away to attend Eugenia.

  It was to Penny’s infinite disappointment when the music slowly began to fade and her waltz with the duke slowly drew to its end, as she would have been utterly content to spend the remainder of the evening clasped within the breadth of his tantalizing embrace. But as that wasn’t a possibility, she simply smiled and offered a polite thank you as he released her and took a step back.

  “It was my utmost pleasure, Lady Penelope,” the duke assured her with an answering smile. “Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to share another during the upcoming Season.”

  Yes please! “I would like that very much, Your Grace.”

  As the duke led her from the dance floor, Penny was pleasantly surprised to see Michael Ashcroft leading Eleanor from the floor as well. Heavens, with her attention focused entirely upon the duke during their waltz, she hadn’t even noticed them amongst the other couples. But how perfectly wonderful, she thought, for now both she and Eleanor would be able to look back upon their first waltzes with the fondest of memories.
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br />   Catching her friend’s eye, she and Eleanor shared a meaningful look as the two Ashcroft brothers escorted them to their respective parents. And then, just a few minutes later they snuck off to a private corner where they proceeded to discuss every glorious detail of the momentous event.

  After depositing Lady Penelope at her father’s side, Gabriel noted a number of expectant glances cast his way as the next set was announced. Damn! Clearly his waltz with the Earl of Beckford’s daughter had given renewed hope to the host of young, unmarried ladies in attendance, he realized in dismay. And so, eager to escape the sudden barrage of fluttering eyelashes, inviting smiles and come-hither expressions, he determined that a breath of fresh air would do him a great deal of good and promptly made a beeline toward the nearest set of doors leading out to the rear terrace.

  Nodding politely to the handful of people meandering about the open space, he continued on until he found an unoccupied section of the patio and the sounds coming from the ballroom’s open doors slowly began to fade. Glancing around, he made certain that there was no one else about before leaning forward and resting his forearms atop the smooth marble balustrade. The cool evening breeze was a welcome change after the warmth of the ballroom and he couldn’t help but emit a contented sigh as it lightly ruffled his hair.

  Turning his gaze to the cloudless sky, he marveled at the sheer number of stars visible in the night sky, so very different from the dim, hazy view one was most often afforded in the midst of the city. Standing there, he allowed his thoughts to drift until they turned invariably to Lady Penelope as they had done with increasing frequency since the day before. She intrigued him, he realized, and made him want to know more about her life, her character, her interests and her passions. And of course, recalling the hot rush of desire that had flooded his loins as he’d held her on the dance floor, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like to see her lying naked upon his bed, to run his hands across her smooth, ivory skin and trace his lips across every last inch of her sweet, delectable body. He swallowed hard, feeling his cock begin to throb within his trousers. Hell, Cecelia Penworthy had never made his cock so much as twitch, he acknowledged with a sudden frown.