On a Wild Duke Chase: The Wayward Woodvilles Book 2 Read online

  They entered the parlor, a large room that ran a good portion of the lower part of the house. At one end stood a pianoforte and several other instruments. Fireplaces were adorned with hothouse flowers, and the terrace doors were open, letting in a cooling breeze and an abundance of light.

  There were already many people in the room, huddled in little groups and talking jovially with each other.

  Harlow came up to her, her face expressing what Isla was feeling inside. "There are so many people here. Do these house parties usually invite what looks to be the entire ton?"

  Isla shrugged, unsure herself, having never been to such an event before. "If we include ourselves in conversations and be pleasant, I'm certain they will welcome us. I think the fact that my sister is now the Duchess of Derby will help us this fortnight."

  "I do hope so," Harlow said, walking before her into the room.

  Isla felt a presence beside her and turned to find Lord Leigh smiling down at her. "You look a little startled by all of this, Miss Woodville. Have you never been to a house party before?" he asked, keeping beside her as she headed for an unoccupied settee.

  "No, I have not, and I must confess to being a little nervous about it all. Do you know what happens at these events? Is there anything specific that you think I should know?"

  He waited for her to sit and then joined her, lounging back on the settee as if this were his own home. He crossed his legs, and his muscular thighs drew her eye once again before she severed her ogling and looked out at the other guests. Several ladies seemed quite interested in her conversation with Lord Leigh already. Was the man a catch and highly sought after?

  "The usual. Games on the lawn, cards, and dinner parties at night. A musical evening I should think, and several picnics. I believe we are having a hunt, although more for the ride about the estate than trying to hunt an actual fox. It's not the season for such things. I think you will enjoy your time here," he said, his eyes dipping to her lips.

  She swallowed, fighting the urge to lick them just in case there was some piece of food or blotch of some sort he was looking at that she had not been aware of.

  Instead, she wiped at her mouth with her fingers, hoping she did not look like a complete foolish twit.

  "I'm sorry I did not make your sister and the duke's wedding. I had business in London that I could not get away from, which kept me from attending. I heard it was lovely, however."

  "It was a beautiful wedding, and I'm very happy for them both. Before traveling to Paris, they are on their way down to Kent now, to the duke's ancestral home. They will be returning for the Season next year."

  "I am happy for them,” Lord Leigh said, a wistful smile on his lips.

  Isla studied him and thanked a passing footman who handed her a glass of wine. "Well, isn't it a little early for wine?" She smiled, taking a sip of the drink in any case. She glanced about the room and spied Harlow in conversation with two young women of similar age. She seemed comfortable, which pleased Isla. Neither of them was used to such company. They were a long way from Grafton now.

  "It is never too early for such beverages, Miss Woodville," his lordship teased, sipping his wine, his mischief-filled eyes meeting hers over the rim of his glass. Isla took a deep breath and tried to relax. While these people may not be whom she was used to conversing with or socializing with, she would not disappoint her family or bring shame to Hailey, who now stood at the top of such social standings in London. She would behave, do as everyone else did, and then return home.

  "Lord Billington said we may do whatever we pleased today. So we can explore the gardens and house? Is that allowed?"

  "Of course. In fact, there is a highly regarded portrait gallery upstairs. Its prospect also looks out onto part of the prettiest visages of the grounds. If you would like to see it, I could escort you. With your maid, of course."

  "Isla nodded, having always enjoyed exploring and finding out tidbits of information pertaining to a place or family. She supposed it came from her love of reading mysteries and gothic tales where there was always something exciting to uncover or happening.

  "I would enjoy that, my lord. Thank you for being so thoughtful to me."

  "Of course." He gave her an odd look before smiling. "We are friends, are we not?"

  Warmth spread through her at his considerate words. She had never had a gentleman sit beside her and be so kind. Speak to her and be interested in keeping her company and entertained. It was a novel thing she had to admit she could get used to. Even though she had not wanted to come to this lofty house party, perchance it would not be so bad. Not if she had friends such as Lord Leigh to keep her and Harlow company.

  Several footmen and maids entered the parlor with trays filled with sandwiches, meat, bread, fruit pies, and biscuits. Isla had never seen so much food before in her life, and she was certain that even with all the guests who were here already at Lord Billington's estate, even if every one of them ate something, there would be a terrible amount of food left over.

  "Come, break your fast, and then we can explore the house and take in the portrait gallery upstairs. I fear if you do not eat, you will expire upon walking the gallery, for it is terribly long."

  Isla laughed and stood. "Well, I would hate for that to occur." She started over to the food and knew Lord Leigh was following close behind. A shiver of awareness slipped down her spine, and she reveled in the feel of it. For the first time in her life, she felt alive, vibrant, and someone's point of interest.

  No, she decided. This house party wasn't so bad after all. Not with Lord Leigh chasing her skirts about in any case.

  Chapter

  Three

  Duke walked about the parlor after dishing up a plate of food for luncheon. He stood to the side of the room, allowing Miss Woodville and her friend to converse alone. He could understand her nervousness about attending such a party. The young woman had been foisted into the world of the ton through her sister's marriage, and it would be a lot to take in and become accustomed to.

  Thrown before men like himself. Men who needed a rich wife to keep the home fires burning. If only his life were so simple as that.

  You're a bastard for tricking these innocent ladies into a loveless marriage.

  He took the opportunity to see who was in attendance for the fortnight. Lady Francesca Lincoln was here. The poor unfortunate woman resembled his horse more than a prospective wife. His gaze moved on to Lady Susan Craig and Lady Martha Daniels, both of whom were huddled together laughing about something they were discussing. All three ladies were from extremely wealthy families, and all possessed dowries that represented that wealth.

  Dowries that he needed. But who had the most was what he needed to find out, and then he could act the besotted, courting fool and marry one of them.

  He cringed, throwing a strawberry into his mouth and masticating it until it was liquified. He knew he was a bastard for marrying for money, and had his father not thrown it at anyone he asked to play cards with, he knew he would not be in this position. But he was, and there was little he could do about it.

  Duke sighed, knowing he could not blame his father entirely, who, for all his faults, had been kind to him at least. Even if he was an atrocious husband. The thought brought up his mother and his inability to save her from the suffering she endured.

  He needed a wife with an abundance of funds to ensure the survival of his ancestral home and the running of the great estate and the London town house while also bringing his mother home. She did not deserve the treatment his father meted out, and he would save her.

  He just needed a rich wife before he could act so noble.

  Lady Martha noted his interest and sauntered up to him, her mischievous smile something he could become accustomed to. She was pretty, if not a little short for his liking, but she was wealthy and no doubt would come into more money and property when her father passed away since she was his only daughter and anything unentailed may be given as a gift to her. It was a possib
ility. They were, after all, a close family from all reports.

  "Lady Martha," he took her hand, kissing the top of her gloved fingers, "you look utterly lovely today. I hope the drive up to York was not too taxing for you."

  "Not at all, Lord Leigh. I'm always up for an adventure."

  He raised his brow, noting the husky, seductive quality of her voice. The woman may be moving to the front of his list of three for a potential bride. He laughed, sipping his drink and catching sight of Miss Woodville speaking to Lord Kemsley. Her pinkened cheeks and a smile that seemed to brighten the room made him catch his breath. The woman was beautiful, more so than he had first thought her. Her laugh carried across the chamber, and she covered her mouth with her gloved hand as if a little self-conscious of her amusement. Duke smiled, and feeling Lady Martha watching him, he schooled his features.

  "I'm glad to hear it, Lady Martha." He gestured for her to sit beside him on a nearby settee, discreetly watching Miss Woodville as he adjusted his seat. "Have you enjoyed the Season? Are you traveling back to the family estate? It's in Surrey, is it not?" he asked her, wanting her to think he was curious. And he was, in a roundabout way. Maybe not in the romantic way that a lady would prefer, but he was sure they could muddle along well enough together. Just as he could muddle along well with Lady Susan or Lady Francesca.

  Would you muddle along with Miss Woodville?

  Something told him he would not. Something about the young woman was different from the others here. Mayhap it was because she was only one step up from common. They were, after all, gentry, not nobility, and he did not know much about their financial situation. Her sister marrying his friend Derby did not mean the other sisters were financially acceptable to gentlemen like him.

  Men like him who needed blunt to finish what they had started. Especially when he was so close now to hiring a runner to seek the answers he sought.

  "Our estate is in Surrey. You have done well to remember. Mayhap after the house party, you could visit us. I know Papa would welcome any gentleman caller. With a wife and daughter to keep him company, I'm certain you can see that he misses more masculine conversation he enjoys at his clubs."

  Duke chuckled and took a glass of punch from a passing footman. "Would you like one?" he asked Lady Martha. She nodded and took one herself. He seized advantage of the moment of quiet between them. Their conversation was perfectly acceptable and all that a suitor would discuss with someone they looked upon favorably.

  But damn it all to hell, he was bored. She bored him, and he could not imagine years and years of such mundane conversations like the one they just endured. Several other gentlemen had now swarmed about Miss Woodville, and they seemed engrossed in her exchange, and if he were any judge of character, they seemed charmed by her.

  What were they talking about, he wondered…

  "Do you know Miss Woodville?" Lady Martha asked him, her tone less than warm when Miss Woodville's name rolled off her tongue.

  "I met her today. I now know her name but other than her sister marrying my friend the Duke of Derby, very little indeed."

  "Yes, what a triumph for Miss Hailey Woodville. She did not even have a Season, and she secured one of London's most eligible bachelors. There will be few gentlemen left for the rest of us if those hidden away in the country come out of their dens and marry those deemed appropriate for us ladies in town. If I may be so bold," she said, glancing up at him with mischief in her eyes.

  Lady Martha chuckled, but Duke could hear the scorn in her tone. Did some of the ladies at this party not appreciate that Miss Hailey Woodville had succeeded where so many others had not? Derby had never been so happy with his match from what he had heard from mutual friends.

  "Well, you are now out in the country. If I may accept such conflict is happening between the ladies in London and those out here in the wilds of England, mayhap now is your chance to win over the hearts of men here at this house party." The idea of watching women squabble over gentlemen here would at least make the time in York pass much quicker and be more amusing than a game of charades.

  She shrugged, her eyes narrowing on Miss Woodville. "What do you suppose they are talking about? Maybe she's telling them all tales of her life at her father's farm? Do you think they have to feed the horses themselves, or do you think they have stable hands for that?"

  Duke cleared his throat, taken aback at the barb. Maybe Lady Martha would not be a good choice. She seemed quite the jealous kind and ready to cut anyone down she saw as a rival. "I think you will have to ask her yourself if you wish to know such things, but I highly doubt what you suggest happens. She seems quite proper, do you not think?"

  "A little plain, however, but then the new duchess is no better," Lady Martha drawled.

  Duke looked back to Miss Woodville, and his breath caught when he found her watching him. Had she heard what Lady Martha had said? From the disappointment clouding her pretty blue gaze, he could not help but think that was the case.

  Lady Francesca joined them, and thankfully their conversation moved away from Miss Woodville and her family. Duke would have to ask Billington what he knew of the family. But if he found that she too had a handsome dowry, she would be added to his list of suitable candidates for his hand.

  It was the only way he could move forward. His estate and tenant farmers were thankfully handling things well enough to fund the everyday running of his estate and his London home. But it left nothing for anything else. He would marry one of the ladies here at this house party, and he would ensure the marriage was comfortable and pleasurable enough to keep his wife satisfied. But in truth, he was marrying because he needed their fortune.

  Some would say he was a bastard for marrying for such reasons, and mayhap he was one. But it was the only way he could source income for what he needed to do and not take anything from the estates that needed the funds to run well.

  He would make it up to his wife. He would be affectionate and kind, and she would never know why he married her and therefore there would be no harm or feelings hurt by his scheming.

  Chapter

  Four

  After dinner that evening, Isla found herself sitting with Lord Leigh, whom she couldn't help but think of as one of the most handsome men she'd ever met in her life. His striking blue eyes flicked about the room with deadly precision and left several women with blushes upon their cheeks.

  The ladies at the house party seemed to enjoy his company, and he was more than affable with them all. He had spent quite some time with Lady Martha this afternoon, the Earl of Daniels’s daughter, and she, in turn, seemed quite smitten with his lordship.

  His attention turned to Lady Martha once again, and she raised one curious brow as he lounged beside Isla, a whiskey on his knee.

  "I think you have an admirer," Isla teased. She knew she should not speak so forwardly with those opposite of her sex. Had her mama been here, she would have surely been scandalized, but there was no one to hear, and she doubted Lord Leigh would gossip about her way of speech, not if his amusement at her statement meant anything at all.

  "Really?" he drawled, raising one brow in a way that made her stomach flutter. She bit back her sigh and instead ignored the fluttering within her. "And whom do you suppose is my admirer, Miss Woodville?"

  She grinned, making herself more comfortable on the settee too. "Lady Martha." She met his surprised gaze, and not for anything could she stop her inspection of him. His hair was longer than it ought to be, as if he had not cut it in several months, and was now curled about his ears and nape.

  His blue eyes swirled with an emotion she could not place, but for the first time in her life, she had an inkling of what it would be like to be the sole recipient of a man's desire. Should Lord Leigh look at her like he did just now, but in a romantic sense, she doubted she would be strong enough to withstand him.

  Was that what happened to her sister Hailey? Was the duke able to seduce her with just one look? The heroines in her books certainly succumbed
to such masculine wiles. Mayhap there was some truth to all that she had read in the past.

  "Are not house parties merely an extension of the Season where ladies and gentlemen alike look for a match? I’m assuming you’re not yet out, Miss Woodville?" he asked her.

  She shook her head. "No, I’m not. And although everyone is charming and very welcoming here, I would prefer to be home."

  "You would?" He sounded genuinely surprised by her answer. "Why?" he asked.

  "Well… I'm to have a Season next year, so I don't have to form any sort of attachment here at this party. I'm merely doing my part now that my sister is a duchess, but I would prefer to be tucked up in bed reading to this."

  He clasped at his chest. "You wound me, Miss Woodville. Is my company so very dull that you wish to retire already?"

  "Not at all. Your conversation with Lady Martha this afternoon was most enjoyable to watch. You play the besotted gentleman very well."

  He choked on his whiskey. "What if I am the besotted gentleman? Your tone sounds wanting. Would you mind if my interest was diverted elsewhere?"

  Isla started at his question. Whatever could he mean by such a thing? "Not at all. You may do whatever you please."

  He threw her an odd look as if he could not figure out her meaning. Was it disappointment she read on his visage? Surely not. He would be the last gentleman on earth who would be upset that she did not come here to chase after him.

  After meeting him, though, she found him utterly charming, and if he did happen to divert his interest toward her, she would not shoo him away.

  "Pity, there is nothing more amusing than being the center of attention and having multiple, beautiful women fighting over oneself."