Her Devilish Marquess (5 page)

“
Then it’s a good thing I
came when I did.”

“
Indeed.” He chuckled. “What
may I have the butler bring you today?”

“
Nothing to eat.” She didn’t
know if she’d ever eat anything until after the whole ordeal with
the Marquess of Dodsworth was over. “I’ll just have Earl Grey
tea.”

“
As you wish.”

He left the drawing room, leaving her alone
to fret over the missive that just came to her door. With trembling
hands, she undid the strings of her reticule and pulled out the
piece of parchment with an elegant design along the edges. The
marquess had wonderful taste. From the swirls in the design, she
surmised he was a pristine and detailed gentleman. He probably
fancied beautiful things and was full of charm and grace.

Oh, he was going to meet her and decide she
wasn’t for him. She just knew it. This piece of parchment was
nothing like her. Her place was in the background, not at the
center of attention. She was the type who was plain and ordinary.
This missive was anything but that.

The butler brought the tea and asked if she
needed anything else.

“
No, I’m fine,” she replied.
“Will my friend be much longer?”

“
I don’t think so. The
footman’s announced your arrival just moments ago.”

“
Thank you.” She rubbed her
stomach. Would the butterflies never stop their persistent
fluttering? “I don’t mean to be impatient.”

“
No one thinks you’re
impatient,” he assured her with a kind smile.

She tried to return his smile with one of
her own, but she was far too nervous to make it work. She settled
for nodding instead.

After he left her alone, she finally managed
to make her legs move so she could sit on the settee. There. That
was better. Maybe now she could relax, even though it was only a
little bit. She released her breath and read through the missive
for what had to be the twentieth time. The gentleman had nice
writing. Nice writing on nice parchment. Everything about him
seemed too good to be true.

Hearing footsteps approaching the drawing
room, Danette looked up from the missive, and Regan came breezing
into the room as graceful as always. Everything came so easy for
Regan. She wouldn’t worry one bit about an impending marriage to
someone as perfect as the marquess. But then, she didn’t worry
about anything. She merely did whatever she wished, and things
naturally turned out in her favor. If only Danette could do the
same.

“
I was wondering if you met
your betrothed yet,” Regan said, sitting next to her and picking up
the teapot. As she poured tea into their cups, she glanced at the
missive in Danette’s hand. “Is that from him?”

“
Yes.” Danette cleared her
throat. “He wants to meet me before the wedding.”

“
Lovely!” Regan turned to
her, her eyes twinkling in excitement.

“
It’s not lovely. It’s
awful. What if he decides he doesn’t want to marry me after finding
out how boring I am?”

“
Don’t be silly. You’re not
boring.” When Danette frowned, she added, “Would I have a boring
friend? Me? Regan? The lady who prides herself on keeping life
interesting? Believe me, I wouldn’t waste my time on boring
pursuits.”

“
I didn’t mean I was boring
to you. I meant I might be boring to gentlemen. There’s a reason
why the two who proposed left. I think they didn’t find me all that
interesting.”

“
I forbid you to talk this
way. Now, let me read the missive. It’s the only way I can get an
idea of who he is.”

“
You mean, you don’t know
anything about the Marquess of Dodsworth?” Danette asked, doing her
best to hide her disappointment.

“
No. Malcolm said he knew
who the Marquess of Dodsworth used to be, but he died of his
injuries.”

Danette hadn’t heard anything about this.
“When did he die?”

“
I think a little under a
month ago. The title went to his next of kin.”

“
Who is that?”

“
I wish I could tell you,
but I don’t have the vaguest idea. All I know is that Malcolm’s
friends thought the world of the gentleman who was the Marquess of
Dodsworth. In fact, Lord Steinbeck even took an entire week to
mourn his passing.” Regan rolled her eyes. “If you knew Lord
Steinbeck, you’d be amazed he has the capacity to experience any
compassion. I suppose it means the old marquess was good enough to
meet his standards.”

Danette took a sip of her tea as she
considered her friend’s words. Then, lowering the cup to her lap,
she asked, “Doesn’t Lord Steinbeck think highly of Malcolm?”

“
Oh, he does. And the
feeling is mutual. The two practically worship each other.” Her
eyes lit up, and she grinned. “This is wonderful! When you marry
the Marquess of Dodsworth, we can go to dinner parties at Lord
Steinbeck’s together.”

“
But you just said the
Marquess of Dodsworth that Lord Steinbeck liked died.”

“
Yes, but the title has been
passed to someone who was related to him, and that means the new
marquess is probably just as arrogant as Lord
Steinbeck.”

Danette’s stomach tightened in dread.
“Arrogant?”

As if realizing her mistake, Regan’s face
went red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound horrible. Malcolm
can be arrogant, too. He has a tendency to think everything he does
is of the utmost importance. But even with that being the case, he
has a sweet side to him. He treats me very well. I’m sure the
marquess will be the same for you.”

Danette wasn’t all that thrilled with her
friend’s attempt at making up for the slip, but she did have a
point. Her friend’s husband did believe he was one of the most
important people in London. However, as her friend had pointed out,
he was good to her. Danette didn’t think it was possible the two
would have enjoyed a happy marriage since Regan had been deceptive
in the whole matter, but theirs was one of the few love matches in
London.

Regan read through the missive while Danette
sipped her tea. The marquess hadn’t written much. He’d been short
and to the point, simply letting her know the duchess had paired
them up for an arranged marriage and that being the case, he wished
to meet with her so they would have a chance to get to know one
another before the wedding. She didn’t know how much Regan could
deduct from it. Danette thought there was more to gather by his
choice in parchment and his script.

After a couple minutes, Regan put the
missive down. “He doesn’t sound arrogant. You are relieved of that
trait in your husband.”

Surprised, Danette asked, “He doesn’t?”

“
No. He sounds like a humble
gentleman who doesn’t mince words but is considerate of others.
What a shame. I don’t think he’s Lord Steinbeck’s type.”

Amused, Danette smirked. “I thought the
marquess was to marry me, not Lord Steinbeck.”

“
You know what I mean. I was
hoping Lord Steinbeck would like him enough to invite him to dinner
parties so you and I could spend the evening together.”

“
You see me often enough as
it is. You don’t need me going to dinner parties with you.” She
glanced at the hallway. “Where is Malcolm?” She knew Leonard napped
this time of day, but she thought Malcolm should be up and
about.

“
Oh, he has another
investment plan, so he ran off to White’s to tell Lord Steinbeck,
Lord Dunnaby, and Sir Willoby all about it.” She rolled her eyes.
“Those four are like children with candy when they discuss money. I
hope your husband will be able to restrain himself every time he
sees a pound.”

“
I suppose I’ll find out
soon enough.”

“
When will you tell him to
meet you?”

“
I suppose any time before
the wedding will work.” Ideally, it would be right before the
wedding, but from the missive, it was apparent the marquess had his
heart set on meeting her sooner. She exhaled. “I think I’ll tell
him to pick a day and time, and I’ll be ready to meet
him.”

“
That might be best. Who
knows if he’s busy?” As an afterthought, Regan asked, “Did the
duchess tell you what he did before he became a
marquess?”

“
No. I don’t know anything
about him except he’s the best match of all the gentlemen she’s met
with.”

“
Well, she probably figures
it’ll give you two something to talk about if he has to tell you
what he’s been doing up to now.”

“
Probably.”

“
Besides,” Regan added, “it
doesn’t hurt to have a little mystery. If you know everything ahead
of time, where’s the adventure? Isn’t this exciting? You get to
meet the perfect gentleman for you, and you have so many wonderful
things to learn about him.”

Danette couldn’t share her friend’s
excitement for embracing the unknown. She’d rather jump ahead to
next year and find out what was going to happen. Then she’d be
adequately prepared for what was to come.

“
Will you let me know how
things go after you meet him?” Regan asked, breaking her out of her
thoughts.

Danette nodded. “Yes. Of course, I’m going
to come right over here after I meet him. You have to make sure
you’re not doing anything the day I meet him.”

“
I promise to wait patiently
for you right here.”

“
Good. And make sure Malcolm
and Leonard aren’t around. I’d rather it be just the two of us, in
case I do something to embarrass myself and need a shoulder to cry
on.”

Regan shook her head. “Danette, how many
times do I have to tell you it doesn’t matter if you’re not
perfect? No one is perfect. We all do things to embarrass ourselves
at one time or another.”

“
That’s easy for you to say.
You see the humor in everything. If you tripped in front of an
entire room full of people, you’d laugh it off.” Danette wished she
could be more like her friend, but she didn’t know how to be
carefree and easygoing about things.

“
At least you’ll be meeting
the marquess in the safety of your own home. No one else will see
you trip, and if you trip just right, you can end up in his
arms.”

Unable to resist the urge to chuckle at her
friend’s joke, Danette did so, and she felt much better. Was it any
wonder why she came right over here to see Regan when she got the
marquess’ request to meet with her? There was no one else who could
make her feel better, no matter the situation.

“
What would I ever do
without you?” Danette asked.

Regan smiled and gave her a hug. “I often
think the same when it comes to you. We’ve been through a lot
together, and we’ll always be there for each other. I have a
feeling things with the marquess will work out.”

“
I hope you’re
right.”

“
Of course, I am. I have a
keen sense about these things. The duchess and her friends know
what they’re doing. They wouldn’t match you up with him if you
weren’t an ideal match. Just promise me you’ll give him a
chance.”

“
I will. I promise.” And in
a very short period of time, she’d be meeting him face to face.
With a glance at the missive, she couldn’t help but wonder what
kind of gentleman was her ideal match.

Chapter Four

T
wo
days later, Derek released his breath and knocked on the door of
Miss Everson’s residence. Here went nothing. At least she’d get a
chance to meet him and decide whether or not she could tolerate a
life with him. Either way, it was her choice. He’d do whatever she
wanted. If it didn’t work with her, then perhaps Helena, Chloe, and
Melissa could find someone else.

The butler answered the door, and Derek
smiled. “Greetings, my good man. I’m here to see Miss Everson. I
was told she’d be expecting me today.”

“
Yes.” The butler waved him
into the entryway. “She’s in the drawing room.”

“
Thank you.”

Derek gave him a nod then stepped past him
so he could enter the house. He glanced down the hallway to the
door on the left that the butler gestured to. Without further
prompting, he went into the room, ready to meet the possible future
Marchioness of Dodsworth.

He glanced around expectantly. Though there
was a tray with tea and scones on it, he didn’t see a single
breathing person in the room. Surprised, he went back out into the
hallway as the butler closed the front door.