Her Devilish Marquess (6 page)

“
Which room did you say Miss
Everson’s in?” Derek asked.

“
The one you just
entered.”

Derek peered back into the room, and still,
he saw no one. “Are you sure she didn’t say she was going to be
somewhere else?”

“
I brought the tea and
scones in here, and she was on the settee.”

The butler stepped into the room, and Derek
followed. The butler gave a good look around the room then turned
to Derek and chuckled under his breath. He pointed to the drapes at
one of the large windows. The drapes were made of a nice thick
material, and they were long enough to hide someone, if she chose
to go behind them. Upon closer inspection, Derek saw a pair of
slippers peeking out from under them.

Thank you,
Derek mouthed.

The butler nodded and hurried out of the
room, probably so Miss Everson wouldn’t hear him laughing.

Derek clasped his hands behind his back as
he debated the best way to proceed with a lady, who was so shy she
ran and hid when her betrothed came to the door. After a moment, he
went over to the drapes and asked, “Miss Everson?”

She stiffened from behind the drapes, and he
had to resist the urge to chuckle.

He cleared his throat. “Miss Everson, you
are the most peculiar looking lady I’ve ever met. You resemble
drapes more than an actual person. I’m afraid this will make
dancing with you awkward when we go to a ball.”

From behind the drapes, he heard her giggle.
His lips curled up into a smile. Well, at least she had a sense of
humor. That was good.

He took a step forward and poked his head
around the drapes so he could see behind it. He wasn’t surprised
when she looked away from him, but he was surprised her hair should
be so dark. Pulling aside the drapes to get a better look at it, he
couldn’t help but think she had the most attractive hair color of
any lady he’d seen. It was the most beautiful shade of black, and
it fell around her shoulders in gentle waves. Indeed, it was a nice
contrast to her creamy white skin.

Now, if he could just get a look at her
face…

He gently placed his finger under her chin
and turned her face so he could see it. Her cheeks grew pink, but
she looked at him, showing him the greenest eyes he’d ever seen.
They seemed to sparkle like the emeralds Lady Cadwalader liked to
weigh herself down with. His gaze went to her flawless skin, the
gentle slope of her nose, and her rosy lips, which almost formed a
heart when they were closed.

He then turned his attention to the rest of
her. She wore a pink dress that flattered her hourglass figure. In
fact, her breasts were so ample he got a nice view of her cleavage
simply by looking down at her. It certainly wouldn’t be difficult
to slip into her bed and work on an heir. He guessed he’d even want
to linger there and try several times. Ideally, on multiple nights.
Just the thought was arousing him, but they weren’t married yet. He
shouldn’t give into such fantasies. It wouldn’t do to get an
erection right at this moment.

He cleared his throat and forced his
attention back to her face. “It would be easier to talk if we sat
down. I could sit here behind the drapes, but I don’t think either
of us would be comfortable.”

“
Well…no, we wouldn’t,” she
said, a slight hesitation in her voice.

“
I hear the settee is nice
to sit on. If you’d rather, I can sit in a chair, though I’d rather
sit next to you.”

To his amusement, she peeked around the
drapes and glanced over at the settee as if she’d forgotten that
piece of furniture was even in the room. She was adorable. Really,
she was. He’d never come across anyone so terribly shy before, but
it only spoke of a sweet innocence he wasn’t accustomed to in
London. This wasn’t a lady who’d flatter someone to get her way.
She was much too timid for that. No, with her, what he saw was what
he’d get. And so far, he was enjoying her very much.

After a few seconds, she stepped around the
drapes and went over to the settee. He waited to see if she’d
invite him to sit next to her or ask him to sit in a chair. She
left room for him on the settee and turned expectantly to him.
Deciding that was an invitation, he hurried to sit next to her.

“
Mind if I pour the tea?” he
asked, thinking it best to relieve her of that duty since he saw
that her hands were trembling.

She shook her head, and he picked up the
teapot. Once they started talking, perhaps she’d feel more at
ease.

As he poured their tea, he glanced over at
her, still unable to believe she was so beautiful. He hadn’t
expected to be attracted to the lady the duchess had picked for
him. He’d thought someone who needed the duchess’ help securing a
husband would be unattractive.

“
Pardon me for asking such a
silly question, but why would someone as lovely as yourself need
help finding a husband?” he asked.

“
What?”

Noting the shock in her voice, he said, “I
honestly didn’t think you’d be beautiful. Don’t misunderstand me. I
would’ve been willing to marry you if you weren’t beautiful. I’m
not the type of gentleman who bases a lady’s worth on how she
looks. But really, you are,” for lack of a better word, he said,
“stunning. Why aren’t you married yet?”

She accepted the cup of tea he offered her
but set it on her lap. “Well, I almost married. Twice.”

“
You did?”

She nodded. “Neither worked out. Each
gentleman decided he’d rather marry someone else.”

“
Why?” For the life of him,
he couldn’t imagine anyone choosing someone over her. Unless….? “Is
it because you’re shy?” But then, if she was shy, how did she
manage two engagements to begin with? Were all the marriages
arranged? Maybe the other gentlemen didn’t think to look behind the
drapes to find her.

After a moment of silence, she said, “I hate
to tell you since you’re my last hope of acquiring a husband, but
both gentlemen found me dull.”

“
Dull?”

“
I have a hard time knowing
what to say. Other ladies are far more exciting than I am. I tend
to sit and listen rather than talk.”

“
Well, I’ve been around
enough ladies to know it’s better if most of them learn to practice
some silence.”

“
Why do you say
that?”

“
Because they can get their
husbands in trouble. Believe me, it’s far better to have a wife who
can manage some restraint.”

He noted the way her eyebrows furrowed.
Either she was tempted to ask him for an example or she didn’t
believe him. Instead of asking, she sipped her tea.

“
I wager,” he began, turning
toward her, “that though you are shy, you aren’t dull. I further
wager that once you open up, you have a lot to say. Tell me, what
are your interests? What kind of things do you do for
fun?”

She took another sip of tea then set the cup
back on her lap. She also licked her bottom lip in apprehension.
How he envied that lip. He could think of many things her tongue
could do, and all of them excited him way too much. Here, he’d
thought the process of getting a wife would be a chore, but this
was turning into something he could thoroughly embrace.

“
You’ll think this is
silly,” she began with a hint of a smile, “but I like to watch
people.”

“
You do?”

“
Yes. I go to balls and sit
while they talk and dance.”

“
I’m surprised you get a
chance to do that between all the dancing you do.”

“
Oh, I don’t dance. I just
watch.”

He laughed. “Now I know you’re teasing me.
You must have a long line of gentlemen waiting to dance with you. I
bet that line goes from the ballroom to the sidewalk outside.”

“
I think you’re the one
who’s teasing me, my lord. No lady has ever had that many gentlemen
waiting to dance with her, no matter how pretty or entertaining she
is.”

“
Surely, you’ve had
gentlemen who’ve asked you to dance.”

“
Yes, but I think it was
because my father had a hand in it.” She hesitated for a moment,
but since he suspected she wanted to say more, he kept quiet and
waited for her to continue. “My father passed away a year ago. My
mother’s still alive, and I live with her.”

“
Will I be meeting your
mother today?”

“
She said she’d be coming
down to meet you, but she’s taking longer than I
expected.”

Ah, so maybe part of why she was hiding was
because her mother hadn’t shown up yet. Maybe the only reason she’d
had the courage to agree to meet him was because her mother had
promised to be with her. However, her mother had decided to take
her time in coming to the drawing room, something he was sure was
done on purpose.

With what he hoped was an assuring smile, he
said, “I think she wanted to give us a chance to get acquainted
without any interruptions.”

“
Yes, I think so,
too.”

“
That’s a good thing, isn’t
it?” he asked when he noticed the way her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m
enjoying this opportunity to talk to you alone.”

Her gaze went to the cup in her lap.

Curious about her reaction, he ventured, “I
understand you’re shy, but you have a sweetness about you that’s
refreshing.”

She looked at him then, and he caught the
hope in her eyes. That hope made him wonder just how deeply hurt
she must have been when those two gentlemen ended their engagements
with her.

“
Mind if I ask who they
were?” he softly asked.

“
Who?”

“
The gentlemen you were
engaged to.”

She broke eye contact with him again and
paused, as if debating whether or not she really wanted to tell
him. But then, she said, “Lord Simpleton and Lord Garrett.”

He thought over all the gentlemen he’d heard
about, but those two weren’t familiar to him. It’d be easier to
know what’d been wrong with them if he could place a title with
some reputation. His mind, however, drew a blank, and he didn’t
know what to do about it. Usually, he had an idea of who most
people were, especially given his association with so many patients
who needed his care.

“
You want to know more about
them?” she asked.

Was his expression that obvious? He thought
he’d been doing a better job of masking his emotions. In the past,
others, particularly his brother, had warned him it was in bad form
to be so transparent with his thoughts. “A gentleman,” he’d said,
“maintains a pleasant disposition at all times, regardless of how
he feels.” Being a gentleman, however, had never been Derek’s
strong point. But that was going to change. He’d inherited a title,
and he had a responsibility to not do or say anything to embarrass
Danette or their future children.

After thinking over a good response, he
finally settled on saying, “It’s not my business what Lord
Simpleton or Lord Garrett are like. Forget about it.”

“
Oh, I don’t mind telling
you. I just didn’t think you’d want to know about them. I wouldn’t
want to know about any ladies you’ve been engaged to, if there are
any.”

“
There aren’t. You’re the
first. I’m just wondering what was wrong with them.” Then, to
lighten the mood, he added, “You don’t strike me as the type of
lady who’d scare potential husbands away.”

As he hoped, she chuckled at his joke. “They
were my father’s choice. My father was a likeable gentleman, and
they got along with him. I think they agreed to the arrangement
because of him. They were good gentlemen. Very honorable with
pristine reputations. Maybe you haven’t heard of them because
there’s nothing remotely scandalous about them. Lord Simpleton
married Lady Cadwalader’s niece last year, and Lord Garrett went to
India to pursue adventure.”

“
So it’d be safe to say Lord
Garrett ended your engagement because you would have stayed in
London?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t
say.”

“
Well, regardless of the
reasons your past engagements didn’t work, their loss is my gain.
I’m very happy to be engaged to you, and I hope you’ll be able to
say the same about me.”

Before she had a chance to respond, he heard
footsteps and looked over in time to see a middle-aged lady
entering the room. The resemblance between the two was much too
obvious to mistake this lady for anyone except Danette’s
mother.

He rose to his feet and bowed. “Mrs.
Everson, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m the Marquess of
Dodsworth, the gentleman the Duchess of Ashbourne arranged to marry
your lovely daughter.” He glanced between the two. “You both may
refer to me as Derek.”

“
I’m glad you came by,” her
mother said with a smile. “We were excited about making your
acquaintance. Thank you for sending the missive asking to
visit.”

He waited for her mother to sit before
settling back on the settee. “I thought it only fair to let you
know what I look like.” He glanced at Danette and winked. “That way
you don’t marry the wrong gentleman by mistake.”

Her mother laughed and waved her hand at
him. “You’re a sly one, my lord. All we’d have to do is call you by
your title, and you’d look over at us. Then we’d know who you
were.”

“
I hadn’t thought of that,”
he admitted. “But seeing as how I only recently acquired the title,
I might have thought you meant my brother and failed to acknowledge
the greeting.”

“
I’m sorry to hear your
brother died,” her mother replied. “He must have been
young.”