One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club #1)(52)

Suddenly she said, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

He shook his head. “I don’t care for lamb.”

“That’s absurd. Who doesn’t care for lamb?”

“I don’t.”

Amelia sighed. “She needs your attention. Claudia, I mean. We should make a fuss over her.”

“A fuss?” Though he was grateful for the sudden change in topic, Spencer wasn’t sure he liked the sound of this. He had a longstanding prejudice against fuss, in all its forms. “What do you mean?”

“Spend time with her, to start. Talk to her. Listen to what she has to say. Every girl her age needs a confidante. I’ll try to reach out to her, but that will take time. She needs wider society. If she’s to make her debut in Town, she ought to begin moving in less formal circles now. I don’t suppose we could take her to Bath or Brighton?”

“We’ve only just arrived here. My desk has accumulated so many papers in my absence, it resembles a snowdrift. Add to that, it’s stud season and I’ve mares to—”

“All right, all right. It was only a thought. No travel. A party, then.” She clapped her hands. “I can do a lovely party, and Claudia can help me with—”

“No. No parties.”

“Well, it needn’t be a grand affair. No dancing. We’ll just invite a few good families, with young ladies her age—make it a musicale, perhaps. You did say she plays. That will give her an opportunity to perform in front of—”

“No,” he said, bringing his fist to the table with a forceful crack. He needed to shut down this discussion, immediately. Braxton Hall—his home and refuge—swarmed with giddy girls and their obsequious relations? His brain spun at the thought. It would be as if Dante had created him an elite tenth circle of hell. “Listen. Claudia is my ward. She is my responsibility, and I will deal with her as I see fit. She’s not ready to begin moving in society.”

“But I thought if she—”

“Your thoughts aren’t required. Not on this.”

“I see.” Her eyes fell. She looked utterly conquered.

Devil, damn, and blast. Spencer picked up his wineglass and drained it.

“Well, I’ve little appetite tonight. Fatigued from the journey, I suppose.” With quiet precision, she positioned her silver on her plate, then folded her napkin and set it aside. When she rose from her chair, he stood too.

“Will you show me to my suite?” she asked quietly. “Or must I ask a maid for directions? I haven’t learned the trick of these corridors yet.”

He offered his arm, and together they proceeded in silence. Through the hall, up the stairs, down the passageway toward her rooms. When they’d nearly reached her suite, she pulled up short.

He halted beside her. “What is it?”

“Now that we’re alone …” She scanned the empty corridor, then abruptly released his arm and wheeled on him. Her eyes sparked with anger. “You will not do that to me again. I’ve waited my entire life to be mistress of my own house. As if it wasn’t bad enough to be mistaken for a servant on my arrival, now you would humiliate me in front of the real ones? On my first day in residence? If you’re going to berate and belittle me, at least pay me the courtesy of waiting to do it in private.”

He didn’t know how to respond. Not verbally, at any rate. His body, however, was responding to her with primal eloquence. His pulse accelerated; blood surged to his groin. At last, here was Amelia again—the bold, spirited woman who provoked him in every possible way.

“And you may not ‘require’ my thoughts on the matter,” she went on, “but you’re going to have them. I’ve known since we met how arrogant and self-absorbed you can be, but this is the first time I’ve known you to be stupid. That girl adores you. With the slightest effort on your part, you could make her so happy. Instead, you’re driving her away, devastating her through your own inaction. By the time you deem the relationship worth your effort, it may be too late.

“What’s more, I could help you. I was once a girl, and I understand how Claudia feels. Now I’m a lady, and I understand how to make a home, welcome guests, care for people who need it. I know you married me solely to get a few children, but if you bothered to look, perhaps you’d see something beyond my breeding potential.” She put a hand to her temple. “You have no idea what more I could offer you.”

“Offer me? You sound like a woman presenting herself for employment. I thought you took offense at the notion of being a paid companion.”

“I do,” she said, bristling. “You’re the one who said your very reason for marrying was to protect Claudia’s future. It’s obvious you care deeply for her. When’s the last time you told her so?”

For God’s sake, he didn’t know. Never?

He said, “If it’s so obvious, why should I have to say it? I provide for her material needs and her education. I establish boundaries to protect her.”

“Oh, yes. You’re so generous. You give her everything but your affection.”

“Well, if that’s the remedy for everything, tell me again why your brother’s a worthless rogue?”

She glared at him, chest heaving. Moments passed. “Are we going to play cards tonight or not?”