The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides #1)(37)

“Lady Cassandra. Lady Lucy.” He straightened to his full height and took another sip. “And this must be your … sister?” He nodded toward Aunt Mary.

Lucy arched a brow in his direction. “This is my aunt, Mrs. Upton. Aunt Mary, the Duke of Claringdon.”

“A pleasure, madam.” The duke bowed over Aunt Mary’s hand while she blushed a bright shade of pink.

“It’s so lovely to meet you, Your Grace,” Aunt Mary twittered.

Cass executed a perfect curtsy of her own but Lucy just glared at him. “Your Grace. I see you made it to Bath safely,” she managed to choke out. And that only because she’d promised Cass she’d attempt to be civil.

“No doubt to your chagrin, Miss Upton,” the duke replied in his usual haughty tone.

Lucy opened her mouth to issue a scathing retort but Cass elbowed her, so she managed to utter something useless and untrue about it being nice to see him.

“Lady Cassandra, would you do me the honor?” the duke asked, gesturing toward the dancing.

Cass shook her head. “I’m ever so sorry, but I find that I’m not quite up for dancing this evening, Your Grace.”

“A pity.” He inclined his head in acknowledgment and took another sip of brandy. “Are you certain you won’t reconsider?”

Cass nodded this time. “I’m quite certain.”

“If you change your mind—”

That was it. Lucy snapped. “She said she was not interested.” Lucy was already incensed by the fact that the man had followed them to Bath; now he was here badgering Cass when she clearly didn’t care to dance.

“Lucy!” Aunt Mary’s tone was admonishing but Lucy couldn’t help herself, not even for her beloved aunt.

The duke’s mouth quirked up. “I don’t suppose I could interest you in a dance, could I, Lady Lucy?”

He was taunting her. She could see it in the flash of his green eyes. But she would not allow him to rile her. She was just about to open her mouth to tell him no in the most inventive way she could possibly muster when the thought occurred to her that she did, indeed, have something to say to him and perhaps a dance would be the most opportune time to do so.

“I should be flattered,” she said, in a tone that sounded anything but. “I’ve washed my wig, and Jane’s already claimed the title of Queen of the Wallflowers here tonight.”

The duke didn’t miss a beat. He bowed to Cass and Aunt Mary to excuse himself, discarded his brandy glass on a nearby table, and pulled Lucy onto the dance floor. The two ladies watched them go.

They had barely gone one turn when Lucy said, “How are you enjoying Bath, Your Grace? Decided upon buying property yet?”

“As a matter of fact, I have. I’ve found I’m quite taken with the town.”

“Oh, wonderful, perhaps we can all have group holidays here in the future. That would be delightful, would it not? Given our history?” She innocently batted her eyelashes at him.

The duke stared Lucy straight in the eye. “Oh, no you don’t. Look. I know you don’t like me being here one bit, but what happened between us was a mistake and is in the past and we cannot change it. I—”

Lucy nearly tripped. Her jaw dropped open. “You honestly think I don’t like you being here because of that kiss?” She lowered her voice so others wouldn’t hear and glanced about. It appeared to be safe.

He arched a brow. “That’s not why?”

“No, actually. It has nothing to do with it. I’d quite forgotten about that kiss.” No she hadn’t, but no sense feeding his arrogance with the fact that she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.

“Then am I to assume your objection to me remains whatever your original objection was? Not that I ever knew that reasoning.”

Lucy set her jaw. “Don’t you see that Cass is upset?”

He looked at a loss for words. “Upset?”

“Yes. She’s just received some very bad news. Her dear friend. A man. A soldier. A captain. He was injured in battle and has yet to return. She received word this week that he won’t be coming back. He is the man she loves.”

“He died?” The duke’s voice was soft, respectful.

Lucy nodded, once. “He’s dying. She expects to receive word any day now.”

The duke’s face was grim. “I know what it’s like to lose men, good friends in battle. My own closest friend was gravely wounded over there. I’m sorry for her loss.”

“Then you might consider being considerate of her feelings and leaving her alone.”

“Regardless of what you may think of me, my lady, I don’t particularly relish chasing about a woman who doesn’t seem particularly interested in me.”

Lucy didn’t meet his eyes. “You might have fooled me.”

“It’s true,” he ground out.

“Does that mean you intend to stop pursuing Cass then?”

“I certainly will if she wishes me to.”

“Of course she wishes you to. She’s madly in love with Julian and he’s about to die. How can you possibly imagine that she wants to be courted by another man at the moment?”

The duke’s brow drew up into an alarming frown. “Wait a minute. Julian? I thought Julian was engaged to her cousin.”