The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides #1)(6)

“Just thank him and tell him you’re not in the mood for dancing at present. That should be that,” Jane added with a resolute nod.

“Be bold.” Lucy whispered her most famous bit of advice.

“Easy for you to say,” Cass squeaked.

Lucy squeezed Cass’s shoulder lightly. “We’ll be right here.” She and Jane moved quietly back toward the wall.

Cass took two brave, if shaky, steps forward to meet the duke. Lucy and Jane watched as the two spoke for a few moments—and the next thing Lucy knew, the duke led Cass onto the dance floor. Oh Cass, no. Lucy threw up her hands and turned to Jane. “She really does have a problem saying no to anyone.”

Lucy watched Cass and the duke whirl around the dance floor, Cass with her pretty honey-blond hair and the duke with his striking dark features.

“Poor Cass,” Jane whispered. “If she wasn’t so in love with Julian, she and the duke might make a beautiful couple actually.”

“She’d be miserable with Claringdon,” Lucy replied matter-of-factly. “Besides, I for one say she may well have a chance with Julian when he returns from the Continent.”

Jane arched a brow, giving her a highly skeptical look. “There are plenty of men to choose from. I’ve never understood why Cass is so set on that particular one.”

“She loves him, and I intend to assist Cass in remaining completely unengaged this Season until she can have her chance with Julian at last,” Lucy replied, twisting her mouth into a half smile.

“Why, Luce, I never realized what a romantic you are.” Jane sarcastically batted her eyelashes at her friend.

“Not romantic, merely determined,” Lucy replied with a resolute nod.

Minutes later, when Cass returned from the dance alone, Lucy snatched her into the corner with the two of them.

“What did he say?” Lucy’s own voice took on a high note this time.

Cass’s face was bright pink. She shook her head. “He paid me lovely compliments and said he should like very much to call upon me tomorrow. Oh, what am I going to do? I want to discourage him, but the words just will not come out of my mouth. I simper like a fool when he speaks to me. Not to mention that Mama has insisted that I encourage him. She’s been watching the entire time.”

Lucy and Cass turned their heads simultaneously to see Cass’s mother, Lady Moreland, eyeing them approvingly with a pleasant smile on her plump face. Clearly, the woman had visions of a dukedom dancing in her head.

Jane had pulled a book out of her reticule and was busily reading it, obviously no longer that interested in her friends’ antics. She pushed her spectacles up on her nose and nodded absently toward Lucy and Cass. “It’s too bad you two cannot switch bodies for the evening. I’ve every confidence that Lucy could set the duke back upon his heels in mere seconds.”

Lucy clapped her hands and Jane’s head snapped up from the book.

“That’s it!” Lucy cried.

“What’s it?” Cass asked, her eyes wide.

Lucy rubbed her gloved hands together with glee. “Jane’s perfectly right. Each of us is good at something different, correct?”

Jane eyed Lucy curiously. “I’m not entirely certain I follow.”

Lucy grabbed her friends’ hands. “I’m adept at speaking my mind and being quite blunt. It’s a curse, I know. I’ve never been able to curb my tongue. Mama’s told me often enough. And then of course there was the incident with the queen at my come-out.”

Cass bit her lip. “Yes, that was unfortunate.”

“A memory I rarely dwell upon, I assure you. But I long ago made peace with my reputation and my penchant for forthrightness.”

“Yes, you’re quite good at speaking your mind,” Cass agreed with a nod.

“And you are good at attracting gentlemen and looking stunning and befriending everyone you meet, Cass,” Lucy said.

Cass smiled at that. “I suppose I am.”

Lucy continued, “And Jane is good at—”

“Oh, this I simply cannot wait to hear,” Jane replied with something of a smirk on her face.

“Stop it,” Lucy replied. “You’re good at being exceedingly clever and knowing things none of the rest of us know. Why, if you were allowed to be in Parliament you would have negotiated the peace years ago and would have the taxes set to rights while you were at it.”

“Please tell that to my mother,” Jane said with a laugh. “She doesn’t quite see the merit in all my reading and writing.”

“I still don’t understand, Lucy,” Cass replied, her blue eyes cloudy with confusion.

“Don’t you see?” Lucy said. “We all must help one another. Help one another to get what we want. We’ll each do the thing the others cannot do and assist one another.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked, looking more interested by the moment.

Lucy smiled brightly. “I want to marry well. I don’t need love or any of that nonsense, but I’m expected to make a decent match, if I can ever find a gentleman whom I can stand that is—” She drew in a breath. “To date, I’ve been a spectacular failure. I frighten gentlemen away. Cass can help me be more, ahem, attractive to men. Or at least not send them running.”