“Nobody in Society knows the truth, and if they did, thankfully they have not spoken of it.”

  “For your sisters’ sake, I hope the confidences continue to be kept.”

  “As do I, but now you realize why I have issued such dire warnings and drafted a list of rules. They are so you are not blindly taken advantage of. I will not have anyone in my family suffer a miserable life, whether it be my siblings or cousins. And, as you have unmarried sisters, it is important that you realize how deceiving the whole of Society can be so that none of us make the same mistakes again.”

  “Everyone?” Darius asked, not wanting to accept everything that Leopold claimed. He understood the bitterness but was it fair to cast every person in Society in the same light?

  “I would go so far as to say that I would not even trust my closest friend, but I have not had one since I left school and the weight of responsibility was cast upon me with my father’s death. Therefore, you must heed my advice.”

  Darius blew out a sigh and prepared to listen to his cousin expound upon each rule once again and wondered if he should take these matters far more seriously.

  “In addition to the rules that you enjoy breaking, we will not attend above four functions a sennight. I have informed Octavia of the same. She will determine which events I must attend on behalf of my younger sisters. When I know those, I will inform you.”

  “Four?” Why the arbitrary number. “Not three or five?”

  “Four!”

  “What if I wish to attend a ball, soiree, or theatre without you?”

  “You would be wise not to do so.” Leopold glared. “A Season can quickly become exhausting. When tired one makes mistakes and judgement is not always the best.”

  In this, Leopold was correct as he quickly became exhausted last spring before he was required to return to Shropshire because his uncle had suffered grave injuries in an accident that had claimed his wife’s life.

  “If you wish to attend an entertainment without me, do not do so until you are more used to being a duke among the ton.” He drained the brandy and set the empty glass on the desk. “Stay away from Miss Theresa or you will find your name in the newssheets again. And memorize the rules or you will find yourself married before May.” Leopold marched from the library.

  Tessa had not seen Ellings since they strolled yesterday and feared that she would not see him tonight after the gossip that had appeared in the newssheets today. But he was present, and was standing near the wall, away from everyone, studying and watching the guests while sipping wine.

  Her breath nearly caught, then she chastised herself for having such a physical reaction to his appearance. Yes, he was handsome, but so were several other gentlemen. She just liked him better because he was an enjoyable companion.

  Even if there was some attraction and even if there were times late at night that she may have wondered what it might be like to be kissed by Ellings, Tessa knew that danger lay in such a direction. A kiss was never innocent despite what others proclaimed and if she enjoyed one, she might wish for another and before long, she may wish for more and more. And while it was the kissing that she would not mind, her concern lay in being discovered and then ruined, and then Ellings being forced to marry her. If that was something he wished, he would have kissed her by now. Except, she knew of several men who enjoyed kissing misses with no intention of furthering a relationship and therefore, even if Ellings wished to kiss her, she could not allow it unless he made some form of declaration that he returned her affection.

  Except, he didn’t know that she was in love with him, and she certainly would not embarrass herself by telling him.

  Such a conundrum!

  No kissing. No matter how much she wished it.

  Now, if only she could keep her heart from pounding forcefully when he was near and forbid her pulse to race and ignore the tingling when they touched, and warmth to her body when he was near, all would be well. She could not succumb to the kindness in his eyes, and she certainly would not notice that he was the most handsome man in the room.

  Ellings was a friendly companion and that was all he would ever be.

  “Are you without your tutor this evening?” she asked as she drew near, not waiting for him to approach her.

  “If you mean Claybrook, he is not here.” Ellings chuckled. “However, he strongly suggested that I do not go into Society without him and his sage guidance.”

  “Is that not rule eighteen?”

  He chuckled. “I suppose it is, and now it has been broken.”

  “How rebellious of you.” Tessa laughed. “Is he truly so concerned that some miss would take advantage of your good nature.”

  “How do you know that my nature is good?” he countered.

  “I can tell,” she insisted. “I am a very good judge of character.”

  His eyes bore into hers. “As am I.”

  Her heart fluttered for but a moment.

  Blast, she had forbidden it from doing so but at the same time wondered what exactly he had meant.

  “Are you going to ask me to dance this evening?” The corner of his lips twitched though his tone was serious.

  “I have not yet decided,” she answered as she turned to take in the Hearne ballroom. “I suppose I may. You are the only bachelor duke in attendance,” she teased. “As you are aware, everyone else is inferior.”

  He was also the only man in the room she wanted to dance with and knew in an instant that she could not. Tessa was too susceptible to his charms and her heart was already at risk, which would never do.

  When Ellings made no response, Tessa turned back around. Ellings was gone.

  Frowning, she stepped out onto the terrace, but he was not in the garden. He had simply disappeared.

  How very odd.

  Tessa watched for the rest of the evening, and he never returned.

  Chapter Seven

  Darius returned home, not certain what to think. All he knew was that when Tessa said, I suppose I may. You are the only bachelor duke in attendance. As you are aware, everyone else is inferior, a chill swept through him.

  Was Leopold correct? Could no one be trusted?

  He’d claimed and given evidence that even his supposed closest of friends had used him to gain what they wanted.

  Was this a game to her? Pretend to have no interest in marriage and wish to open a salon and possible gambling den in the hope that a fool would believe her only to find himself married. Was it merely a game to trap a duke?

  He had thought her to be at least honest. It had been his opinion last year in the park and since they renewed their acquaintance a few days ago. Except, last year she had insisted that they not speak when in Society and this year she had approached him.

  Had she changed her mind about marriage or had Claybrook now managed to make Darius as suspicious of every female as he was?

  Did Tessa only claim that she wanted to remain a spinster and have her gentlewomen’s club because of pride? She was five and twenty, past the age when most misses married. Was her declaration to save face and be brave and pretend that not being courted or wanted did not bother her?

  If so, it was not necessary. If she had let on that she might be interested in a courtship, he would have been the first to call on her. Heaven knew that he’d wanted her since last year, but Tessa had continued to remind him of her preference for remaining a spinster and now he wondered how truthful she was about anything.

  Tessa had to have known even last spring that he would one day be the Duke of Ellings, even though nobody could have expected it to happen so soon. Had she just been more patient and less obvious than the others?

  Could he even trust her?

  Yet, that question didn’t change the fact that he wanted her. For a year he’d thought about kissing her and late at night, when alone, he thought of doing far more than kissing. The only reason he hadn’t pursued her was because she was so bloody insistent on maintaining her independent spinster status and now, he wondered if it was all a game, a ruse to trap him?

  Did he even want a wife who could manipulate so cunningly?

  Or, were her words simply innocent or teasing?

  Had he truly allowed Leopold to influence him so much that he now doubted a friend?

  Darius had always considered himself a good judge of character and it had never failed him in the past, but Leopold had him doubting himself in even that.

  Those thoughts plagued Darius through the night and the following morning, and he still did not know what to think. He certainly couldn’t go to Leopold because Darius didn’t wish to be told that he should have listened to him in the first place.

  Was he too bloody trusting?

  Except he would rather be that instead of what Leopold had become—a brooding unhappy duke.

  Though trust could see him married to someone who would not suit because he trusted the wrong woman.

  Except, he wanted to trust Tessa and he wanted her to be the right woman, and he wanted her to set aside the idea of spinsterhood.

  “Bloody hell!”

  He wished he had at least one sibling to talk to. They knew him better than anyone, but none of them were in London and only three remained in England.

  His sisters, Susanna and Juliann resided at Chatwell Castle in Shropshire, which was now his estate. They had to forgo the Season to mourn their father while Darius had been expected to be present in London as the Duke of Ellings, even if he was in mourning.

  Then there was Caleb, his brother, but he remained in the country with his wife, Lucinda.

  “Lucinda!”

  Caleb’s wife was a Claxton. A cousin to Tessa. He and Tessa had discussed the connection when they’d strolled the streets of London for two hours.

  Lucinda was the daughter of a duke and married the second son, an American. She had not cared that Caleb was a mister with no claim to property or fortune.

  Maybe that was the reason Darius was trusting.

  Maybe he was simply a fool.

  Maybe he was an idiotic American not suited to be a duke in England.

  Maybe he should travel to Chatwell Castle to be with his family and forget about the Season.

  Except, he did not wish to leave London and Tessa just yet—not until he knew for certain if she played a game.

  Unfortunately, Lucinda wouldn’t be in London this Season either. Her grandmother had passed away at the beginning of the year and she was still in mourning. Lucinda and Caleb married not long after because it had been her grandmother’s instructions not to wait. When Darius had received word of his father’s death, Caleb and Lucinda had traveled to Chatwell Castle to reside there so that his sisters, Susanna and Juliann were not alone.

  So much death.

  Would it be possible for his family to come here?

  Was it even proper?

  It wasn’t so much that he needed his sisters, but he could use some brotherly advice and perhaps Lucinda could give insight to her cousin. With those thoughts, Darius settled behind his desk and penned a note to Caleb, without going into detail of what had him concerned.

  Had she done or said something wrong? Had she offended Ellings in some manner? First, Ellings left the ball and then Tessa did not see him the following day. She hoped to find him in the park in the early morning hours, while out shopping, or at a ball that evening, but he was nowhere to be found.

  Had something occurred to pull him from London? Had he received an urgent note that caused him to flee the ball without a goodbye?

  What if he’d been kidnapped? He had been standing beside her, near an open door, and then he was gone. Though she did not know Ellings well, it was unlikely he would be so rude as to abandon her in the middle of a conversation and while she was not looking.

  If he had been taken, no matter how unlikely, she would not hear of it because Claybrook would see that it was kept quiet so as not to draw attention to the family.

  Had Ellings heeded his cousin’s advice not to attend any function without him? Though, Tessa considered that unlikely, but what else was to explain his absence?

  Blast! As much as she wished to know what had happened to Ellings, she would not do so by visiting Claybrook or his family as it was likely she’d learn nothing, and he’d be his usual boorish self.

  “Come to Hyde Park with me.”

  Tessa glanced up to find her younger brother by two years standing at the entry of the parlor.

  “Why?” It wasn’t like Hadden to ask anything of her. At three and twenty, he rarely needed her assistance or presence.

  “I wish to attend the balloon launch and Lilith insists on remaining inside, therefore, I need you to join me.”

  Lilith was the younger of their siblings and preferred to be away from London and Society. “You do not need me for such.”

  “It would be more acceptable if I were to accompany my sister than attend on my own.”

  Tessa could not understand his reasoning. “Why is that?”

  Hadden’s face colored only slightly. “Others believe it unworthy of their time and wish to avoid any place where several innocent misses may gather and prefer to remain in a safer location such as White’s.”

  “Others, as in your friends,” she clarified.

  His face turned a deeper hue of red. “Yes, if you must know. I do not wish to be the brunt of their jokes, but if I am forced to attend with my sister, it would be acceptable.”

  “What would be even more acceptable is if you would do as you wish without fear of retribution from your peers.”

  “Yes, but I am not you, Tessa,” he complained as he stepped further into the parlor. “I have neither title nor wealth. My standing in Society and being accepted depends on such friendships. I cannot tell Society to go hang as you would like to do.”

  She’d not realized Hadden was so insecure in his position.

  “You will inherit a large estate and wealth. A title is not necessary to be of good standing.”

  “It is if one wants to wed where he wishes.”

  Ah, so that was the way of things. “Who is she?”

  “Who is who?” Hadden countered.

  “The lady or miss who will be in Hyde Park that you have hopes of encountering but must save face amongst your friends by being forced to be in that very venue because a sister begged it of you. Perhaps you fear this miss or lady may think poorly of you because you wish to view the very thing, a balloon launch, when you should actually realize that your having a same interest would be welcomed and not use me as subterfuge.”

  Hadden blinked at her and stumbled back.

  Her vehemence was uncalled for, but she was so tired of people pretending and putting forth only what was deemed acceptable by Society. Who was the judge and arbiter of behavior? Did people truly mean what they said, or did they leave much unsaid because a person would be ostracized for being truthful? What she really wished was that everyone would be honest.

  Except, even she wasn’t honest with Ellings, but that was out of fear of rejection. But if he would wish to court…

  Tessa put the thought aside because it did no good to hope for something that would never come to be.

  However, while she may be withholding the truth of her heart from Ellings, everywhere else and with everyone she was honest and wished everyone else were as well.

  “There may or may not be a miss,” he reluctantly offered. “But I do wish to view the launch to study how it all works, the amount of air, weight of the basket, size of the balloon…”

  Tessa stood. Hadden wanted to be present because his mind wondered at mathematics. Unlike her, however, Hadden hid his intelligence and embraced the persona of a dandy with little interest in anything scholarly because of his friends. She could only hope that one day he matured enough that he would present who he truly was, but that would not be today. However, the fact that a miss may also be present was far more intriguing as she’d not known either brother to show an interest in any available miss. “Very well, I will attend with you.” She rose from the settee.

  At least this adventure would take her mind from wondering what had become of Ellings and with any luck, she might even encounter a member of his family and learn that information for herself.

  Chapter Eight

  Darius had never attended a balloon launch before and found the very idea intriguing. Claybrook had warned him to avoid Hyde Park when full of misses and ladies ready to wed, but he could not stay away. Further, he was not likely to be caught in a marriage trap during the middle of the day surrounded by so many people. It was likely that he would not even be noticed.

  The crowd grew thicker the closer he drew to where the bright yellow balloon was tethered to the ground, and he debated with himself about how close he wished to be. As with ballrooms, he preferred to remain at a distance and observe, except with this crowd, it was impossible if he wanted to view the entire spectacle.

  As people grew closer, Darius had the urge to escape and did so. He’d seen the balloon, basket, and the man operating such and all he really needed to see now was the balloon rise. He didn’t need to be close to do so.

  After he stepped back and away from those who had gathered, he studied the various spectators. Many he recognized but few were acquaintances.

  Then he saw her! Tessa! She was with a gentleman, but Darius could not tell who it was because the gentleman’s back was to him.

  His gut tightened. Who was the man? Was he titled?

  Or was there another who had captured her heart? Was she being courted, and he had been unaware? If so, then why go on about being a spinster?

  Her words came back to him from a few nights earlier— I suppose I may. You are the only bachelor duke in attendance. As you are aware, everyone else is inferior. Had she found another bachelor duke?

  Darius knew that he had behaved poorly by slipping out into the garden while she was not looking but her words had chilled him, and he questioned all that he believed.

  Except, seeing her smiling up at her companion drew him. He wanted to be beside her, and uncertainty settled in his gut that perhaps he had made a mistake. He’d allowed one simple comment to erase everything that he had believed, and he usually was not one to judge so quickly.