How to Dazzle a Duke by Claudia Dain Read Free Book Online Page B

for it,
    had been completely absurd.
    And he was not above finding amusement in being very
    nearly publicly chided for what, in some circles, might be called
    morbid mourning . In point of fact, he had overheard his pastry chef
    say exactly that to his housekeeper. He had left for Town that
    very week.
    “What a lovely surprise,” Sophia said as they all stood to greet
    each other.
    The men bowed.
    The women curtseyed.
    They sank back into their seats, Cranleigh and Iveston sitting
    side by side upon a settee done up in white velvet with pale blue
    braided trim. They looked uncomfortable, particularly as Cran
    leigh had an awkwardly shaped parcel that he was trying to hold
    as unobtrusively as possible. It was hardly possible.
    “I had not thought to find you still in Town, Lord Cranleigh.
    No wedding trip? I shan’t believe it. And Lord Iveston,” Sophia
    continued, without waiting for Cranleigh to answer, which clearly
    annoyed him, which was dreadfully amusing, was it not? “I do
    believe that this is the first time you have ever visited Dalby
    House. I am most, most delighted that you have done so, though
    I cannot think what has spurred you to action now . . . although,
    do confess,” Sophia said, smiling broadly, her dark eyes glitter
    ing, “can it be the lovely Miss Prestwick who has lured you out
    and about and into my salon? Can it be that she has done what
    How to Daz zle a Duke
    41
    no other woman has done before her? Are you smitten, Lord
    Iveston? Is it love?”
    Well. What to say to that?
    Iveston, clearly, did not know what to say. He looked, to be
    blunt, quite as chilly as November rain. Cranleigh looked hot to
    bursting, but he also said nothing.
    Miss Prestwick was not so hampered.
    “I do think, Lady Dalby,” she said stiffly, “that as it is his fi rst
    visit to you, you should not make Lord Iveston the butt of what
    is an obviously ill-conceived jest.”
    “Then,” Sophia said innocently, a bit of acting far beyond her
    reach, “you did not come over from Hyde House together?”
    Edenham snapped his gaze back to Miss Prestwick, as well
    as to Iveston. All at Hyde House? They did have a rather guilty
    look, now that the question had been put to them.
    “Absolutely not,” Iveston said, shifting his long legs, and then
    shifting them again. He could not seem to find a comfortable
    position, likely because Cranleigh was equally tall and the settee
    was not overly large.
    “But why didn’t you come together? How perfectly ridicu
    lous,” Sophia said crisply. “You were all at Hyde House not a half
    hour ago, were you not?”
    She did not wait for a reply. It was clear that none was
    needed.
    “And now you are here,” Sophia said, driving home the
    point, which was perfectly unnecessary. But what had they
    all been doing there and what now were they all doing here? It
    was a question he should not mind an answer to. The fact that
    Sophia had known of Miss Prestwick’s appointment at Hyde
    House . . . well, that did put a very particular spin on things,
    didn’t it?
    “I was merely returning—” Miss Prestwick began, then caught
    42 CLAUDIA DAIN
    herself at Sophia’s raised brows. “An item of no particular interest
    to anyone here, to Lady Amelia.”
    “And did you?” Sophia prompted.
    Miss Prestwick looked most uneager to answer. Cranleigh,
    Prestwick, and Iveston were all staring at her in a nearly accusa
    tory fashion.
    “I believe it was given to the butler. I am confident he will
    make certain she gets it,” Miss Prestwick said primly.
    “As to getting things,” Cranleigh said, interjecting himself into
    the stilted and mysterious battle between Sophia and Penelope
    Prestwick, “I came for a similar reason, Lady Dalby, though I
    suppose I could have left this with your butler.”
    “But as it is a gift,” Iveston said smoothly, “he was not at all
    disposed to do so.”
    Iveston looked askance at Penelope, his visage stony. Penel
    ope looked stonily, and a bit