Chapter Four
Milli returned to the ball and was miserable. After her latest stunt, she was sure Marcus hated her.
Fighting back tears, she stood beside her sister on the edge of the ballroom. A sour taste crept up her throat, making her feel ill.
Candelabra filled the edges of the room, setting off the place in a blaze of light. Soft violins played in the background. Red and pink roses surrounded the crush of people dancing and talking with each other. The scent from the beautiful blossoms seeped into her brain. She gazed over the crowd. Marcus was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t going to take her into the supper room after all.
“Are you ill, Milli?” Lizzie asked gently. “You look rather feverish.”
Milli tugged at her bodice, avoiding her sister’s gaze. “No. But it is rather hot in here, is it not?”
“Perhaps you need a stroll in the gardens. I admit your admirers have been crowding you tonight. I have no idea how you can breathe. Oh, look. Marcus just stepped into the ballroom. I can ask him to take you outside before the supper bell.”
Milli’s head jerked up. “Not him!”
Lizzie narrowed her gaze on the man. “Yes, I see what you mean. There’s a flock of ladies vying for his attention. Perhaps Stephen can take you.”
“No, not Stephen. I think I shall go by myself. I am not a child, Lizzie.”
Her sister put a hand over her arm. “I know, dearest. But there is such a crowd tonight. It might not be wise venturing into the gardens alone, even if this is the duke’s home.”
Milli’s eyes twinkled. “Do you think a nefarious suitor stalks the trails, waiting to accost me?”
Lizzie chuckled. “Of course not. But men will drink, dearest. Sometimes too much.”
Milli stared across the ballroom at Marcus. He looked so handsome in his black jacket and white cravat, he made her heart stop. The ladies followed him around like dumb little ducklings. It was sickening.
She clenched her skirt with both hands. Back in the library, the man had made her toes curl, and he thought it a mere lesson of the innocent. Well, she would show him! “Woe to the man who hides in the jungle of life, only to pounce at the innocent, ready to devour her.”
“What?” Lizzie asked, confused.
Milli shook her head. “Nothing.”
Jane strolled up beside them, her eyes beaming at Milli. “And pray tell, which gentleman has taken your fancy this evening? I am presuming you needed a few minutes to catch your breath after all that dancing, and that is why you are hiding here in the corner of the room beside all these tall plants and roses.”
A grin tugged at Lizzie’s mouth. “You have the right of it. My sister has too many admirers, I daresay.”
Jane looked over the ballroom and sighed. “I saw you with Lord Hughmont earlier, dearest. He seemed rather enamored with you.”
Milli looked the duchess’s way. “Do you think so?”
Jane exchanged glances with her sister. “What do you think, Elizabeth?”
“I think Milli should find a husband who loves her and let these fortune hunters fend for themselves.”
Milli’s face paled. “What?”
Jane took her hand. “With your fortune, you must be careful.”
Lizzie nodded in agreement. “Stephen is quite frantic at the thought of all these gentlemen paying their attentions to you. Oh, and speaking of my husband, here he comes now.”
Stephen bowed and asked for his wife’s hand, then took her into the gardens for a walk.
Milli waved her gloved hand in the air. “There they go again. I believe they are going to kiss themselves silly.”
Jane burst out laughing. “I cannot believe you just said that.”
“Why? It is true, and you know it.”
Jane pinched her lips to hide her grin. But her blush was obvious. “One might overhear.”
Milli shrugged. “So, you are afraid some man will marry me for my money then? Papa’s money, to be precise?”
“Well, yes. We all are concerned about you. We love you. Even Roderick’s mother is concerned.”
“Where is Lady Bringston by the way? I thought she would be here.”
Jane’s gaze roamed the dance floor while she made sure everyone was having a good time. “She and Lord Bringston are in Bath for the week. Last minute. Bringston is taking the waters for some leg pain, I believe.”
Milli giggled. “Or maybe the two of them needed to get away from London for a much needed tenth honeymoon.”
Jane turned scarlet. “Millicent Shelby!”
Milli’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Stephen says his mother has never been happier since she married Lord Bringston.”
Jane’s blue eyes danced. “Roderick says the same thing. But I am worried about you, dearest. There are sly suitors out there, only wanting your money.”
Milli squeezed Jane’s hand. “Have no worries. I am not as dumb as you might think.”
Jane’s face fell.
Milli realized she was still thinking about Marcus. She never meant to hurt Jane. The young duchess was everything wonderful and beautiful in this world. “Oh, forgive me. I did not mean that you thought I was stupid.”
“That’s quite all right.”
“You are like a sister to me. I would never hurt you. Please, say you forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive. You didn’t mean anything by that. I understand. You think because you are petite and youthful looking, people still think you a child.”
Milli’s eyes lit up. “That’s it exactly. I am no child.”
“You certainly are not. You are quite pretty. You are smart. And you have a wonderful disposition. But it is time you start thinking seriously about what kind of man you want to marry.”
“Oh, no, not you too, Jane.”
“I want you to have what I have with Roderick. I want you to be happy. But I am afraid with all your money some man may trick you into marriage. I just want you to think about it.”
“What if I want to stay a spinster?”
Jane’s blue eyes sparkled as she waved to her husband. “You will never be a spinster. Just beware of those who pretend to love you. Some day, I vow, some man will sweep you off your feet, and you will fall violently in love.”
Hope sprang inside Milli’s heart. “You think so? Truly?”
“I know so, dearest. Just be careful. And think about what you want.”
Milli saw the heat in Roderick’s eyes as he walked toward them. The duke was tall and dark-haired, just like Marcus. And if it were possible, except for his love for Jane, the handsome duke seemed to hide his emotions more than Marcus ever did.
Milli smiled at Jane. “Your husband is terribly in love with you. Everyone knows it.”
“I love him with all my heart. I want to make him happy.” There was such a look of love in Jane’s face, Milli almost cried.
“Want to?” Milli chuckled. “Why, all you have to do is say hello to the man, and he kisses your feet.”
“But he deserves a child,” she said in a low voice so no one else could hear.
Milli caught the frown on Jane’s face and bit her lip. She knew the duchess had lost two babies in the last two years while she was still carrying them. Jane had been very ill afterwards, and everyone, including the duke had been worried about her.
Milli watched as the general intercepted the duke.
“You will have your child,” Milli said. “I will see that you do.”
Jane let out a sad sigh. “Oh, Milli, I don’t know what you could do.”
“I could say a prayer for you. God hears them you know.”
“Yes, I know.” Jane settled a hand on her stomach.
Milli’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, Jane...you don’t mean?”
Jane nodded. “I am four months along now, and Roderick knows nothing.”
“How can that be? You don’t have your...you know...”
“I never have been on time,” she whispered. “The doctor assured me that all was fine though.”
“This is so exciting! But you don’t look like you are...I mean, you are still so—”
“Shhh. I don’t want anyone to know yet. I am still not showing, and I hope it stays that way a while longer. With these gowns, we all look like we are expecting.”
Milli laughed. “I cannot believe you said that.”
Jane smiled. “I can only pray things go well the next few months.”
“Am I’m the only one with the information?”
“Yes,” Jane continued. “I had to tell someone. I daresay, I know you can hold a secret, can’t you?”
“Of course. I am no silly female who gossips.”
“You are definitely no silly female. However, I have to wonder why you would think Marcus a frog?”
Milli’s jaw dropped. “He told you that?”
“In so many words, so did you.”
“Well, I think he’s abominable!”
Jane laughed. “All the Clearbrook brothers are at one time or another. But back to your husband hunting . . .”
Milli’s eyes danced with humor. “Husband hunting? My dear Jane, if you think I am in danger of some fortune hunter tricking me, you will be quite surprised.”
“And why is that?”
“No fortune hunter will want to marry me after I give most of my fortune away.”
Jane gasped. “No?”
“I have yet to do it, but I plan on funding a great many charities with the biggest one being a school for young women in Bath. Bath is where Lizzie and I went to school. I only lasted a few years, but Lizzie lasted quite a while longer.” She let out a mischievous chuckle. “I don’t think they could handle me one more year.”
“I only had a governess,” Jane said quietly. “I wished I had been educated with other girls my own age. I didn’t have any sisters, you see.”
Milli nodded. “I think many women are secluded from the finer things of life, including being with other females. There are so many young ladies who are in need of an education. Rich and poor. Papa made certain I had the best governesses and the best schools. But he also made certain I learned more than the average lady of the ton. Lizzie and I are quite adept at numbers. We can speak many languages, and have no problem conversing with gentlemen about almost any worldly topic. I hope you don’t think I am bragging, but I see the need to educate women. It may not be what most females of Society think they need, but times are changing, and I believe every women should be informed.”
“But what if fathers don’t want to send their daughters to such a school?”
Milli let a slow grin play across her face. “I have thought about that. But if I have the duke’s blessing, they will want their daughters to attend, will they not?”
Amusement glittered in Jane’s eyes. “Oh, Milli, you are shameless. If Roderick makes an effort to support the school, he will also get Prinny to do the same, and people will be fighting their way in. And now that Prinny is king, it will be quite the thing.”
Milli agreed, then glanced at Marcus dancing with a beautiful brunette clad in a low cut emerald green gown. Her heart overflowed with jealousy.
She narrowed her gaze just when Marcus glanced her way. She quickly looked toward another couple. She would show him that kiss meant nothing at all. A few minutes later, the dance ended. She was simmering.
“My dear, may I have this waltz?”
Milli jumped. It was the duke, asking his wife to dance.
Jane’s eye lit up. The love in the young woman’s gaze filled Milli’s heart with joy. Her friend was so happy.
“Do you, uh, think you should dance?” Milli whispered, thinking of the baby.
Jane gave her a stern glance. “Of course, why should I not?”
Milli blinked. Goodness, she forgot. The duke didn’t know. “Uh, no reason, I just thought it almost time for the supper bell. I am famished. ”
Roderick let out a rich laugh. “No one would ever guess how much food you eat.”
Milli’s lips curved into a shaky smile. She was glad she hadn’t divulged Jane’s secret. But why on earth Roderick was being kept in the dark was anyone’s guess. “I am a bit hungry,” she said. “But never fear, I can wait.”
Roderick snickered and turned. “Ah, here’s my brother. Seems he needs a break from the matchmaking mamas and their daughters.”
Milli clamped her mouth shut as Marcus approached. The next moment, Roderick strode onto the dance floor with his wife, leaving Milli alone with the one man she wanted to avoid.
Silver eyes glittered down at her. “A dance, my little princess? Or would you like to hide behind these plants all night?”
Milli arched a delicate brow and pressed her lips together in anger. “I am not hiding.”
With a wry laugh, Marcus wrapped a strong arm about her waist and hauled her onto the dance floor.
She gasped. “I was going to say no,” she muttered for only him to hear.
“I know.” The teasing laughter in his voice only infuriated her more.
He twirled her about the floor with the expertise of a dancing master.
It was the second time she had danced with him. Her heart was fluttering. She forced herself to look at him, but his nearness was making her tingle all over. “I have no idea why you want to dance with me.”
He stared at her, his silver gaze twinkling. “I heard you say something about a quizzing glass.”
She jerked in his arms. Confound it, he had heard her entire conversation with Lord Hughmont. She loved that quizzing glass, and so did her cat Cleo. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
He pulled her closer, whispering in her ear. “Mr. Fennington’s quizzing glass.”
A warm shiver shot through her. She hated to admit how much she still wanted him. His clean, manly scent filled her nostrils. His broad shoulders made her feel safe. His silky voice sent her senses spinning. But he still thought her a child.
“I am keeping the deuced quizzing glass,” she said tightly. “And you cannot have it.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Deuced quizzing glass? Your language, my dear, is sounding more like the duke’s everyday.”
She enjoyed getting a reaction out of him. A little smile beamed inside her. “I like that quizzing glass, so you can drop the subject right now.”
“If Stonebridge gets a look at it, I don’t know what the man will do,” he warned.
She ignored him, trying to listen to the sweet melody drifting to her ears. With his arms around her, she felt as if she were dancing on a cloud.
“Does Stephen know you have it?”
She looked up and gave him an impish grin. Mr. Fennington’s quizzing glass was a reminder of all that Stephen could have lost, and she wasn’t about to let her sister’s husband know she had it. “He, uh, thinks I threw it in the Thames, just like you.”
Marcus flashed a set of bright white teeth her way as he swung her around the ballroom. His tender hold on her touched her very soul. She loved him.
“Millicent Shelby, you little terror. What are we going to do with you?”
Little terror? Her bubble of happiness burst. She was no child! “Why are you dancing with me now? Is this another lesson?”
He looked down at her and shot her a twisted smile. “Perhaps.”
She jerked. Perhaps?
She thought about the kiss in the library that meant nothing to him and everything to her. What was he doing?
When the dance ended, he escorted her off the floor back to the tall plants in the corner of the room. He took hold of her arm and spun her around. “Now, little imp, I never asked you about those men you kissed.”
His silver eyes clung to hers.
She gaped at him. He wanted answers. Her heart fell to her feet. What a peagoose she was, thinking he felt something for her.
He took hold of her shoulders. “Millicent, I need to know their names. They should never—”
She stiffened. “If you don’t take your hands off me, I shall scream.”
He blinked. “You would not dare.”
She opened her mouth. He dropped his hands as if she had the black plague. “You little cat,” he said in a clipped tone.
She smoothed a hand over her hair. “I daresay, you are not as slow as you seem. And if you don’t like cats, you won’t like me.”
Silver eyes sliced through her teasing gaze. “Tell me their names.”
She sighed. “I think I know what I am doing. I am eighteen after all. ”
“A mere child.”
That did it!
She poked a finger in his muscled chest. “I find you a stuffy, boring lord, and if I want to kiss a gentleman, I will. You have nothing to say about it.”
His mouth tightened. “You are a little girl in woman’s slippers. Stephen has enough to worry about without you gallivanting around town with men who—”
He cut off his little speech, just as Lord Knightengale strode toward them. The man was a few inches taller than Marcus and a few inches broader, with a strong jaw and neat white teeth and just about Marcus’s age. Milli felt safe with the gentle giant.
Knightengale nodded to Marcus, but his warm eyes were on Milli. She gave the man her best smile, one she had practiced in the mirror every day. It was a come-hither smile.
It seemed to be working because Marcus’s face was a mask of rage. Maybe this would show him she was no mere child.
“Good evening, Lord Knightengale,” she said gently.
“Would you do me the honor of this dance, Miss Millicent?”
Milli could feel Marcus’s heated glare directed her way, but she widened her grin and looked up at Knightengale with adoring eyes. “To tell you the truth, I was telling the duchess only minutes ago that I felt rather warm. Would you mind if we take a bit of a stroll outside?”
Knightengale’s face brightened. “I would be delighted, Miss Millicent. I think we have a few more minutes before the supper bell.”
Marcus’s gaze seemed to ignite. She wanted to scream with joy.
The large man put out his arm and led Milli through the French doors while Marcus stood as stiff as a statue, watching them go.
After a few seconds, Marcus was still seeing red. Muttering a curse, he took a step toward the couple. The scent of lavender trailed in their wake.
Confound it. If Knightengale thinks—
“Lord Marcus, there you are.”
Marcus spun on his heels to come face to face with General Canton. “General.”
“I thought you might like to dance with my daughter.”
Marcus smiled at the blond lady by his side. “It would be my pleasure.”
He had known Miss Canton for over a year. She was the catch of the Season with her silky yellow hair and clear green eyes. Tall and curvy, she always smelled like a tantalizing rose. Suddenly, the scent of lavender came to mind and he frowned. Why the devil was he thinking about that little imp when he had this beautiful woman by his side?
His gaze drifted to the French doors. He could no longer see Milli. He clenched his jaw, knowing that Knightengale was no angel. But his was friend was also a gentlemen, and this was the duke’s home. Knightengale would be an idiot to try anything.
“Lord Marcus, you seem as if you are irritated that you must dance with me.” Miss Canton’s eyes frowned at him as they took to the dance floor.
Marcus turned his gaze back to her and sighed. “Forgive me. I was thinking about something else.”
“Problems at Whitehall, I presume. Or perhaps the Home Office? Papa is always working, even here.” She let out a gentle laugh. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds in a sea of green. “I don’t mind though. I’m used to it.”
He welcomed her frankness. She was the most handsome woman at the ball, and she was his if he wanted. After being with that little termagant, Miss Canton made him feel like a man. “Then, my dear lady, I will try to keep my business to myself and entertain you instead.”
The lady’s cheerfulness was infectious. Marcus almost forgot about Milli and Knightengale. After the set was over, he returned the lady back to her father.
Another gentleman asked Miss Canton to dance, which left the general alone with Marcus. “I brought some news to the duke tonight,” the general said in a low voice. “I believe it best you talk to him before I give you any more details.”
Marcus nodded. He and his brothers had worked for Whitehall in the war against Napoleon. But even now that the war was over, there were still people who were enemies of England.
The scent of lavender still lingered in the air. Hell’s bells!
He grimaced, looking toward the French doors again, his mind back on Milli. He turned his attention back to the general. “The duchess did mention Roderick wanted to talk to me. I didn’t know it was so urgent.”
The General looked over the crowd. “Don’t know about urgent. The deed was done. You just have to figure out who did it.”
Marcus lifted a curious brow. “Sounds like a mystery.”
The older man nodded. “Murder, Marcus. Cold blooded murder.”