Grace raised a sceptical brow. ‘How so? He did not seem particularly attached to her. I believe it was an arrangement made by their parents. Perhaps his heart was never truly in it. I am sure he will recover from any embarrassment caused.’
Having witnessed the entire affair herself, she spoke with confidence. But Lady Elizabeth’s response unsettled her.
‘That is what I thought too... but then Gabriel went riding and returned with an injured wrist. He said Shadow nearly threw him, but he is an expert horseman. I haveneverknownhim to be so careless as to startle his own stallion. The only explanation is that he was distracted. And it would not be the first time he has been so affected by rejection from a lady.’
Grace’s stomach twisted with unease. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, unable to resist.
Lady Elizabeth sighed. ‘Of course, you would not know. When Gabriel was in his early twenties, he fell deeply in love. He was eager to marry, utterly devoted to his fiancée. But a week before the wedding, the lady cried off and married a titled gentleman instead.’ She hesitated before adding, ‘The irony is that today Gabriel is a Duke, and the woman who rejected him is now in dire straits.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Grace murmured, wondering how on earth he had not been snapped up by someone before now.
‘Yes...’ Lady Elizabeth’s expression was tinged with sadness. ‘After that, he became bitter and swore off both women and marriage. He defied our father’s wishes and joined the army instead. Their relationship was strained for years, though they eventually mended it.’
Grace’s brow furrowed. ‘Then why did he agree to marry Lady Jane if he had sworn off marriage?’
‘After Gareth died, Father was devastated. I suppose Jane was a way for him to hold onto Gareth’s memory. Gabriel did not have the heart to deny his wishes. I feel so sorry for him—he deserves a loving wife. He would make a wonderful husband, a wonderful father.’ She let out a sigh of frustration. ‘I only hope this has not driven him back to his former aversion to marriage. Since his return from Skye, I had thought him changed. He seemed lighter, happier, more engaged with society. He spent more time at home, began organising entertainments again... I truly believed he was ready to settle down. And now...’
She shook her head, her voice thick with irritation. ‘I amsovery angry with Lady Jane. She has no idea what she has lost.’
With this last remark, Lady Elizabeth departed, leaving Grace staring at the dress on her bed, her mind whirling.
Shebaulkedat the notion that the Duke was genuinely affected by the broken engagement.Surelynot? He had seemedalmostamused when he discovered Jane’s betrayal.
And yet... she had seen his skill on horseback in Skye. Forhimto lose control of Shadow? No, Lady Elizabeth was right—hemusthave been deeply distracted.
This revelation put a damper on the hope Grace had scarcely allowed herself to feel.Was he now averse to marriage once more?
No one would blame him, given how the two women he had once affianced had treated him.
Tonight, she would watch him closely. If he was truly heartbroken, she needed to know.
Mrs Merriweather entered Grace’s chamber later that evening just as Betty was putting the finishing touches to Grace’s hair. Grace had taken particular care with her appearance tonight, though now she wondered if it had been a mistake.
‘Miss Heather has already gone down... my goodness, Miss Grace, you looklovely,’ Mrs Merriweather exclaimed, blinking several times as though she thought she was dreaming. She approached Grace’s dressing table, admiring the reflection in the mirror.
Grace wore an emerald-green empire-waist gown with delicate pearl detailing around the bodice. Betty, seizing the rare opportunity to dress her mistress to the height of fashion, had styled her hair into an intricate arrangement of twists and curls. Looking at the full-length mirror, Grace barely recognised herself—she appeared elegant, almost regal.
A soft glow seemed to radiate from her as she descended the staircase, her heart pounding when the first person she encountered was the Duke himself. He simplystared.
Grace offered him a shy smile.
Without a word, he opened the door to the drawing room for her, then whispered in her ear as she passed,‘You look beautiful.’
Before she could reply, he was swept away by a swarm of eager debutantes and their ever-watchful mothers. For the rest of the evening, she had no opportunity to speak to him.
However, she observed him as much as possible.
Despite his bandaged wrist, he appeared to be in good spirits, showing no sign of melancholy or distraction. The broken engagement had, naturally, spread like wildfire through every corner of London, resulting in a much larger gathering than usual. No doubt, many were there because hopefulmamaswere keen to snare a duke for their daughters.
Under normal circumstances, a broken engagement would be a scandal, but being adukehad its privileges—immunity from malicious gossip appeared to be one of them. If anything, Lord Armitage wasmorepopular than ever.
Grace shook her head as she watched young debutantes flutter their lashes and fan themselves the moment he so much asglancedin their direction. Some even went so far as todeliberately trip overin front of him, forcing him to help them up.
She might have found it amusing if she were not preoccupied with her own predicament.
To her dismay, more than one gentleman had cast appreciative glances inherdirection. Worse still, Lord Edward monopolised her attention as soon as she entered the room, lavishing her with excessive praise. His enthusiasm bordered on the insufferable, and she quickly found herself wishing she had not put so much effort into her appearance. Worse still, he rudely prevented other gentlemen from being introduced to her, as thoughstaking his claim.
In a rare moment when she managed to escape his attentions, she seized the opportunity to approach Lord Harry.
