CHAPTER ONE
“Ladies and gentlemen, please gather in the ballroom for the grand surprise!” the footman called out, corralling nobility as if they were cattle along the grand hallways of the London manor.
Not that they needed much encouragement. The Duchess of Alderwick’s balls and gatherings, whether in the country or the city, had become renowned for their splendor and thrilling twists.
“What is Frances up to this time?” Hugo St. Vincent, the Duke of Ravenvale, asked his maternal cousin, and husband to said duchess, Dominic Everhart, the Duke of Alderwick.
Dominic shrugged. “I have not the faintest notion.”
“Come now, you must knowsomething,” Hugo urged, grinning at his cousin’s discomfort.
There was no man in the world who hated balls and gatherings and parties as much as Dominic, and there was no man in the world who would endure such things with more determination, purely to please the wife he loved.
“I believe the point of a surprise is for it to be a surprise,” Dominic remarked as he downed what was left in his glass of punch and joined the stream of merrymakers heading for the ballroom.
Hugo hurried to catch up, for he rather wanted a front row seat to whatever magic Frances had decided to conjure for the evening’s entertainment. Last month, there had been fire-eaters, contortionists, and actual magicians. The month before, there had been a jousting display, the manor transformed into something from the 16thcentury, filled with performers playing the roles of knights and squires and fair maidens. Even her dinner parties and lesser events always had some unexpected treat or excitement.
And all in the name of charity, to get the very wealthy to part with their money for noble causes, which was somewhat easier to do when they were in high spirits and considerably more malleable.
“Forgive me… Excuse me… If I could just… Thank you…” Hugo remarked on his way through the crowd, weaving around eagerly chattering ladies and curious gentlemen, for there was another reason he wished to be as close to the front as possible: he would not be able to see much if he found himself relegated to the rear of the ballroom.
It was not common knowledge that he was practically blind in one eye, but when it came to viewing things at a long distance or a very short distance, his good eye struggled to compensate.
Frances spotted him from the small dais that had been constructed at the farthest end of the ballroom, her face lighting up as she beckoned him over.
“Where have you been?” she asked, stooping to speak to him.
“With your charming social butterfly of a husband,” Hugo replied with a smirk. “I simply could not drag him away from all of the lively conversations he was indulging in. He really does love these occasions. You should have more of them. Weekly events.”
Frances hid a chuckle behind her hand, just as Dominic himself walked up.
“Please do not,” he said with a sigh, as he reached for his wife’s hand and kissed it. “I love you, my darling, I love you more than I can put into words, but I cannot be socialquiteso often.”
Frances smiled adoringly at him. “Have no fear, my love, for this is the last ball we shall have here for at least a month or two.” She cast a strange look at Hugo. “Although I have a feeling that society might be talking aboutthisone for quite some time.”
Hugo raised a curious eyebrow at her, a funny prickle of unease catching him unawares. He was not someone easily unnerved,and he was a great champion of Frances’ respected position as society’s most exciting host, who had people falling over themselves to gain an invitation, but he was not sure he trusted the slight glint in her eyes.
With that, she drew back from Dominic and Hugo and moved into the center of the little stage, holding out her arms to command the room.
Everyone fell silent at once.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you kindly for your attendance this evening,” she began, her voice ringing out across the ballroom. “As you all know, this ball is in honor of my foundation for the impoverished children of London, and to improve the presence of schools for all in our villages and towns. So, please, bid generously.”
Oh, it is the auction!
It all made sense, Hugo nodding his head as he put his hands together in applause along with everyone else. He had owed Dominic a favor and Dominic had asked that he put something forward for an auction that Frances planned to put to the crowd.
Of course, he had forgotten all about it, but he was certain he could come up with something of suitable value when he was called upon to do so. He had jewelry of his grandmother’s that he did not mind parting with, and a thoroughbred that he had no use for, along with many paintings of value that he wouldgladlydispense with.
“So without further ado, let us get to the first auction of the evening!” Frances declared, gesturing to Hugo. “Please, give your most welcoming applause to His Grace, the Duke of Ravenvale.”
The ballroom exploded with cheers from the gentlemen and giddy clapping and fan-flapping from the ladies, as Hugo put on a smile and stepped up onto the stage. His mind was racing, struggling to come up with something he could auction off, wishing he had been more diligent with his memory.
“Now, dear Ladies, here we have the most eligible gentleman in England, so I expect your mothers and fathers to beveryforthcoming with the bids… though that is not to say that the mothers here tonight cannot bid for their own enjoyment,” Frances said to the great amusement of the crowd.
Puzzled, Hugo cast a sideways glance at Frances, but she was too busy putting on a show for the guests.
“The prize is five outings with the Duke of Ravenvale. Let us start the bidding at ten pounds,” she said, as Hugo’s stomach plummeted.
