“I see, well I had not imagined you would…” Matthew trailed off, hardly knowing what to say.
“You had not imagined I would give up so easily,” the duke finished for him. Conbatten rose and straightened his cuffs. “I am beginning to find the two of you a bit tiresome, Lord Van Doren.”
“The two of us?”
“You and Lady Beatrice. It is as if you need to be clubbed over the head to understand a point.”
Matthew stiffened. “And what point would that be, Your Grace?”
The duke looked at him under hooded eyes. “Youare the mysterious tortured gentleman.Youare the one to be drawn out and driven forward. I suspect nobody in that house knows it but for Darden. How they could not have guessed it, I know not. For myself, I wrangled the information from Mr. Cahill, who seemed entirely sheepish when I left him.”
That was the last thing Matthew had expected to hear. It could not be true. Why on earth would Cahill say such a thing? The man was a troublemaker, but this would really be a step too far. It made no sense whatsoever.
“I see you have been struck dumb,” the duke went on. “Let us hope the condition does not last through the evening lest you fail to communicate this fact to Lady Beatrice. As for myself, I do not attend this night, as you have been so good as to send gossip flying round the town. I will assure you, though, that had I attended there would be nothing for anybody to speculate on, both on my side and her own.”
“But, I do not understand…”
“Apparently not,” the duke said. “Never were two people less aware of their own inclinations, it seems.”
The duke made his way to the door. In parting words, he said, “If you intend on winning Lady Beatrice, I suggest you meet her requirements. I really do not see how it could be more straightforward. And, by the by, I did not send roses of any sort. I will assume that was Darden’s doing.”
With that, the duke left his house, and left Matthew standing in the drawing room attempting to understand what had just happened.
His feet began to move, though he did not really notice it. Matthew climbed the stairs feeling as if hehadbeen hit over the head with the club Conbatten had just mentioned.
Before he knew where he was going, he was back in his bedchamber.
Marcus stood wide-eyed. “Is there to be a dawn meeting? Tell me quickly, lest I die of dread just thinking about it.”
“There is not,” Matthew said, wandering to the chair by the window.
“Excellent!” Marcus fairly cried. “The duke has been turned from his purpose and all is well.”
“A duel was never his purpose,” Matthew said.
“What did he want with you, then?” Marcus asked, being unable to control his curiosity.
“This ruse that Beatrice and Darden’s friends have been engaged in, this plan to draw out a mysterious gentleman,” Matthew said, “the duke claimsIam the mysterious gentleman.”
Marcus staggered and clutched at the top of a chest of drawers to steady himself. “I am all agog,” he whispered.
“As am I,” Matthew said. “It cannot be true, I do not think. I suspect Cahill was only amusing himself in telling the duke such a story.”
Marcus suddenly got a faraway look in his eyes. “It might be true.”
“How so?”
“First, those YBC fellows are all in awe of Conbatten, I doubt any of them would toy with the gentleman. Second, days after we arrived to Town, you sent James across the road with a note for the earl. Tattleton did not answer the door, it was one of the footmen, who said to take the note to the lord’s library. James expected to find the earl there but just as he was poised to knock, he heard Lord Darden talking to Tattleton about making sure the drawing room curtains were open when there were callers so you would see it, and then something about delivering Lady Beatrice any notes or flowers when you were there.”
“Why have you not spoken of this before?”
“Because it did not mean anything at the time. James told the story at the servants’ table, and we all took it to be more of the Benningtons’ teasing. We all know how they tease and harass you.”
“Still, I…”
“And was it not Darden who dressedyouas Benedict to Lady Beatrice’s Beatrice?” Marcus said.
“Well, yes—”
