Page 22 of The Duke’s Wager

“So, I saw you dancing with quite the handsome young man.”

Lucy laughed at this. Odette was a sweet girl, and though they were not friends –rather two people pushed together by need – she could see them becoming allies.

“Oh, he is new in London too. I should introduce the pair of you – you must fill at least one place on your dance card today, Odette.”

Odette sighed deeply at this and shook her head.

“Oh, Lucy. I hardly believe that many a man will make haste to dance with me, but you are too kind for suggesting it.”

Lucy looked at the girl sympathetically. She was not uncomely by any means and not as fair as the men of London preferred but with the right hairstyle and dress, she could look quite pretty.

“Nonsense. I will introduce the two of you, and the kind Earl will certainly ask you to dance.”

Odette smiled hesitantly, and Lucy put a protective arm around her shoulders. Once again, she mused over how lucky she was to have a reputation that instilled fear. Odette, with her good nature and kind heart, was the target of cruel mockery and taunts. Whenever the pair of them were together, people left her alone – and Lucy suspected that this was why the girl so often sought out her company at these engagements.

As luck would have it, Gareth Goodwin was approaching them, and Lucy grabbed onto Odette’s arm with determination.

“Come. Let me introduce you.”

The girl blushed furiously, but Lucy ignored this – practically dragging her towards the young Earl, who smiled brightly when he saw them.

“Lord Scarborough! I would like to introduce you to Mademoiselle Toussaint.”

To his credit, Gareth did not seem too surprised by the sudden introduction. He smiled politely and brushed the back of Odette’s hand with his lips.

“A pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Odette blushed furiously at the kind gesture, and curtsied – a wholly unnecessary move that made the poor girl seem even more out of place.

“Enchanté, Monsieur.”

Gareth looked at her, rather impressed by the foreign language rolling from her lips.

“You studied French?”

Odette nodded eagerly.

“Oui… Yes, my lord. I am from Paris, we moved here quite recently.”

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that Gareth would find something to talk about with another person who had only recently moved to London – and she was not disappointed. He immediately asked Odette to dance, and Lucy gestured for her to go.

Once the pair had left, she looked around nervously. Her father would be rather displeased if he saw her standing around the dance floor. To her relief, he was nowhere to be found.

This, Lucy decided quickly, was the perfect time to get some fresh air.

She quietly made her way outside, ignoring the dancing couples – and the ache it inadvertently caused in her to see them.

The gardens were filled with even more people than the hall. Luckily, no one paid her any mind. This was exactly what she needed: some well-earned peace and quiet, without having to fake a smile and talk about someone’s incredibly boring life.

Still… there were far too many people for her liking standing around on the lawn, so she quickly made her way down to the fountain. She released a deep breath as she sat down on the edge, allowing the cool night air to wash over her.

The silence was the most beautiful thing she had experienced in quite a while. This level of tranquility was not something she was used to, not even at home.

No one paid her any mind here – she did not have to be the perfect daughter, nor did she have to be the Ice Queen. Here, in the silence of the fountain, she could simply exist without any ridiculous expectations thrust upon her, either by society or her father.

But alas, her newfound peace was disturbed by a loud cough, and she turned around, ready to arm herself with her Ice Queen façade at once.

Lucy found herself unable to do so when she once again looked into the eyes of Edward Lockhart.