Page 3 of How to Capture a Duke

Chapter Two

“Where in God’s sake have you been, Olivia? You missed afternoon tea. We must hurry and get you ready for the evening,” Olivia’s mother, the Dowager Lady Castleton, said.

“Whatever for? His Grace will not make an appearance.” Olivia shut the bedchamber door and sat on the edge of the four-poster bed. Her mother had already been waiting in Olivia’s room when Olivia had come in. She braced herself for her mother’s disapproval.

“You do not know that for certain. And even if the duke doesn’t attend, there are Lord Elton and Lord Edwards, who have shown interest in you. Surely, you have noticed.”

How could she not? “Mother, Lord Elton is boring and has a fondness for discussing nothing but himself. Lord Edwards is incredibly vain and looks in his mirror more than I do.”

“You are too selective, young lady.” Her mother’s lips thinned in a line of disapproval, and she began to pace the Oriental carpet. She was a tall woman whose blond hair was just showing a hint of gray. She was dressed in a violet gown, which brought out her green eyes and creamy skin. She’d been a great beauty in her youth and had captured the earl’s interest during her first Season.

“I do not think—”

“Your siblings have married,” her mother said, cutting her short. “I have returned from your aunt’s home in Bath for the sole purpose of finding you a husband.”

Her brother Ian, the Earl of Castleton, had married Grace. Her sister, Ellie, had married the Marquess of Devlin. Both of her siblings had found a rare love match. Olivia adored them, but she was still envious of their good fortune.

“My siblings were lucky to find loving spouses. I want to do the same.” A love match was what Olivia had always wanted—that and having children. She adored her little niece and nephew and wanted her own family. But she wanted to choose her own husband, not one her mother selected.

Her mother waved a dismissive hand. “You can find one here.”

“Mother, I already told you about my misgivings regarding Lord Elton and Lord Edwards.”

“Nonsense. You have misgivings about every suitable gentleman I’ve mentioned. Would you rather that mousy-faced Lady Samantha make a marriage match instead of you?”

Lady Samantha was the youngest daughter of the Marquess of Henley. She’d been hostile toward Olivia from the first day she’d set foot at Rosehill. Olivia had swiftly concluded that Samantha viewed her as competition for what she most coveted.

The duke.

“Lady Samantha must be sorely disappointed by the rudeness of our host. What if the duke has no intention of gracing us with his presence for the duration of the house party? There are only four days left.”

“Lady Samantha is not only after the duke, but a gentleman with both title and wealth. She has ambition.” Her mother leveled her gaze at Olivia with a look that proclaimed her daughter lacked the favorable trait.

Her mother was wrong. Olivia had ambition, just not for the men under this roof. She’d been truthful when she’d said that she wanted to marry for love.

“I’d like to go riding,” Olivia said.

“No.”

Olivia wrinkled her nose. “What will it take, Mother?”

“Attend to Lord Elton this evening. I want to see you charm the man.”

Olivia hesitated for the briefest of moments. She could listen to Lord Elton drone on about his allowance if it meant she would be free to ride for an afternoon. The challenge seemed almost too easy a means to get what she wanted. Elton would require little urging to talk.

An image of the head groom flashed into her mind. Now he was a worthy opponent. His stammering did not bother her, but his arrogance did. He guarded the stables like an inner sanctum to heaven. While she knew without a doubt that she could slip past her mother for a brief escape, she could never sneak past the head groom. If there was a man whom she needed to charm to obtain what she wanted, it was he.

…

The evening was lasting forever.

Olivia found herself seated between Lord Elton and Lord Edwards. Her mother must have whispered in the dowager duchess’s ear to procure such a seating arrangement.

Olivia’s gaze traveled the length of the dining room table, past fine china, priceless silver, and gleaming crystal, to study the dowager, the duke’s grandmother.

In the absence of the duke, the dowager was seated at the head of the table, a formidable woman in her seventies with a head of gray hair and a surprisingly unwrinkled face. Her dark eyes were lively as she gazed first at Olivia, then Lord Elton to her right, then Lord Edwards to her left.

Olivia was also highly conscious of her mother’s attention. Her mother arched a delicate eyebrow, and her meaning was unmistakable.