Page 95 of Waiting for Love

He peered down his nose at her, then at their party which very clearly did not consist entirely of family. He did not deign to speak to Vanessa but turned to Hazard.

“I am sure Viscount Haslet will yield his dance to me. He won’t appreciate so pretty a partner.”

Even Olivia recognized the implied insult, with its dangerous challenge. No one said anything. So she did. “Your Grace, I have become quite accustomed to you stealing other men’s dances.”

As she moved to take his arm, she saw gratitude on Jasper’s face, relief on Hazard’s. The cowards.

The music was beginning, so they hurried onto the dance platform. The duke took her into his arms. He did not dance as well as Ebersom, but he behaved correctly. She didn’t know why he worried her. He was pushy, but he was entitled to be so.

After a few minutes of questions about her first visit to Vauxhall, the duke said, “There was another man in your party. I don’t know him.”

“That is Mr. Carroll.”

“Who is?”

“He is the steward at Chaumbers.”

The duke snorted. “Iversley’s penchant for the underclasses is getting absurd. Bad enough he felt it necessary to marry his tart, but to—”

“Lady Iversley is my sister-in-law. I will not hear ill spoken of her.”

“But you certainly should not speak well of her! Your family confounds me. Your mother thought, rightly I might add, that I should not take you riding in the early hours. But she allows Iversley to bring you to this hedonistic place with his”—he harrumphed—“wife and his steward? Your dear father must be spinning in his grave.”

Olivia took a purposeful misstep and stomped her boot down on his foot. His leg started to fold.

“Good God! Are you wearing horseshoes?”

“I beg your pardon. I didn’t see…” She jumped back and swiped her hand across her eyes as if wiping tears. Tears would unsettle him. “But it is unkind of you to use my father’s name to insult us.” She turned around and began walking briskly away.

He chased her. Limping. He caught her arm, and she shook it off.

“You must let me apologize. My dear, you must.”

She stood still, forcing other dancers to swerve to avoid them. She was making a scene. Jasper would not be pleased.

“Dear girl, I am sorry.” He rubbed his fingertips nervously against his jacket. “I am something of a relic, I know. In my day we did not…but you are an innocent, and I should not have vented my spleen upon you. Your brother’s irregular friendships do not, at least, I do not believe, reflect badly upon you.”

“Nor upon him.”

“Your loyalty is endearing. But we will have to agree to disagree.”

There was no getting rid of this man. She pursed her lips and nodded.

“Now.” He gave her a thin smile. “You must let me make it up to you. I will take you riding tomorrow in my carriage. Here is what we will do. We will go to Hyde Park late in the morning. Your mother will have no cause to fuss.”

Olivia wondered how that was making it up to her.

“I will have one of my grooms wait with Cassieopia and my Brutus by the east bridle path and we can escape the carriage and ride horseback. Will that do?”

It would if she could ride the horse without him.

“You needn’t bribe me, Your Grace. You have apologized and I accept.”

“But wouldn’t you like to ride Cassieopia?”

“Well, yes, I would but…”

He sighed. “But not with an old relic like me.”