How to Dazzle a Duke (34 page)

She flushed. In anger, not embarrassment. “Hardly. He is a

wonderful man. I am fortunate to have his regard.”

“I am pleased to hear it. He is a good man. He deserves a

good wife.”

Mrs. Warren took a deep breath and regained her compo

sure. “Lord Staverton needs no protection from me, if that was

your intent, Lord Iveston. Yet who will protect Miss Prestwick

from you?”

“Mrs. Warren,” he said, dipping his head in a bow, “the

question is who will protect the male population from Miss

Prestwick?”

Nineteen

IT seemed to Penelope that the entire population of London, or

at least those sheltered within the stone walls of Lanreath House,

was trying to keep Edenham from her. All she wanted to do was

ruin the man! How much protection did he need from that? Cer

tainly she’d do everything in her power to entice him to enjoy it.

She had every expectation that he would.

Just look at how Lord Iveston had enjoyed his brief moment

in her arms, his lips upon hers, his hands wrapped around her

waist . . . and her gown truly was a disaster as a result of his man

handling. She didn’t suppose he could help it. He was a man.

Actually, he was far more a man than she had supposed, not

that she’d given him much thought once she’d discounted him.

And she still was discounting him. The Duke of Edenham was

the man for her. If only she could get him alone and encourage

him to toy with her. Why, she might be a duchess by next week!

He had come with his sister, Lady Richard, she knew that,

though by hearsay only. Still, it was reliable. Where he was

now was a mystery. Lady Richard was in the reception room

speaking with Sophia, about what she couldn’t imagine. A stirring

How to Daz zle a Duke

245

of suspicion wound into her thoughts. Was it possible that Sophia

would, in a fit of pique at not being paid, speak ill of her to Edenham’s sister, poisoning the well, so to speak?

All the more reason to get Edenham ruined at the fi rst

opportunity.

It was just then, when every thought she possessed was di

rected and consumed by the Duke of Edenham, that Lord Iveston

appeared at the other side of the room. The room hushed.

Oh, bother it all.

Penelope enjoyed a good gossip as much as the next person,

but there was absolutely nothing worth gossiping about concern

ing her and Iveston. Certainly anyone should be able to see that.

Iveston, looking quite as tall and elegant as was his habit,

looked directly at her with his bold blue eyes, and then, without

any hesitation whatsoever, which did not look good, or at least

innocent, to the witnesses in the room, made a resolute path

to her.

Her heart fluttered quite wildly in her breast. It was with

mortifi cation, obviously.

He did move quite well, almost languidly. She could not quite

decide if it was the result of superior tailoring or that he truly was

as perfectly proportioned as he appeared. If she ever had the

chance again, she just might delve into that. Certainly, if he

found cause to remove his coat and waistcoat, she could get a

better look at . . . his true proportions. All for science, or nearly

so, and certainly not for any lurid intention. Not at all. This was

Iveston, after all. She did not want him.

And then he was before her and Edenham, whom she had not

seen for hours, let it be remembered, flickered and faded from

her thoughts. Iveston was right in front of her. It was all perfectly

logical.

Of course it was. Everything she did was perfectly logical.

She’d made a fi rm habit of it.

246 CLAUDIA DAIN

“Miss Prestwick,” he said, bowing slightly, his blond head

gleaming in the candlelight.

“Lord Iveston,” she said, dipping into a shallow curtsey.

Lady Paignton was watching her without any subtlety what

soever from not fifteen feet away. She had executed the most

innocent and bored curtsey that had ever been imagined. Let

Lady Paignton fi nd something scandalous in that.

“You’re not engaged at present?”

Only in looking at him, but there was no need to be that

honest, particularly with a man.

“No, not at present. I expect my brother to join me at cards

at any moment.”

Another lie. She hated cards and George barely tolerated

them. They were not very adept at the idle games of the ton, a

fact that must be concealed, naturally.

“I should so hate to drag you off from a spirited competition,

yet I do fi nd that I should like more proof.”

“I beg your . . . what? More proof? More proof of what, Lord

Iveston?”

But of course she knew. The hammering of her heart and

the watery feeling rushing into her knees and elbows pro

claimed it.

“More. Proof,” he said, looking down at her with complete

composure. Actually, he looked almost bored.

Her glance skittered about the room, noticing with no trouble

at all that Lady Paignton was smirking at her, that Edenham had

his back to her, that George was frowning at her, that Penrith

and Raithby were staring at her expectantly, and that Sophia

Dalby was looking daggers at her.

She hardly needed more inducement than all of that.

“Whatever you require, Lord Iveston, shall be supplied,”

she said politely, her composure quite firm, even resolute. Oh,

How to Daz zle a Duke

247

definitely resolute. She was not going to show any reaction at all,

not to him and not to them. “What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing spectacular, I assure you,” Iveston said. “It is only

that the odds are most markedly in favor of Edenham, which is

a blow to my pride.”

“What a terrible pity,” she said crisply.

“Isn’t it,” he said blandly, eyeing her casually. “I would very

much like to shorten the odds, Miss Prestwick. I do think we can

manage that between us, don’t you?”

“As I do feel this is somewhat beyond the bounds of our orig

inal agreement, Lord Iveston,” she said softly, “I do think that I

may expect something in return.”

“Besides your most obviously displayed pleasure?”

“Yes. Besides that,” she said, a bit more sharply than was wise.

She got hold of herself immediately. Iveston seemed to take note

of it and smile. Bloody sot. Did he think he could get the best of

her? Not likely.

“What would you have of me?”

“Only that, if the odds do change in your favor, that would

logically mean that Edenham will think himself out of my favor.

I want you to make certain he knows he still has a chance to win

me. Can you do that, Lord Iveston?”

He smiled, a tight little smile that thrilled her. He was angry.

How perfect. He deserved every bit of it. The only thing that

could be better was if he developed those little white marks on

his neck. Did he know he gave his emotions away on his very

skin? She did hope not. It was a wonderful advantage in dealing

with him, those telltales. Why, he must be the most abysmal

gambler imaginable.

“I have no doubt of it,” he said.

“Yet I do,” she said.

They were speaking quietly, in a secluded quarter of the

248 CLAUDIA DAIN

room, the wall nearly at her back, her gaze encompassing the

entire room. It was not to be imagined that they were overheard,

and certainly no one would ever guess by their demeanor that

anything untoward was occurring between them.

She would never have supposed Iveston to be such a su

perb liar.

She had, however, always known that she was very good at it.

“You require some test of my ability?”

“No. Only a test of your results,” she said. “If I am to sub

ject myself to your unnecessary exercise, then I do think it

only fair that you subject yourself to some proof of my own

devising.”

“I think you have got far ahead of yourself here, Miss Prest

wick. I have required no proof of you; no screams of passion, no

heaving bosom, no quivering—”

“Lord Iveston,” she interrupted, her breathing having gone

quite annoyingly shallow, “I only suggest that there is no way for

me to know what you say to Edenham, let alone what affect your

words may have.”

“You could take my word for it.”

“I could, but I won’t. I am a far more savvy negotiator than

you seem to think.”

“Miss Prestwick, you are entirely incorrect. I put absolutely

nothing beyond you.”

“Lord Iveston, I am hardly insulted by such an observation.”

“Miss Prestwick, I would do nothing to insult you.”

“Nothing but require me to endure your . . . experiment

again.”

“And again,” he whispered, his blue eyes gone quite molten.

She was not alarmed; it was what men did when an attractive

woman was around. She was a bit surprised, however; she had

never expected the mild Lord Iveston of the day before to have

anything molten at all going on beneath the skin.

How to Daz zle a Duke

249

She seemed to have quite an effect on him. It was a quite

pleasurable state of affairs, truth be told.

“Again, Lord Iveston? Isn’t that a bit . . . greedy?” she asked

softly.

“Entirely. But then, I am most accustomed to having all my

needs filled nearly upon the wish. I see no reason to change that

now, do you?”

“Of course not. I wish for the same accommodation myself.

It sounds a perfectly lovely way to live out a life. Is it?”

“Yes,” he said, moving a half step closer and turning slightly

so that he could see more of the room.

Penrith and Raithby were whispering furiously. Penrith held

out his hand, showing two fingers. Raithby seemed to respond

by producing three fingers. They nodded in agreement and then

turned in unison to stare at her again.

Wagering? Over her, obviously. It was nearly scandalous as

everyone knew that Raithby was entirely horse mad and never

gave a thought to anything else. Until now. She nearly preened.

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” Iveston said.

But he wasn’t speaking of his well-accommodated life. No, by

the look in his flagrant blue eyes, he was speaking of . . . it. What

they were about to do. Although, as he hadn’t actually spelled it

out, what were they about to do? She was all for keeping to the

terms of a bargain freely made, but she was no fool. There would

be no blindly walking into what could easily become her ruin

ation. No, not that. Not with this man.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit more practice, would it?

After all, a groom was just a groom. She probably should get

more experience with a man closer to Edenham’s station in life.

There were likely differences, perhaps even vast differences in

technique and preferences. It was very nearly her wifely duty to

Edenham to come into his bed with as much innocent practice

as she could manage.

250 CLAUDIA DAIN

How convenient that Iveston stood at the ready, so eager to

tutor her.

Of course, being a man, he had no intention of being of ser

vice to her. No, he was in this for his own reasons, but that didn’t

mean that she couldn’t get her needs met as well, did it?

Naturally not.

Poor Iveston. He truly did not know what an utterly essential

service he was doing for her.

Ah well, she would send him a nice note later, after she was

the Duchess of Edenham.

“Enjoy it or not, Lord Iveston, I do require some sort of evi

dence that you will convey what I want you to convey to Edenham precisely when I want you to convey it.”

“I’ll confess to being slightly confused, Miss Prestwick. If you

could elaborate?”

Actually, she was a bit confused herself. He was standing very

close to her and the urge to reach out and touch him was strangely

strong. Because she had kissed him? He was familiar to her now,

in a vague way. Perhaps that was all there was to it. Most cer

tainly, as she was determined to marry Edenham, that is all there

was to it. But it would be more convenient if he moved away from

her a step or two.

“Perhaps later, Lord Iveston. Now, I do believe that we

should proceed, before the evening’s activities become more

focused.”

“Certainly, Miss Prestwick. How pleasant it is to converse

with a woman of such a practical bent. It is quite beyond the

ordinary, I assure you.”

“Actually, Lord Iveston, I had not thought you had much ex

perience with women of any type, practical or not.”

“I have every hope of convincing you otherwise,” he said

softly as they walked through the room, nodding pleasantly at

the guests they passed, their mutual manner both so casual and

How to Daz zle a Duke

251

so calm that, if not for her wrinkled dress, there should be noth

ing to murmur about at all.

But her dress was wrinkled, as was Iveston’s cravat, and that

did lead to the smallest of speculations. She only hoped Edenham was paying attention. As it happened, he did turn to look at

her as they passed not ten feet from him on their way out of