To Capture a Duke's Heart (24 page)

For several seconds he stood transfixed, for she looked so incredibly lovely that it nearly took his breath away.  And in that moment, to see her like that, whatever regrets he might have had regarding the rather impulsive decision he’d made earlier that afternoon vanished in an instant.  

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting,” Penelope said softly as she moved down the final steps.

“No, not at all,” Gabriel replied, rousing himself from his momentary stupor as he walked forward to meet her at the foot of the staircase. Extending his hand he took her gloved fingers within his as she descended the last step.  “My dear, you look… stunning,” he stated in all truthfulness. 

“I’ve little doubt that I pale in comparison to the extraordinary creation encircling my throat,” she replied with a modest smile, lifting her other hand to place her fingertips upon the expanse of skin just below the necklace.  “It’s simply magnificent, Gabriel,” she continued softly, her eyes locked upon his.  “Thank you.”

“You’re quite welcome,” he replied, his voice sounding slightly rough to his own ears.  Clearing his throat, he managed to affect an offhand tone as he said, “I thought that emeralds might compliment your coloring, and I can see that I was correct in my assumption.”

“Yes, I think you might be right,” Penelope agreed with another, unassuming smile.  “Before tonight I’ve had little opportunity to wear emeralds or
anything
green for that matter, but the color does seem to work with this rather
unusual
hair color of mine.”

“Yes, well, it certainly does at that.”  He regarded her admiringly, his gaze shifting from her face then to sweep the length of her emerald-green gown, then darting back up to focus for a moment upon the surprising cut of her bodice.  While not quite low enough to be considered scandalous, he was certain that the bodice of the gown she wore now was cut considerably lower than any of the gowns he’d seen her in previously.  Just low enough, in fact, to provide him with a fabulous view of the enticing swells of her spectacular breasts. 

Damn and blast, he silently bemoaned, feeling the sudden rush of blood to his cock, vexed that the beauteous vixen still had the ability to stir his blood like no other woman had before.  “Shall we, then?” he asked somewhat gruffly and then turning, rather abruptly, toward the front door.

_____

“Oh, I do so wish that your stepmother was here this evening,” Eleanor remarked as she and Penny made their way from the Danbury’s drawing room to the rear terrace, where the Marchioness had arranged for some after-dinner entertainment for her guests.

“Maryanne?  Whatever for?”  Penny turned to Eleanor with a grimace, for since her marriage to Gabriel, her stepmother’s feelings of antipathy toward her seemed to have markedly intensified, rather than lessened.  It wasn’t altogether surprising, however, for it undoubtedly rankled her vain, narcissistic stepmother to no end that Penny not only outranked her but was considered a Society favorite as well, despite the scandal of her hasty union. 

“Because I would have dearly loved to have seen her face turn as green as those emeralds you’re wearing when she caught sight of that necklace,” she murmured in a hushed voice.

“Eleanor, really!”  Though Penny tried to maintain a staunch expression, she couldn’t help cracking a slight smile.

Eleanor merely grinned, clearly unrepentant.  “You simply must wear it the next time you see her.  Promise me you will.”

“Shall I don it the next time I pick up Charlie for a morning at the park?” she asked teasingly.

“Oh could you?  Could you, please?”

Penny laughed.  “Well, probably not.  Not unless I took at least three additional footmen along with us to the park to safeguard my neck, anyhow.”  Besides, she did her best to
avoid
Maryanne on those particular occasions, not further antagonize her.

“It truly is spectacular,” Eleanor professed, eyeing Penny’s necklace in admiration for a moment.  “But you truly haven’t any idea why he gave it to you?”

“Not really, no,” Penny responded with a shake of her head, keeping her voice low.

They shared a meaningful look as Eleanor smiled and gently squeezed her arm. 

Minutes later, as they stepped outside, Penny cast her gaze around the other guests milling around the terrace and caught sight of Gabriel standing with Rafael and Philip Danbury a short distance away.  “I’m sorry that Michael wasn’t able to be here tonight,” she said to Eleanor.

“Yes, so am I,” Eleanor confessed.  “Though I do hope his injury isn’t too terribly serious.”

“Apparently the doctor assured him that it was merely a slight sprain and nothing to be overly concerned about.  Gabriel said that he simply needs to stay off of the ankle for a few days and then he should be as good as new.” 

“That’s a relief.  Though I suppose it really wouldn’t have mattered if he were here tonight, or not,” Eleanor said with a sigh.

Penny eyed her curiously.  “Now why would you say that?”

“Well,” Eleanor said with a frown, “despite having asked me to dance at the two balls he happened to attend, he hasn’t given the slightest indication that his interest in me is anything other than
friendly
.”

“Mayhap he simply wishes to take things slow,” Penny suggested optimistically.

Eleanor shrugged.  “Or it could be that he merely doesn’t find me attractive.  I mean, let’s be honest, the man could have any woman he wanted with little more than the snap of his fingers,” she said, her tone disheartened.

“Has he shown an interest in anyone else?”

“No,” Eleanor shook her head, “not that I know of.”

“And did he ask any other unmarried ladies to dance at either of those balls?” Penny asked, knowing quite well that he hadn’t.

“Well, no,” Eleanor admitted, her face reflecting a slightly more positive expression.

This time it was Penny’s turn to give Eleanor’s arm a reassuring squeeze.  “So stop fretting.”

Eleanor hesitated for only a moment before smiling.  “Fine, I shall try.”

“Good.”

“You know, if Mother would only allow me to wear something more enticing than these insipid pastels and appallingly missish gowns,” she said with a roll of her eyes, “it would doubtless boost my self-confidence significantly.”

“A gown like this one, perhaps,” Penny asked with a knowing expression, motioning to her own dress.

“Precisely!”

Penny grinned.  “If you attempted to leave your house in
this
gown, you would likely have to revive your poor mother with smelling salts.”

Eleanor grinned back.  “I still cannot believe you had the nerve to lower the bodice
an
entire inch
,” she whispered.

“Well, let’s just hope that Meg’s efforts weren’t all for naught,” Penny stated.  “As regrettably I seem to have attracted the attention of a few more gentlemen that I had intended this evening and one in particular.”

“Yes, I couldn’t help but note that the Earl of Carrington was ogling you all through dinner.”

Penny grimaced.  “He was wasn’t he?  Do you think Gabriel noticed?” she asked uneasily.

“Most likely.  But don’t worry,” Eleanor proclaimed, “for if that dress you’re wearing doesn’t manage to spark your husband’s interest, which seems
highly
unlikely, then mayhap the earl’s interest, along with the others, will accomplish the task.”

While sparking
Gabriel’s
interest was all that Penny cared about, maybe Eleanor’s notion wasn’t too far off the mark.  Perhaps if Gabriel
had
noted the marked interest of someone like Carrington, it would serve to provide him with an extra little nudge in her direction.

She and Eleanor had little time to discuss the matter further, however, as Lady Farleigh called for everyone’s attention and announced the start of the evening’s entertainment.  Then, just a few moments later a dozen or more men and women, a troupe of gypsy performers it appeared, rushed from the shadows and out onto the rear lawn.  Then, as three of the brightly-clothed, bare-chested men began to spew great bursts of billowing fire from their mouths and into the night air, whilst the others formed a wide circle and danced around them playing a host of various musical instruments, the captivated crowd looking down from the terrace, she and Eleanor included, erupted in a chorus of enthusiastic ohs and ahs.

Less than twenty feet away, Gabriel turned his gaze from the activity in front of him to where his wife was standing alongside Eleanor Cunningham, farther down the Italian marble balustrade, noting the obvious enjoyment reflected in her expression as she focused her attention upon the animated gypsy performers.

He’d been watching her surreptitiously throughout the long evening, scarce able to keep his eyes off of her as she’d circulated amongst and conversed effortlessly with the
ton’s
most elite members, appearing every inch a woman born to the position she now held, a woman ideally suited to bear his name and his title.  Hell, if he didn’t know her for the accomplished deceiver who’d employed the vilest of methods to compel him to the altar, he could have easily imagined her as the perfect wife and duchess.  And damn it all, that knowledge alone should keep him from wanting her and from the fierce, overwhelming desire to take her home and strip every last stitch of that bold, tantalizing gown from her luscious body and toss her into his bed; but much to his unending disgrace it did not.  Instead, his body’s traitorous yearnings seemed to grow evermore powerful with each and every passing day.  Even now, as his gaze drifted slowly along her profile to the graceful line of her throat and then on to the exposed portion of one creamy white shoulder, he felt a renewed tightening within his loins.

“Bloody hell,” he cursed under his breath, wondering perhaps if he were to bang his head hard enough against the stone railing he could render himself unconscious. 

“Did you say something?” Rafael asked.

Turning from Penelope, he swung his gaze to where his brother stood next to him.

“No, nothing.”

“Humph, could have sworn I heard you mutter something under your breath,” Rafael said with an amused, knowing expression.

Gabriel glowered at him, but his brother merely smirked and raised a questioning eyebrow.  “Mind your own damned business,” he grumbled.

“Can’t keep your eyes off of her, can you?”

Gabriel ignored Rafael’s comment, deliberately turning his focus back to the performers.

“Hell, in
that
dress, I can hardly keep my eyes off of her myself.”

Gabriel’s head snapped back around.

“Relax,” Rafael stated laughingly.  “You know I was merely jesting.”

“Do I look amused?”

Rafael appeared to study him for a moment.  “Not particularly, no.”

Gabriel shook his head disgustedly and turned back to the lawn, focusing his gaze on one of the female gypsies, her bare arms and feet moving with dizzying speed as she danced to the beat of the other’s wooden castanets and jangling tambourines. 

“You know, Gabe, you could just take her to bed and end your misery,” Rafael suggested in a low voice, as he too turned back to the performers.  “She
is
your wife after all, circumstances be damned.”

As his fingers tightened upon the unyielding marble beneath his hands, Gabriel clenched his jaw and managed to keep from telling his brother to go to hell.

_____

When Penny made her way to her bedchamber later that night she couldn’t help feeling somewhat disheartened, for instead of accompanying her home from the Farleigh residence, Gabriel had elected to go to White’s along with Rafael, instead.   However, knowing that Meg would be waiting for her with her customary, welcoming smile, the sweet-tempered maid ever eager to hear the highlights of Penny’s evenings out, she disguised her mood, affixing a pleasant expression upon her face as she entered into her room. 

Then, for the next half hour, as Meg helped her out of her gown, corset, and various undergarments, removed the pins from her hair and readied the clothing she would need for the coming morning, Penny maintained that expression as she provided Meg with an account of the dinner and a detailed description of the gypsy performance that had followed.  Not surprisingly, by the time she was finished Meg’s eyes were wide with wonder. 

“Oh, but it must have been simply marvelous,” she gushed.

“It was rather spectacular, especially the fire breathing.”

“I can hardly even imagine such a thing,” Meg said with a disbelieving shake of her head.

“You know,” Penny remarked as she donned her night rail, “I overheard someone mention that there was a circus being held in Covent Garden next week and I would be delighted to purchase tickets for you and your entire family if you would like to attend.”

Meg’s face lit up.  “You would?”