Page 15 of From Unwanted to Duchess
“Do not look so Friday-faced,” Clara said. “You will be most impressive too, in your own way.”
“That is kind of you, but I was not raised for that kind of life. I will be happy beyond measure if I find a baronet who will marry me.” Frances squeezed her hand and then made her way downstairs.
Aunt Eugenia already stood at the bottom of the steps, tapping her foot impatiently. She was dressed in a regal blue gown that looked to be from a previous era. A turban sat on her head, and sapphires dangled from her ears. A fur scarf and a red coat hung around her shoulders, even though it was warm outside.
“There you are,” she said. “Here, put on your pelisse. We are going to meet your cousins there.” Then she turned away. “James! Please do not be late.”
The Duke stepped into the hall from the library.
Frances paused for a moment and took him in. He wore a black jacket and, underneath, a sapphire blue waistcoat that brought out the color of his eyes. A pair of black pantaloons hugged his legs. They were so tight, she knew they had been soaked in water.
The Duke eyed her, his gaze running up and down her body in a way that made heat rise in her cheeks.
“You look handsome,” she said, then immediately regretted the words. She blushed further at the impropriety. “I mean, you look well.”
“Thank you,” he replied with a slight smirk. “As do you, Miss Langley.”
“Well then,” Aunt Eugenia said, “let’s go.”
They made their way out to the carriage.
Frances sat next to Aunt Eugenia, while the Duke sat across from her. Throughout the journey, Aunt Eugenia chattered on and on about the latest on dit. A lady who had been caught with a man who was not her husband, though nobody could figure out what the initials the scandal sheets liked to use stood for. A lord who’d reneged on a business agreement resulting in a fist fight, as well as the latest edition of Ackerman’s - most of which Frances knew nothing of.
After a while, silence fell, and she was almost grateful for it. Until the Duke spoke up.
“So, Miss Langley, do you know much about theatre?”
Frances knew immediately what he was trying to imply: that someone like her from the country had never attended the theatre.
Well, she would set him straight.
“I do, in fact. There is a theatre not far from my home. I have attended a multitude of plays.”
“And what is your favorite?” he asked.
She paused. “I enjoy many of the usual fare. Shakespeare is always very popular.”
“I see. So you like Romeo and Juliet?”
She caught the teasing note in his voice.
Shifting in her seat, she rolled her shoulders back. “You must think because I am a young lady, I only care for such romantic farces. Though if you ask me, Romeo and Juliet is by no means romantic, given the ending. But no, I prefer A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That is my favorite, followed by Much Ado About Nothing.”
“But not Hamlet?” he asked.
“Have you seen Hamlet now?” Aunt Eugenia chimed in, brows rising in surprise. “The last time I tried to take you to see Hamlet, you refused to watch suchpretentious fare, as you called it.”
Frances chuckled. Leave it to her aunt to humble him.
“I have not seen it,” he answered, regret lacing his voice. “I will, one of these days. Although I suppose I have enough difficulties in my life, familial discord and all, so I do not need to watch it in addition on the stage.”
Frances wondered what he was talking about. She didn’t know much about his personal life. All she knew was that his London townhouse in Saint James had caught fire recently, leaving him somewhat homeless. Of course, she knew he had a country seat, but she didn’t know where it was.
“What about your country home?” she asked. “Is there not a theatre nearby?”
He smiled. “My country seat in Somerset has a rather splendid theatre. You may have heard of it.”
“I have not,” she replied. “But then again, I do not have access to a carriage at my merest whim to go wherever I desire.”
