Page 6 of The Duke’s Matchmaker

“Nathaniel.” She wasn’t about to pretend that they didn’t know one another. Though they hadn’t spent much time together, it had been established at the very first dinner party that they had both attended that they would call one another by their first names, since everyone else at that party was on a first name basis with each other. He was the one who was behaving oddly now.

In the past, when their paths had crossed, he hadn’t stood out to her that much. He had simply been the third member of the group of gentlemen that sometimes joined her friends for social events. Dorothy had paid more attention to her friends’ husbands than to the extra man. In fact, she was aware now that she had actively avoided him, lest the two of them find themselves awkwardly paired in the eyes of their married friends.

But she was looking at him now. He was tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and dark green eyes. Currently, those eyes were full of an anger that seemed to pin her where she stood. It was hard to take a breath when he was looking at her like that.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. She hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the one who had behaved badly. She wouldn’t allow herself to be thrown by his presence.

He glanced at her sisters, who were clinging to one another and staring at him with wide eyes. “I wonder whether you and I could have a word in private?”

Honora giggled. “Oh, Your Grace, of course! We would be more than happy to step out and give the two of you a moment together.”

“Yes, that would be no trouble at all,” Abigail enthused with a knowing smile.

“I think we can speak in front of my family,” Dorothy said, wondering what this was about. Honora and Abigail clearly thought he was here for courtship, but Dorothy knew it couldn’t be that.

“I think,” Nathaniel said, his voice tight, “that you might rather have this discussion privately. Though I am willing to do it in front of your family if you insist.” He raised an eyebrow.

It was enough to give her pause. He seemed to believe what he was saying, that making the conversation a private one would be for her sake. “Very well,” she said. She turned to her family. “Would you excuse us, please?”

“Mulligan will remain,” Mrs. Banks said. “And I shall send Nancy in to light the fire for you as well.”

She opened the door and stood back to allow Honora and Abigail pass before her. They looked disappointed, but they both rose and made their way out of the room. Nancy, one of the scullery maids, slipped in through the open door. It was warm for a fire, but Dorothy knew perfectly well that Mrs. Banks had really only sent Nancy in to ensure that there were plenty of witnesses to this conversation. Ever since the death of Dorothy’s parents, Mrs. Banks had taken on something of a motherly role in Dorothy’s life. To tell the truth, Dorothy was grateful for it.

Dorothy remained seated, watching Nathaniel. He took the seat that had been vacated by Dorothy’s sisters and pressed his lips together.

“Why did you do it?” he asked.

A thrill ran through her, but she kept her face composed. He couldn’t know. “Why did I do what?”

“Don’t pretend not to know. You saw to it that my list would appear in the scandal sheets. I know it was you. Did you really think you were well-hidden in those curtains? Your shoes were poking out from beneath them.”

She stared at him. “My shoes? You knew me by my shoes?” Her heart beat faster. Had he been taking notice of her?

No one ever takes notice of me…

“Of course not. But I knew someone was there, so I waited and looked around the corner to see if you would come out. And you did. I have to say, when I saw it was you, I was more amused than surprised. You always struck me as the sort to lurk about in the shadows.”

Dorothy fumed.

“But,” he went on, “I hadn’t realized at the time that I’d left that list behind.”

“You shouldn’t have left it,” she told him.

“Indeed I shouldn’t! I might have known it would fall into the hands of someone eager to cause mischief.”

Dorothy sat up straighter. “The list itself is mischief,” she told him severely. “I published it because people ought to know the kind of man you are. To judge all those ladies according to what they look like!”

He shook his head. “We all take note of one another’s appearances,” he said. “I have no memory for names, so I wrote the list to help me recall who was who. That’s all.”

“But the list said that everyone on it was a potential bride.”

“That’s the way the marriage mart works. You know that. Everyone is a potential husband or wife at first. It’s a matter of narrowing things down and finding the one who is right for you in the end.

Everyone? Then why wasn’t I on the list?

She didn’t voice the question. It would have been far too embarrassing. And to tell the truth, she didn’t really want to know the answer. It didn’t matter anyway. It wasn’t as though she had any interest in becoming his wife.

“Well, I apologize,” she said. “I see that I might have been hasty in publishing that list. But it won’t make much of a difference. You’re a gentleman of high rank, and you aren’t going to have any trouble in finding yourself a wife. I may even have done you a favor. Now everyone will know that you’re looking. I’m sure there are plenty of ladies on that list who will make it a point to let you know they are interested.”