Page 19 of Once Upon a Devilish Duke

“I have paper and other supplies if you wish to use them.” He regretted saying it as soon as the sentence was finished.

She came closer, her eyes wide. “You sketch as well?”

“Not well,” he said, mirroring her answer.

She sighed. “I do not suppose you get much time for such endeavors. Your mother and sister are always talking about how busy you are.” She pointed at the piles on his desk.

“No. I do not, unfortunately.”

“Well, that is a shame. Thank you, for the book.”

“Good night, Rose.” Now, will she leave?

“Good night, Edward,” she said as she backed out of the room and closed the door with a snick.

He had not expected his heart to leap at the sound of his name. He had not expected any of this. And, to top it all off, she had not told him what she thought of his London sunset.

Chapter Five

Rose was exhausted. Happy but exhausted. They had spent the whole day shopping. Her room was overflowing with boxes of new dresses, shoes, bonnets, and fripperies. Elsie laid them all out on the bed, ready to put them away.

“Oh, my lady, such beautiful gowns and shoes!” Her maid gushed over every new item she laid out. “You must have been in heaven.”

“There is more to come, I’m afraid,” she said. “To have such access to quality modistes is something I thought I should take advantage of.”

Among Rose’s new purchases were some sketch paper, charcoal, ink, and chalk; even though the duke had offered his supply, she could not take advantage. She had packed her watercolor set and planned to paint the back garden. The duke’s pride. It seemed the most logical way to impress him.

It was a plan of sorts to get to know him, to find out if there was indeed any way she could press upon him to give fatherhood another chance for the sake of Maxine. But first, she had to take the measure of the man. She could admit to herself that she was more than a little intrigued by him. Most of all, she wanted his side of the story. That was what she desperately wanted, if for no other reason than that the rest of the family could understand.

She did not consider him a horrible man who was cold and cruel, as some had described him, but he certainly distanced himself from the rest of the family. Rose wondered why. Was it guilt? A decision he could not undo without losing face? That was what she needed to know, and she could not achieve this if he hid away in his study. Therefore, she would have to go to him.

Last night had rattled her more than she cared to admit. Being so near to the duke had sent her heart racing. For heaven’s sake, she had touched him. It was a dangerous game she was playing, so she needed to be careful.

However, tonight was the very first ball of the season, and so Rose was busy getting ready. She was nervous. She had not attended a ton event in years. Would her brother be there? Would she remember all the rules, all the steps to the dances? Would Edward ask her to dance?

Elsie was busy doing her hair, weaving in her mother’s pearls. She always felt more confident wearing her mother’s jewelry, like she was somehow with her.

“There, you are done. I have to say I think this is the prettiest I have ever seen you. This gown is simply stunning, my lady.”

“Thank you, Elsie. I will tell you all about it when I return.”

Elsie clapped her hands in excitement.

Outside her window, she heard a carriage pull up. When she had a look, she saw that the duke’s carriage was waiting with four black horses, which were stamping in impatience. Of course, they would be black. Black was all the duke seemed to wear. The family livery was black and red with silver buttons.

Rose moved to the door, took a breath, and made her way down to the foyer where she found Marianne and her mother putting on their gloves and cloaks.

“Oh, Rose. You look lovely,” Marianne said as she came up to her. “I knew that color would really bring out your lovely blue eyes.”

Rose smiled. She felt like a princess in this ice-blue gown. All she was missing was a tiara.

“Very lovely indeed, Lady Rose,” the duke said from behind her.

She spun around to find him standing tall in the doorway to the drawing room. All in black as expected. Rose wanted to say that he was not going to a funeral, so why was he wearing all black? But instead, she said, “Thank you, Your Grace.”

“After you.” He motioned towards the door.

Marianne took Rose’s hand and led her down the stairs and into the carriage. She found herself sitting opposite the duke as they got underway. She kept her eyes out the window, although she could feel his eyes on her. Was he thinking about last night? She had been very forward, so perhaps her actions had disappointed him.