Page 47 of The Duchess’ Second Chance

She sighed and leaned back in her seat. The fact was that these questions were simply going to weigh on her until she received an answer…and that could be a very long time from now. She might never know exactly what had prompted Sampson to disrupt her wedding that day and insist that he wanted to marry her himself. And if she never did find that out, she was simply going to have to figure out a way to accept that fact.

But right now, that felt impossible. The question was too massive, and it felt like she needed to know. The best she could do was to set it aside for tonight.

“You know,” Sampson mused, “it’s been a very long time since I attended a ball.”

“I imagine it has,” she realized. “You were away at war for so long.”

“There was our wedding celebration, of course,” he said. “But that was different. It did rather feel as though everyone was a bit shocked that day. This one will be different. We might garner a lot of attention, but it will be in a different way. Perhaps a way we’re both more amenable to.”

“You almost sound as if you’re looking forward to this,” Amanda observed.

He chuckled. “I suppose I am,” he admitted. “I didn’t think I would be. But now that the moment is upon us, I rather think it’s going to be a good time. Yes, everyone will be looking at us, and that might be uncomfortable at first, but in the end, I look forward to showing off my duchess and how lucky I am to have her.”

That last line was uttered so casually that it almost seemed commonplace, and for a moment, Amanda didn’t register the compliment she had been paid.

Then, as the carriage stopped, it hit her all at once, and her cheeks went bright red.

Of course, the footman chose that moment to open that door, exposing her to the world beyond.

Sampson didn’t seem to have noticed the way she was reacting to what he had said. He jumped down from the carriage and held out a hand to help her down after him.

Amanda desperately wished she could have had a moment longer to collect herself.

But there was no way to ask for that without drawing his attention to how much she’d been impacted by what he had said. She would simply have to get over it.

She took his hand and allowed him to help her down.

CHAPTER 23

“Amanda! You made it!”

The lady who had come rushing up to them caught Amanda in an embrace that wasn’t suited to the quiet dignity of the event they were attending, but neither lady seemed to mind. Amanda let out a laugh and returned her friend’s embrace before stepping back. “Sampson,” she said. “Do you know Dorothy Thorne? The Duchess of Henshaw?”

“I’m afraid I don’t,” Nathaniel admitted. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Perhaps you know my husband, Nathaniel?” Dorothy asked him.

“Dorothy, don’t interrogate him,” Amanda objected. “You know that Sampson has been away for a while. He’s not familiar with every single person in London society.”

“Well, he’s going to have to get to know us,” Dorothy said cheerily. “Amanda and I are the best of friends, Sampson. That means you and I will have to be friends as well.”

Sampson smiled. He wasn’t accustomed to people marching up to him and insisting on friendship. In fact, he didn’t think it had ever happened to him before. But he found Dorothy appealing. She seemed kind, and the sight of her had had a very pleasant effect on Amanda, who had been anxious and uneasy throughout their carriage ride. Now, in the presence of her friend, Amanda had relaxed considerably. She was smiling, laughing at Dorothy’s jokes, and looking perfectly at home here among the crowd of the ball.

A gentleman came over and joined the pair of them. “How lovely to see you tonight, Amanda.”

“It’s good to see you again too, Nathaniel,” Amanda said with a warm smile. “This is my husband, Sampson. The Duke of Mortridge.”

“Greetings, Your Grace,” Nathaniel said, giving Sampson a light bow, which he returned. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Sampson said. “Any friend of Amanda’s is a friend of mine.”

“And that would make you the Duchess of Mortridge,” Nathaniel commented to Amanda. “How are you finding the new title?”

Amanda chuckled. “It’s a lot to get used to, as I’m sure Dorothy understands.”

“I remember very well,” Dorothy agreed. “It wasn’t even the responsibility of the position that was difficult, so much as the fact that every time someone said Duchess of Henshaw, I had to remind myself that they were talking about me!”

“I know just what you mean,” Amanda agreed. “The staff refer to me as Your Grace, of course, and every time they do I have a moment of thinking they must be speaking to someone else.”