Dare to Be a Duchess, page 2
A very drunk man came toward her, trying to seek her attention, but the woman raised a haughty brow and dismissed the man with a glacial look.
Something about the way she dismissed the man struck Wolf in the chest, and his mind jerked to attention. He knew that look—he’d seen it before, directed at him. And then he noticed the petite blonde by her side, and Wolf wanted to knock his head against the column on which he was leaning.
His breath quickened. Had he just been ogling Lara Ramsay? Of all the women he’d seen tonight, he couldn’t believe that sharp-tongued shrew had caught his attention. Of course she looked familiar. Those aqua-blue eyes had leveled that particular glacial look on him several times in the past. How had he not recognized her immediately?
He cursed himself, refusing to dwell on the knowledge that he’d almost succumbed to a highly inappropriate moment of attraction. It was time to get the two girls out and give them both a piece of his mind.
Just as he started toward them, a swarm of people pushed past the girls, and he lost sight of them for a moment. He spotted a frazzled-looking Lara standing on one side of the commotion. The drunken man she dismissed earlier had returned with a companion who took her arm and tried to steer her away.
Wolf glanced at where Anne was standing earlier and found her a little distance away standing by a pillar, safe. Beyond her, in the distance, his eyes met those of his friend Leo. Wolf could either go and collect Anne or rescue Lara from the trouble that seemed to follow her everywhere.
His mind was made up even before he had voiced the question in his head. He motioned for Leo to keep an eye on Anne and stalked toward Lara.
A shiver of apprehension snaked down Lara’s spine. The drunken Hercules had brought a blond pirate along with him.
“So, you’re the one giving my friend a hard time,” the pirate remarked, lifting his one eye mask above his head carelessly, giving her a clear look at his face.
Lara recognized him in a flash. He was the very rich, very debauched, and extremely lecherous Earl of Paxton. After his father’s demise, he had gone on a long tour of the continent. He’d only recently returned, and all of London was abuzz. Thanks to his immense wealth, everyone fawned over him.
Paxton took his time assessing her from top to toe, his leering gaze resting on her chest for a few moments before it continued a downward path to her feet then back up to her face. He licked his lips and gave her a smile, making her skin crawl.
She took a step back, but he followed her.
His eyes on her, Paxton said, “She’s a beauty indeed…and that delicious outfit. This one’s mine.”
Grinning, the Hercules disappeared.
The Earl of Paxton had a reputation of being a scoundrel of the first order. He was handsome, if one liked the angular features he had, but nothing could hide the cold cruelty in his blue eyes. He was the worst sort of cad. Everyone knew he had no morals where women were concerned, and in spite of his continuous bad behavior, he was still very welcome in all the London drawing rooms because he was rich. Lara couldn’t let him recognize her. As it was, she had a tenuous place in Society, and that would be destroyed if one word of her jaunt in this ballroom reached his mother, the Countess of Paxton, or his horrid sister Amelia.
She shot him a nasty glare and spun around, intending to walk away from him as fast as she could. But he caught her arm and whirled her back to face him.
“Let me go,” Lara demanded, in as a serious tone as she could muster, even though her insides were quaking in terror.
“Don’t play games with me, darling,” Paxton sneered, tightening his hold on her. “Everyone knows why beauties like you attend such balls, and I’m more than willing to oblige.”
Goose bumps erupted on her arms, but she wouldn’t show him any fear.
“I want nothing to do with you.” She tried to twist her arm out of his hold, but it was of no use. His grip was like a vice.
Paxton smirked. “Stop protesting, my beauty. Let’s go somewhere private, shall we?”
He began pulling her toward one of the empty alcoves.
Lara struggled against his hold, fear churning her stomach as he dragged her with him. She had to get out of his grasp, find Anne, and leave this place immediately. Just when she thought to trip him or plant a punch on his face, she heard a voice beside her growl.
“Leave. Her. Alone.”
Lara sagged in relief, shutting her eyes…until she recognized the voice of her savior.
Her eyes popped open and crashed with the cold, gray eyes of the Duke of Wolverton. Dressed in a black hooded cape and half mask, Wolf looked like a dark angel.
Her pulse skittered, and all her bravado about standing up for herself disappeared. She was in deep, deep trouble now.
Wolf’s furious gaze swept over her, and Lara swallowed against the lump in her throat. Finally, he turned to Paxton.
“I said, leave her alone,” Wolf repeated in a menacing voice that sent shivers down Lara’s spine.
He lifted the hood off his head and glowered at Paxton. Without the hood, there was no mistaking him. Even masked, there was only one man in the whole of England who stood this tall and imposing, with a gray gaze and that sunburned hair.
“Ahh, surprise, surprise. The Duke of Wolverton, at such an event?” Paxton chortled. “So you’re not as righteous as you portray to the rest of the world.”
Lara shifted, trying to ease out of Paxton’s grip. But he held tight.
“I never claimed righteousness in any form, ever,” Wolf asserted, folding his arms across his chest. “So, for the last time, leave the lady alone.”
Paxton looked from her to Wolf and then back at her.
“Who are you?” Paxton queried, staring at her with a frown. His hold tightened on her arm, and his other hand came to her face.
Lara grabbed Paxton’s hand before he could pull off her mask. There was no way she’d allow him to reveal her identity. When Paxton sneered and pushed closer, Wolf caught his arm in a grip that had the earl grimacing.
“If you even try unmasking her, I will plant my fist in your face.”
Paxton met Wolf’s eyes and hesitated, as if judging Wolf’s intentions. Then he smirked and released her. Lara seized the opportunity to escape to Wolf’s side.
Only once she was safely away did Wolf let go of his arm.
“Interesting encounter, Your Grace,” Paxton drawled. Lara noted the calculating look in his gaze as it rested on Wolf. “The night is still young.” He tilted his head toward Lara. “Perhaps we’ll meet again?”
He bowed to her and left.
Wolf dropped his hood back over his head. “Come on, let’s go.”
“But…Anne…” she fumbled.
Wolf stared at her, his gray eyes dark in their fury. “Leo is watching her. She’s safe.”
“Leo is here?”
He grunted. “Thanks to him, I arrived in time to interfere with Paxton’s advances.”
So that was how he had found them. Before she could ask why Leo would be at an event like this, Wolf took her arm in his and propelled her in the opposite direction of the earl.
Judging by the irritation on his face and the tension in his body, this was going to be a battle. She just hoped she came out on top.
Chapter Three
Wolf halted when they were a sufficient distance away and scanned the room. Anne was standing in the same place. Leo watched over her from his position behind her. Good.
Attempting to remain calm, he faced Lara. “Have you taken complete leave of your senses? What in the blazes are you doing in this hellhole?”
Anyone else he knew would have cowered in his presence, but not Lara. She narrowed her eyes at his tone and jutted her chin out instead.
“Thank you for helping me out of that situation,” she responded, “but where I go is really none of your concern.”
Wolf crossed his arms and glared at her. Despite being at fault, she was as unrepentant as ever. Her absolute nonchalance drove him mad, always.
“It is my concern. Getting into trouble is second nature to you, so I’d be lying if I said that it gave me any pleasure to be the one to help you out of it.” Wolf scowled at her. “Paxton is not a fool. He only has to think closely as to whose identity I would desperately want to protect and then remember your dark hair, and he will come up with your name. You truly have no sense at all.”
“Well, then you shouldn’t have bothered coming to my aid,” Lara retorted. “I could have handled the situation perfectly well by myself.”
Wolf put his hands on his hips. “And how, may I ask, would you have done that?”
She sniffed. “I’ve heard that a well-planted knee on a delicate part of a man’s anatomy would normally do the trick.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re crazy to think you could have deterred Paxton that easily.”
Lara merely stared at him, her head held high, further fueling his temper.
“What, nothing to say?” he snapped. “Which brings me back to my first question. What are you doing in this depraved place?”
Lara’s lips set in a mutinous line. Her lack of response irked him even more.
“Answer me,” Wolf demanded, his tone sharp.
She met his gaze head on. “We had no inkling this place would be so bad. And nothing untoward has occurred, so stop shouting at me.”
“Unbelievable,” he growled. “Do you know how dangerous this place could be for two innocent girls like yourselves? Behind their masks and costumes, the men here have only one thing on their minds when they look at you, and you, as usual, don’t care that you could be completely ruined if discovered, let alone taken advantage of, in this den of vice. You are wild and irresponsible, and you give no thought to your actions or the consequences thereof. And you brought Anne here? Just because you don’t care about your reputation doesn’t mean you can play fast and loose with hers.”
Lara’s eyes blazed with fury. “Anne is not a child. She is a grown woman who has a mind of her own.”
“And that is justification for you to come here?” Wolf countered.
“I, too, have a mind of my own,” she shot back. “And I do not appreciate you telling me what I can and cannot do.”
His nostrils flared. He was the Duke of Wolverton, one of the most powerful men in England. No one defied him. And yet this one woman stood against him at every turn. Why couldn’t she understand the potential danger for her or Anne here?
“Tell me how Uncle Robert would feel if he found out about any of this.”
His words had the desired effect because her face turned ashen, and panic flashed in her aqua-blue eyes.
Wolf was well aware his uncle doted on Lara. She was like a daughter to him. Uncle Robert was a widower and childless, and hence Lara was the apple of his eye. And Wolf was also aware that Lara cared deeply for Uncle Robert.
So he soldiered forward. “Do you not care about him? He took you in, gave you a home, a family, and all you ever do is rebel at every opportunity you get.”
“You aren’t going to tell him, are you?” Lara queried in a small voice.
When he remained silent, she tugged his arm. “Wolf, please don’t tell him.”
Even though Lara was not directly related to him, the fact that his uncle was her guardian made her Wolf’s responsibility.
And Wolf always took his responsibilities seriously.
He gave her a pointed look. “Why did you risk coming here? I need an explanation, Lara, and it better be good or I’ll have no choice but to inform my uncle. As it stands, there will be consequences.” He may not know what those consequences would be, but that was a matter to explore later.
At his threat, Lara retreated a step back. He could see the wheels spinning in her head before she once again raised that stubborn chin of hers.
“I have nothing to say to you, and I’m not afraid of you or your threats,” she announced. “I don’t think you’ll tell Uncle Robert because I know you care for him just as much as I do. You won’t say or do anything to hurt him. So do as you wish. I care not a jot.”
His jaw clenched. Now he was more resolved than ever to prove to her that her ill-thought actions would have consequences. She couldn’t go about continuing to do as she wished with nary a thought to her own wellbeing—or Anne’s, for that matter.
He needed to think of something that his uncle, too, would concur with.
An idea took root in his mind. An idea she would very much detest, but wasn’t that the point? He straightened and looked down at her.
“You’re right. I’ll never do anything to hurt Uncle Robert. And so he will remain blissfully ignorant of your excursion tonight. I, however, will not let it go. I’m done with your rebellions, your wild behavior, and you encouraging Anne to follow your footsteps. Here, right at this moment, I’m giving you an ultimatum: find someone from the ton to marry in the next six months, or I will choose someone for you.”
A strange sensation hit him right in the center of his chest as he uttered the words, pictured Lara on the arm of a nameless, faceless lord. He shook off the foreign emotion.
Her mouth dropped open.
“Anne, too, will get the same ultimatum,” he added before she could protest.
“What?” Horror crossed over her face, and then an angry breath escaped her mouth. She shook her head. “No. I don’t accept this, Wolf. You cannot force me to marry. Uncle Robert will never agree to this.”
His lips tipped up. Finally, he had her attention.
Wolf leaned in and lowered his voice. “Oh, he will. I know he worries about you. Your marriage will put him at ease. In fact, I’m willing to endower you more than what Uncle Robert has to make you more attractive to suitors.”
“More…attractive?” Lara’s eyes flashed with shock. “How dare you say such a thing to me!”
He shrugged. “I only speak the truth.”
She threw him a dark look.
He held strong. This ultimatum was exactly what the girls needed. Lara was a known troublemaker, and being in her company Anne, too, felt that she could get away with anything. Of late, he’d heard that the two of them had debated with some of the Lords about the ill effects of East India Company’s colonization of India and other countries. Not that he disagreed with their views; in fact, he fully supported freedom of every country and its people and frequently spoke out against colonization. But he was a duke, and as such, he was free to express his views publicly. Lara and Anne, on the other hand, were not.
Thankfully, Uncle Robert had heard them and steered the conversation away to a safer topic. Wolf could only imagine the uproar in Society if it came across that the women in the Wolverton household were discussing politics and had anti-government views.
They needed to marry at once.
Anne and Lara were both turning twenty-five within the year. There was no way his sister was going to be called as officially “on the shelf” by the wagging tongues of the ton. And Lara, too, could find someone suitable. He’d ensure it. “Accept it, Lara. This is going to happen whether you like it or not.”
Seeing her aqua eyes go liquid, he gentled his tone. “It’s not like you don’t have a choice. You have six months to choose someone, Lara. I’m sure there are plenty of men who would want to marry you.”
Lara sniffed. “You don’t know anything.”
“Explain to me, then. Help me understand. Tell me why you came here?”
Lara blinked back the tears threatening to fall. How could she explain her need to step out of the confines of Society to find a husband? That she wanted to find a man to love who would love her back without any prejudice to who she was and where she came from?
Wolf was so fixated in his views. He never saw beyond what he believed. He wouldn’t understand her need to be loved and accepted, and hence she wouldn’t tell him.
At her silence, a wrinkle formed between his brows, and he ran an agitated hand through his hair. “I’m not doing this to vex you, Lara. Do you understand that whatever you or Anne do affects the family name and honor?”
She stared at him, aghast. Her? She wasn’t even a member of the family.
“Yes, you, too,” Wolf stressed. “Anything you do affects the Wolverton name, simply by virtue of Uncle Robert being your guardian.”
Clearly, he had no idea how the ton felt about her. To them, she was an outsider and a charity case of the Wolvertons’. Nobody cared what she did, but every single person would raise an eyebrow if Anne were caught doing something scandalous.
She frowned. Perhaps that was his concern. Perhaps he considered her a burden because Anne followed in her footsteps, always.
The last thing Lara wanted was to be a burden on him.
“You’re right,” she conceded. “We have behaved rather recklessly.”
His brows shot up. “Can you please repeat that? I didn’t hear you correctly.”
A smile appeared on his lips. But it was gone so fast that Lara thought she’d imagined it.
His smug words, however, rekindled her irritation. “Do not mock me, Wolf. I can accept when I’m wrong.”
“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Wolf deadpanned. “Promise me that you won’t try anything irresponsible or behave wild like this again.”
She had no need to agree to anything. What she did and where she went was of no concern to anyone, least of all him. She wasn’t going to allow him or anyone else to control her. Ever.
“Take back your marriage ultimatum first,” she retorted.
Wolf’s lips flattened, and he raised his chin a notch. “That is nonnegotiable.”
“Then I won’t make a promise I can’t keep. But I do promise not to involve Anne in anything that wouldn’t meet with your high and mighty approval.”
