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“You see,” the Duke hissed as they danced hand-in-hand down the set. “He has seen you now. He will come to you after this dance. I am sure of it.”

The dance was drawing to a close now, and they stood side-by-side as the final chords faded away. “I am not sure of it, Your Grace, not at all,” she replied in a low voice.

They moved away from the dance floor.

“Would you care for some more punch, Miss Hervey?” the Duke asked her.

She blinked in surprise. She had assumed that he would leave her now and go to find some other company, but he seemed to wish to stay next to her. She nodded, though. She was thirsty after the dance, and the punch was delicious. She reminded herself that it would not be becoming to drink too much of it and be at risk of losing her senses.

He returned swiftly with their refreshments and stood by her side. She followed his gaze and saw that the Duke was watching Lord Harry closely. But Lord Harry did not turn towards her; his attention remained fixed on Miss Thomas.

However, there was someone approaching them, and the sight of it made her heart sink. Lady Margaret was walking purposefully towards them, with Alison following in her wake. Charlotte glanced behind her for a moment, unsure what she was looking for, but the situation was clear. There was no escape. She was going to have to face the wrath of her stepmother.

* * *

Luke watched as the two ladies approached them. He knew the older one, by sight at least, to be Miss Hervey’s stepmother, the Viscountess Margaret Haddington. The second viscountess, in fact, who had been married to the viscount some five years ago. The younger lady following her must be Miss Hervey’s stepsister.

He glanced at Miss Hervey briefly and saw the look of trepidation on her face as they approached. He felt a surge of irritation. How awful it must be to live in such a state of disharmony with one’s family, the people one shared a home with day in, day out. He felt glad, once more, for his peaceful childhood, the harmonious relationship between his parents, and the loving and respectful relationship he had shared with his own father. A pang of grief twisted his heart at the thought of it.

He dragged his thoughts back to the present and prepared himself to greet the viscountess with the civility required of him on such an occasion.

Lady Margaret spoke first. “Charlotte, my dear, how charming to see you dancing. Such an unusual pleasure for you, I know!” Her voice was sugary sweet, but Luke could sense the poison behind the honey.

Miss Hervey bowed slightly to her stepmother, then turned to Luke. “Stepmother, I am not sure if you are acquainted with his Grace, the Duke of Seton?”

Lady Margaret let out a little snort, then covered her mouth with her gloved hand for a moment before responding. “Of course, we are acquainted.” She dropped a low curtsy and then gave her hand for Luke to shake. “It is such a long time since we have seen you, Your Grace. What an honor indeed it is for Lord and Lady Thomas to entertain such a distinguished guest this evening.”

“The honor is all mine, my lady,” Luke replied, bowing and shaking her hand. He knew precisely the behavior required of him in interactions like this, but he heartily wished he could turn on his heel and walk away, rather than having to speak with this insipid woman. And he knew what was coming next as Lady Margaret stepped to one side and ushered the other young lady forwards.

“Allow me to present my daughter, Miss Alison Jarvis, Your Grace.” She pushed the unfortunate girl forward, making her stumble slightly as she dropped her curtsey.

“Miss Jarvis, I am pleased to meet you,” Luke said with perfect civility.

“Your Grace,” Alison said demurely, looking up at him and batting her eyelashes. He thought her eyes were a peculiar shade of green, and her olive complexion was somewhat sallow. He could not deny that on the surface, she could certainly be described as rather pretty, but there was something sly about her look, something rather underhand, and he did not wish to prolong their conversation for much longer if he could possibly help it.

“It is my daughter’s first season, which is why you will not have seen her before,” Lady Margaret said. “We are expecting it to be a very successful time for her. Her stepfather, my husband, you know, is the Viscount of Haddington, and has promised her a fine settlement.”

Luke saw that the girl at least had the decency to flush a little at her mother’s brashness. It was no surprise to him, though, that she was behaving so indecorously after everything Miss Hervey had told him.

“Indeed,” he replied, in as polite a tone as he could muster.

There was a moment of awkward silence between them all, and he could sense Miss Hervey’s discomfort as she stood next to him.

“And it is so pleasant to see you back here with us after being away for so long!” Lady Margaret plowed on. “And may I offer you the most sincere condolences, on behalf of our whole family, on the passing of your dear father. Such a favorite in society, he was.”

Luke bowed but said nothing. Part of him wanted to see how long this woman would rattle on without anyone else saying anything, despite his earnest desire to be spared her nonsense.

“And you will now settle at Seton House?” she asked.

He had no choice but to answer her. “That is my intention, my lady, unless any more urgent business arises in London that requires my attention.”

“Lord, yes, it must be so tiresome for you gentlemen having to run about the country dealing with such complex matters. Much more complicated than our female minds could manage, I’m sure!” She let out a girlish giggle, and Luke cringed inwardly. He was trying to think of a way of extricating himself from this conversation without seeming rude, but he simply could not think of anything that would not be an obvious and uncivil slight to Lady Margaret and her daughter.

“I am sure there are many ladies who could manage such things if they set their mind to it,” he demurred, thinking as he did so that Miss Hervey would most probably be more than capable of dealing with the matters of his father’s estate that had recently been occupying his time. She would also, no doubt, be excellent at managing a household, dealing with servants and all those other things that he personally found rather trying.

Lady Margaret looked confused for a moment, then nodded. Clearly, she was not going to contradict a duke; that would go entirely against her intentions. "Well, it is most pleasant to see you here at a ball, Your Grace,” she said, then her gaze flickered over to Charlotte, who was still standing quietly next to Luke. He noticed that she was picking at the skin around her fingers rather anxiously as the exchange between him and Lady Margaret continued.

“And you have been dancing with our dear Charlotte!” Lady Margaret said now. “How novel for you, Charlotte, when you so rarely dance.”