"Should we avoid him entirely, or would such behaviour appear irregular to observers?"
"We should acknowledge him with appropriate courtesy while providing no opportunity for extended conversation. Public settings offer certain protections that private encounters do not."
Their careful strategy proved unnecessary, however, as Pembroke made no immediate attempt to approach them, apparently content to observe their social navigation while continuing his own conversations with evident satisfaction. Yet his presence cast a shadow over what might otherwise have been a triumphant evening, reminding them that their success in London society might well be measured not only by their ability to win acceptance but also by their capacity to resist the schemes of those who wished them ill.
The dancing that followed provided a more public test of their partnership, as they took their places in the country dance with an awareness that every step would be observed and analyzed by their audience. Yet as the familiar patterns of the dance brought them together and apart in the prescribed movements, Evangeline found herself forgetting the watching eyes in favor of simple appreciation for her husband's grace and the growing ease of their physical coordination.
"You dance beautifully," he murmured during one of the brief moments when the figures brought them close enough for private conversation.
"As do you, despite your claims of rustiness from lack of practice. I suspect your social skills have suffered lessdeterioration than you feared."
"Perhaps not, though I confess myself surprised by how natural this feels after so many years of isolation."
"Perhaps isolation was never your natural state, merely a response to circumstances that no longer apply."
Her observation seemed to affect him more powerfully than the casual nature of their conversation would suggest, his dark eyes studying her face with the sort of intensity that made her acutely conscious of being the focus of his attention even in such public circumstances.
"Perhaps you are correct," he replied quietly. "Though I suspect that any return to natural inclinations owes more to present company than to any inherent recovery of former characteristics."
The compliment, delivered with such obvious sincerity, filled her with warmth that had nothing to do with the exertion of dancing but everything to do with the growing recognition that their marriage had indeed evolved far beyond its practical origins.
As the evening progressed through supper and continued conversation, Evangeline found herself gaining confidence in her ability to navigate London society's complex requirements. The initial scrutiny that had marked their arrival gradually gave way to more genuine interactions, as various guests apparently decided that the new Duchess possessed sufficient quality to merit normal social courtesy.
"You have made quite an impression," Lady Worthington informed her during a brief private conversation near the conclusion of the evening. "I have heard nothing but favourable comments regarding your deportment and conversation. London society, it seems, has decided to embrace rather than exclude you."
"I am grateful for such generous acceptance," Evangelinereplied with complete honesty. "Though I confess myself curious about what standards determined such a favourable verdict."
"Authenticity, primarily," Lady Worthington said with the sort of directness that marked her most serious observations. "London society encounters a great deal of pretense and calculation, particularly among those seeking to establish themselves within our circles. Your obvious genuineness, combined with appropriate dignity and evident intelligence, marks you as someone worth knowing rather than merely enduring."
The assessment filled Evangeline with satisfaction that extended far beyond mere social success, suggesting that her efforts to represent both herself and Lucian's name with honor had achieved their intended effect. As they made their farewells and prepared to depart for Grosvenor House, she found herself reflecting upon the curious transformation that marriage and necessity had wrought upon her circumstances.
Six months ago, she had been a penniless orphan facing destitution; tonight, she had been embraced by London society as a duchess worthy of their acceptance and respect. The journey between those two states had been marked by challenges she could never have anticipated and growth she was only beginning to understand.
"A successful evening, I believe," Lucian observed as their carriage carried them through the lamp-lit streets toward Berkeley Square.
"Indeed, it was, though I confess myself somewhat surprised by the relative warmth of our reception. I had anticipated considerably more hostility based on your warnings about London society's treatment of outsiders."
"Perhaps London society has grown more tolerant in my absence, or perhaps your natural qualities proved more compelling than I had dared to hope."
"Or perhaps," she suggested with growing confidence, "we make a more formidable partnership than either of us initially anticipated."
His smile in response to her observation was one of genuine pleasure, transforming his scarred features into something approaching handsomeness despite the damage that war had inflicted upon his appearance.
"Perhaps we do indeed," he agreed with satisfaction that seemed to encompass far more than mere social success. "Perhaps we do."
As they settled into the familiar comfort of Grosvenor House, with Wellington padding contentedly beside them and the evening's triumph fresh in their memories, Evangeline found herself cautiously optimistic about their ability to face whatever challenges London society might present in the coming weeks.
They had passed their first major test with success that exceeded even their most hopeful expectations, establishing themselves as a couple worthy of acceptance by even the most critical arbiters of social standing. Whatever schemes Edmund Pembroke might be hatching, whatever trials lay ahead in the complex arena of metropolitan society, they would face them together with the confidence that came from proven success and growing mutual devotion.
The future stretched before them, filled with possibilities that their marriage of convenience had never seemed likely to encompass. And for the first time since their hasty wedding at Ravenshollow Manor, Evangeline found herself genuinely excited about what that future might contain.
Chapter Fifteen
The morning that would alter the entire course of Lucian's existence dawned with the sort of deceptive tranquility that often preceded the most devastating of storms, its pale winter sunlight filtering through the tall windows of Grosvenor House with an innocence that belied the catastrophe about to unfold. He had risen early, as was his custom, to review correspondence and estate business before the social obligations of London life claimed his attention, though his thoughts remained occupied by the previous evening's triumph at Lady Melbourne's soirée.
Evangeline's success in London society had exceeded even his most optimistic expectations, her natural grace and intelligence winning acceptance from arbiters of fashion whose approval could make or break reputations with devastating efficiency. Watching her navigate the treacherous waters of ton society with such remarkable skill had filled him with a pride so fierce that it bordered on the possessive, though he was careful to conceal such primitive emotions behind the mask of civilized restraint that his position demanded.
Yet beneath his satisfaction at her social conquest lay the persistent awareness that their very success made them more vulnerable to those who wished them ill. Edmund's presence at various gatherings had not gone unnoticed, nor had the calculating attention with which his cousin observed their growing acceptance within the fashionable world. Lucian possessed sufficient experience with his relative's character to recognize that such observation boded ill for their continued tranquility.
