“Can they?” Iris took a larger sip of champagne than was wise. “I don’t even know if I can trust him. What if Evie really is his? What if everything he’s told me is just an elaborate lie?”
Grace’s expression grew serious. “Do you actually believe that?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Your Grace.”
The smooth voice made them both turn around. A man stood before them, golden-haired and sharp-featured, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Something about him made Iris’s skin prickle with unease.
“I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced,” he said. “Jasper Cooper, the Duke of Richmond. I knew your husband at school.”
Iris felt her breath catch.Richmond.The same title as the kind dowager duchess who had visited them.
“Duke.” She bobbed a curtsey. “This is Lady Brentwell.”
“Ladies.” He bowed with practiced elegance. “I was hoping I might claim a dance, Duchess, if your card isn’t full?”
Every instinct screamed refusal. But she could feel eyes on them and knew that declining would only fuel more gossip. And perhaps she could learn something about Nicholas. From the way her husband had looked at the Dowager Duchess of Richmond, Iris had begun suspecting…
Well, a dance wouldn’t hurt.
“I would be honored.”
Grace shot her a warning look, but Iris was already placing her hand on Richmond’s proffered arm. He led her onto the dance floor as a new set began.
“You dance beautifully, Duchess,” he said as they took their positions.
“Thank you, Duke.”
“I’m surprised to see you out so soon after your confinement. You must be remarkably strong,” he said while raising an eyebrow. His tone was even yet somehow too polite.
“I had excellent care,” she replied and tilted her chin upward.
“I’m sure.” His hand was cool on hers. His touch was precise but somehow unpleasant. “Your daughter is well?”
“Very well.”
“How wonderful. Children are such blessings.” He guided her through a turn. “My late brother always wanted children. Used to talk about it constantly.”
Ah. So, he is Nicholas’s brother, then.
“You were close to your brother?” she asked.
“Nicholas and I had a complex relationship.” His smile was thin. “But we were brothers. Blood tells, as they say.”
“I am sorry for your loss,” she offered.
“Are you?” His gaze sharpened. “How kind. Though I wonder if you knew him at all. He and your husband were quite inseparable for a time.”
“My husband has mentioned him.”
“Has he? How fascinating. And what did he tell you about their adventures?” His voice took on a sly edge. “They did have such adventures. Paris, Venice, Vienna. All those exotic places where men can indulge their… fantasies.”
Iris kept her expression neutral despite the implication. “I’m afraid my husband doesn’t share tales of his youth with me.”
“No? How remiss of him. Nicholas had such stories. About the women they met. The gambling halls. The things they did that would make a lady blush.”
She frowned. “Duke?—”
