Ice Cold Duke (Frigid Dukes #2)

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

“ I t’s your first ball,” Emery said, as she placed the final flower into the braid at the top of Leah’s head. “How do you feel?”

“Nervous,” Leah admitted, smiling shyly at her sister-in-law. “I can’t believe after all these years of practicing and preparing for this moment that it’s finally here.”

“You’re ready,” Emery said, giving her a big, reassuring smile. “And the Andersons’ Ball is supposed to be one of the finest of the entire Season! It’s the opening ball of the Season, did you know? And it can be difficult to secure an invitation.”

“So we should be pleased,” Leah said, smiling more broadly. “My reputation hasn’t taken a hit because of all the scandal associated with our family name.”

“It looks as if our good name is being restored,” Emery agreed. “The rumors that Henry has reported upon in the last few days have been promising.”

It was true. They had arrived in London just five days earlier, and ever since, Emery and Lucien had been sharing a bed and taking every opportunity they could to be seen together out in public. Whether that was shopping at the milliner's, promenading on the Serpentine, or even attending the operas, Emery and Lucien had been inseparable. Leah had been with them, of course, so that they could show her off to the ton even before she made her official debut. But tonight would be the night she officially was introduced to Society, which meant tonight had to be perfect.

“There is no better place for you to make your debut than the Andersons’ Ball,” Emery said. “Your brother told me this invitation signals that the ton is ready to forgive us: if we can do well this evening.”

“Which means I must be on my best behavior,” Leah said, nodding her head slightly. She was still staring into the mirror above her vanity, and she raised a hand and curled a finger around one of the locks that fell in an elegant curl down from her braid. She fiddled with the curl for a moment, looking nervous, until Emery took her hand and squeezed it.

“I have no doubt that you will be a paragon of perfection,” Emery said. She meant it, too. Leah was ready. She’d been rigorously training for this day for years, and now it was time. “No more nerves, my love. You have every reason to be confident.”

Leah turned away from the mirror and took Emery’s other hand, as well.

“And you, too, dear Emery,” she said. “You have every reason to be confident as well. I know it’s your first ball in London as well.”

“Yes.” Emery’s stomach squirmed slightly, and it was a struggle to keep the smile on her face. “Although I am not as ready as you are. I still am unsure of my footing in the cotillion!”

“You will be marvelous,” Leah reassured her. “And if you are unsure of anything, you will have Lucien, and me, by your side.”

“I’m supposed to be saying that to you,” Emery laughed. “Not the other way around.”

“We have each other’s backs,” Leah murmured. “We’re family.”

There was a knock on the door, and both ladies turned to see Lucien enter, holding a small box in his hands. When he took in Leah, he smiled broadly, and a misty look came to his eyes.

“Sister,” he said, bowing his head. “You look radiant tonight. Exactly as I knew you would.”

“Thank you, Lucien,” she said, blushing and curtsying. “I hope you are pleased.”

“Of course I am. And I’m very proud of you.” He hesitated for a moment. “Mama and Papa would be as well, if they were here.”

Now it was Leah’s turn for her eyes to fill with tears. “Oh, thank you, Lucien,” she murmured, and she went to him, placing her hands on his arms and kissing his cheek. Then she drew back and looked up at him. “That may be the kindest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“You’re very welcome,” he grunted, and Emery had to hide a smile as she recognized the huskiness of emotion in his voice. “The carriage is ready, whenever you are. But first, I was wondering if I might get a moment alone with my wife?”

“Oh, of course.” Emery couldn’t see the look on Leah’s face, as she was still facing her brother, but there was something knowing in her voice that made Emery’s stomach lurch once again. What does she think she knows? “I will see you both in the carriage.”

Leah nodded to Emery, then left her bedroom, but not without shooting a mischievous glance at Emery.

Even more nervous now than before, Emery coughed and smoothed down her skirts, looking anywhere but at her husband.

“You look very beautiful tonight,” he said in a low, intoxicating voice, and she stilled herself and looked up. He was watching her with a small smile on his face.

“Thank you,” she forced herself to say. “I know this is Leah’s night, and I’m not trying to upstage her, but--”

“You look breathtaking. As you ought to.”

Emery felt her cheeks burn. “I don’t know about breathtaking,” she said quietly.

“I do,” he said firmly. “And you deserve to look as beautiful as her--as anyone--even if you are not a debutante yourself tonight.” He took a step closer to her, and she felt the heat in her cheeks grow warmer. “I know you have looked forward to tonight all your life. That you’ve been waiting for and dreaming about attending a ball during the London Season.”

Without speaking, she nodded.

“Well, I wanted you to have something.” He held out the box to her, and she crossed the room and took it from him.

“What is it?” she asked, looking curiously up at him.

“A good luck charm,” he said with a small laugh.

Slowly, she opened the box. Inside, on a bed of blue velvet, was a small comb. It was made of silver and inlaid with five pearls, each as white and pure as a snowflake. On the right side, engraved in a very fine hand, were the initials DD.

“Oh, my word,” Emery gasped, and she brought a hand to her mouth. “It is so beautiful!”

“It is yours,” Lucien said, and she glanced up to see him smiling rakishly at her. “Those initials stand for the Duchess of Dredford . My mother had it made after she married my father, and now, I want you to have it.”

“No, Lucien, I can’t,” Emery protested, holding the box out to him. “The comb was your mother’s. It belongs to Leah, or Celeste, or even Eve, but not to me.”

“It’s a comb for the Duchess of Dredford,” Lucien said, shaking his head slowly. “And believe me, she would have wanted you to have it.” When Emery hesitated he continued, “Let it be a symbol not only of your title, but how you have brought so much joy and laughter back into our family. You truly are the matron of the Grove family.”

Emery raised an eyebrow. “You still haven’t learned to pay ladies good compliments if you think I will be flattered by being called a matron. You make me sound as old as a dowager!”

Lucien laughed softly, though the sound still came out deep and rich. “My apologies. You are not a matron, nor do you look like one at all. I meant only that you are the head of this family as much as I am. And I would be proud for you to wear my mother’s comb.”

She took the comb out of the box and held it in her hands. “It really is very beautiful,” she murmured.

He stretched out a hand. “May I?”

Slowly, she handed him the comb, and he came to stand behind her. She could no longer see him, but she could feel his presence, looming and large, warm and powerful. His hands then came to her hair, and she felt him carefully push the comb into the top of her coiffure.

“There,” he murmured. “It looks beautiful.”

Then, to her surprise, he took her by the shoulders and turned her around, so that she was facing the mirror above the vanity. She could see herself fully now, thin and pale, but pretty, she thought, with her dark hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate coiffure. And there, on the right hand side, the silver comb with the mother-of-pearl, stuck elegantly into the dark curls.

And behind her, her husband, the Duke of Dredford. So tall that half his head was cut off in the vanity. He looked so formidable standing behind her like that, and she felt her heart once more begin to race.

“I think you’re ready,” he said, his voice like a purr. “Let’s get you to your first ball, Duchess.”

The Andersons’ townhouse was larger and grander than anything Emery had seen before. While Lucien’s townhouse was also large and beautiful, it was clear to her, once she entered the Andersons’, that her husband had been saving money over the years and not spending on things such as the most lavish decorations a person could buy. The Andersons, however, seemed to have all the money in the world. At least, they liked to spend it on balls.

As she entered the entrance hall, Emery couldn’t help but stare at everything she saw.

“It’s so beautiful!” Leah whispered to her, also gazing around in wonder. “Look! They have marble statues of Greek goddesses in the hall!”

“And they’re covered in ivy,” Emery whispered back, marveling.

“It’s even more surreal than I ever could have imagined,” Leah said, and her hand found Emery’s. “I’m nervous.”

“I know,” Emery murmured back, “but you will be wonderful. Just you wait and see.”

She glanced around at her husband, only to find him greeting an elderly lady with a kind face.

“Ahh, Aunt Wilhelmina, it is so wonderful of you to meet us here,” Lucien said, embracing the woman. “You remember my younger sister Leah, do you not?”

“Leah? Ahh, yes, she was but a girl when last we met!” The woman, Wilhelmina, turned to Leah and curtsied. “You look very beautiful, Lady Leah.”

“Aunt Wilhelmina!” Leah could not hide her surprise. “My brother didn’t tell me you would be here tonight. It has been too long!”

She let go of Emery’s hand and went to her aunt, taking her hands in hers and kissing both her cheeks. “You must tell me how my cousins are! Are they still rascals?”

“Not at all,” Aunt Wilhelmina laughed. “They are all grown up and have children of their own now!”

“What is this?” Emery whispered, moving closer to Lucien. “You didn’t tell me that a relative of yours would be meeting us at the ball tonight.”

“Did I not?” Lucien looked innocent enough, but Emery still narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling that he was feigning innocence. “Ahh yes, I suppose I forgot to tell you. But it is no matter. She is just here to act as chaperone to Leah.”

“Chaperone?” Emery stared at him. “But I am supposed to be Leah’s chaperone. Wasn’t that one of the agreements of our marriage, that I should watch over her during her first Season?”

“And so you shall,” Lucien said, smiling at her in a decidedly wicked way. “For the rest of the Season. But tonight, I wanted someone else to be here to chaperone Leah so that you could focus on enjoying your first ever ball.”

“But--” Emery blanched, unsure of what to say. It was the kindest, most thoughtful thing someone had ever done for her, and she was speechless.

Lucien looked as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, and he grinned wickedly. “Now you shall have to dance the night away, instead of following Leah around, making introductions, and trying to keep her out of trouble.”

“But aren’t you worried about her?”

“Of course I’m worried. But Aunt Wilhelmina raised three sons and five daughters. She knows how to take care of young ladies and how to ward off ill-intentioned gentlemen.”

Emery licked her lips. She was suddenly even more nervous. She had thought that tonight she would be looking after Leah, not dancing or socializing on her own. And while she much preferred the latter, she also felt afraid. What if I make a fool of myself?

“Just stay close to me,” her husband said, putting a protective hand on her lower back. “I will show you how to enjoy yourself at a London ball.”

“And how does one do that?” she asked, genuinely curious.

Lucien smiled. “By dancing with me, of course.”