How to Beguile a Duke (Entangled Scandalous) by Ally Broadfield Page B

able to keep her true self hidden. Unconventional is an understatement.”
    She clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
    “In that case, may I escort you to the Cortland ball tonight?”
    “I would be delighted.”
    She stood, and he followed suit. He kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit you sooner.”
    “I wouldn’t have been at home if you had called yesterday afternoon anyway.”
    He laughed. She liked to tease him, but he knew she also needed the reassurance that he would always be available to her. Another of the many factors that had contributed to his decision not to marry. He said his good-byes and began the short walk home. Justin had sent a sheaf of papers and accounts for him to review.
    The streets were still mostly deserted. He wondered what Miss Malboeuf was up to. He suspected she was an early riser like himself as she didn’t seem the sort to waste time that could be put to good use. She was quite enticing, but he remained convinced she would be unable to secure a match. Once her background was revealed, no one would offer for her. ’Twas a shame, but that was the way of the privileged. He was more than sympathetic to the pain she would experience when she was ridiculed by society, but the sooner she learned the ways of the ton , the better it would be for both of them.
    …
    Catherine twirled to get a glimpse of the back of her gown. Magnifique . The perfect gown for her first ball. Madame Rouillard had been correct about the green silk being her color. Now all she had to do was remember the steps to the dances.
    She wasn’t worried about the quadrille. That she could do in her sleep, but her experience with most of the others was limited to her instructor. Perhaps she would require refreshment whenever a waltz began. Oh, but what if no one asked her to dance? Surely Lady Hartley would introduce her to men who would ask her to dance, even if only to be polite.
    “There you are,” Jane said. They had gone to the retiring room so Jane could repair a small flaw with her coiffure. “Are you ready to join the ball?”
    “As ready as I’m ever going to be.” She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.
    Jane laughed. “You’ll be fine. In fact, in that gown, you’ll be the talk of the ball.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of. Not because of the gown, but because of my background. I want to blend in with the crowd, not stand out.” She ran her finger over the diamonds on her necklace. Perhaps she had overdone it. But since she wasn’t titled, she intended to show off her other attribute. Wealth.
    Jane stepped in front of her and met her eyes. “Catherine, you will always stand out, no matter what you wear or whom you are with. It’s not your fault. It’s just who you are. You’ll see.” She waved her hand toward the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
    Although still thinking it would be better to blend in, Catherine allowed Jane to tow her toward the ballroom.
    Lady Hartley smiled as they approached her. She had gathered with the other mothers who were chaperoning their unmarried daughters and waiting for the dancing to begin. “I have decided that rather than seek out introductions, we shall remain here and let the gentlemen come to us. I am certain both of you will be in great demand.”
    Catherine took another deep breath and forced herself to remain still. She spotted the Duke of Boulstridge across the ballroom escorting a lady who could only be his mother. He must have inherited his size from his father because the top of her head barely reached his shoulder, but the resemblance was unmistakable. Her bearing reminded Catherine a bit of her own mother, and a wave of longing for her family crashed against her heart. A letter announcing the birth of the baby should arrive at any time.
    Now was not the time to rethink the timing of her trip to England. At twenty, she was already nearing the age where she would be considered on the shelf, and a delay