The Light in the Duke's Shadow: A Historical Regency Romance Book Read online

  Penelope smiled at the younger girl. “Hen.” Penelope smiled.

  Henrietta relaxed with visible relief. “It is nice to see someone I know. I did not get a chance to speak with you at the last party. I only saw you right before you left.”

  “I wish that I had seen you,” Penelope said with honesty. “But we have seen each other tonight, and we shall be comrades against whatever comes our way. So, did you meet any nice young men yet?”

  Henrietta sighed and flapped her arms most unbecomingly. Penelope covered her mouth as she laughed. Henrietta said with a grimace, “To be honest, my aunt just keeps introducing me to those old men. I know this is just my first Season, but I am already regretting it. What if I end up married to a man as old as my own father?”

  “Perhaps your aunt is looking more for herself?” Penelope suggested as she gave Hen’s shoulder a playful push with her own shoulder.

  Henrietta snickered and hid her hand behind one of Lady Winchester’s dance cards. “I think I find that more disturbing actually.”

  “Oh no, Mother got you with one of her cards,” Penelope said with a cluck of her tongue. “Now you shall have to dance.”

  Hen shook her finger. “Not if I do not get asked.” She shrugged. “Besides, I like dancing, even with old men. Dancing is nice.”

  “Yes, it is,” Penelope admitted as they turned and walked towards the ballroom. There were people walking around and listening to the music, but no dancing had yet begun.

  Hen whispered, “Did you ever get your voucher for Alamack?”

  The thought of the once treasured and sought after voucher had left Penelope some time ago. Penelope shook her head. “No, but truthfully that does not bother me. Did your aunt secure you one?”

  “Oh yes,” Hen said with a smile that showed pride. “I just wish that you could go with me. I shall be ever so frightened by my lonesome.”

  Penelope flicked her wrist. “You will have your aunt and plenty of young gentlemen to keep you busy.”

  “There is your Mother, and I think she has your card with her,” Hen said with a grin.

  It took all she could do not to groan out loud when Penelope turned to see her mother swishing skirts and all headed towards her with determination. Lady Winchester smiled so broadly that Penelope wondered if the woman had hit her head upon something while searching for her.

  “Hello, Mother, I was just entertaining Henrietta,” Penelope said pleasantly as her mother held out the rectangular piece of paper. “Oh, I had wondered if I was getting one. Now I do not get to miss out on the dancing.”

  “I shall ignore the tone,” Lady Winchester informed her daughter with a disapproving look. “Henrietta Douglas, you look lovely. Is that a new dress?”

  Hen beamed and twirled a bit to show off the way the dress moved. “My mother had it sent to me. She is still in the Americas with my father.” The girl’s smile dimmed some at her last words.

  Penelope put her arm around Henrietta’s shoulders. “I am sure she knows that you will make her proud.”

  “I do hope that I do,” Hen said with a watery smile as she fought back the tears.

  Lady Winchester gave Hen’s shoulder an encouraging pat. “From all I have heard, you have done yourself quite proud already this season.”

  There was a deep blush on Henrietta’s face at Lady Winchester’s words. “I do not know about that.”

  “It will all be fine,” Lady Winchester assured the young woman before she swept off to greet a tall gentleman who had come into the ballroom.

  Penelope whispered, “Do you think your father would mind if I sent my mother to the Americas so that yours could come here?”

  “You are horrible,” Hen said with barely hidden laughter. “Are you trying to get in trouble then?”

  Penelope shook her head. “No. Actually, I am determined to be on my best behaviour tonight.”

  “I am glad to see you more like your old self,” Hen remarked. “Oh, my aunt is calling me over. Talk to you in a bit?”

  Penelope nodded vaguely as she thought of Hen’s words. She watched the young woman hurry over to Dowager Reynolds who quickly swept the girl away to meet someone. Had she really changed so much?

  Penelope slipped her dance card into her bag that hung at her wrist as she wandered out of the ballroom. The halls were filled with light echoes of the music, the clink of glasses, and the murmur of voices. The wool had not felt so constricting, but with the warm press of bodies and candles, it had begun to feel heavy upon her skin.

  Making her way towards the less crowded nooks of the house, Penelope sought a crisp breeze. She rounded a corner to see a tall man enter. His dark hair caught her for a moment. For just that second, she thought it was Jules. Then he turned, and she saw he was a stranger.

  Shaking her head at herself, Penelope carried on down the hall where she found a bench to sit for a moment. The Duke had sent her father a letter, which by itself meant nothing much. Yet, he had also seen fit to let her know his reasons for not attending the party.

  The reasons might fill her with disappointment, but Penelope knew she should be grateful that he had thought to include her at all. Perhaps the man did hold some interest in her, or perhaps she was just not aware of how his particular brain worked. All she did know was that every time the front door opened, or a guest was announced, she kept waiting to see, or hear the Duke of Richmond.

  This was not the showing that Penelope had promised her mother. She stood up and took a deep breath. She could never claim her place in this world if she let every setback get her out of sorts. Surely independent women had to deal with these sorts of things all the time.

  She took a deep breath but found she only made it another few steps before Miss Lorraine called over to her. “Sweetie, there you are.”

  Penelope stopped and waited on the woman to hurry over in her flowing skirts. “You look very pleased.”

  “I wanted to introduce you to Captain Ralston,” Miss Lorraine said with a lift of her eyebrows and a sparkle in her eyes.

  That was one introduction that Penelope had no intention of missing, and she beamed at the woman. “He came,” Penelope whispered in excitement.

  “Well, of course, he did,” Miss Lorraine said with a little wink just for Penelope. She looped her arm through Penelope’s and led her back down the hallway.

  When they approached a group of chairs that were arranged in a corner for quiet conversation, a tall man with braided hair and tri-corner hat stood up. His hair was a most lovely deep red that Penelope found quite fetching. Miss Lorraine smiled at the man. “This is Lady Penelope Withersfield, my charge. Well, she is not really my charge anymore. I hear tell she probably will be wed soon.”

  The man’s sharp accent sounded oddly Irish, but with some other accent mingled in with it, probably from his years in far-flung ports. “Aye, I can see why. She’s a lovely lass, Lorraine.” The man shook his head and gave Penelope a smile. “I forget myself in the gentle company of women. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lass.”

  Penelope had taken no offence to the man’s directness. She gave him a curtsy just as her mother had taught her, and she saw Miss Lorraine beam with pride at her much as if Penelope were her own daughter. “I have wanted to meet you for some time, Captain Ralston. Miss Lorraine has told me about you and your adventures.”

  “Oy, I hoped she did nae tell ye much of them, or you’d think me a right rake,” the man said with obvious embarrassment.

  Penelope giggled despite herself, and this seemed to please Captain Ralston all the more. Miss Lorraine hit him on the arm. She shook her head. “I told you that he can be a rogue sometimes,” Miss Lorraine said in conspiracy to Penelope even if the man could plainly hear her.

  Despite her best efforts, Penelope found it impossible not to laugh at the couple’s antics. They were two of a kind, and Penelope was convinced by the time she bid them goodbye that Captain Ralston would have Miss Lorraine talked into travelling the seas with him before the end o
f the night. She thought that might be a lovely thing for her governess, even if she would miss her terribly.

  Penelope was just turning the corner into the foyer when her mother’s voice called over to her, “Penelope, darling, come here a moment!”

  Her mother stood next to a tall man, not quite as tall as the Duke, but tall enough to tower over Penelope at her petite height. The man stood taller than even her statuesque mother which her mother seemed pleased by. Lady Winchester waved her hand at Penelope and said to the man, “This is my daughter, Lady Penelope Withersfield.”

  The man dipped his head to her and extended his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard so much about you already that I feel intrigued.”

  “Oh?” Penelope asked curiously as she placed her fingers in the man’s hand. He bent over but stopped short of brushing his lips against her gloved fingertips.

  Lady Winchester smiled at Penelope. “Penelope, this is Lord August Portland, the Earl of Portland.” Her mother added the last title with a bit of a twinkle in her eyes. Penelope knew that her mother wanted her to make an especially good impression.

  Penelope was struck by the name. Did she know this man from somewhere? His name sounded familiar to her. She gave him a bright smile. “How lovely to make your acquaintance, Lord Portland.”

  “She is as mannered as she is beautiful,” Lord Portland said to Lady Winchester who smiled in her agreement.

  Penelope felt decidedly like an object for sale as the Earl let her hand drop. She just stopped herself from wiping her hand off in offence at the way the man looked upon her. Perhaps making a good showing would be a bit more work than Penelope had anticipated.

  Lady Winchester looked pleased, however, and Penelope decided she could make the best of it. Penelope enquired, “What is it that you do, Lord Portland?”

  The man looked pleased that Penelope was interested and gave her a warm smile. “My main enterprise is in the shipping industry. I run a fleet of ships that cross the oceans to deliver goods. Are you interested in trade?”

  “I have never really learned much about it,” Penelope admitted. “My lessons were more on the arts.”

  Lord Portland gave her an encouraging smile. “I think that is a reasonable thing. Women are artistic creatures by nature, and I find that the more technical aspects tend to bore them very much.”

  “That might very well be true,” Penelope said even if she did not particularly care for the sentiment. She had studied the sciences and found them very interesting, but she had no doubt that Lord Portland would not find that aspect of her very appealing, so she kept it to herself.

  Lady Winchester suggested, “Perhaps we should get something to drink while we wait on the dances to begin?”

  “That is an excellent idea.” Lord Portland boldly offered Penelope his arm, which caused her eyes to dart to her mother. Lady Winchester merely smiled, and Penelope accepted the arm the man offered.

  They made their way through the crowd. Lord Portland seemed to know as many people as Lady Winchester did, and he certainly needed very few introductions. Penelope had to admit that the man was charming and even humorous in his observations of the people they passed. Still, there was something about him that just did not sit well with Penelope.

  He got both Penelope and her mother a glass of the wonderfully sweet punch that the kitchen staff had made especially for the party. Penelope had always been fond of the punch that Cook made, and she was quite content to sip on the sweet concoction while Lord Portland and her mother discussed trade routes or some news.

  Not that Lord Portland allowed Penelope to be left out. No, the man seemed determined to make sure that Penelope did not lag behind in the conversation. If she seemed confused, Lord Portland explained what they were discussing until Penelope could follow along with it well enough.

  Though the man’s smile seemed open, and his eyes seemed to only hold flirtations, Penelope was too good at reading people to take the man at face value. There was something more behind the man’s words than what he was saying. It was not until Lady Winchester mentioned the Duke of Richmond in conjunction with one of the trade routes that Penelope remembered what it was her mind was screaming at her about.

  Had not the Duke said something about Lord Portland being involved in his parents’ deaths? Penelope eyed the man carefully. Was this man a murderer? What about him had called to the Duke so that he had singled this man out?

  ***

  While her mother and Lord Portland talked, Penelope began to plot. She owed Jules nothing, perhaps, but she felt that she could not bear to let this opportunity pass her by. If only she could somehow let the man know that the quarry he had sought was right here. Yet, there was no way to do that.

  She could, however, perhaps get the truth that so tormented the young Duke. If she could do that, then perhaps she could free him and herself as well from this horrible cycle that Jules seemed caught up in. Penelope sighed and interrupted her mother with a frown. “Forgive me, but I am feeling a bit faint. I think I shall go to the resting room for a moment.”

  “Do you need assistance?” Lady Winchester said as she turned to find a servant.

  Penelope waved off her mother’s question. “No, no,” Penelope said with a smile. “I just need a moment to catch my breath. I fear it might have been stolen by our guest and his way of making me laugh far too often.”

  Lord Portland put his hand over his heart. “My heart would stop if I knew I had caused you pain.”

  “I think you have nothing to fear in that case,” Penelope assured the man. She gave him a smile and cut her eyes ever so slightly towards the door to the next room. “I shall see you in a bit.”

  Lord Portland dipped his head in a bow to her as Penelope gave her mother a smile. Once she was out of sight, Penelope took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. She wondered if the man had caught onto her intention, and if he did would he be brash enough to risk his reputation for meeting up with her away from her chaperone?

  Penelope looked around to see if anyone was watching her before she slipped up the stairs which were just behind her. They were a back set of stairs that mostly only the servants used. It was a good way to get away from the crowds, and she hoped the man would catch on. As she waited just out of sight at the top of the stairs, she spotted Lord Portland exiting the doorway she had come out of a moment before.

  His eyes seemed to go up and down the hall. Penelope made a movement with her hand that drew his eyes up to her. A smile spread over his face. Penelope gave him a smile in return before she turned and walked down the hallway towards one of the empty servant rooms.

  Lord Portland’s footsteps behind her made Penelope look up. “Lord Portland, how nice to see you again,” Penelope said with an amused smile.

  “Did I read your intention wrongly?” Lord Portland said as he came to within a few feet of Penelope.

  She shook her head. “I just thought you might like to stop talking about trade for a bit. My mother is always on about my father needing to branch out. She thinks it would be good for his wealth.”

  “Ah, so you wished to save me from her schemes?” Lord Portland’s face lit up in a grin as he rocked on his heels. His long coat accentuating his slender, tall frame. “What shall we talk of instead?”

  Penelope shrugged and backed up to the door behind her which she opened with a coy smile. “I feel that we shall have no trouble with words.”

  Lord Portland seemed pleased by her answer and followed her into the room. Penelope swiftly lit a candle. Lord Portland nodded at the candle. “Feel safer?”

  “The light always shines on the truth,” Penelope bantered back. “I actually just do not fancy falling down and ripping my dress.”