The Desirable Duchess Read Online Free Page A

six years old. His father had been a cold, austere man who had turned the training of his son over to servants to make sure he excelled in everything from riding, to shooting, to a thorough knowledge of the classics. It had been a lonely childhood. The only time he appeared to have pleased his father, the old duke, was when he expressed a desire to join the military at the age of sixteen. His father had bought him a commission in a crack regiment and had then apparently forgotten about his existence.
    To the duke, a sensitive young man, the army was a brutal awakening. But he quickly adapted, and soon the end to his lonely life outweighed all other drawbacks. He never returned home on leave, preferring to spend his time in London before returning to the battlefront. He had never been in love but had enjoyed the favors and company of several experienced mistresses. He had never thought to marry but, somehow, now that he was a duke, now that he was settled and held the main position in the county and one of the highest positions in society, he found his thoughts frequently turning to marriage. He had gradually decided that the best prospect for a future wife would be a young girl who could be trained to the responsibilities of being a duchess. He thought about Alice Lacey. She was very beautiful and desirable; this evening, he would have an opportunity to study her further.
    His butler entered and said, “Mr. Edward Vere has called, Your Grace.”
    The duke’s face lit up. “Send him up immediately.” Edward was his closest friend, but he had not seen him for over a year, for Edward had stayed with the regiment, right up to the surrender of Napoléon.
    Edward Vere was a small, round, jolly man with a cherubic face and a mop of black curls that he desperately tried to tame into one of the fashionable styles without success. The duke hugged him and then stood back and gazed down at him affectionately. “Can you bear to get dressed very quickly and accompany me to a young lady’s birthday party? Or are you too exhausted after your journey?”
    “Fit for anything,” said Edward, with a grin. “What’s in the air? Marriage?”
    “Only a social occasion. My neighbors, the Laceys, have an exquisite daughter. This is her nineteenth birthday.”
    “I should have a present for her. Can’t go without a present.”
    “The family will understand. I shall send a footman on ahead of us to warn them of your arrival.”
    “Actually, I got something for you, but maybe it’s more suitable for a lady.”
    “And what is that?”
    “A parrot.”
    “Does it speak?”
    “Not a word.”
    “Very suitable. Parrots are inclined to swear. It was a kind thought, but I would be delighted if you gave the bird to Miss Lacey. What is it called?”
    “Polly.”
    “So original,” mocked the duke. “Hurry and change. Take my man with you.”
    Soon both men set out, the bird in a cage between them. “That is not a parrot,” said the duke, peering at it in the swaying light of the carriage lamp. “It’s black. Parrots have gaudy colors.”
    “A sailor told me it was a rare black parrot,” said Edward a trifle huffily.
    “I saw something like that in a book,” said the duke. “I have it! It’s a
Gracula Religiosa
.”
    “Speak English.”
    “A mynah. Comes from Southeast Asia. Member of the starling family. I’m sure I read they were great talkers.”
    “Not this one.”
    “Have you been feeding it the right stuff?”
    “I suppose so. Chap in the regiment said he knew of another chap who had one of these and told me what it ate. Eats like a horse, anyway.”
    “Its wings aren’t clipped. Weren’t you frightened it would fly away?”
    “Haven’t let it out the cage.”
    Edward sank back in his seat and closed his eyes. “Wake me up when we get there. I’m devilish tired and my corset is deuced uncomfortable.”
    “Why wear it?”
    “Because,” said Edward sleepily, “my evening coat is an example of Weston’s best