The Trouble With Being a Duke Read Online Free Page B

It’s always best to keep one’s safety in mind.”
    “Oh, indeed it is.”
    “I see that you brought Lady Georgina along with you this evening,” Anthony said as he offered Lady Snowdon’s daughter a smile. The young woman, who wasn’t all that young anymore (rapidly approaching her thirtieth year, if memory served), attempted a curtsy. Anthony bowed before adding, “And your husband, the earl? Is he here too?”
    “Yes, yes, I believe he’s having a word with your dear mama,” Lady Snowdon replied. “Georgina and I were speaking to her as well, but then I spotted you and well . . . we simply had to come right over and thank you for inviting us here this evening—so kind of you.”
    “Think nothing of it,” Anthony replied. He gestured toward Casper, who had otherwise kept completely silent during the exchange, no doubt in the hope of going unnoticed. Well, Anthony wasn’t about to allow that to happen and said, “Have you perhaps had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of my very good friend, Mr. Goodard?”
    Lady Snowdon’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and then she turned her head in Casper’s direction until . . . “Oh, I say!”
    Anthony was finding it damn near impossible to keep a straight face. Apparently the poor woman had been so focused on him that she’d failed to notice the man he was with—a man many a young miss had claimed to be the handsomest man they’d ever seen. It wasn’t something that had ever stood in the way of their friendship though. Anthony was certain that it had always bothered Casper more than it had him, but with his blonde hair and blue eyes, Casper was the sort of man who invariably turned heads. In short, he could probably have had any woman he wished regardless of the fact that he lacked a title.
    “Ladies,” Casper said as he reached for Lady Georgina’s hand first and placed a kiss upon her knuckles. He repeated the gesture with her mother, who immediately turned a bright shade of pink.
    Hoping to bring them all back to level ground, Anthony made the suggestion that he knew Lady Snowdon would try and coax out of him. He hated groveling, though, and decided therefore to avoid her pleas on her daughter’s behalf altogether. “Lady Georgina. Would you do me the honor of dancing a quadrille with me?”
    “Certainly, Your Grace,” Lady Georgina replied, looking terribly bashful as she dropped her gaze to the floor and shifted uneasily from side to side.
    And then, much to Anthony’s surprise, Casper chimed in. “If you still have room on your dance card, Lady Georgina, I would also appreciate the opportunity to dance with you—a waltz, perhaps?”
    Lady Georgina’s gaze snapped back up to stare at Casper in wonder while her mother let out a squeal of delight beside her and clapped her hands together for emphasis. “That is very kind of you, Mr. Goodard. Thank you.”
    And then the two women took their leave—Lady Snowdon undoubtedly eager to prepare her daughter for the big moment ahead of her. Anthony turned to Casper. “Feeling charitable?”
    Casper shrugged and took a sip of his champagne. “Not particularly. Actually, I’m not sure what came over me other than that I felt a need to stop her mother from making things worse for her.”
    Anthony knew precisely what he meant, for he had felt the exact same way the few times he’d happened to find himself in Lady Snowdon’s presence. He was just about to make another comment to that effect when he caught a glimpse of a woman edging her way along the periphery of the room until she came to a halt beside a pillar on the far side of the dance floor. Her face was turned slightly away from him, so it was difficult to get a proper look at her with all the people that kept blocking his line of vision, yet something about her caught his interest—she looked stranded. It was most peculiar, really, because she appeared to be dressed elegantly enough, yet instinct told him she didn’t quite belong. It