The Duke And His Four Wards

Chapter 3.3

   Two days later, the ton was still reeling from the discovery of the Duke of Twyford's wards. Amusement, from the wry ti the ribald, has been the general reaction. Felix had gritted his teeth and borne it, but the persistent demands of his friends to be introduced to his wards sorely tried his temper. He continued to refuse all such requests. He could not stop their eventual acquaintance but at least he did not need directly to foster it. Thus, it was in a far from benign mood that he prepared to depart Delmere House on that fine April morning, in the company of two of his particular cronies, Lord Daniel Hammington and Gregor, Viscount Thornbury.

   As they left the parlour at the rear of the house and enters the front hallway, their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the street door. They paused in the rear of the hall as Rickshaw moved majestically past to answer it.

   "I'm not at home, Rickshaw," said Felix.

   Rickshaw regally inclined his head. "Very good, Your Grace."

   But Felix had forgotten that Rickshaw had yet to experience the Misses Fleming en masse. Resistance was impossible and they came swarming over the threshold, in a frothing of lace and cambrics, bright smiles, laughing eyes and dancing curls.

   The girls immediately spotted the three men, standing rooted by the stairs. Maribella teacher Felix first. "Dear guardian," she sighed languishingly, eyes dancing, "are you well?" She placed her small hand in his arm.

   Sophia, immediately behind, came to his other side. "We hope you are because we want to ask your permission for something." She smiled matter-of-factory up at him.

   Emma simply stood directly in front of him, her huge eyes trained on his face, a smile she clearly knew to be winning suffusing her countenance. "Please?"

   Felix raised his eyes to Rickshaw, still standing dumb by the door. The sight of his redoubtable henchman rolled up by a parcel of young misses caused his lips to twitch. He firmly denied the impulse to laugh. The Misses Fleming were outrageous already and needed no further encouragement. Then his eyes met Margaret's.

   She had hung back, watching her sisters go through their paces, but as his eyes touched her, she moved forward, her hand outstretched. Felix, quote forgetting the presence of all the others, took it in his.

   "Don't pay any attention to them, Your Grace; I'm afraid they're sad romps."

   "Not romps, Maggie," protested Maribella, eyes fluttering over the other two men, standing mesmerized just behind Felix.

   "It's just that we heard it was possible to go riding in the Park but Lady Hillsborough said we had to have your permission," explained Sophia.

   "So, here we are and can we?" asked Emma, big eyes beseeching.

   "No," said Felix, without further ado. As his aunt had observed, he knew every ploy. And the opportunities afforded by rides in the Park, where chaperons could be present but sufficiently remote, were endless. The first rule in a seduction was to find the opportunity to speak alone to the lady in question. And a ride in the Park provided the perfect setting.

   Margaret's fine brows rose at his refusal. Felix noticed that the other three girls turned to check their elder sister's response before returning to the attack.

   "Oh, you can't mean that! How shabby!"

   Why on earth not?"

   "We all ride well. I haven't been out since we were home."

   Both Maribella and Sophia turned to the two gentlemen still standing behind Felix, silent auditors to the extraordinary scene. Maribella fixed Viscount Thornbury with pleading eyes. "Surely there's nothing unreasonable in such a request?" Under the Viscount's besotted gaze, her lashes fluttered almost imperceptibly, before her lids decorously dropped, veiling those dancing eyes, the long lashes brushing her cheeks, delicately stained with a most becoming blush.

   The Viscount swallowed. "Why on earth not, Felix? Not an unreasonable request at all. Your wards would look very lovely on horseback."

   Felix, who was only too ready to agree on how lovely his wards would look in riding habits, bit back an oath. Ignoring Miss Fleming's laughing eyes, he glowered at the hapless Viscount.

   Sophia meanwhile turned to meet the blatantly admiring gaze of Lord Daniel. Not as accomplished a flirt as Maribella, she could nevertheless hold her own, and she returned his warm gaze with serene smile. "Is there any real reason why we shouldn't ride?"

   Her low voice, cool and strangely musical, made Daniel Hammington wish there were far fewer people in Felix's hall. In fact, his fantasies would be more complete if they were not in Felix's hall at all. He moved towards Sophia and expertly captured her hand. Raising it to his lips, he smiled in a way that had thoroughly seduced more damsels than he card to recall. He could well understand why Felix did not wish his wards to ride. But, having met this Fleming sister, there was no way in the world he was going to further his friend's ambition.

   His last drawl reach Felix's ears. "I'm very much afraid, Felix, dear boy, that you're going to have to concede. The opposition is quite overwhelming."

   Felix glared at him. Seeing the determination in his lordship's grey eyes and understanding his reasons only too well, he knew he was outnumbered on all fronts. His eyes returned to Margaret's face to find her regarding him quizzically. "Oh, very well!"

   Her smile warmed him and at the prompting lift of her brows he introduced his friends, first to her, and  then to her sisters in turn. The chattering voices washed over him, his friends' deeper tones running like counterpoint in the cacophony. Margaret moved to his side.

   "You're not seriously annoyed by us riding, are you?"

   He glanced down at her. The stern set of his lips reluctantly relaxed. "I would very much rather you did not. However," he continued, his eyes roving to the group of three sisters and his two friends, busy with noisy plans for their first ride that afternoon, "I can see that's impossible."

   Margaret smiled. "We won't come to any harm, I assure you."

   "Allow me to observe, Miss Fleming, that gallivanting about the London ton is fraught with rather more difficulty than you would have encountered in American society, not yet within the circle to which you are accustomed in Hertfordshire."

   A rich chuckle greeted his warning. "Fear not, dear guardian," she said, raising laughing eyes to his. Felix noticed the dimple, peeking irrepressibly from beside her soft mouth. "We'll manage."