All You Need Is a Duke by Bianca Blythe

Author:Bianca Blythe [Blythe, Bianca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Duke, duke hunters club, Wallflower, spinster, bluestocking, matchmaking, Historical Romance, Regency Romance
Publisher: Bianca Blythe
Published: 2020-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JASPER SHOULD HAVE been relieved to find his friends sitting in the drawing room when Miss Carberry and he returned to the castle, but instead an odd twinge of irritation moved through him. The feeling was not improved when Miss Carberry’s mother and grandmother joined them. Lady Juliet was apparently not feeling well and would not join them, though Jasper suspected Lady Juliet was aware tonight was supposed to be about Miss Carberry.

Clearly, Lady Juliet was a good friend. Lady Metcalfe had also been close to Miss Carberry. Many people seemed to know Miss Carberry was wonderful. He only wished Miss Carberry would know it as well.

The conversation with Miss Carberry had ended, and he contented himself with his friends.

Finally, her father reappeared with their dog. Lily wagged her tail and rushed toward Margaret. Margaret exclaimed and petted Lily unselfconsciously, and something in Jasper’s chest tightened at witnessing such obvious affection.

“Did you have a pleasant stroll?” Jasper asked.

“Oh, yes.” Mr. Carberry beamed.

“The sun is setting,” Mr. Carberry said. “I can see it from the window. It’s beautiful.”

Jasper widened his eyes. “You’re jesting.”

“Er—no.” Mr. Carberry eyed him strangely. “It’s not something I would jest about. If I jested.”

Jasper threw his hands up in the air. Of course. It had been a foolish question. Mr. Carberry was not prone to jesting. He was unlikely to begin by attempting complex jokes about sun patterns. Most people new to the process favored placing a simple banana peel on strategic places on the ground—a hard surface was required for that particular effort at levity. Carpets would not do.

Jasper gazed at the window. The footmen would arrive with the first food soon, but Jasper resisted the urge to wallow away his regrets about sunsets while gobbling canapes. He needed everyone to be outside. Now. No matter how smug they might appear at their armchair selection.

“Let’s go outside,” Jasper said.

“Outside?” Ainsworth shot him a quizzical look.

“Naturally outside,” Jasper snapped. “Outside isn’t an absurd concept. After all, places are either inside or outside, and most places are the latter.”

Brightling’s mouth dropped open, but Miss Carberry’s lips twitched.

Jasper headed toward the door, pivoting only to say, “this way.”

“You want us to join you?” Ainsworth drew his forehead together.

“Naturally,” Jasper said.

His friends shot one another odd glances, as if they found him peculiar.

He threw up his hands. “You needn’t look so puzzled. The statement shouldn’t be necessary. You did enter this way.”

Miss Carberry lifted her eyebrows, and Jasper nodded.

She needed to come too.

This was important. Sunsets were one of nature’s most consistently romantic occurrences. They seemed popular with everyone, even if he was grateful that men’s fashion no longer demanded that one swathe oneself in pink as if to emulate one of the striking features of a sunset. Black suited him just fine: one worried far less about the occasional spillage and garden wanderings were not sources of stress.

Soon, they stepped onto the gravel. The castle soared behind them, casting a shadow, and Jasper shivered.

Unfortunately, shadows were not known for their romance inducing quality.

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