My Fake Duke by Bianca Blythe

Author:Bianca Blythe [Blythe, Bianca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

The musicians continued to play, and the dancers continued to form elegant patterns. Alfie’s legs twitched. He liked dancing, but he didn’t know these steps.

He crossed his arms to restrain his instinct to usher the nearest woman here onto the dance floor.

Julius shook his head at him from across the ballroom, and Alfie sighed.

Apparently, dukes didn’t cross their arms. Apparently, there were all sorts of things dukes never did.

He strolled about the ballroom with Juno, noting the people who stared at them. Let them stare. Evidently, they’d never seen a lost duke before.

He glanced at Lady Juno. Unfortunately, she had a sour expression on her face.

“You are most beautiful,” Alfie said.

The sour expression on Lady Juno’s face intensified. “You needn’t flatter me.”

“I don’t have the words to do your beauty justice.”

“Then stay silent.”

Alfie blinked. Perhaps compliments were not her favorite thing to receive. Perhaps he should be thinking more about how he might impress her. Juno needed to wed an aristocrat, and he needed to show her that he was one.

Yes, that was what he should do.

He wasn’t a complete novice with women, after all. Juno had seemed to like him when he was a wagon driver saving for his own wagon. Surely she would like him even more now.

Alfie spread his arms out. “All this is mine.”

Juno shot him a disdainful look. “How very nice for you.”

“Er—yes.” Alfie flashed her a wide smile. “Of course, I’ll need someone to share it with. There’s a lot of gold and—er—furniture to observe.”

“Are you proposing, Your Grace?” Juno said the words in a cool, bored tone that Alfie ignored.

“Of course I am.”

Juno widened her eyes, and Alfie cringed. Perhaps he’d been too hasty.

A new dance started, and Juno glanced around the room. Then she smiled. “Forgive me, Your Grace. I already have a partner for this dance.”

“You do? You wouldn’t rather walk around the ballroom again?”

“I am afraid etiquette would not allow it.” Juno glanced at him strangely.

No doubt making such a suggestion was another thing dukes were not supposed to do. Being an aristocrat was difficult.

“There you are, Lady Juno,” a male voice said.

Alfie glanced beside him at man with long sideburns.

Juno dipped into a curtsy. “Lord Gargrave.”

Lord Gargrave led her to the dance floor, and Alfie was left alone. Alfie stared after them.

“Are you enjoying London, Your Grace?”

Alfie turned to see Juno’s father beside him.

“She is quite beautiful, is she not?”

“Indeed,” Alfie said.

“I had thought she might marry Lord Gargrave,” Juno’s father said. “But I wonder if there might be a better match for her here.”

She’d been beautiful when he’d met her in the market, but now she dazzled.

“She takes my breath away,” Alfie murmured.

*

The ballroom glittered, but everyone’s eyes were fixed on the new duke. Women flapped their fans with greater speed, as if hopeful it would cause him to notice them more. Even the men were transfixed.

“I can’t believe he just found out he was a duke,” Lord Gargrave muttered as they danced. “Most suspicious.”

Juno actually agreed

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