The Art 0f Pleasuring A Duke (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Read online

  “I do not see why that should be the case. You either wish to take a mistress, or you do not.”

  “Hmm…” Nathaniel sighed, he could not quite agree with David’s view of things. He supposed that the question of whether he wished to take a mistress, in general, was worth considering. However, he thought that he knew the answer to this question already—he wished to fall in love and marry, not take a mistress.

  And surely it matters quite a bit whether I like her once we meet in person?

  Knowing that his view of the matter was quite unconventional, Nathaniel decided it would be best not to argue the point with David right now. Instead he simply said, “All right, well I suppose I shall give the matter some thought.”

  David smiled at his old friend and Nathaniel detected fondness in this gesture, rather than the scorn or condescension that he might expect from some other members of the ton. They had known each other for years, and shared so many of their thoughts and wishes as younger gentlemen. Nathaniel thought that David could probably guess what he was thinking now, but neither of them said anything about it.

  They finished their meal in companionable silence, interrupted by occasional mentions of fond memories from their days at school together. Neither said anything more about the ballerinas, nor any other matters of import. Nathaniel was very relieved that he did not need to explain his feelings.

  “Well, shall we be off?” David asked, when they had finished their meal.

  Nathaniel agreed at once, and the two gentlemen set off together in his carriage. The drive to the house in Beech street was not a long one, but Nathaniel fidgeted anxiously through most of it.

  “Do calm yourself, Nathaniel.” David teased him, “Now you are making me anxious. I promise you that she will not bite.”

  Nathaniel took a deep breath and consciously stopped shaking his leg. “My sincerest apologies, David,” his tone was far too grave and solemn for the situation, “but we cannot all be as calm and collected as you, My Lord.”

  With this pronouncement, Nathaniel gave an exaggerated tip of his hat, and both gentlemen began to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Nathaniel found that laughter distracted him from his anxiety far more effectively than anything else had, and a feeling of relief washed over him.

  The sensation was short-lived, however, for they arrived in Beech Street only a few minutes later. Nathaniel had no reason to believe that the prima ballerina would be present when they arrived, but what if she was? After all, David had said that his mistress was a good friend of hers.

  Nathaniel tried, desperately, to push these thoughts from his mind as they approached the house.

  Am I not desperate to meet her? Is that not the entire purpose of this visit?

  The pair walked up to the front door, and were greeted by a pretty young woman. Though she wore a simple woolen gown, Nathaniel could see that she had the same long, graceful limbs as the prima ballerina. Her face was pretty, but not striking, surrounded by soft blonde curls.

  She smiled when she saw David, and Nathaniel saw that her face lit up with this smile. Suddenly she became more beautiful, and when David smiled back at her, he looked like a schoolboy once again. Nathaniel at once felt happy for his friend, and sad that he had not found such passion with his wife.

  He felt sure that his own face would be like much like David’s when he met the prima ballerina. Nathaniel thought that if she were to look at him in the same way, he would be the happiest gentleman in the world.

  “Good afternoon, Bridget,” David said, still smiling at her.

  “Good afternoon, David,” she said back to him, in a playful tone, “and what brings you and your…friend, here today?”

  “May we come in?” David asked. “I promise that I shall explain everything.”

  “Of course you may,” Miss Rowley said, stepping aside to allow the two gentlemen through the door. “Please come into the parlor. May I get you a cup of tea?”

  Nathaniel was about to refuse this courtesy, not wishing to waste any time, but David said, “Yes, thank you, tea would be lovely.”

  Nathaniel fidgeted nervously as he sat with David in the parlor while Miss Rowley made tea.

  “Nathaniel, this is becoming absurd,” David whispered to him as they waited. “You really must calm down.”

  “I am sorry, David, truly,” Nathaniel said, also in a whisper, for he did not want Miss Rowley to overhear them. “I am eager to speak with her, as you know. Why did you agree to tea?”

  “Bridget is very sensitive about social courtesies. If we said no, she would have taken it as an insult to her abilities as a hostess.” He said this as though it were an annoying character flaw, but he did not quite manage to disguise the affectionate look in his eye when he spoke.

  Nathaniel supposed that this attitude made sense for the common-born mistress of an aristocrat. He also could not help but think it quite romantic that his friend seemed to find this trait charming in spite of himself.

  When Miss Rowley finally returned with the tea, she served each of her guests in turn, pouring carefully and offering each of them milk and sugar. She refrained from asking them anything until everyone had taken a sip of their tea, and agreed that it was lovely.

  “Bridget, this is my friend, the Duke of Yanborough,” David said to his mistress, and then turning to Nathaniel, “and this is Miss Bridget Rowley, of the London Ballet Company.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” Miss Rowley said, bowing her head, for she could not curtsey while sitting on the love seat opposite her guests.

  “The pleasure is mine, Miss Rowley,” Nathaniel said. “I have only recently discovered the ballet, but I have quickly become a great admirer of it.”

  “I am pleased to hear that, Your Grace,” Miss Rowley said, offering him a friendly smile.

  “His Grace is hoping to be introduced to the prima ballerina,” David added helpfully. Nathaniel had hoped to bring this up somewhat more subtly, but he supposed that his friend’s direct approach was likely to be effective.

  “You wish to meet Miss Conolly?” Miss Rowley asked, looking at him with a spark of curiosity in her eye.

  “I must confess that I do not know her name. She danced the lead in the performance that I saw last week. She has very beautiful red hair.”

  “Her name is Anna Conolly, and she is the prima ballerina, as you have obviously gathered. Miss Conolly is a friend of mine, and I am quite sure that she would wish to meet an admirer of her work.”

  “Do you really think so?” Nathaniel asked, feeling excited now. “Would you introduce me to her?”

  “No.”

  “What?” Nathaniel said, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had been so hopeful only a moment ago.

  Why does Miss Rowley refuse to make the introduction?

  “I cannot introduce you directly. Miss Conolly does not know about my…connection…with your friend, and I do not wish for her to find out.”

  “Oh,” Nathaniel said, feeling unsure what to make of this.

  “I should warn you, Your Grace, that Miss Conolly does not approve of arrangements such as these, and she will never agree to one, if that is your aim.”

  “Oh no, I assure you that it is not,” Nathaniel said firmly. “That is why I am seeking a formal introduction, rather than approaching her myself after a performance, or…well, I don’t know how most gentlemen approach ballerinas, actually. But, the truth is that I wish to meet her properly.”

  Miss Rowley gave him a searching look, one eyebrow raised. Nathaniel thought that she must not believe him, but he did not know what more he could say or do to prove his good intentions. To his surprise, she smiled slightly after considering him for a moment.

  “All right then,” she said, “let me think about this.”

  The group sat in silence for a moment while Miss Rowley stared into the middle distance, seemingly lost in thought. When finally she spoke, there was a note of determination in her voice.

&nb
sp; “The current show will finish its run next week, and there will be a party afterwards. All of the corps de ballet, including Miss Conolly, will be in attendance,” she said. “David, you must have been invited, as a patron of the theater. I’m sure that if you ask Mr. Bamber, he will extend an invitation to your friend as well.”

  “Are all of the patrons of the theater invited as a matter of course?” Nathaniel asked.

  “I believe so,” Miss Rowley said, and David nodded in agreement.

  “In that case, my mother will have been invited as well,” Nathaniel said. “I will offer to accompany her to the party.”

  Miss Rowley looked at him, more curious than ever. “Are you quite sure that you want your mother present when you meet her, Your Grace?”

  From this, Nathaniel gathered that Miss Rowley still thought that he wished to begin an illicit connection with Miss Conolly, and he supposed that he could not blame her for thinking such a thing. Still, he felt that he must convince her otherwise.

  “I know that it seems like a strange plan, Miss Rowley,” he said firmly, “but I assure you that I have only the purest intentions where Miss Conolly is concerned. I simply wish to meet her and talk with her. There is no reason for me to fear my mother’s presence at the meeting.”

  “Well, in that case, I suppose this plan will work quite well.”

  Chapter 9

  Anna had rehearsal with the rest of the corps de ballet the following day. They knew the performance by heart, of course. However, they always rehearsed once during the four-day break between shows. During this time, they would review any difficult sections of choreography, fix any minor mistakes made the previous week, and simply stretch to keep their muscles loose for the following week.

  She and Bridget were stretching together at the side of the room while several other dancers were taken aside by the director to be given specific notes on their performances. Anna had arrived at rehearsal feeling somewhat more charitable toward Camilla and the rest of the corps de ballet after her conversations with Bridget and Mrs. Hughes.

  However, after an hour of rehearsal, Camilla was staring at Anna with a look of such dislike in her eyes, that Anna could no longer feel sorry for her.

  “Just ignore her,” Bridget advised in a hushed tone. “She is jealous because you were the only one of us not to receive a single note.”

  Anna had been proud of this accomplishment, at first in her career as a ballerina, and it made her sad to think that this could make the other dancers dislike her so much. She wondered if there might possibly be a better way of giving the dancers their notes, without making anyone feel embarrassed of their performance.

  In spite of her attitude and mean comments, Anna knew that Camilla was a talented and hard-working dancer. She had received several corrections from the director during this rehearsal, and Anna could understand her frustration and shame, having felt the same way herself at various times in her career.

  She was just pondering what she might be able to do to ease some of the tension amongst the company when Mr. Bamber entered the rehearsal room. This was the other function of these mid-week rehearsals. The owner of the company often used them as a time to make announcements to the dancers.

  “Hello, everyone,” he greeted them jovially, and received a chorus of hellos in return.

  “Congratulations on such a wonderful run so far.” He said, “I know that you have all just been receiving notes and corrections, and I trust that you will implement them fully in next week’s final three performances of this show.”

  There was a murmur of agreement from the assembled dancers, and Anna was sure that she heard notes of resentment in some of their voices. Mr. Bamber, however, seemed not to notice, and continued in his happy, friendly tone.

  “Now, as you all know, there will be a reception for the patrons of the theater after our final performance next week, and I will require that you all attend.”

  “And will we be paid what we are owed before this party happens, Mr. Bamber?” a voice called out from the back of the room. Anna recognized it as Camilla’s but did not turn around to confirm this.

  “Of course you will,” Mr. Bamber said, sounding a bit stiff. “Now, you must all be on your best behavior at this party. It will not be like our usual soirees with the gentlemen who visit the salon after the shows. This will be a proper party with high-born guests of both sexes.”

  Anna understood this to mean that while flirting with patrons was encouraged at the salon gatherings, it would not be tolerated at the upcoming party.

  Mr. Bamber went on to explain that the party would be held at the theater and that everyone was expected to dress fashionably and tastefully. She immediately heard Bridget whispering to her about how they must go shopping for new gowns. Anna did not usually enjoy parties, but she found herself intrigued by the idea of such a formal and elegant affair. She whispered back that she would love to go shopping with Bridget the next day.

  * * *

  Anna had offered to meet Bridget at her boarding house before going to the shops the following day, but Bridget said that she preferred to meet at Harper and Sutton.

  Anna walked down the street toward the shop, pulling her knitted shawl tightly around her shoulders. The late morning air was chilly, but the sun shone brightly, and the sky was a beautiful shade of forget-me-not blue. As she walked, she thought about the party.

  Perhaps I will actually enjoy the evening if flirting is off-limits.

  Though she was pleased to know that flirting was neither expected nor encouraged at the party, she could not help but think of the gentlemen who would be present. Perhaps she would dance with some of them and have actual conversations.

  Anna imagined herself dancing with a tall, graceful gentleman. A gentleman not only in name, but in action, he would talk to her kindly, without seeking anything untoward.

  Does such a gentleman even exist?

  Anna was still imagining herself gliding across the dance floor in the arms of this strong and kind gentleman, when she approached Harper and Sutton. She saw that Bridget was also approaching from the other end of the street.

  “How are you, Bridget?” Anna called to her friend, smiling as she walked up to her.

  “I am well, thank you, and yourself?” Bridget said.

  “I’m very well, and looking forward to shopping.”

  Anna saw Mr. Harper talking to an associate at the back of the shop as soon as she stepped inside. She recalled how he had made her uncomfortable the last time they spoke, but had not pushed the issue when she showed no interest in continuing the conversation. All in all, she felt that she would not mind chatting to Mr. Harper once more if need be.

  This was fortunate, for within a moment of their entering the shop, Mr. Harper noticed the two ballerinas and approached them, a smile spreading across his face.

  “Good morning, ladies,” he called to them. “To what do I owe this great pleasure?”

  Bridget favored him with a coy smile and said, “Good morning, Mr. Harper. It is a pleasure to see you again.”

  Anna thought that Bridget emphasized the word “pleasure” a bit more than was actually necessary, and raised an eyebrow at her friend. Bridget simply continued to smile, and Anna was unsure whether she was being ignored, or if Bridget had simply not noticed her reaction.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Mr. Harper replied, and there could be no mistaking his emphasis on the word “pleasure,” but once again, Bridget did not react.

  Anna was not sure whether she ought to laugh at this situation or be concerned. Might Bridget be giving Mr. Harper the wrong impression without realizing what he must be thinking? Of course not, Bridget is far too smart to make a mistake such as that.

  Anna had no desire to flirt with men such as Mr. Harper, but she could not help feeling a bit jealous of Bridget. She envied her friend’s easy way of talking with gentlemen and merchants alike. She felt sure that her life would be much easier if she could charm the wealthy patrons of
the ballet at parties as well as she could on stage.

  Anna looked at some of the gowns on display in the shop while Bridget and Mr. Harper continued to talk. Though she tried to avoid his gaze, Anna felt Mr. Harper’s eyes following her as she moved through the shop.

  In time, she heard Bridget explaining to him that they were there in search of gowns for the upcoming party, and Mr. Harper explaining that he, too, would be at the party.

  “I am quite looking forward to it,” Mr. Harper said, sounding surprisingly enthusiastic, considering that he often spent time backstage with the ballerinas already. Nevertheless, Bridget and Anna both assured him that they were very pleased to learn that he would be at the party, and were looking forward to seeing him there.