Chapter 14

New Year’s Eve

Grace patted her hair while she rushed down the hallway. She had received a most urgent summons. The Duchess of Haverford requested her presence immediately. Thinking that something terrible had happened, she hurried as fast as she could. Why else would she be called to see her hostess unless there was some sort of emergency?

She was about to knock on the door when it was suddenly opened. The doorframe was filled with none other than Nicholas, looking devilishly handsome in his evening attire for tonight’s charity ball. His face lit with a roguish grin as if he had some secret he dare not share with her.

“Lady de Courtenay,” he murmured with a bow.

Politeness demanded she acknowledge the gentleman before her. She nodded. “Lord Nicholas.”

He stepped aside so she could enter the room before he closed the door behind her. She shook her head to get Nicholas out of her mind and walked across the room to meet her hostess.

“You wished to see me, Your Grace?” she asked, dropping into a deep curtsey.

“Ah, Lady de Courtenay. Yes, my dear, I did wish to see you.” The duchess waved to a chair beside her own. “Please, take a seat. I have had a most unusual proposition. Or, perhaps, not so unusual.” She did not smile, but her eyes crinkled with amusement. “I could not say ‘yes’ without speaking with you, but five hundred pounds for our fund? It is a great deal of money.”

“Five hundred pounds?” She accepted the seat indicated. “Such a sum is indeed very generous to our cause, but what does such a donation have to do with me?”

The duchess’s eyes twinkled. “Rather a lot, my dear, but what will you think of it? That is the question.” She waved toward the tea trolley. “Tea?”

“If you think I will need something to fortify myself, then yes, I would love some tea. Shall I pour?” Grace asked, now curious as to what this conversation would reveal.

“If you would, my dear. And you can decline, of course. I will not think the less of you, and no one else will ever know. Except Lord Nicholas, of course.”

The tea cup rattled in the saucer she was handing to the duchess. “Lord Nicholas?” she managed to whisper. Grace succeeded in passing the duchess her cup without disaster. She placed her shaking hands in her lap, afraid tea would spill all over the trolley if she were to attempt to pour another serving.

“Ah.” The duchess nodded wisely and sipped her tea. “Thank you, Lady de Courtenay. That is just as I like it.”

“You are welcome, Your Grace. You were saying about Lord Nicholas…”

The duchess hesitated for a moment, looking thoughtfully into her cup. “Lord Nicholas has offered five hundred pounds to the fund in return for a boon. You are, of course, free to refuse. And if you do, I shall say nothing further, and neither shall the gentleman.”

Her brow rose. “And just what is the gentleman asking in return for helping our charity?” Her fingers whitened in her lap while she clenched her hands together, almost afraid to hear what the man wanted from her.

“A kiss, Lady de Courtenay. He will give five hundred pounds to the fund in return for the right to give you a kiss.” She hurried on, while Grace gaped at her, “Nothing more than has been happening all over this house under the kissing boughs that almost every room sports, but if you have a distaste for the man, there is nothing more to be said.” She took another sip of her tea.

Grace snapped her lips shut. On one hand, his offer was a vast amount of money he would donate to a worthwhile cause that Grace believed in. On the other, she was trying her best not to think that Nicholas was attempting to buy her favor. She swallowed hard.

“Sometimes a kiss is not such a simple thing, Your Grace. I have never been one to think that such an intimate gesture between two people is so frivolous that a kiss can be easily given away,” she finally voiced, her tone somber as she pondered what the possible outcome could mean if she gave in to Nicholas’ request.

Her Grace tipped her head slightly to one side. “Hardly… given, my dear. The gentleman, it seems, places a high value on the favor. But I do not mean to over persuade you. You are correct. Between two people who have feelings for one another, a kiss is by no means a simple thing.”

“I fear I must ask… you do not feel his motives were to make sport of me? We did not exactly part on friendly terms after our last conversation together,” Grace stated in a rush. She continued on before giving the duchess time to reply. “I will admit that I do care for the gentleman and can only hope that we can move forward after the many misunderstandings we have had in our past. I am sure you can understand my concern that this is not just some cruel joke to be played for those who may witness the kiss,” Grace confessed with a worried frown.

“My dear, I do not think it. Lord Nicholas is not such a cad as to seek to embarrass you in public. I can only speculate, but he seems to have a sincere regard for you. Tell me, Lady de Courtenay, you mentioned an unpleasant parting. Was the unpleasantness all on his part? Did he offer any overtures of friendship?”

“My temper and pride got the better of me, so I can in all honesty say our parting was at least partly my fault. He did try to offer his apologies, but I was too angry to listen to his attempt to make things right between us.” Grace could feel the blush rush across her face. This had become a most embarrassing conversation.

The duchess put a gentle hand on Grace’s arm. “Perhaps, my dear, he hopes for a chance to show you how he feels, without the barriers erected by your temper and pride… and his, too, for I am sure he has been mostly at fault. I must say, my dear, that if you intend to kiss the gentleman sooner or later, the fund may as well have the five hundred pounds.”

Grace did her best to suppress her smile but failed. “I can see your point, Your Grace, and must offer my sincere thanks for your council.” Her mind was already made up. “Do you happen to know where I might find Lord Nicholas? I would hate to keep the gentleman waiting.”

The duchess raised one elegant brow. “I believe Lord Nicholas was going to the parlor I use as my writing room. You will do it, then?”

“Yes, of course I will.”

“Should I come along to see fair play and safeguard your reputation? No. I thought not. Enjoy yourself, my dear, but not too much.”

“If you will excuse me? And I promise I will be careful.”

She left the room after a hasty curtsey, but not so quickly she did not hear the duchess say, “But not too careful.”