Dusk With a Dangerous Duke by Alexandra Hawkins Page B

a meeting this evening.” She rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “Hunter came up with this foolish idea on his own.”
    Her right eyebrow arced in astonishment at the twenty-four-year-old marchioness’s uncharitable opinion. According to Lady Netherley, Juliana had married Sin five years ago. Although Sin was not the first Lord of Vice to marry—that honor went to a very young Earl of Rainecourt—Juliana had been the lady to herald the changes that were about to take place within Nox. As the men married, their loyalties subtly shifted from the boyhood bonds they had forged to the new lives they were building with their wives.
    “Nineteen years is long enough, do you not agree?” Grace wondered out loud.
    Because of her grandfather and the dowager, she was supposed to be the one who would alter the Duke of Huntsley’s life. Perhaps she could not blame him for fighting to hold on to the life he had built with his own hands.
    “Juliana, do you know where I might find His Grace?”
    The young marchioness’s lips twitched at Grace’s formality, but she tipped her head to convey the direction in which to find the duke. “Across the ballroom, and head for the doors to the outer passageway. You might find him near the staircase.”
    “Lady Netherley?”
    “Yes, dear girl,” she said, eager to make amends for her loose tongue. “Do you wish for me to join you?”
    “No, but it is kind of you to offer. I thought you might want to alert the servants to prepare for our departure,” Grace said, squaring her shoulders. “Something tells me that my meeting with the Duke of Huntsley will be brief.”
    *   *   *
    The anxiety Grace had been feeling seemed a futile exercise when she realized the duke was not in the passageway as Juliana had presumed. Perhaps he had gone upstairs? Her gloved hand brushed the ornately carved newel as she glanced upward and met the amused gaze of Lord Chillingsworth.
    “Looking for someone, darling?”
    Recalling Juliana’s warning, Grace hesitated. Was the earl friend or foe? The question cast his kiss in a sinister light as well. Had Huntsley sent his friend to seduce her?
    “So many questions, I see,” Frost said, descending to meet her halfway. “And worries. Has someone been whispering naughty tales about me?”
    “Not at all!” she said quickly, causing him to chuckle.
    “Indeed. I’ll let you in on a tiny secret. Whatever you were told was only partly true. My friends and I do try to protect the ladies from some of the unsavory aspects of our lives.” Before she could inquire, Frost continued, “By now, you’ve learned Hunter has escaped his guards and is presently somewhere in this house. Presumably searching for you.”
    “Ah … yes,” she said, glancing over the earl’s shoulder, but he appeared to be alone. “Do you know the whereabouts of your friend?”
    His turquoise-blue eyes shimmered with delight. “Indeed, fair lady, I do. Continue up the staircase, and turn left. There is a small parlor two doors down on the right. You will find him there.”
    “Thank you,” she said, lifting the front of her skirt high enough to avoid stepping on the hem as she ascended the stairs. As she passed Frost, she paused. “Does he know?”
    “Know what, Grace?”
    She took a breath to steady her nerves. “Is he waiting for me?”
    He glanced up and appeared to contemplate her question. “No, darling. Hunter is impatient, which you’ll discover for yourself. If you get the opportunity, please send him my regards.”
    Lord Chillingsworth’s enigmatic comment did nothing to ease the butterflies in Grace’s stomach. Her hand briefly connected with the polished oak balustrade as she made her way upstairs to the next landing. She smiled benignly at the couple sitting on the small bench at the top of the stairs. They had slipped away from the noise of the ballroom to share a quiet moment together.
    Grace headed left, giving them their privacy. Her gaze found the door